Does anyone know of a printer that can print metallic silver?

[printerhelp]

I am printing on business cards and I would like to be able to print i silver

 

[digitalartist71]

the OLD and slow ALPS 5000 printers can do this...look on ebay. they are old and goinf for rediculous prices though for pepole who want them for doing dye-sub printing etc. The porinter uses I think wax ribbons and also resin ribbons. I think the resin ones are better and last longer or something. Older ROland printers use this technology also and can cut them out.

You'll have to search ebay for ribbons also.

used ones probably have bad blown NIBS on them....the nibs get hot to melt or transfer the color to the paper or media. if a blown nib is out...it like a nozzle that is clogged on a inkjet...but permanant until u replace the whole head.

there is also other printers similar to this that use the same tech also I think by Citizen... have to search ebay or net. Fargo also?

these are all OLD technology.

Gerber also makes $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ these types of machines also (Gerber EDGE, MAXX)....a signshop can print these for you....but may give u hard time about the media and $$$.

that may be about it... it would be cheaper and easier just to have them printed at vistaprint.com using the FOIL option. very easy and cheap...and fast. why bother any other other route unless u aquire the same machines etc vistaprint and printshops use...$$$.

 

[AlienSteve]

Actually they don't want them for their dye sub, they want them for thermal wax printing. Primarily for decals. And somewhat less demand for the metallic/foil printing.

Alps only use wax thermal, not resin. Although technically the "wax" ribbons are really a softer, lower temp resin.

Alps printers can last a long time, but you can ruin them quickly by printing too many pages too quickly. As you say, they overheat and an element will blow. Only fix is to mail it back to Alps and they'll send you a refurbished replacement for something like $350.

Check the Alps list and Alps Decal list on Yahoogroups for more info.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/alps/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alpsdecal/

Roland had some printers that use Alps heads, only in wide format and capable of higher heat and able to use a tougher resin ribbon. Brother rebadged Alps printers and only sold them in Europe. There were some Citizen wax ribbon transfer printers, I have a laptop model but they couldn't use the metallic nor foil ribbons.

A more robust (and easier to find) solution is to print what you want in silver on a laser printer, then use those metallic transfer films. I don't remember exactly what they are called, you lay them on the printed page and run through a high heat laminator or back through the laser printer. The heat sticks the metallic film onto the toner, you peel the film off and it only sticks on the toner.

Then anything else you want to print not in silver gets printed.

Those are the only options I know of for doing this yourself. Otherwise I agree with DigitalArtist71, have Vistaprint do it for you.

 

[digitalartist71]

thnax for the clarification...it's been awhile since i was looking into the ALPS... great idea about that metallic stuff you mention...saw it on TV... two goofy woman were using to decorate schit. Maybe it could be used to decorate hood ornaments, grilles, running boards, and ultimately curb-feelers? : ) HA!