Deebee - Thanks for the tip on Shoreline - I dropped my board off on Sat. with a guy named Mike. Ironically, while I was there he suggested that I put a logo on the board and grabbed a recently glassed board off of the shelf to show me an example of a “home built” logo. Turned out to be one of your boards and, although I didn’t really have the opportunity to look closely at it I liked it. One question - Mike said he thinks that you print your own logos on a computer printer, although he wasn’t sure. He also said that certain computer printers use ink that bleeds when laminated (and turns into a big mess) while others are OK for printing logos on logo paper. Can you help me out again by recommending a way to print my logo. I designed a logo but I couldn’t get the logo paper to print without smudging everywhere. I tried taping it to a sheet of regular paper but nothing seemed to work. Also, do you have any idea as to which printers use “good” ink and which use “bad” ink? Thanks in advance. t
Deebee ->>> Thanks for the tip on Shoreline - I dropped my board off on Sat. with a > guy named Mike. I was just there Saturday morning. Mike’s a nice guy and very helpful. As for logos, I simply save mine on a disc and bring that to Kinkos. Plug it in to one of their computers and print it on their color Laser Jet. I don’t have a printer at home and we only have an Ink Jet at work, so this is my cheapest alternative for better quality. I tried Ink Jet but it bleeds into the rice paper fibers, making a fuzzy/blurred appearance. The Laser Jet give a nice, crisp printout on the rice paper without bleeding. And it doesn’t bleed when laminated. However, I have noticed that if it’s rubbed or squeegeed too hard it can smudge a little. I noticed this happened a little when I’ve picked up boards after glassing…but it’s not really noticeable unless you look hard. Otherwise, the lines are very clear/defined and the color is excellent. Sure, it’s no screen-printed logo, so it might fade a little after years in the sun, but I have no complaints yet. I’ve heard from some that Ink Jet worked okay for them, but every time I’ve tried it bled. So for me, Laser Jet is the best option for a (really) limited budget. Tip: If you take it to Kinkos, make sure you use their customer-operated printers. The ones “behind the front desk” are high-heat printers and can melt thin rice paper!
“…However, I have noticed that if it’s > rubbed or squeegeed too hard it can smudge a little…” …I think I have one theory as to why it smudges a little… It only does it in one tiny area, not the whole logo. I think this is really not the ink smudging…rather, I think it could possibly be the paper fibers coming apart…and dragging the ink with them… On the particular logos that I noticed the smudging, I had used a lighter weight rice paper…“Silky Light” I think. I believe that if I used Silky “Heavy” the fibers might hold together a little stronger under hard pressure from the laminator’s squeegee. Opinions anyone?
Deeb: I believe you are right, it may be the weight of the paper. I’m not sure whether the stock I use is Med. or Heavy (whatever surfsource.net sells) but I’ve never had one smear or smudge. My setup is a basic HP Deskjet using standard color cartridges. It is important that you have a decent cartridge with a full load of ink , any weak black or short colors will produce a lam that could fade to some weird off color, particularly the blacks. I have been in a hurry a couple of times and used a hair dryer to dry the laminates and used them within 15 minutes of printing them. Other tricks that have been mentioned is using white acrylic paint on the lam sheet before you print your logo to make something that will work on a tinted or opaque glass job. I fold them in half and use the crease to help with laying them out evenly if along the stringer, prewet the area with resin the logo is placed on and then saturate and work the air out really well. Don’t be rough with it and go easy and you should not have any problems. Tom Sterne>>> "…However, I have noticed that if it’s>>> …I think I have one theory as to why it smudges a little… It only > does it in one tiny area, not the whole logo. I think this is really not > the ink smudging…rather, I think it could possibly be the paper fibers > coming apart…and dragging the ink with them… On the particular logos > that I noticed the smudging, I had used a lighter weight rice > paper…“Silky Light” I think. I believe that if I used Silky > “Heavy” the fibers might hold together a little stronger under > hard pressure from the laminator’s squeegee. Opinions anyone?
I was just there Saturday morning. Mike’s a nice guy and very helpful.>>> As for logos, I simply save mine on a disc and bring that to Kinkos. Plug > it in to one of their computers and print it on their color Laser Jet. I > don’t have a printer at home and we only have an Ink Jet at work, so this > is my cheapest alternative for better quality. I tried Ink Jet but it > bleeds into the rice paper fibers, making a fuzzy/blurred appearance. The > Laser Jet give a nice, crisp printout on the rice paper without bleeding. > And it doesn’t bleed when laminated. However, I have noticed that if it’s > rubbed or squeegeed too hard it can smudge a little. I noticed this > happened a little when I’ve picked up boards after glassing…but it’s not > really noticeable unless you look hard. Otherwise, the lines are very > clear/defined and the color is excellent.>>> Sure, it’s no screen-printed logo, so it might fade a little after years > in the sun, but I have no complaints yet. I’ve heard from some that Ink > Jet worked okay for them, but every time I’ve tried it bled. So for me, > Laser Jet is the best option for a (really) limited budget. Tip: If you > take it to Kinkos, make sure you use their customer-operated printers. The > ones “behind the front desk” are high-heat printers and can melt > thin rice paper! Hi, I have an Epson 850 Ink Jet and the prints on rice paper come out fine and they don’t bleed either. I guess it depends on the type of ink jet printer and the ink cartridges. Good Surfin’, Rich
I use a standard HP laser printer for simple black logos. To prevent the possibility of smudging, I print a mirror image of the logo (i.e. letters in reverse) so that the logo can be laminated ink side down.
Hi,>>> I have an Epson 850 Ink Jet and the prints on rice paper come out fine and > they don’t bleed either. I guess it depends on the type of ink jet printer > and the ink cartridges.>>> Good Surfin’, Rich I use an Epson C80 printer that uses durabright ink. This ink is very good and won’t fade from the sun. I have one client who orders 100 lams every order, he’s happy with the results and keeps coming back for more.