Professional quality greeting card printing and Braille.

[Brailling]

Greetings. Sorry for the length of this message... I work for a Braille Transcribing company. We are entering the field of Brailled greeting cards. I am designing the cards using full color graphics and printed text. I then re-create the same image as a grayscale object and emboss it over the color image using a 3-D Braille embosser. The printed text is also recreated and embossed as Braille. I have been using 8.5" x 11" 110 lb white index paper; I send the stock through the color printer (using my old HP722C inkjet!) twice to get both sides printed, then I send the stock through the embosser - both sides. I end up with two single fold cards 4.25" x 5.5". I want a more professional looking card - one that is a "satin" finish on the outside, and matte on the inside, if possible. We are experimenting with Carolina CIS 8 pt print stock, but the inkjet black text smears too much, even after sitting for a week. We are shopping for a color printer, laser or inkjet, that will:
1. Print (feed) consistently on 110 lb, or 8 pt, coated card stock.
2. Produce a color image that is not just on the surface - by this I mean... we used an HP3550 Color Laser printer as a trial and found that: when embossed with the dots, the color "broke" at the top of the dots, allowing the bright white of the paper to show through the color image which ruined the image. My old inkjet produces a better image to be embossed over, so I am thinking we want a printer where the ink is absorbed slightly into the surface of the paper. Also, the multiple layers of color used in the graphics became "divided" on the output image with the HP3550. We have also received samples of the new Xerox "Phaser" 8500 color printer. The image is excellent, but again, the color surface breaks upon embossing, at least with the glossy paper stock they printed the samples on. We are awaiting additional samples. We are still thinking the inkjet might be the way to go...
3. Stability of ink - we want a finished product that doesn't smear if a teardrop falls. I know some of the new inkjet printers have smear-proof and archival inks.
4. Network-able with a Novell network. This isn't crucial.
5. I don't care about speed. We will not be doing a high volume.
6. No-fuss consistency and reliability is crucial. Clogged printheads doesn't sound very appealing.
So, with all the above in mind, could some of the experts out there recommend an inkjet printer/s that we could focus on, in the $400-$1000 price range. There are literally hundreds of printers out there but unfortunately most are not available for testing. If we could narrow the range down to 3 or 4 printers, it would be great. Thanks for taking the time to read this blurb. Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[fotofreek]

Brailling - You are really involved in an endeavor that is admirable. The only experience I have is with greeting cards I have printed on either Epson glossy photo paper or Epson double sided matte paper. Both work quite well for greeting cards as they both support printing on both sides. The glossy paper has a very light epson logo printed on the back side and is hardly noticable and the printed image on the glossy side is more attractive than the images on the matte paper. The glossy paper is OK for personal "fun" greeting cards, but probably not for commercial products. I use a Canon i960 and had done similar cards with an Epson Stylus Color 900. I would be happy to send you several copies of the simple little birthday card I did for my granddaughter so you can test the paper for weight and for ability to emboss you braille images and text patterns. You can assess the stability of the printed area when embossed, the quality of the image, and the weight and feel of the paper for your purpose.

You have posed the eternal question: Use more permanent inks that Epson provides and risk occasional clogs that are more common with their pigment-based inks or stay with Canon and suffer the problems of dye-based inks - less water resistant and more fade-prone. I don't know what the maximum weight of card stock the Canon or Epson can handle. Although you can look at the factory specs, that is not always the bottom line on this issue. There may be papers that are better suited for you purpose that someone can recommend. The cardstock that is available at paper houses catering to the printing trade may be a better weight and emboss better, but the images will not be as vivid as when printed on coated inkjet stock like the Epson paper I mentioned.

If you would like to receive the copies I mentioned you can email me your address and I will be glad to send them to you.

 

[Grandad35]

Brailling,

A few comments on your requirements:
1. An 8 pt. (point) card stock is 8 mils thick - I routinely print on 10 mil photo paper, so 8 pt. is not so thick that it should cause a problem.
2. Inkjets all require a surface that absorbs the ink so that it appears to be "dry" when it exits from the printer, even if it actually takes a day or two for the liquid to completely evaporate. Here is a link that discusses the various types of inkjet paper and their pros/cons:
http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/prod_html/galerie/htm/gtp/how_suits.htm
I have no idea if you can buy cardstock with these coatings. Could you use standard inkjet photo paper?

