Printer

[RES]

I have heard that certain laser printers can be used to transfer drawings with acetone the same as a copier
would produce. What laser printers can perform this task ?

Thanks, Bob

 

[Tira]

Res, I believe all laser printers will produce a print that will work with acetone. The toner is fused to the paper with high heat. When you apply the acetone it allows the toner to detach from the paper and transfer to the object. The acetone will not work with ink jet copies - that is a different process.

 

[msar24]

The laser printers and copiers use the same technology - dry toner and heat to "fuse" the toner to the paper. I have used HP, Dell and Lexmark laser printers and Xerox Copiers and they all transfer the same.

Kevin

 

[AllanFink1960]

I think some people have found that the kind of paper you print on matters too. And some have suggested you not let the paper go thru the heater in the printer, so you get the image but not fused onto the paper yet. I use an inkjet and that transfer solution, so I dont have first hand knowledge. Ink jet printers are a lot less expensive than a laser printer...less than $100 compared to about $2000 or more.

 

[Eddi]

I just bought a laser printer here in Iceland for about $200. So there must be laser printers in the US for less than that.
The one I got is a Canon LBP 2900 and it works fine.

Eddi

 

[msar24]

Almost all of the printer manufacturers have single user laser printers for $100. The toner cartirdge will cost $65 (it will come with one but it won't last as long as the ones you purchase) and will last for several thousand pages.

Kevin

 

[threefingerdave]

I just Bought a Lexmark e328 laser printer Ebay # 140140317473 for 28 dollars and shipping was 35 so for 63 dollars i got one. it says it was a store display and has only had 3 pages printed thru it
i will let you know how it works
Dave

 

[thekoabenchgoldsmith]

Aloha Bob,

Not allowing the paper to go through the heater will have its own set of difficulties. The particles of toner are, I believe, positively charged and the paper is given a negative charge where the image goes. The toner is then electromagnetically "grabbed" by the paper. So, if the paper doesnt go through the heater the toner is just setting on the page. And if you are able to get the paper to bypass the heater element, or get the heater element turned off, you may have a hard time getting the toner to hold its position long enough to move the paper from the machine to your work. It seems to me, if I remember rightly, if you rap on the edge of the paper most of the toner will fall off. But then again, you might have enough toner left to get a usable transfer.

Using a lighter image setting will help too.

Good luck, Bob.

Aloha,
Robert Booth
The Koa Bench Goldsmith

 

[coincutter]

be carefull

dont ever shove inkjet materials through a laser printer or you will have nasty mess
i made that mistake and it took a day to clean up the muck. they dont like the heat

you can find good quality older industrial flavor printers at the big office liquidation centers
i got my big network ibm for 50 bucks - it has a scusi drive for a hold buffer
gets 50k prints on a cartridge and keeps the basement warm in the winter

 

[Karl Stubenvoll]

I have a Brother HL-2070N laser printer. It tends to be economical on toner, resulting in transfers that don't work too well.

 

[coincutter]

Change the gamma change the printer preferences go to a 1 bit image black mit white
it should print black
differnt papers improve the process
you dont need a ton of toner
lay down a white base coat first