Another Printer Query

[J C Fenton]

I know that there have been a number of threads on printers.  I have taken the trouble to read them all.  Apologies for starting another, but I have 2 specific questions.

 

Can anyone tell me of a printer, laser or inkjet, that:

 

• Can print on acetate (and which sort)
• Uses a printer driver that allows me to alter the % size of the image printed.

 

I have, or more accurately, had until yesterday, an HP 8600 inkjet for general printing.  It cost me a reasonably tidy £220 and broke down completely 3 weeks out of warranty.  PC World, God rot them, didn't  want to know, unless it was to sell me a new one.  Anyway, it may be a good idea to avoid HP printers because, apart from the fact that they only last for a year, they have an incredibly crude printer driver that does not allow me to alter the size of what I am printing.

 

I know that I need to get into Photoshop and a lot of other stuff with this card building mullarky, but I am hoping in the meantime just to be able to re-scale some of my Scale Scenes downloads and, indeed to give them windows!

 

So, does anyone have a printer that does these things that they would be happy to recommend?

 

Please

[melmerby]

 

Can anyone tell me of a printer, laser or inkjet, that:

 

• Can print on acetate (and which sort)
• Uses a printer driver that allows me to alter the % size of the image printed.

Please

Do any printers not do that?

 

Keith

[rodshaw]

I know what you mean about HP printer drivers, mine's the same.

 

But the latest versions of Adobe Reader (which is free) have a Poster option which lets you set a percentage scale. This should work for any PDF regardless of the printer.

[Metalhip]

I use a Lexmark laser printer and the print options include scaling to a percentage.

 

I had been until Thursday using one of these...

http://www.printerland.co.uk/Lexmark-CS410n-P130699.aspx

 

I now have the next model up the CS510, because it comes with large 4000 page colour starter toners and 6000 page black,it worked out a lot cheaper than buying replacement 1000 page toners and it means I have a new printer with another years warranty.

The CS410 has very good quality output and loads of colour adjustments if you want to use them,but I tend to just use the default settings.An A4 Scalescenes brick paper sheet comes out in 30 seconds for the first one.

 

Allan

[pointstaken]

Read carefully the sections on which print media your printer can handle. Looking in Rymans revealed that the acetates there are for inkjet printers (none suitable for lasers were in stock when I looked).

 

Dennis

[Metalhip]

I think the problem with acetate sheet is that laser printers generate heat to fuse the colour on.

 

Overhead projector film (OHP) is okay for lasers if you need to print on clear sheet,but I don't know if anything other than black comes out, although the brown on the Grimy Windows Scalescenes windows comes out okay.

 

Allan

[14Steve14]

There are specialist acetate sheets available for inkjet and laser printers. both products are different and should be used in the correct ptinter type. Damage can occur if this is not done, or so they say.

 

Most printers when printing in colour start with a white base material, ie the white paper. This is taken into account when the printer is printing a colour. Printers are able to say print pink, because of this white start to the colour. When printing onto clear, or indeed other coloured papers, the print colour may need to altered slightly to get something close to the required colour. What is really needed is a fourth colour added to printers and that is white. Would save so much time, especially with white window frames on acetate sheet. I am not sure if there are many, or indeed any printers that now have a white ink available.

[shortliner]

I had a Canon Pixma 4200 which, after about 4 years, suddenly started printing in bands across the paper - I have replaced it two weeks ago with a Pixma 7250 - so that may tell you that I have no problem with the brand. Cartridges are available in two sizes. Admittedly cartridges aren't cheap, but you do replace the individual cartridge and not one that is still part full of other coloured inks.

I can;t think of any printer that will print on acetate - a laser may, but is going to be pricey - a colour photocopy, from your local print house, may be more cost effective in the long run

All resizing of prints is done in either PainstShopPro5 or Irfanview(free) - AFAIK no printer driver does resizing

Hope it helps

Jack

[melmerby]

I have an Epson R800 (£300) which is an all bells and whistles job, but the ink is not easy to get and is very expensive from Epson. (8 colours)

It is a superb quality printer

However when I had a slight blockage in a head (streaks in printed image) it took several cleaning routines to get it working properly again, using up several cartridge colours entirely!

 

I also have a Canon Pixma 2700 (£30) and it is just the job for basic printing and i refill the cartridges witha cheap refill kit.

 

AFAIK both will print on acetate and scale the size

 

Keith

[DaveF]

You can buy "Colour Inkjet Film", I have a couple of boxes but cannot remember where I bought it.    I have used it for printing window frames in various colours - mainly (I think) some of the Scalescenes Industrial windows.

 

If you do a Google search for "coour inkjet acetate" you will get a number of results.

