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metallic gold and silver printing question
Ok……now bear in mind that this is all new to me !!
I’m going to buy a printer/cutter any time now and none of the brochures tell you how to print metallic silver or gold parts on a logo. 😮
Do you have to insert a different ink thingy 😕
Sorry……I did say that its all new to me 😳
Cheryl
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23 Replies
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because you cant print metalics Cheryl.
Only cut them they the way ur doing now.
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GERBER will print metallics, they have individual "foils" wghich you pit in the machin. i have an edge fx. this was one of the main reasons why i went for the gerber bexause it gives you the option to print metallics. i looked at roland 300, 545 etc but at this time didn’t do what i needed. not knocking those machins, i’m going to buy a large format printer in the near future, a roland or jv3.
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Thanks Matt,
How do the prices of the machines compare……gerber V versacamm
I really do need to be able to print metallics.
Cheers,
Cheryl -
hi cheryl, well to be honest the gerber edge fx which is their latest model i think is a little more expensive than say a roland sp300. i looked into rolands, cadets(re badged rolands) gerbers for about 3-4 months before actually buying my machine. in my line of work i do alot of motorbikes, s it was very important that i could print metallics, which the greber does beautifully! the only down side i would say with the edge if you can call it a down side is that it only can do a max width of printable area of 11" and of course as long as you like. has the options to do panels etc of course so don’t let that put you off! i went along to my local roland dealer and saw the roland in action, the quality was good, but a little grainy for my liking, so i went for the edge which can print a solid colour(spot), no grains! and also can print process colours also. its a great machine, it only prints, you need a plotter to cut. i got the printer and plotter together as a deal.
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Matt
thanks for that.I only need to be able to do small stuff. I specialise in marine graphics and 11" width is fine for me.
I might look for a second hand machine to start with.
Cheers,
Cheryl -
Gerbers used to be expensive, comparatively speaking, but since entry inkjets have come down to two pints of larger and a bag of chips prices, gerber are not that expensive anymore, But although they will give good results with metalics, gold chrome and some really nice new shades, they are not durable, ( the metalics that is) only for indoor use,
Not suitable for boats Cheryl, if that is what you are thinking.
So Dave was more or less right, metalics are not normally printable on vinylPeter
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Peter,
can they be laminated like other prints ? -
just use a combination of cut metailic/solids they way u do it now and print some of it that is complicated. However I would want to laminate some clear or laminating stuff over the top for sea-water use.
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yeah i’m sure theirs a few about, maybe go for an edge 1 or edge 2. their great machines, i’ll be getting a wide format printer soon also but only because its less hassle for larger graphics etc. these are ideal for printing small pics and text, i do alot of those. very clear etc. just give me a shout if you need any info on the edge.
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they can be laminated yes
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as Matt says, they can be laminated, and you can even overprint with an "abrasionguard" Like lamination it only mechanically protects the print, and does nothing to stop colour fading. gerber only go to 5 year for some off their foils alot are 3 year. The metalics are ONLY for indoor use, even if laminated, I doubt gerber would put such a restriction on them if they could get them to last longer with lamination.
It would be pointless selling a graphic with any more guarantee than the makers give.Peter
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as peter says, with the metallics, they put a 6 mth on them, but saying that i have a gerber printed metallic silver set of decals on my bike i’ve had on their for just over 2 yrs and they look superb still! their laminated.
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There is an alternative and this is to print colour on metalic vinyls , leave the metallic bits unprinted. Works very well on matt and shiny vinyls. The colour gets a metallic hue and looks wonderful. You can lam that for extra durability. You can do this with an inkjet and a Thermal printer – the thermal print will be less matallic in hue than the inkjets as the resins are a little bit more opaque.
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Thanks Rodney.
That’s just answered my next question 🙂
So, if I could print colours onto silver or gold vinyl and laminate it, that would bring me back to the versacamm then….GREAT :dance1:
Cheers everyone
Cheryl x 😀
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Top man again Rodney.
I have done that with good results, but I wasnt thinking out off the box like you!
Peter
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I think the sign show will cost me a bit this year ! 🙄
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quote Cheryl Tissington:I think the sign show will cost me a bit this year ! 🙄good luck with the machine you decide on buying….you wont regret it 😀
nik
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I bet it does Cheryl
How much does it cost to run the Sign Show :lol1:What you after then?
A Versacamm or a Cadet -
Thanks Nik,
I’ve always farmed out my printing jobs up to now.
I just want to be able to do the work immediately rather than rely on someone else. I always think that when you have the correct machinery to do the job, you tend to sell the product more.
I wont be doing vans or anything like that, so a 30" machine is more than enough.
Cheers,
Cheryl -
quote John Singh:I bet it does Cheryl
How much does it cost to run the Sign Show :lol1:What you after then?
A Versacamm or a CadetHi John,
well, I couldn’t divulge that sort of information. But living only 15 minutes away from the NEC, I’ll pop in from time to time so oversee the show. :lol1:Now, Versacamm or cadet……..that’s the question ????
Roland are selling the SP-300V for £1k less than some other companies.I’m not really too bothered which I get. I think there are good points on both sides.
I need a machine that’s reasonably trouble free, as I’ve got no one to fall back on, so to speak. I run the business on my own.Providing the warranty is upheld by a reputable company, either machine should be fine.
Cheryl
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hm.. a solvent printer needs be on 24 hours a day, it will cause problems but in the exchange for printing on cheaper vinyl with fairly reasonable priced ink.
Gerber edge, we had one.. sold it as we only used it for metalics as the costs of running the machine are quite costly in our view. I hear similar stories for the older rolands.
Again, Sign UK is the answer, there will be some new products there and every big machine purchase (except 1) has been during SignUK as u get to see them working
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Just coming back to breifly, I will be going to see IPEX this week, ends on Tuesday… MetalFX will be there and want to have a look at this.
MetalFX is a setup of plugins/palettes (like pantone) that allow you to design your work with tried and tested colours with Metal. This I suspect wont hit the sign making market or inkjet market for a while but worth a look.
Click "View MFX Movie" on the left and that gives u a good overview.
Looks fab
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Just to add, we use the Mimaki JV3 and have been told that metallic inks are in the pipeline. Flourescent inks are apparently imminent.
I’ve seen some prints onto metallic and mirror vinyl using the ss2 inks including white and they also look suitably impressive. We just can’t bring ourselves to switch over to the 8 colour system just yet.
(Personally I can’t wait for scratch and sniff inks meself!)
Splatt
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