# Transparency/Film Printing - HELP!



## fender967 (Sep 28, 2007)

I am at the stage where I need to print all of my transparencies so that I can begin making shirts. All of my designs are around 16"x20" and the only place that I have found who prints on larger transparencies only prints on 13"x19". 

Can anyone direct me to a good place to have these 12-15 designs all printed without paying something outrageous like $7/foot?


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## dann (May 27, 2008)

Have you tried Staples, or any copy center?

If they can't help you, see if you printer has an option to break the image up onto multiple sheets of paper, and get out the scotch tape.


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## out da box (May 1, 2007)

It migh be time to invest in a 17" printer. You might think about getting a used epson 3000 for way under 500.00. May be a good investment for you if your're going to be needing quantities of film produced. Tape aint gonna work, though.
How many colors are the designs?


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## fender967 (Sep 28, 2007)

out da box said:


> It migh be time to invest in a 17" printer. You might think about getting a used epson 3000 for way under 500.00. May be a good investment for you if your're going to be needing quantities of film produced. Tape aint gonna work, though.
> How many colors are the designs?


Do the epson 3000s print 17" wide or 13" wide? That would be a good idea for the future, but I need these as cheaply and quickly as I can. They are all one color designs.

And is this what I would be looking for: "Epson Stylus® COLOR 3000 InkJet Printer"?

Also where would I even get 17"x20" or bigger inkjet films to print on?


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## out da box (May 1, 2007)

Yep that's the one it'll print 16.5" wide, will accept 17" wide film. I used to get film from usspi, but they stopped selling, google inkjet transparancy film.
Maybe you can find someone local to output your film. I print film for a couple of printers.


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## fender967 (Sep 28, 2007)

Does this seem like it would work?

ITF172220 Inkpress Transparency, 4mil Resin Based Inkjet Film, 17" x 22", 20 Sheets


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

fender967 said:


> Also where would I even get 17"x20" or bigger inkjet films to print on?


Chromaline, Autotype and Ulano all make inkjet films in wide widths. Your favorite screen printing supplier is the place to buy.

You might want to take some time to ponder your claim that US$7 is so outrageous. 11x17 and 13x19 positives take about 7 minutes to print. Add print time, setup skills, the printer, the computer, the film and the ink and US$7 isn't so bad. The Adorama film you linked to is US$3.50 per sheet not including the shipping. What would you charge a stranger to print each positive?

You have to tell us where you live for service bureau suggestions. It is useless to suggests places in Australia, Japan, California or London, if you live in Florida.


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## fender967 (Sep 28, 2007)

RichardGreaves said:


> Chromaline, Autotype and Ulano all make inkjet films in wide widths. Your favorite screen printing supplier is the place to buy.
> 
> You might want to take some time to ponder your claim that US$7 is so outrageous. 11x17 and 13x19 positives take about 7 minutes to print. Add print time, setup skills, the printer, the computer, the film and the ink and US$7 isn't so bad. The Adorama film you linked to is US$3.50 per sheet not including the shipping. What would you charge a stranger to print each positive?
> 
> You have to tell us where you live for service bureau suggestions. It is useless to suggests places in Australia, Japan, California or London, if you live in Florida.


A 17"x22" print is 340 square inches, or 2.36 square feet. That comes out to be $16.52 if it is being printed at $7/square foot, so yes, that is outrageous and impractical to _me_ when I need to make 15 prints.


And I'm on the east coast.

Know of anywhere to get the film for cheaper than the product I linked? And is that what I would need?


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## dann (May 27, 2008)

This stuff is like 1.50 a foot. It comes in rolls.

FastPOSITIVE Inkjet Film (Rolls)


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

fender967 said:


> Can anyone direct me to a good place to have these 12-15 designs all printed without paying something outrageous like $7/foot?


I misunderstood when you wrote $7/foot. I thought you meant lineal foot based on 17" roll output. So did 'dann'.

I don't think US$18.00 for a printed positive on 17" x 22" film is so bad. I don't think that area or the screen process is the place to save money. Charge the customer plenty for the oversized images.