 

2 of them are:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/office-products/dp/B000KJO7BO

 

http://www.photopaperdirect.com/products/A4-Inkjet-Acetate-Film.html

 

 

I've not used these firms, but it may give you some ideas of where to look.

 

At work I used to use similar sheets for lasers, but have never bought any for myself, so I've never looked, I expect a Google search would produce results.

 

David

 

P.S It is important that you print on the correct side of the sheet or the ink just rubs off.

[melmerby]

 

P.S It is important that you print on the correct side of the sheet or the ink just rubs off.

The ones I have, have a peel off strip along the short edge marked "print this side"

The print side is less glossy

 

Keith

[Highlandman]

I have an Epson PX810FW printer that can print onto clear acetate sheets. The problem is the very job these sheets are used for. They are designed to be used on overhead projectors to show your printed documents, graphs and pictures. To do this the ink has to have a certain transparency to it to allow the colour and picture to show on the screen. If it was a solid colour as we would need for window frames all you would see if it were projected  was the shadow of the text and no detail.

 

The only way I know of that suppliers of scale windows do is print a layer of solid white ink on to acetate than if a colour was needed to over print that colour on to the white. This requires some clever registration on the printers part, and as far as I know printers with white ink are not that common in the domestic market.

[mcowgill]

I've used the technique mentioned by in the first post of this thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/16237-printing-white-window-frames/   I use foil from here http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/.Laser-Transfer-Foils_FOIL-LAZ1M.htm - I've no link with the supplier other than as a satisfied customer.

 

I print the windows in black with my Brother laser printer on laser OHP film.  Before running the film through I play around with the driver settings to get as high a contrast as possible and turn off any toner saver features using plain paper.

 

Then (when SWMBO next goes out) I iron on white foil with a cloth and a sheet of paper between the iron and the foil and remove the foil according to the instructions on the web site; that suggests a cooler iron setting but I get on better with it a little hotter.  I print out quite a number of spare windows as there will be a few failures in each batch where the foil doesn't stick to the toner properly.  It's a bit trial and error for the first few goes but you soon get the hang of it.

 

Scalescenes terrace house kits using the black window frame sheet supplied with the kit:

 

Scalescenes low relief high street buildings with more intricate windows (as supplied with the kit):

 

Scratchbuilt model of GER Raydon Woods station building, a 'Photoshop' kit built up using Scalescenes brick elements.  The windows were drawn out on the PC, the sash windows are printed in two parts with the outer frame and lower sash bar backed/built up with thin plastic sheet to give them some depth:

 

Martin

 

[Metalhip]

The other alternative is to print window frames in whatever colour you like onto a label and then stick that to clear film.

 

Allan

[melmerby]

The other alternative is to print window frames in whatever colour you like onto a label and then stick that to clear film.

 

Allan

Please explain. I don't understand what you mean.

If it's a label, doesn't that obscure the film?

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[Highlandman]

Please explain. I don't understand what you mean.

If it's a label, doesn't that obscure the film?

 

Cheers

 

Keith

Allan means get some A4 printer labels and then design and print your windows on to them as per the picture below.

 

 

Cut out your window and stick to the clear acetate sheet. Using a very sharp blade gently cut through the label to reveal the acetate underneath. With a sharp knife you should be able cut through the sashbars with out them lifting. the cut will be so fine it should not show.

 

 

This way you should be ale to make windows of any design and colour you want.

[melmerby]

I see now!

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[J C Fenton]

Thank you to everyone who came forward with suggestions

[Mr Iceman]

Printing on acetate is fine as long as you do not have the building lit. All inkjet printers will print on acetate. I use Microsoft Word as all you do is add picture then you right click on it to re size, then print, without having to do all sorts of messing like in some other software...... Some aftermarket compatible ink can be thinner and can run/not print to well.

[Crosland]

I know that there have been a number of threads on printers.  I have taken the trouble to read them all.  Apologies for starting another, but I have 2 specific questions.

 

Can anyone tell me of a printer, laser or inkjet, that:

 

• Can print on acetate (and which sort)
• Uses a printer driver that allows me to alter the % size of the image printed.

 

I have, or more accurately, had until yesterday, an HP 8600 inkjet for general printing.  It cost me a reasonably tidy £220 and broke down completely 3 weeks out of warranty.  PC World, God rot them, didn't  want to know, unless it was to sell me a new one. 

Forget the warranty. That is in adition to your statutory rights. Read this http://sogahub.tradingstandards.gov.uk/sogaexplained

 

At £220 any reasonable person would expect it to last a good few years with normal use. If you don't get any joy then read this https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

 

Andrew