Its time for old Magoo to buy a printer. I though I would by a color laser printer so I could print some decals of my own. What printers cause the least problems when printing decals? Also does someone sell decal paper that won’t goo up the printer? I see Samsung, Dell, Lexmark, HP, and Rico printers selling from $785 to $94. I like the the idea of less expensive models but I’m lacking knowledge on the subject. So my friends I ask for you opinions, Magoo
Color laser printers don’t do decals well. They have less resolution than inkjets, which adds to the transparency of the print.
Lasers cost a lot more than inkjet printers and the toner replacements cost more than the printer. Most laser printers come with starter toner packs that are about 1/3 of a full toner cartridge, so you will have to replace them quickly.
You have to do a little research about the toners, some models make you replace all the cartridges when one runs out or the black runs out.
I wouldn’t purchase a color laser just to do decals, its not cost effective.
http://www.printershowcase.com/ricohspc311n-1.aspx
Here is a comparison chart for personal laser printers.
http://www.printershowcase.com/personalcolorlaser.aspx
Don’t be fooled by the Minolta, it’s still only prints 600x600.
I have had a lot of problems with gettin colors correct on a color laser. A lot of calibrating and I feel that it has never been close to any inkjet.
The colorlaser is more cost effective if you need normal ‘office color printouts’ but any photo or color correct printout is another mather.
We have had 3 diffrent brands at the office and a lot of different models but I would not buy any of those for home.
If you have a chance, try printouts from diffrent color lasers. You will se that there is big diffrence in colors.
Michael
Don’t even bother. I generate my artwork on my computer using Adobe Photoshop cs2, print it to white paper to check the scale then just head to my local print shop with a sheet of decal paper. They use a color thermal printer to print my artwork and charge me a dollar. See this chopper, that nose art is done at my local printer from my computer artwork.
Plus you can’t print white so you’ll need to do your artwork to allow the white paper to show through…and that presents a transparency issue.
The price of the printer itself isn’t the main factor to consider…the cost of the consumable items (toner) is. Laser printers have hardware issues too. I have a commercial Xerox in my office and it makes nice decals, but it does come at a cost…especially if the machine gets too hot melts the decal paper and gums up the works. PRICEY to repair! The $100 a pop per color is hard to swallow at times but when you have to replace internal mechanical components which have a life cycle of ‘x’ number of sheets, that’s a surprise. BTDT
If you have the artwork done and can email the files…then I would talk with Greg Drawbaugh at Draw Decal, he can print them one sheet at a time or a thousand, with remarkable short turn around times for a reasonable price.
If you want to get a laser printer you can print off your own dry transfers. When I get home I’ll give you the link. It’s pretty cool!
EDIT: Here’s the link I was telling you about. http://www.pulsarprofx.com/decalpro/index.html
I say either follow swannys advice or forget the laser and get an inkjet instead. after you get your art work finalized, print in black ink on plain paper to adjust the size against the model. I cut them out, trim them and see if it’s needs to go bigger or smaller, once you got the size you want, print in color on decal paper, seal decals and enjoy.
These were printed on inkjet.
These were hastily trimmed just for testing them, that’s why they are trimmed so poorly.
From experience I can tell you that color laser printers do indeed print quality home made decals. I have a Xerox Phaser 6130. I have also printed my own inkjet decals. Whereas inkjet decals must be sealed well before they go into water (or the colors will run), the laser decals are not affected by water. However, the tradeoff is that laser decals are a bit more brittle and prone to flaking when bent, so you must handle them with equal care. Like inkjet decals, laser decals should also be sealed with a clearcoat. Neither method is without their inherent problems!
True, the ink cartridges are more expensive for laser printers, but they last for a few thousand prints, as opposed to inkjet cartridges, which are maybe good for less than a few hundred. In the long run, an inkjet printer is more costly to operate.
You may get lucky, but not all print shops are willing to print on decal paper, as they don’t want to risk having your decal paper mess up their high-dollar machinery.
Your decal looks very good, I’ll see if either of the print shops in town have a thermal printer and can do that, thanks for the info, Magoo
Good information I’ve saved the site address and will check it out. Thanks, Magoo
Thanks for the site addresses and the information on the actual DPI resolution. Magoo
Ok I didn’t know about possible color inaccuracies! That is a helpful piece od information. Thanks, Magoo
Yes i’m interested to know how that is done. Magoo
Thanks or the pictures and information. I also wanted to be able to do my own custom decals on certain subjects but everyone has done a great job providing very useful information. Old Magoo has some thinking to do. Thanks, Magoo
Thanks for the info on the Xerox. Correct color is important and I wouldn’t stand for anything less than correct color. Thanks, Magoo