Photo Printing Geeks Please Advise

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justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 26, 2017 - 09:02am PT
I need photo paper advice. I'ts been bizarrely impossible to research on line.

I'm printing photos out to make magnets and buttons. The images are small and need to be really clear.

The problem I'm running into is that photo paper is really too thick/stiff to run through the press without a lot of problems. The lightest weight photo paper I can find is 48# which is too thick. Recommended for the press is 24# . It can handle a bit heavier paper but I'm having trouble finding paper that weight that you can print a good quality image on.

Any recommendations?

I'm heading down to LA next week if anyone has a good retail paper store to recommend checking out.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Feb 26, 2017 - 09:47am PT
JTM, interesting dilemma you have, wish I knew the answer. If you don't need glossy or true
matte type paper I would think a really high quality 96% white paper would give decent results
IF yer printer is decent.

If you want photo geeks, to the nth degree, you could register for free with the Nikonians.org
and post yer question on their Printers and scanners forum.

Have you perused the paper selection on B&H Photo? I'll go find their catalog.
OK, they don't bother to print their myriad paper selections in the catalog, you'll have to
peruse it online. Good luck.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Feb 26, 2017 - 09:52am PT
It's not clear what you are trying to do... could you explain in a bit more detail?

The printed resolution is a function of both the minimum ink drop size and the behavior of the ink when it meets the paper.

You could imagine the engineering problem by thinking about what would happen if the paper were totally non-porous, the drop wets the surface and makes some complicated shape as it dries, perhaps spreading out... by engineering the "porosity" of the surface you can control the spreading, and one engineering parameter is the paper thickness.

How much resolution do you need and how thick a paper can you tolerate?
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Feb 26, 2017 - 09:57am PT

It's not clear, but shooting from the hip - is this something: https://snapguide.com/guides/transfer-a-picture-to-wood/

I have never done it.
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
Feb 26, 2017 - 11:28am PT

The problem I'm running into is that photo paper is really too thick/stiff to run through the press without a lot of problems...

When you say "press" do you mean a regular printer or is something more interesting going on here? A normal printer should be able to handle normal paper?
EdBannister

Mountain climber
13,000 feet
Feb 26, 2017 - 12:04pm PT
i would get a paper recommendation from a paper professional

Kelly paper has a bunch of retail/wholesale outlets
but perhaps better info would come from a paper manufacturer's sales rep
then you could probably buy the right stuff at Kelly Paper.

and
you might not want to be printing on "paper" i would start with your purpose or intent and let them make a suggestion.

for instance Pabco has a lot of printable plastic, maybe better for what you want to do.
PABCO Paper - (323) 581-6113, Vernon, CA

Here is a link to a list of 30 companies in LA with related products.
http://www.yellowpages.com/los-angeles-ca/paper-manufacturers

and personally, if you are making buttons, why not just get a quote from a button specialty place??
you supply the image file, they do the rest... probably close to the same price of blank buttons plus paper, printing and time.

if you do buy "paper" there are four means of labels to express weight/thickness and hand or rigidity.

You can get "book" or "cover" in a similar weight, as implied the cover is more rigid or has a stiffer hand.

Another way to measure is "point" as in 6 point, or 10 point, that is thickness in thousandths of an inch.

you may also see C1S or C2S that is coated on 1 side or two.

then, there is a numbering system measuring whiteness 85 should be white, 91 is pretty good for books, but nothing below 94 will do for catalogs with photos, and 98, or higher is preferable, and best for buttons and magnets unless your coverage is above 80%

Edit: ksolem is correct if your problem is with the printer, if you only have 48# or 70# there should be a flat feed option on your printer. you refer to a "press" if you actually have a press, then weight is not an issue, only with photocopy, or canon/epson type printers.
Bullwinkle

Boulder climber
Feb 26, 2017 - 02:10pm PT
Try the Epson Glossy, it's probably the thinnest you'll find, should laminate...
Ksolem

Trad climber
Monrovia, California
Feb 26, 2017 - 02:21pm PT
The press is for the buttons/mags. Paper ends up convex.

I see...

Said the blind man to the deaf.
John M

climber
Feb 26, 2017 - 02:39pm PT
I believe this is what she is talking about. Pressing photos onto pin on buttons. She needs the thinner paper because according to this site, some presses won't work with the regular photo paper.

http://www.buttonsonline.com/photobuttons.html

I could of course be completely wrong. Hahaha..
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2017 - 06:00pm PT
OK to clarify- Yes it a hand-press similar to the one in the link above ^

The way it works: The photo plus a mylar cover sheet get folded around a thin metal sheet, then the front plate gets crimped around a backplate to make it either a magnet or button.

The difference with a "paper" press vs a "photo" press is the width that gets crimped over. The margin with a paper press is very small, so the photo or mylar sometimes escape the crimp or buckle the back plate.

The photos have text. If I print on regular copy paper, the image is sort of dull and the print is not crisp so it's hard to read. With regular gloss (non photo) paper the ink runs.

There's a gazillion types of paper out there so perhaps there is a non- photo paper out there that doesn't suck up too much ink or run as a compromise. Probably need to find a specialty paper store and pick their brains.

Right now we aren't running enough to enlist a professional printer. If this gets up and running as a business it's an option we can look into.

@ EdBannister- thanks for all that info I'll research those recommendations..

This was an ebay uber-deal that we thought was a photo press. It's not returnable so we trying to make it work.
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