I'm in the final phases of pulling together everything that I need to startup...and the whole film output topic has been (and still is) my major stumbling block up to this point.
What is the preference of people around here....cost vs. performance vs. ease of use?
I know that the Fast Rip/Epson combo is very popular, though I've gotten a slight sense that though it's cheaper up front (vs. laser printer), it's much more pricey per flim pos and more hassle in the longer run. The big pro though, is that it produces great film, w/great halftones and no distortion or registration problems at all.
The other main thought is a laser printer....A buddy that I print for, just picked up an Xante Screen Writer 4 and he loves it. It's much more money up front, but the film is cheaper and the toner cartridges generally last much longer than ink jet cartridges do. We used this same basic system at my last job and in general, it was a very simple low hassle method. Downside is that the heat from the laser printer can (and often does) slightly distort the film positives and the posisitve are not all that opaque. We always had to spray them with a clear coat & let them dry, to help with that.
What is everyone around here using & why?
This is going to be my last major equipment investment I need to make, before I am officially "ready" to go...and it's got me blody well stumped! LOL
I have both a 14.5 and 12.5 thermal imagesetter and the epsonr1800 and Fast rip as a back up. My old Xante is now just a good black and white paper printer.
Spending a little more for less headache and better quality is always a plus.
How much are we talking about for the thermal image setters?
I've honestly never done any price checking on those, since I figured that it would be way out of my "comfort zone". LOL
I think if you're just starting out, an inkjet would suit you just fine! I love mine. Never gives me trouble. I just use an old Epson 1520. Prints great halftones and very dense films. You can find them for about $100 too. I don't have FastRip either. There are other options out there. In fact, I use ghostscript which is FREE!
Really, I'd save that money for something else. You could get a good inkjet setup for $150-$300 and be printing fantastic films.
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I think if you're just starting out, an inkjet would suit you just fine! I love mine. Never gives me trouble. I just use an old Epson 1520. Prints great halftones and very dense films. You can find them for about $100 too. I don't have FastRip either. There are other options out there. In fact, I use ghostscript which is FREE!
Really, I'd save that money for something else. You could get a good inkjet setup for $150-$300 and be printing fantastic films.
Ok...ya got my attention with that one!
What kind of film are you using for that & are there any special ink cartridges that you need for what you're talking about? Also how durable are the pos once they are printed?
That sounds like an excellent startup method, because actually there is quite a few other items that I could use that $ for, if I had it. LOL
I use the PosJet and Epson 3000 combo...13 x 19 film works a treat. The standard Epson ink works great and has HUGE carts. PosJet supply their own ink which I have used as well. They claim it has UV blocking properties so makes better screens.
The PosJet ink seems to dry faster...with the Epson ink you can get little dots in the positive where the little feed wheels track...with the faster drying PosJet ink you don't seem to get them. These little tracks are simple to just block out with a pen though.
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Can someone tell me what film to use for a laser printer? I have one at work and I have been using 3-m transpancies for some basic stuff. But it is not the correct film. HELP!
auto types delta laser film is pretty good. will need caseys unltrq black toner enhancement to dark it but it works. I used this with my Xante or years until upgrading to an imagesetter.
I need a printer for my shop. I have a cheap HP laser printer at home that I currently use, but occasional shrinkage is a nightmare. If I get an ink jet printer, can I use the vellum that I have now, which is for laser, with an ink jet? Or do I need to get film specifically for ink jet?
Nah you have to use the special inkjet film. It has a special coating on it that allows the ink to dry.
Posjet is the stuff I use. Google it but I think it is posjet.com
Thanks mate
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Stuart, nice web site. I hope one day I can get into the business like that. I'm just starting out and working on a shoe string. It looks like you been doing this for a while. How are you printing positives now? Look at Epson R1800 used. But probably will be a bit more.
Richard. It was difficult to find an online supplier for Delta. Any suggestions. I got a tip to go to Poconos Screen. They have laser films and small qty that I may try.
Stuart, nice web site. I hope one day I can get into the business like that. I'm just starting out and working on a shoe string. It looks like you been doing this for a while. How are you printing positives now? Look at Epson R1800 used. But probably will be a bit more.
Thank you for the site compliment :]
I've only been doing screen printing for a living for a year, and it's only been a decent living for the past half year. I'm hoping in the next half year it becomes a really good living. I started in a laundry room with a crummy 2-station 4-color table with no registration. Now I'm in a 1800 sq ft warehouse. The sky's the limit.
I'm printing film positives that I bought from ryan screen supply ryanrss.com with a HP laser jet 1810 that I got on newegg.com for like $100. I've had a couple incidents lately when I had to tape two legal size films to burn a large design, and one film had shrunk, so they didn't fit right. It's no good.
I'm getting a computer for the shop tomorrow and really need a good printer there.
Newegg has that r1800 new for around $500. I don't think I'd feel secure buying a used printer that my business would rely on. Gotta make some more t-shirts before I can afford it, but thanks for the tip!
Film output preferences? 
