On a similar note, I recently used two different inkjet printers, an
Epson 600 and an HP 625C, to print on decal paper. The similarity is
that you want dense printing, as high resolution as possible, but the
difference is that decals are usually in color.
I found no discernible differnce between the two printers, and no
discernible increase in quality beyond 720 dpi. Does this mean the
1440 resolution is just hype? Or maybe my software was not up to it.
I was using the cheapest of aftermarket ink in the Epson, but real HP
ink in the Deskjet - no discernible difference. The only
disadvantage of the "clone" ink is that it tends to need cleaning of
the jets more often. That's for color ink: for black, the clone ink
isn't quite as dense, in my experience.
BTW, I had to get more ink for the HP in a hurry, so paid full price
for HP ink. Two cartridges for about $32 + $26 = $58 (plus tax).
Epson is a little cheaper, but not much. I noticed that CompUsa is
offering the HP Deskjet 3320 1200x600 dpi for $50, so I'm wondering
why I didn't buy another printer, instead of the ink. To be honest,
the $50 deskjet ships with a single ink cartridge, so you don't get
true black without adding another cartridge ($22 additional). Still,
and interesting situation for one who bought his first dot matrix
printer when they came down below $500...
Take it easy,
Jed.
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Russell <rjshaw@i...> wrote:
> Les Newell wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > Does anyone have a favourite make of inkjet film for printing
artwork? It
> > looks to be expensive stuff so I would like to use a brand that
others have
> > had success with. I am using a Lexmark Z25 printer if it makes any
> > difference.
>
> I use epson over-head transparencies. They have a smooth coating
that
> absorbs the ink, eliminating all pin-holes. It costs more than the
printer
> ($3 per sheet), but i can make 30 sheets last a year or more.
First, print
> the pcb onto paper in economy mode (to save ink). Cut out some
transparency
> and sticky-tape it over the paper printout area. Feed back into the
printer
> and print using the highest resolution black ink setting. The
transparency
> off-cuts can be used for other boards. Unfortunately, refill ink
gives bad
> results, so i have to use the genuine epson stuff. With this
combination,
> you can do ~5mil tracks at 720dpi. To minimize ink costs, i got two
printers
> the same (epson stylus colour 400 which are really cheap in the
trading post).
> One is only used for PCB printing using the expensive ink and the
other does
> the usual day-to-day printing using crap refill ink.