Photo Paper

[Peter Crawford]

Hi, is thick photo paper worth the investment for self-build kits?

[Marly51]

Hi, is thick photo paper worth the investment for self-build kits?

Hi Peter, I use 130gsm double sided brochure paper from a company called Photo Paper Direct. They do a 'two boxes of 100 sheets for the price of one' deal. I scratchbuild most buildings and downloadable textures work fine in N gauge for me at present. I have not worked out the costs - one thing that really bugs me is how little ink you get in these cartidges for Ink Jet Printers. I did read somewhere on the internet about a modelmaker who creates multiple buildings for war gaming and he found a laser jet printer was far more cost effective. If I was modelling regularly in a larger scale I think I would look into it in more detail. You can see one of my models in this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130178-printed-textures-versus-3d-textures/&do=findComment&comment=3206603

 

Marlyn

[Peter Crawford]

I will try to get some.

[micknich2003]

Hi Peter, I use 130gsm double sided brochure paper from a company called Photo Paper Direct. They do a 'two boxes of 100 sheets for the price of one' deal. I scratchbuild most buildings and downloadable textures work fine in N gauge for me at present. I have not worked out the costs - one thing that really bugs me is how little ink you get in these cartidges for Ink Jet Printers. I did read somewhere on the internet about a modelmaker who creates multiple buildings for war gaming and he found a laser jet printer was far more cost effective. If I was modelling regularly in a larger scale I think I would look into it in more detail. You can see one of my models in this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130178-printed-textures-versus-3d-textures/&do=findComment&comment=3206603

 

Marlyn

I have refilled ink cartridges for many years, a five quid bottle of ink provides several refills, can be a little messy, but well worth the effort.

[Marly51]

I have refilled ink cartridges for many years, a five quid bottle of ink provides several refills, can be a little messy, but well worth the effort.

What printer do you use Mick? I needed to use my printer in the past for proofing design work and worried that I might potentially block up the ink jet nozzles, if I fiddled around with refilling the cartridges? We did have an expensive German system once for a A3 professional printer which involved getting the colours calibrated professionally as well! Too much of a palaver and very expensive!!!

[micknich2003]

What printer do you use Mick? I needed to use my printer in the past for proofing design work and worried that I might potentially block up the ink jet nozzles, if I fiddled around with refilling the cartridges? We did have an expensive German system once for a A3 professional printer which involved getting the colours calibrated professionally as well! Too much of a palaver and very expensive!!!

A Cannon MG4250. Drill the ink cartridge with a 3/32 drill or similar, and refill via a syringe, do not over fill, leave to soak in and then top up, you can get far more ink in the cartridge then when bought new. Wipe off spilt ink with tissuie.

[Peter Crawford]

I have just bought 200gsm paper from Rymans (not photo paper) but the ink likes to fall off when I fold it.

[Marly51]

I have just bought 200gsm paper from Rymans (not photo paper) but the ink likes to fall off when I fold it.

Hi Peter - ink surface on some uncoated papers can crack when it is folded. I build most of my models using card made from two layers of cereal packet card. I print the textures on to a lighter weight matt photo quality paper (like the 130gsm brochure paper) then apply it to the card walls/roof sections, before assembling the complete building. Some kit producers recommend spraying the printed textures with matt varnish to protect the surface.

 

Attaching some photos of a free Kingsway Models kit of the Rovers Return, which I made up a while ago. I changed the back of the kit to give it a traditional back yard.

 

PS. I find some of the small free kits which you can download from Wordsworth, Kingsway, Smart Models, etc are good for practising on.

 

 

 

This is quite a good video about cereal box card as a building material.

https://youtu.be/h7nK6IG1igg

Edited June 23, 2018 by Marly51

[BWsTrains]

Hi, is thick photo paper worth the investment for self-build kits?

Hi,

 

I've recently picked up on using Scalescenes Printed papers, initially to overlay on existing Metcalfe cottages I'd completed and now on a semi-scratch built house. Past experience of others had convinced me that serious home inkjet printing is more trouble than it's worth so I've settled on getting my papers printed at the local office supplier (Officeworks in Australia). Prices are most reasonable when you compare with amortising the cost of your own hardware + supplies. 

 

Top quality printing on substrates between 100 and 300gsm weight is not expensive, A4 around $0.65 to about $1.00 per sheet. The colour balance and intensity is reliable from run to run as they calibrate their machines daily.

I used 200 gsm for walling and roof tiles and 100gsm for fine fiddly bits like curved lintels as these are easier to cut out with scissors than a scalpel out of 100gsm. 

 

No issues with ink attachment, the surface is perfectly robust for cutting, fitting, bending and gluing in place. I coat with a Matt acrylic binder (varnish) after fixing to the underlying board.

 

IMO you'd have to be doing an awful lot of printed papers to justify the fuss and cost of DIY printing. So far I've completed walls and roofing for 3 cottages / houses for less than $8 (~4GBP) in printed materials.

 

I may post some images here in time,