Printer Recommendation

My old Samsung CLP 510 died last week. It was the one I used to print all the pictures and files I needed to practice on. My other printer is a Brother
HL4040 CDN (color Laser) and it will not work with any Acetone or solvent to transfer to metal. Matter of fact it won't even start the process. So I am looking for recommendations, if anybody has them on a printer which does transfer nicely. In the mean time I will do what Kansas City Steve recommends and that is to go in stores and get printer samples and take them home and see if they works. Then decide what works best.

Two Ponies,
Steve's idea is a good one. As far as inkjet printers go try to get the store to make you a sample after going into the printers preference file and selecting high quality and black ink only if possible or gray scale. Take a transparency sheet with you as they usually don't have them available to print samples.
Almost any black only laser printer using plain paper will transfer with acetone but won't give you as much detail as an inkjet printing on to the correct transparencies and using one of the "secret sauces" or Tom White's Transfer Magic IMO.
Best.

I have an HP color laser and it transfers acetone just fine. It's at the shop so I don't know the model number but it around a year old. The toner ctgs are around $120 each and it takes 4 of them but they last a long time. I would assume the price per page is similar to an ink jet but just more cash layout up front.

I'm surprised your laser won't transfer - every one I've tried (including color) has worked well. Are you perhaps printing on transparency on the laser? With lasers you use regular paper so the acetone can soak through.

Even better with the laser is to use baking parchment and put a little damar / naptha mxture on the metal - the sticky film pulls the toner right off the parchment with just a bit of burnishing. Plus the parchment is translucent so it's much easier to get proper placement. My laser is so old I have to try to get it to feed a sheet sized piece. The better way is to print on regular paper, then tape a piece of parchment over the printout (leave generous margins) and print again to get it on the parchment.

Responding to your PM here as well so others can see.

Apparently your Brother laser is one of the few lasers that uses a toner with a binder that does not dissolve in acetone.

I remember from other threads hearing people mention that there are some of those out there but I hadn't ever run into one so it faded from my mind.

When I go printer shopping next time I'm taking with me a small bottle of acetone, a practice plate, and some paper towels so I can test prospects right on the spot.

I think your only option is to get a different printer. You might see if you can work out a deal with someone who has a printer that will transfer.

Or, since this one would be just for transfers you could get the cheapest B&W laser you can find. Looking at the Staples website all of their cheapest printers are Brothers so you'd definitely want to test first. They've got one HP that's a special buy so you can't see the price up front but I sorted by price so it's no more than $150. For $199 they've got a Lexmark. I don't know. If the $79 Brother uses a toner that works I'd go with that but it looks like a very annoying situation regardless.

Hey - have you tried your current laser printer with baking parchment? I found the Reynold's brand works best in my printer. That stuff is silicon coated so the toner can't really bind to it.

I'll repeat the whole method here to save folks searching:

Make a mixture of about 10-20% damar varnish (I got the liquid kind from the oil paint aisle at the crafts store) and lighter fluid (naptha). You can also use acetone but it doesn't seem to mix as well with the damar. Also heard folks using alchohol. All you're really doing is thining the damar down a lot so it'll dry quicker.

As I mentioned before, the best way is to print your pattern on regular paper and then tape a piece of the parchment on the sheet over it (with generous margins) and then print it again to get a copy on the parchment. My poor old printer can't handle the double thickness (toner doesn't even try to adhere) so I have to cut a sheet of parchment and try that way.

As with all transfer methods, clean your metal thoroughly. Put a drop of the thinned damar on and spread it with your finger. If it's mixed right you have to work fast. Give it as long as it takes to be a firm, tacky surface - damar dries very slowly by itself but thinning it speeds it up.

Once the damar is tacky but not too wet, carefully position your transfer face down over it. The translucency of the parchment helps with this. Now just burnish the back - I've even used the back of my fingernail. The toner is barely clinging to the parchment and the damar is sticky so it wants to transfer. Occasionally lift up the parchment to check (hold down on edge so it won't shift). You can actually see it come off of the parchment - the image gets thinner - but you need to check to make sure you got it all.

You should be able to cut right away but if you let it dry longer it's even more stable.

As a bonus, the damar mixture also dulls shiny surfaces to make them easier to work with.