Have you gone to a local computer store that sells a number of printers and asked for printed photo samples from several printers to compare how they perform when embossed? This could speed up your search.

 

[Brailling]

Thank you very much for your information and quick replies. To Grandad: I have been to several stores and tested what was available. I take my own 110 lb. index stock to get a true test for the embossing. Tomorrow morning I go to Circuit City to test a Canon ip6000D and an Epson R320, and whatever else they might have. These two printers were recommended on the RedRiverCatalog website. I had a couple sheets of the 8 pt CIS stock, as I mentioned, but I think I should go to what you use, the 10 pt, or even 12 pt. Even so, I don't think I'll have trouble getting it to feed, once I find a printer that will do everything else I need. (right now I have none of the CIS stock left.) The standard inkjet photo paper is a too glossy - I would prefer more of a "satin" finish such as on the outside of normal greeting cards. The link you provided is a tremendous help. I will study that later tonight. OK - fotofreek... Thank you very much for your input and offer to send me samples. That would be great. You are correct in stating that the Epson logo would not be appropriate on a commercial product. I will check out the specs on the i960 and 900. I have printed lots of cards at home on Wausau "Exact Color Copy" 80 lb. paper - and have been pleased with the output; it is a teensy bit smoother than index stock, but not as shiny as I would prefer. We had a few samples of 8 pt and 10 pt Carolina CIS coated sheets, as I mentioned above. Wasted two on the Okidata 5200 (it melted the coated surface) and the HP3550. I sent one through my HP722C to see how the ink would set. After a couple days the color was smear-proof, but the black text smeared by barely touching it. I understand that there are several different shades of "blacks" on the newer inkjet printers. Perhaps this would be better on the coated stock. Anyway, if you would be willing to send me a sample from each of your printers, that would be a terrific help. I'll email you my address momentarily... Again, thanks for the replies and information. Brailling in Oregon

 

[fotofreek]

Brailling - I've retired the Epson printer but would be pleased to send you a sample of a printed card on the double sided matte paper from my Canon i960 printer. It has no gloss at all, but it does print quite well and the colors are more saturated than with Index or cover stock. I'd like to see a finished product when you get it together.

 

[Jane]

Brailling
Have you talked to any of the paper companies rather than just visiting their web sites? I have done cards just for personal use and very small amounts for a church group. In doing that and other photo printing I have noticed phone numbers on some of the retail size boxes of paper. Avery (who sells greeting cards as part of their line of products to print on) lists 800462-8379 on the back of their Half-Fold Greeting Cards. I used these last year and they turned out to be matte when what I had used from them before had a glossy side. I have used a number of different papers from International Paper's Jet Print line and the number 800-242-2148 is on the back of the packages.

This seems like such a great idea and one that will result in the same card being accessible to BOTH those with and without vision problems.

Good Luck!
Jane

 

[Brailling]

Thank you, Jane, for your input and phone numbers. I will certainly research my options there. Thanks to all for your suggestions and information. This is a great forum - after I conclude my "shopping experience", I'll let you know of what we decide on. I would welcome additional comments or suggestions from anybody. Brailling in Oregon

 

[bobglen97]

Brailling
Have you talked to any of the paper companies rather than just visiting their web sites? I have done cards just for personal use and very small amounts for a church group. In doing that and other photo printing I have noticed phone numbers on some of the retail size boxes of paper. Avery (who sells greeting cards as part of their line of products to print on) lists 800462-8379 on the back of their Half-Fold Greeting Cards. I used these last year and they turned out to be matte when what I had used from them before had a glossy side. I have used a number of different papers from International Paper's Jet Print line and the number 800-242-2148 is on the back of the packages.

This seems like such a great idea and one that will result in the same card being accessible to BOTH those with and without vision problems.

Good Luck!
Jane

While avery is not the least expensive option, I can vouch from personal experience that they are extremely helpful. I had a problem with some sheet protectors, sent the President and CEO a note with samples, and they replaced the complete box. The letter with the replacement was from the production manager at the plant who aknowledged thier error on that particular "run". Great customer service.