I have currently been screenprinting for 6 months. I have worked through most issues by utilizing this forum. I need your help.
I am looking into purchasing a better printer for my film positives. I am either paying someone locally to print on their Epson 3000, otherwise is 8.5 x 11 is adequate, I have a lexmark inkjet that does the job.
My business partner has 1000, 70pg publications printed every year on a color laser. His costs for just that one job justify leasing a high end color laser printer.
So, with that in mind... once a year it will get abused bad, and the rest of the year it will be an office printer, and used for my positives. We may take in other work, like business cards and what not also if we have the equipment.
Anyone have any suggestions on brand, or attributes that a laser printer used for positives would have? Is there special toner?
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Digital Mayhem Screen Printing
DigitalMayhemInc.com
Xante has a line of laser printers specific for printing halftones. I've had good luck with a color phaser 7700 and an HP8150 makes good blacks, but is limited in halftone quality.
Look for postscript level 3
1200 DPI
ethernet.
tabloid extra paper size (12x18) One xante model i believe goes to 13" wide.
I like lasers, but in order to go past 12x18 i've bit the bullet and bought a large color inkjet with a postscript rip.
Do I read that the HP uses a postscript emulation software instead of true postscript?
The distinction between true adobe postscript and clone postscript was a battle which was fought 20 years ago and is rarely ever an issue these days.
Xante first product was an accelerator board for the original laserwriters and HP laserjets, the original Xante Accel-a-Writer. It was the first use of a clone postscript.
ALL rip's for the epson 7880 are close postscript and one of the so called rip's isn;t even a postscript rip.
The problem with the HP 8150 is with the smoothness of the screens.
Looking for postscript level 3 compatibility is mostly an age test of the technology. Anything which is not PS3 is most likely an antique.
I've not seen any modern laser printer which won't produce output dark enough. On the subject of density, most laser printers have various toner savers and density controls buried in the driver settings or front panel settings. With toner saver turned on, the image might not be dark enough.
The best laser transparency i've found is the 4 mil. kimoto kimodesk transparencies.
is it true that some laser printers heat up your film enough to cause shrinkage in your film, thus creating registration problems. i purchased the epson r1800 with fast rip, and im very pleased with it.
is it true that some laser printers heat up your film enough to cause shrinkage in your film
Skew is another major issue in registration problems. It is important that the guides in the feeder are right up against the film, but not tight enough to cause other pinching.
These issues are why i prefer the thicker 4 mil over the standard 3 mil. The link i posted sell the 4 mil for a little less than most other places sell the 3 mil.
You guys got me interested in this now. I use the Epson 1800 now and like it when it works. I have gone through 4 or 5 of them in the last 18 months, they keep breaking down (internal hardware failure). When this one goes, I don't know what I'm going to do. Xante has the FilmMaker4, laser that does halftones and prints 13 inches wide. Can't find anyone that has it in stock to get a price.
Wonder if this is a good alternative (for the price) to inkjet? I am spoiled on inkjet exact registration. I used laser and vellum (cut and past) for years.
Fred, are you saying that i would be fine with a clone postscript?
Yes, it is absolutely fine. Clone postscript works just as good as Adobe postscript.
The only partial exception i know of is the Epson 7880 which i recently purchased can be bundled with a postscript rip. the bundled rip will not produce halftone screens, but can only produce continuous tone color images. The rip company sells a rip which can do both. While there is nothing wrong with the clone postscript, the marketing department of the company has decided to print halftones should be a feature which must be paid for as a premium option.
Many printers have Postscript ability, but usually that means they can translate Postscript output from graphic programs and out put them. This very often means the final output is 85 line halftones at 45 degrees and you can't adjust the options. Beware.
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How are you measuring? Ulano Technical Product Manager - NYC
Which Laser Printer?? Money is NO OBJECT 
