Epson Transparencies - end of an era?

[Tim Wells]

Here's the short version. Two companies make the Epson film for Epson as they don't make their own.

One is Hammermill and I called them and was told they haven't made any in about 2 years for anyone and have stopped making films.

I called the other company Eastern Data Paper, and was told they only dealt with oddball stuff for Epson. I don't know exactly what he meant by it but he said that every time Epson changes their ink formula, the transparency coating formula has to change also. He talked as if they were not their supplier and only did odd jobs? He didn't have much good to say about Epson's customer service so maybe I got bad or only partial info on who their suppliers are; I don't know so I can't pass judgement.

However, he did say they have one product available right now and it'll either work for what I'm doing or it won't so he's sending me samples to try. I'll post the results in a new post in this thread.

 

[diane b]

a few days ago i ordered the epson transparencies from compuvest at 425-738-4091. the gentleman i spoke to said they had plenty in stock. their sku#is 761000011-00 and they are $37.52 per box. There is no required quantity to order. they have an 800 number, but i no longer have it. you can look up the 800 number online.
diane

 

[D.DOUGLAS]

Thanks for the tip diane. I just called them and purchased some. The lady said that they had 7 boxes left after my purchase. Doug

 

[Sandy]

Thanks for the heads up. I also just called and they have only 5 left.

Sandy

 

[Brian Marshall]

End of the road

I spoke to Steve at Hammermill this morning. He says they did produce transparencies for Epson as well as a “house” brand. They haven’t produced any for quite some time and have no plans that he was aware of to produce any more. A product like this requires a significant order – hundreds of thousands of dollars… a bit beyond the reach of most forum members...

Phil, Is there a way you can find out exactly how much of the Epson/Hammermill stuff might be left over in the UK or Europe? Perhaps Marcus or someone who travels over here regularly might be willing to transport some?

Judging by the number of readers, this thread must have been important to quite a few people?

There are at least 30 other methods of making transfers besides the one using these particular transparencies. Some are just as accurate and do not require the use of any transparency, but do have other unique requirements.

Quite a few do not even require a computer/printer. Do your research or take a workshop that offers you this kind of information. I have just updated mine to acknowledge that using the Epson product is obsolete.


Brian Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA USA 95209
209-477-0550
instructor@jewelryartschool.com

 

[Sandy]

Brian,
Thank you for all your hard work.

Sandy

 

[Peter E]

I placed an order with "compuvest" and was given an order # etc. at about 3:00 pm today, Wed.

Just got a call back at 5:00 pm saying they can't fill my order.

Hope those that called before I did have more luck!

Ironically, another place I had called. called back to say they located some, and I told the woman I had already ordered some. Se la vie?

Peter

 

[maplesm]

I could never find the Epson products so tried various combinations. The one that has worked for me is a
3M product PP2500 transparency. This is a laser or copier film but I print on it in a Hp injet printer using
# 21 black cartridge. Print on the rough side let dry for about an hour or use a hair drier. The solution I use is 50% varnish and 50% isopropyl alcohol. I do mostly scrimshaw and transfer onto ivory and bone but have used it on silver with good results

 

[Kevin P.]

First of all I found Epson Inkjet Transparencies SO41064 at Voltexx www.voltexx.com googling. The total price was $45.70 including shipping.
Now, I have a problem, actually more than one; but the critical one is trying to get a transfer onto metal. I'm very much a beginner.
I bought TW's solution; bought a Epson C88+using 'durabrite ink; got the film as mentioned above. I have an 'art nouveau' interlocking design that i want to use for a bracelet (6" x 1"). I'm using copper as my practice plate. I get a beautiful image on the transparency film but the best I've been able to get is a smudged transfer onto the copper. I followed all the directions on TW's site. I saw that Phil Coggan said he used that method on a piece and the print looked perfect so I'm trying to get it to work for me. This design I'm trying to transfer is very intricate with many interlocking lines of varying thickness. I'm learning alot about cutting, meaning I'm making many mistakes; so, I'm hoping that a good transfer would advance my progress.
I'm an old dog trying to learn some new tricks. My trade is goldsmith/lapidary; but I got the bug. I've tried everything I can think of, multiple times. Help! Kevin P.

