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Laser print on painted paper?


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I am looking for ways to print the name of the ship onto the transom of my Rattlesnake build. KenW has a great idea of using a black and white laser printer to print a black background on white paper to simulate white lettering on a black background. The results are really quite convincing.

 

I want to use a different color than white, but still have the black background. I was thinking about painting the paper with an airbrush using the color I want and then running that through the printer, but before I do that, I want to ask if anyone has had experience trying that idea. My concern is if the paint comes off during the printing, it could contaminate or damage the printer. Also, I don't know if toner will bond to the paint.

 

John

John

 

Current Build: Rattlesnake (Model Shipways 1:64)

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hm, isnt there an option to buy the paper in a specific color ?

I wouldnt run painted paper through a printer, the paint will most definitely rub off on some rolls and might damage the printer

Jacek

 

Current Build: HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models 1/64 

On Hold/Parallel: Lady Nelson - Amati/Victory Models 1/64

 

 

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I've been wondering the same thing in recent days.  Even if you match the color of the paper, the sheen, texture, precise shade is never exactly like the paint-- you learn quickly that there's a million forms of "white."  In the photo, you can see the color difference between the white paper and the white paint adjacent the stripe. I have also been printing text and then going back with fine brushes to add the correct white, and then tidy up with the text color-- essentially using the printout as a pattern of sorts. 

 

I think the biggest issue might be paint wrinkling up the paper as it dries.  Perhaps if you know where the text will be on the paper, just pre-paint that particular area, so you aren't working with a full page of painted paper-- I haven't tried it, but this could work.  Wondering who will try it first(!)

Best,

Harvey

IMG_3361.jpeg

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Another option is that most print shops will print a color page pretty cheaply.  


Staples is a great place to get stuff printed.  

 

That’s how I made custom decals for a P-51 that I built a while back (nose art, etc).  
 

I printed them on a single sheet of paper, cut them out and glued them down.

Building: 1:64 HMS Revenge (Victory Models plans)

1:64 Cat Esther (17th Century Dutch Merchant Ships)
 

On the building slip: 1:72 French Ironclad Magenta (original shipyard plans)

 

On hold: 1:98 Mantua HMS Victory (kit bash), 1:96 Shipyard HMS Mercury

 

Favorite finished builds:  1:60 Sampang Good Fortune (Amati plans), 1:200 Orel Ironclad Solferino, 1:72 Schooner Hannah (Hahn plans), 1:72 Privateer Prince de Neufchatel (Chapelle plans), Model Shipways Sultana, Heller La Reale, Encore USS Olympia

 

Goal: Become better than I was yesterday

 

"The hardest part is deciding to try." - me

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You can buy waterslide decal paper from many places, it is available for inkjet or laser printers. The link is for the inkjet one I use. Just make your art work on whatever program works for you, I use Excel. Do a test print on paper and then print it on the decal sheet. in order to protect the ink you need to clear coat with spray can clear lacquer. I let that dry overnight and then you can use them just like any waterslide decal. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Nova-Horizon-Waterslide-Transfer-Printable/dp/B07X7GCP46/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=nova%2Bhorizon%2Bwaterslide%2Btransfer%2Bprintable%2Bpaper&qid=1636946168&sr=8-9&th=1

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Be VERY careful selecting papers/decals to print in a laser printer! These machines fuse the pigments to the paper by melting the pigment at high temperature. A lot of inkjet materials will not survive a laser printer's fuser.

 

I speak from experience! I shopped around for a glossy paper designed for a laser printer. Someone at a print shop recommended a particular paper that "they used all the time." One pass through my laser printer sent the $800 machine to the dump (Samsung printer that did not have a replaceable fuser). Lesson learned the hard way!

 

1. As far as I can tell there is no way to print a glossy image with a laser printer.

 

2. Never buy a laser printer that does not have a replaceable fuser!

 

I currently have a Brother LED printer that has a replaceable fuser. It runs so hot it melts the glue on envelopes, sealing them shut. I can still split them open, but I haven't found any envelopes that do not have this problem.

 

I have printed decals with earlier printers, but I am worried that the Brother printer will melt them and cause a several hundred dollar repair.

 

I think you can be certain that if you run a painted/stained paper through a laser printer it will damage the fuser and possibly the paper feed mechanism. The bright side is that you will get to buy a newer and better printer.

Edited by Dr PR
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