RE: Crystal Clear Film and Epson 2200

Sandy,

> Wonder why the Crystal Clear Film take so much longer to dry than
> Pictorico?

Pictorico as you may know has a ceramic based coating that is compatible
with pigmented inks. The UCF was probably designed to accept dye based inks,
tests with my 1280 do indeed dry faster, probably in just a few hours. I've
not pinned that down yet.

I spoke to a tech support person at Michigan Ink Supply about the problems I
was having and he told me that probably in the next year or so some inkjet
media will begin using a comparable material to the ceramic coating that OHP
utilizes. Although he didn't say anything about transparency material MIS
does sell a paper now that uses that product which makes it essentially
water proof. The micro-porous surface encapsulates (I think that is the word
he used) the pigmented inks quickly and doesn't allow their release after
they have quickly dried.

Of course one of the reasons UCF may be so inexpensive compared to OHP is
because it doesn't have this type of surface, or to put it another way you
get what you pay for.

One other thing I think is important to mention to others reading this
exchange is that UCF is a much thinner substrate which may mean it could be
difficult to use in larger sizes with a contact printing frame, a vacuum
easel is probably the best way to go.

Don

P.S. I'm finally hanging the luminaire today so I should be able to test it
in the coming days.

 
Received on Sat Oct 23 14:15:55 2004