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## fender967 (Sep 28, 2007)

RichardGreaves said:


> I misunderstood when you wrote $7/foot. I thought you meant lineal foot based on 17" roll output. So did 'dann'.
> 
> I don't think US$18.00 for a printed positive on 17" x 22" film is so bad. I don't think that area or the screen process is the place to save money. Charge the customer plenty for the oversized images.


Ahh, sorry about that. But yes, it is a lot for me. I'm trying to get everything I need to get started on a relatively small budget, so I cant afford a couple hundred for transparencies. 

Would using an epson 3000 and transparency film be any worse as far as end product quality?


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

You would have to start by purchasing a re-furbished or used Epson 3000 and a box of 17" x 22" and then learning to how to produce positives. Selling should be the focus. _

I don't think that area or the screen process is the place to save money. Charge the customer plenty for the oversized images._


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## dann (May 27, 2008)

I use this in a pinch
PosteRazor - Make your own poster!


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## A Perfect Pixel (Jul 4, 2008)

thanks for posting that PosteRazor link, that could come in handy!


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## RichardGreaves (Nov 7, 2006)

There is a 'tiling' feature in Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW that will print images larger than your printer size. You can adjust the overlap.


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## dann (May 27, 2008)

RichardGreaves said:


> There is a 'tiling' feature in Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW that will print images larger than your printer size. You can adjust the overlap.



I think you can do that in inkscape, too.

I think I'm the only graphic desginer and video editor that works entirely in linux (well, i do my seps in photoshop, gimp isn't as clean. But it can be done.). So i try to spread the word when I can. Or atleast give a hearty "I can do it, too!"


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## SoulDoubt (Apr 21, 2007)

ive tried to "bust out the scotch tape" once and it was all messed up...you could without a doubt see where the design was cut and put back together (after we burnt the screen)...is there any info on how to make this work better?


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## dann (May 27, 2008)

SoulDoubt said:


> ive tried to "bust out the scotch tape" once and it was all messed up...you could without a doubt see where the design was cut and put back together (after we burnt the screen)...is there any info on how to make this work better?


Find the clearest tape you can. Get a T-square, and print them so the design overlaps slightly, You can adjust the overlap In Posterazor, not sure about corel.

And you need really, really good contact when burning the screen. The seems are going to be like little steps that could allow light and shows through.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Could also use an opaque film pen or ink to go over any joins and make sure they're nice and solid.


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## out da box (May 1, 2007)

All that taping and patching could work if the designs are big and solid, but for ANY detail, they'll never line up perfect and the human eye can detect imperfection a mile away! Been there, done that.


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## SoulDoubt (Apr 21, 2007)

yeah i suppose i should have been a little more detailed...i am trying to attach 2 halftone pieces...and ive tried many different ways of doing it...but that blasted line is ALWAYS there...time to move on to bigger transparencies


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

SoulDoubt said:


> i am trying to attach 2 halftone pieces


Ah, yeah, I wouldn't even dream of tiling that.

For that matter the last time I tiled a (fairly simple) design I had a lot of registration problems.

If I need anything big I've just used architectural plan printers and bodged my way through a low exposure time. It can be a bit hit and miss (it's not very professional, but it's one cheap way to get a 4 foot screen exposed ).


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## Fragmob (Feb 11, 2009)

fender967 said:


> I am at the stage where I need to print all of my transparencies so that I can begin making shirts. All of my designs are around 16"x20" and the only place that I have found who prints on larger transparencies only prints on 13"x19".
> 
> Can anyone direct me to a good place to have these 12-15 designs all printed without paying something outrageous like $7/foot?


Hi, I'm new to this forum. I tried to print a transparency at home and the ink rubs right off. What kind of ink should I use? I have an HP OfficeJet printer, and I set the setting to "transparency". So I just assume its the ink. Could you help me?


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## ambitious (Oct 29, 2007)

You need film positives that are made specifically for screen printing. Regular transparecies won't absorb your ink.


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## darylmgx (Feb 27, 2009)

Fragmob said:


> Hi, I'm new to this forum. I tried to print a transparency at home and the ink rubs right off. What kind of ink should I use? I have an HP OfficeJet printer, and I set the setting to "transparency". So I just assume its the ink. Could you help me?



im assumin ur printing on the wrong side of the film... u suppose to print on the rough side of the film. and let dry for a min.


