Cheapest flatbed printer

[PeterBJ]

sgdotcom wrote:
I found a pro 9500 which is extremely cheap at USD$300.. Brand new, should I try it firsT?

The Canon Pro 9500 is a high end photo printer, and the price is a bargain. If you print photographs go for this printer.

If I owned a such printer, I personally would be very reluctant to let foreign matter like wooden chips, glued to cardboard or similar, enter it. If one of the small wooden chips came loose inside the printer, it could damage the printer beyond repair. I think cutting the veneer to a standard paper format, then printing on this veneer and finally cut out the small printed circular images would be much safer. But note there might be a clearance issue. If the printhead hits the edge of the veneer or scratches the surface of the veneer, the printer might also be damaged beyond repair.

I once spoke to a printer and photocopier service technician. He told me that foreign objects inside a printer or copier was a very common cause of failure. Paper clips was on top of that list.

The Hat is an expert on the Pro 9500. I'm not. He might have some advise/comment on using this printer for printing on wood.

sgdotcom wrote:
Was wondering about the ink contrast on the wood, maybe buying some spray that can enhance inkjet performance on other materials

Wouldn't some spray (paint?) or a special transfer sheet for dark T-shirts obscure the wood grain?

I would give the regular grade of transfer sheet a try first. I don't know prices in Singapore, but I guess the transfer sheets are reasonably priced.

 

[sgdotcom]

Thanks bro, the image I am printing has a lot of large empty space in between, there are two types of T-shirt transfer stickers which is dependent on the background of the material. Wont it affect the wood grain look?

Another thing is that the wood is a unprocessed wood, contacting with water wont it affect the wood and in the end destroy the wood?

Lastly has anyone heard of water slide decals paper?

Is there any transparent medium so it will not affect the wood grain?

I appreciate so many mates here helping on my issue.

Looking forward to hear from TheHat about the Pro 9500.

Thanks!!!!

sgdotcom wrote:
I found a pro 9500 which is extremely cheap at USD$300.. Brand new, should I try it firsT?

The Canon Pro 9500 is a high end photo printer, and the price is a bargain. If you print photographs go for this printer.

If I owned a such printer, I personally would be very reluctant to let foreign matter like wooden chips, glued to cardboard or similar, enter it. If one of the small wooden chips came loose inside the printer, it could damage the printer beyond repair. I think cutting the veneer to a standard paper format, then printing on this veneer and finally cut out the small printed circular images would be much safer. But note there might be a clearance issue. If the printhead hits the edge of the veneer or scratches the surface of the veneer, the printer might also be damaged beyond repair.

I once spoke to a printer and photocopier service technician. He told me that foreign objects inside a printer or copier was a very common cause of failure. Paper clips was on top of that list.

The Hat is an expert on the Pro 9500. I'm not. He might have some advise/comment on using this printer for printing on wood.

sgdotcom wrote:
Was wondering about the ink contrast on the wood, maybe buying some spray that can enhance inkjet performance on other materials

Wouldn't some spray (paint?) or a special transfer sheet for dark T-shirts obscure the wood grain?

I would give the regular grade of transfer sheet a try first. I don't know prices in Singapore, but I guess the transfer sheets are reasonably priced.

 

[The Hat]

sgdotcom
The Pro 9500Mk ll at $300 is a steal even if youre not going to use it as you intend.
Putting wood into this printer is not a problem and it wont hit the print head either.

The front feeder wont accept anything that is too thick to enter and the print head is still parked at this time.
If you are going to print on the raw surface youll need special fonts that can be easily identified
and the inks are opaque so the grain wont show through either.

Looking at this from another angle have tried another technique like hot metal fonts that can be manually applied
which scorch the surface and then you can put some coloured wood stain or ink into the impression left by the letters..

 

[sgdotcom]

the inks are opaque so the grain wont show through either.
This is something I wanted, I hope the ink contrast will be high.

hot metal fonts that can be manually applied
which scorch the surface and then you can put some coloured wood stain or ink into the impression left by the letters..
You mean hot stamping?

Many thanks!

sgdotcom
The Pro 9500Mk ll at $300 is a steal even if youre not going to use it as you intend.
Putting wood into this printer is not a problem and it wont hit the print head either.

The front feeder wont accept anything that is too thick to enter and the print head is still parked at this time.
If you are going to print on the raw surface youll need special fonts that can be easily identified
and the inks are opaque so the grain wont show through either.

Looking at this from another angle have tried another technique like hot metal fonts that can be manually applied
which scorch the surface and then you can put some coloured wood stain or ink into the impression left by the letters..

 

[PeterBJ]

Re water slide decals: you only submerge the water slide in water, not the wood. I don't think the the wood is damaged by the small amount of water transferred with the decal when applied to the wood. Also the backing material is transparent, so it doesn't obscure the grain in unprinted areas. Water slide inkjet media is widely available, just try a Google search.

Here is an instruction video from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XuJ0Z3bbQ

 

[sgdotcom]

Sorry, for so much questions, but printing directly on the wood and usage of the water slide decals, what is the difference? water slide decals has better colors?

 

[PeterBJ]

I think printing directly onto wood will give the best results, both with color and with details. I think transfer methods will cause some degradation of print quality. If you can afford the Canon Pro 9500, go for it.

 

[sgdotcom]

Thanks for so much advice, may I know does the ink that comes along with the pro 9500 can last its contrast after some time? I would like to try to print on some blank t-shirts using transfer that so many of you has recommended. Can it last after several washes?

Many thanks for the help rendered to a new guy like me.. Cheers..

 

[PeterBJ]

The ink used in the Pro 9500 is pigment ink. The pigment ink is much more resistant to fading than the dye inks used in most other (less expensive) inkjet printers.

The pigment ink should be the best choice for your purpose, printing on wood. It is also more water resistant than dye ink.

I've never used T-shirt transfers, so I cannot tell if pigment or dye ink is the best choice. As far as I know DIY printed T-shirts do fade, but I don't how fast they fade when washed.

 

[sgdotcom]

I read over here that there is no spray to protect the t-shirt print? hence, may I know printing directly on the t-shirt is better or printing on transfer paper to transfer for the usage of t-shirt printing?