ink jet neg substrate

Hi all,
     Just wanted to share the following with those unknowledgeable ink jet
neg enthusiasts (not the big wigs, like hehehe Mark and Kerik, etc). I have
been printing gum negs since summer, both on a cheapy Epson printer and then
on an Epson 2200 (which for me is a dream come true). I have found this as
far as substrates go: anything I get at Office Max or Staples or Walmart
(gasp) that says ink jet on it and mentions Epson, works. I have tried 3M,
Staples brand, Apollo, and other names I no longer remember, but for gum
they are all just fine. The only problem, of course, is they are all 8.5x11.
Apparently the business market doesn't want large overhead projections...
     I ordered Photo Warehouse ink jet film sheets that are cut 11x17, and
they work great, too. One caution: a lot of the Office Max/Staples brands
have a bumpy side on which you print, and this is easily discernible. The
bumps make no mind on your prints, of course, but you always can tell the
printable side.
     Photo Warehouse is smooth on each side. I thought side didn't matter,
and I did not have any indication of a printable side in the box. One day
my printer was acting up, leaving streaks of messy ink all over, and I
thought the 2200 was finally rejecting me because of all the work I put it
thru.
     Then I got smart, and licked a finger; there is a printable side, and
it is stickier to a wet finger. No more problems. But I guess most on this
list already know this or it has already been reported, so maybe not
helpful. For me, I just had to learn the hard way.
     BTW, Photo Warehouse 11x17 is about 80 cents a sheet.
     One last thing: whenever I would get these little microlines that run
parallel with the printer feed slot, micro lines so small you can barely see
them, but the gum process unfortunately prints them (so much for "can't
resolve fine detail"), that when I cleaned the print heads right before I
began a negative printing session, the lines disappeared. I also made sure
ink was not low in any of the cartridges.
Bye!
Chris
Received on Fri Apr 2 08:48:59 2004