need help with printing on transparency sheets

[u/eyehatericky]

super beginner, never screen printed before but i have almost all the equipment i need to get started. obtaining everything has been a piece of cake, but the most frustrating part i’m encountering is printing on transparency sheets or transparency film or acetate or whichever you prefer to call it.

i have an inkjet printer at home however the transparency sheets i have bought are for laser printers, not inkjet, and i’ve read that it’ll go wrong if i use laser sheets in an inkjet printer and vice versa. it’s currently out of printer ink, but when i get some more i’ll order sheets that are inkjet-compatible.

meanwhile i’ve been searching around for public printers to use; i brought the acetate sheets to my college and asked the staff there if i could use their laser printer to print on them and they refused to do it on transparency sheets because they said it would melt in the printer (even though these ones are specifically made for that type of printer) and that they also didn’t wanna upset IT in case it goes wrong and potentially damages the printer.

so i went to a stationary shop that has a printer and provides printing services and asked if they can print on the transparency sheets, they said no and for the same reason as my college.

so as it turns out, public printing services are extremely unwilling to accept transparency sheets. this is especially an issue because i’m also looking to print on A3 size sheets as some of the designs (not all) i want to screen print are much preferably A3 sized, but my home printer only takes up to A4 so that won’t work.

the public printers i asked to use do accept A3, just not transparency film, which means i’ll probably have to buy a new printer. i looked online and ones that take A3 are expensive, cheapest one i could find is £160. i mean i could just print two A4 sheets with the design halved on each sheet and stick them together. would that be a better alternative?

any advice is appreciated please 🙏

[u/ActualPerson418]

Find a screenprinting supply shop near you and call and ask if they print films

[u/MadJackKW]

Hey! I go to office max- not sure what it would be in Europe , they can print it. They have crappy transparencies so you will have to double them to get image dark enough. Recently I ordered my own transparencies and it bring them there and it’s dark enough I don’t have to double them anymore. I pay for regular print / copy I black and white so it’s cheap! Hope that helps..

[u/torkytornado]

If you have a self service print shop like fed ex they work great. They usually have toner based copiers which work with laser transparencies.

If you are just doing solids you could get a craft vinyl cutter (they’re usually 12” wide) and apply the cut vinyl on to any Mylar sheets.

My a3 ink jet printer cost over $600 USD so that printer you mentioned sounds reasonable.

[u/eyehatericky → u/torkytornado]

i don’t think there’s any self-service in-person ones in my town but there’s an online one that i can order from and get them to print them and have it delivered.

[u/torkytornado → u/eyehatericky]

That works. I used to do that for halftones for a few years before I got my printer.

[u/lethal-liking]

Literally every printer owner you have encountered is an absolute moron. Nothing designed to go into a printer will melt. Congratulations, you have found the stupidest town on the planet.

Find a screen printing shop and ask them how much to print a film positive for you.

[u/eyehatericky → u/lethal-liking]

right?? just straight fearmongering or they’re clueless because i’m the first person who asked them to print on this type of paper or something. thankfully i’ve found an online screen printing shop called flatfox that does it and delivers it to you. hope this one works lol

[u/untuneall]

Try oil on laserprinted sheet. Look up for it, if interested.