Oh yeah - I've even gotten this to work taking a pencil drawing off of parchment - the parchment is very slick and the damar is very sticky.

As I mentioned before, the best way is to print your pattern on regular paper and then tape a piece of the parchment on the sheet over it (with generous margins) and then print it again to get a copy on the parchment. My poor old printer can't handle the double thickness (toner doesn't even try to adhere) so I have to cut a sheet of parchment and try that way.

Click to expand...

Steve,
I do exactly the same thing with one exception. I give the back of the parchment a little spritz of 3M SprayMount and stick it on. It holds well.

I have an old Panasonic fax machine that also will copy things. The "toner (?)" is one two rolls which advance as it prints. It then fuses the toner by heat. Tried it with plain paper and acetone and also burnishing it directly on damar. Neither worked. However, I still think it has possibilities and will try with parchment and transparencies. I seldom use it to send faxes, but it has a whole new roll of toner in it.

I USE an hp 544o with a # 92 black. this thing transfers on nearly everything, with or without magic sauce, sharpie, whatever. when i use clear "acetate", i use 3m transparency film. when i had an epson, i found it to be an excellent doorstop.

Todays trip to the store

My trip to Office-Max and Wally-World today was a complete bust. Office Max had a lot of printers, some a cheap as 60 bucks. but they did not have any that were capable of printing a sample test copy. There were three that were supposed to make a sample but NONE of them worked. One the paper jam light came on when there was no jam, the other two just would not do anything. I don't know if that was the equipment or if that's what happens to shelf samples with everybody and their brother messing with them. Wal-Mart only had one laser and nothing that made any samples. So, I am back to square one.
The one recommendation I have received from this forum is no longer in stock so I am still up in the air. If any of you are able to make transfers from a currently available black and white lazer printer I would certainly appreciate hearing from you with the brand name and the model number.

Printer

Two Ponies

I use the Epson Stylus C88+, Durabrite Ink, Tom Whites transfer Magic and Toms Transparency's.

I did a Google search and found the printer new for as little as $70.00 up to $88.00.

As you probably know Epson stopped making making there Transparency's and this created a problem for a while.

However Tom White sells a replacement that works just as well as the old Epson Transparency's.

It works great for me.

I would certainly recommending this setup.

Ken Crutcher

As far as I know, any HP laser will work. Another option is used. I have some of the older HP 6p printers and have found them on Ebay for next to nothing. They seem to be indestructible. They also make newer "home" lasers pretty cheap too.

As a solvent have you tried either toluene or xylene? They have very different properties than acetone and may work.

Printers

Two Ponies

Do not use a ink jet printer that uses Dye Ink.

Dye Ink will not transfer.

If you use Epson printers you must use Durabrite Ink.

The Ink is the secret.

Toms ink must break down the ink for it to transfer.

I am not familiar with HP inks although I am told some of them work fine.

I dont mean to push Epson, I just know Durabrite ink works.

Workhorse 30, C88+ use Durabrite ink.

Ken Crutcher

Printers

Printer recommendations

You must use a pigment based Ink, Dye based Ink will not transfer.

You must use a printer that uses Pigment Ink, Epson Workforce 30 And Epson C88+ both use Pigment Ink.

I am not trying to push Epson Printers, thats just happens to be what I use and I know they work.

I like the Epson C88+ printer best.

The Epson Workforce 30 And Epson C88+ both have setting for Black only printing under advanced settings.

To print a transparency in the Workforce 30 it must be backed up with another sheet of plain paper.

Although the C88+ will print a clear transparency I tape on a sheet of paper as a backup.

This allows me to print a small design cut it off and use it, then continue using up the transparency in small sections until I have used the last inch.

The backup paper tricks the printer into thinking it still is a full sheet.

I even go a step further, I purchase a set of auto reset and refillable ink tanks and cleaning solution.

I put empty auto reset in the color positions so I don't ever have a problem with contamination.

The printer never knows the color tanks are empty.

I keep the black cleansing tank just in case I need to clean the print heads.

Pigment Inks (Durabrite) are supposed to be bad to clog the print heads.

I use Epson Ink and have never had a problem.

Also Tom Whites Transfer Transparency's work great.


Ken Crutcher

Can you transfer with plain paper using this printer?