Printer hack for printing on India paper / Bible paper?

[dbartell]

Hi all - I’m working on a problem that would normally require large print press operations with direct transfer (ink to paper) technology. I would like to figure out a way to print on very thin paper (see spec here)

• 27 lb. - 35 lb. Text
• 40gsm - 52gsm
• Brightness 90
• Treated For Pigment
• 800 - 1026 PPI

I‘m trying to obtain it in sheets (in lieu of rolls). I am concerned that the pickup and feed mechanisms will be a challenge. I’m not unwilling to use ”carrier sheets” but would prefer electro-mechanical solutions including hacking the system to slow it down and/or mechanically modifying the parts. Also any suggestion on the best printers to attempt this with would be useful. I do need the ink to endure and have low propensity for fading.
I know that‘s a lot. Any ideas are appreciated.

Darrin Bartell

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

What format are you planning to print ? And how many pages per printjob ? Do you plan to print double-sided ?

I would not try to print on sheet paper , that will cause too many feeding problems, it is the pickup roller which pushes the sheet to the rollers before the print path, and there is another set of rollers after the platen. I rather would print on roll paper, you need to load it once, and you print as many pages as needed. I'm not sure that a printer with a cutter, those larger format printers , could cut such thin paper reliably, you would need to test that, so manual cutting would the last option. You should try to find a business in your vicinity which has some larger format printers on display and on which you could run a test.

 

[dbartell]

Excellent points and feedback! Thank you.

By way of clarification, I've worked on this product idea for months and all the research and work and trade shows and professional connections I've made basically lead to a multi-million dollar investment in equipment and space. While a kickstarter and fund chasing is possible I've also looked at strategic partnerships but most print houses that run this kind of machinery don't also have the finishing equipment in-house that I need. Reruns, shrinkage from mishandling, environmental issues with storage etc. make this path a challenge that I may be willing to push through later. Right now I'm looking for a path to a minimum viable product that uses simple inkjet printing technology that has been "hacked" to do what I need it to do. I come from a mechanical engineering background and thinking there might be some electrical, mechanical, computer science nerds that see this thread and have some ideas on how to push the limits on these office machines.

Thanks again, you make really good points.