 

[Doc Mark]

Without trying to sound like a "smart a**", could you be printing on the glossy side of the transparency film? I'm not familiar with your printer, but on my printer the film must go into the paper tray UPSIDE DOWN. It then reverses itself while being printed. Sometimes it's hard to see which surface is the matte one. I always double check by lightly touching the surface to my lip. If it feels "sticky" then I know it's correct. Sounds silly but it works. Other than that I can't imagine why it doesn't work. I've used Tom White's solution on copper and it works great.

Mark

 

[TallGary]

Kevin,

One of the must do things is to go into the advanced printer setup and turn off the colored ink cartridges -- print only with the black cartridge. There are other minor adjustments but that is the big one. Something in the colored ink works against the transfer. When I do a transfer, I find it necessary to burnish the back of the transfer very firmly to get a good transfer. You can actually see the ink leaving the film as you burnish.

Hope this helps.

Gary

 

[J Saville]

Brian,

Not to belabor the parchment issue, but I've been using the Krylon fixatif, with the laser printer,and it seems to work well. It dries in just a couple of minutes. I spray two light coats on the piece to be engraved, make the transfer, then pit another light coat on to keep it there.

No messing with any kind of mixture.

 

[Kevin P.]

Mark - Thanks for the suggestions. The info sheet says that the clipped corner of the transparency should be at the upper right corner. The C88+ is very simple and one TW recommends. The image starts out in Photoshop and I set to grayscale to print onto the transparency. I'm going to go over everything again.
I'm determined to get it and the fact that you've done it on copper is encouraging.
If you noticed anything else in my description that raises a flag please let me know.
Kevin

 

[Tim Wells]

Well, I got two sample sheets of film as promised from Eastern Data Paper and tried it out using 2 different quality settings on my printer software.

My printer is an HP Photosmart 4280 all in one that uses the "Vivera" ink and when I use the Epson transparencies the results are identical to what I got from my Epson printer using their proprietary "Dura Bright" ink before I threw that piece of junk in the trash.

First of all this film has more tooth to it or a rougher feel than the Epson
S041064 which was imperceptable; however it is less rough than the 3M I tried that I think Andy Shinosky has used with some success. The first three photos through the scope were transferred to brass with Tom's sauce at NORMAL quality. Note the dots, their size and density. More to come..

 

[Tim Wells]

Now, this next set is done the same way only at a setting called MAXIMUM DPI which is above the "best" setting in my software. This resulted in more dots of course and naturally smaller. There is also a shot of the print (normal quality)on white paper only reversed. The final shot is the through the scope with the overall plate so you can zoom in and compare resolutions. Normal on the left and MAX DPI on the right.

 

[Tim Wells]

I'm going to bed but tomorrow I will do another side by side with the same image only one will be on Epson film for a comparison of the two films, both at the highest setting on my printer. It seems like I have to rub harder to get the ink off the film as it doesn't "let go" of it as readily as the Epson film. I think this is due to the necessity to compress the film under the burnisher enough to overcome the texture on the printed side to make the ink turn loose. I may try using a thicker film of Tom's sauce to make up for distance.

The proverbial "fat lady" is clearing her throat but she ain't started bellerin' a tune just yet. Tain't over.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Tim

Really appreciate you doing these tests and posting the results. It's time consuming work and involves quite a bit of mucking around........... thank you.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Tim Wells]

Hey Biggs, PM me your address will ya ol' chap? I need to gather some stuff up in a box before I forget to do it.

 

[Kevin P.]

Mark, I've reviewed my procedure and your sticky test works. I made all the special adjustments possible on the Epson. I choose black ink only, best photo, selected 'plain paper'.
I used a Q-tip and swabbed the copper and blew it dry; taped it down and used lots of pressure. Is the amount of transfer solution important? I used a polished steel burnisher and I got some transfer, but not a good one.
Anyone have any further suggestions?

Kevin

 

[Tira]

Two quick thoughts, Kevin. First, clean the area that you are going to transfer onto very well with either acetone or alcohol. Second, I have found that I have to shake up the bottle of solution for 30 seconds or so before I use it. I think some of it settles in some way and I get a better transfer if I shake the bottle before using. Also, I used to use a q-tip, but have moved to a small paint brush. This seems to give a more even coat of the solution on the surface. The final idea I have for you is that sometimes the transfer doesn't look so bold when you get done due to the reflection, etc. around it. I usually take a small piece of plasticine and go over the transfer after it is burnished down. This will knock out the reflection and make the details pop out a bit more. If you get too thick a coat of the solution it will not work as well either. Hope this helps.