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## Flipburger (Sep 21, 2009)

We use a Roland VP-540 to print our films for our screens. The material (ESM-CSF-66-48 Clear Solvent Film) is 48" wide and comes on a roll. The price of this stuff is kind of high though and requires two passes to get the print dark enough. This stuff comes out to around $4 a foot at cost just for the material so needless to say we're probably going to invest in an Epson in the near future.

Thanks for the info!


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## csharms (Feb 14, 2010)

Try wcfilmworks.com. They have great pricing. They also sell bulk ink systems and have great support solving different issues.


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## SilverfishTees (Dec 12, 2010)

dann said:


> Have you tried Staples, or any copy center?
> 
> If they can't help you, see if you printer has an option to break the image up onto multiple sheets of paper, and get out the scotch tape.


I know this is an OLD post.... but i'm brand new to screen printing and just catching up ;-)


IN GENERAL, are transparencies a "Screen Printing Industry product" or can I TECHNICALLY go to my local Staples or Office Max and buy any pack of transparencies that work with my printer?

I understand that the RESULTS and quality may vary but i'm literally BRAND NEW to screen printing and purely trying out a hobby kit to see if it's something I will be expanding into so "Quality of transparency" is not something I'm going to make myself crazy about....all i need to know is are any random transparencies technically USABLE.


Thanks!!


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## tott2015 (Aug 2, 2016)

I purchased an Epson Artisan 1430 that is a wide format ink jet printer 13x19" If I need larger prints, I have taped transparencies together before burning on a larger screen and it works great as ghetto rigged as it sounds!


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## Naughty Cat Apparel (Feb 16, 2015)

Sorry if I'm missing something but how is an image that large going to fit on a tshirt?


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## squidz (Apr 22, 2009)

SilverfishTees said:


> IN GENERAL, are transparencies a "Screen Printing Industry product" or can I TECHNICALLY go to my local Staples or Office Max and buy any pack of transparencies that work with my printer....all i need to know is are any random transparencies technically USABLE.
> 
> Thanks!!


Use the proper transparencies and save yourself money, time and frustration. That being, waterproof positive film, wherever you can find it.

I'm in the DIY artsy fartsy zone, printing on paper and shirts for art & fun's sake, so was looking to learn cheaply and quickly with only emotional return on investment. Anyway, I bought Fixxons transparencies, both a 13" wide roll to max out my size potential for paper prints on one transparency and I bought a box of cut 8.5x11 for shirt fun and small art prints. They've worked quite well for both of my uses. 

They are available direct from Fixxons' site

and Amazon.

Even at office supply stores that MAY have the right kind of transparencies. But you might be better served at a local art supply store or something like Micheal's, HobbyLobby or similar stores at which employees could be familiar with the product. 

I liked them delivered to my door.


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## abetterimage (Sep 8, 2007)

squidz said:


> Use the proper transparencies and save yourself money, time and frustration. That being, waterproof positive film, wherever you can find it.
> 
> ... I bought Fixxons transparencies, both a 13" wide roll to max out my size potential for paper prints on one transparency and I bought a box of cut 8.5x11 for shirt fun and small art prints. They've worked quite well for both of my uses.
> 
> ...


*+1 on the Fixxon's transparencies.* The cheapest I've found and I've never had quality issues - they work well. You seldom get that combination. My Fixxon's price sheet has 17x22 sheets at $1.16 in 100 qty. I use the 13x19 for $.70 ea. when I buy 300 at a time. 

If I remember right back to the days when I was foolishly taping two 8.5x11 sheets together, I bought 3M transparencies for Inkjet printers for about $.50/sheet. Two taped together made $1.00. It's cheaper, faster, and better quality to do things the right way even if there's an initial investment to put in.

The key to good transparencies: Waterproof films; UV Blocking ink (no need for "all heads" or multiple passes - the UV block does the job!)

I use an Epson Artisan 1430 to print. I use MaxBlack ink (American Print Supply) in the black cartridge and "Clear Ink" (injet cleaner) in all the color cartridges. I'm using refillable cartridges with smart chips that reset each time you insert them. This setup is very cost effective and much cheaper than using the 3M films and regular inkjet ink I was using when I started 9 years ago. And don't even think about trying to use the Epson inks, you'll spend a fortune just keeping those color cartridges running even though you don't print a drop of color.


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