Full Version: ARA "Sublimation Solutions"
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1]
7 Mar 2006
To: ALL
Friday morning, at the ARA show, I sat in on the "Sublimation Solutions" clinic.
The format was Q&A from the audience, with questions being answered by a panel of sublimation experts.
The panel consisted of two Sawgrass Technologies representatives, a Sublijet distributor as moderator, Paul Whitehill, owner of Bison Coatings and Clarence Matney, of Universal Woods (Unisub).
I've been involved with sublimation for a number of years and have a good grasp of fact and fiction on the subject.
To my surprise and delight, the answers imparted, were free of Sawgrass propaganda. All members of the panel were well-versed on the subject and delivered solid, responsible and well-articulated responses.
From newbie to the experienced, nobody was able to stump the panel.
Some of the conclusions drawn were:
1. If you're performing full-color sublimation, like it or not, you're in the graphics business and a command of graphics programs will play a direct role in your degree of success.
2. If you're a Mac user and want to take advantage of the Sawgrass PowerDriver, you're out of luck. ICC profiles are all that's offered. Buy a $600 PC.
3. If you're using small format printers, build the cost of a new printer into your business plan, on an average of every year and a half.
Don't expect small format printers to be as robust as more commercial models, such as the Epson 4000/4800s, which should last an average of three years.
4. Refurbished printers are fine, as long as they're refurbished by the factory, or factory authorized agencies and come with a full warranty.
Steer clear of refurbished printers from a friend of a brother-in-law's nephew named Ralph, who slips in printer repair work, between shifts at Burger King. :-)
Those were a few of the high points of the discussion. Other aspects included trouble shooting of some of the audience's individual sublimation "challenges."
All-in-all, I felt the live Q&A format was more effective than a canned presentation, which possibly would have left questions in people's minds, which may have gone unanswered.
I give the clinic two thumbs up. :-)
EDITED: 7 Mar 2006 by DGL
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#2]
16 Mar 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#1] 16 Mar 2006
David,
I saw you as t he clinic ended. I remember you saying you were going to try to attend, but I did not see you until it was over. Sorry about that.
I agree with your report and assessment of the clinic.
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#3]
16 Mar 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#2] 16 Mar 2006
Paul Whitehill asked me to attend. I'm glad I did.
I felt you were given very responsible answers to your questions.
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4]
16 Mar 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#3] 16 Mar 2006
So did I
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#5]
22 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#4] 22 Apr 2006
Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but when I saw your photo in the ARA slide show, I began thinking, "How did they take Chuck's photo?" We were in the same seminar and I don't remember anyone taking pictures.
Maybe it was too early in the morning, for me to notice.
Maybe the shot was taken through surveillance cameras. :-)
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#6]
22 Apr 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#5] 22 Apr 2006
The photog came in the door at the front of the room, snapped and left.
On another note, I got my sublimation stuff set up. Maybe it's beginners luck, or maybe because the equipment is new....but I sublimated several mouse pads and one tile just to play around. After needing tech support to help solve a couple of printer issues, no problems.....color correction was almost perfect.....big fun......more to come......
We are still getting set up in the new shop. I took some pics today to post.....
later
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#7]
22 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#6] 22 Apr 2006
Thanks for solving the photo mystery and for your sublimation update.
What you need now, if you don't already have some, is Laser Sub.
Create an image, preferably, somewhat dark; sublimate it to Laser Sub, then laser through the sublimated image to reveal a shiny gold image, which could be a logo or lettering, etc.
Definitely something new and improved and not likely to be seen elsewhere; at least not for a while.
You'll want to be hanging 10, on the first wave of that product! :-)
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#8]
22 Apr 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#7] 22 Apr 2006
David,
Thanks for the tip...I have been thinking of that......I actually think I will be the only one doing color sub on the island :)
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#9]
22 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#8] 22 Apr 2006
Well, that makes you the only person on the island, (not to mention the mainland), to be creating "cross-platform" products.
If sublimation alone, is enough to blow their grass skirts up, wait til they see the one-two-punch, a combination of processes can bring to the party!
Jump on that one, and ride it onto the beach! :-)
From: UncleSteve [#10]
23 Apr 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#9] 23 Apr 2006
What else would you expect from Chuck?
Cross dressing > cross platform... It is a natural progression! (devil)
From: JimK (JUSTTHE4OFUS) [#11]
24 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#6] 24 Apr 2006
Chuck,
Its probably somewhere else, but what sublimation stuff did you get?
Jim
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#12]
24 Apr 2006
To: JimK (JUSTTHE4OFUS) [#11] 24 Apr 2006
Jim,
I purchased an Epson 4000 with Sawgrass sublijet IQ inks set up as a dual CMYK system, a geoknight DK20s 16X20 heat press with dual shuttle table. ( an add on that allows you to have two tables which slide back and fourth under the heat platen)
My intent is to produce tile murals, this is why I got the dual shuttle, but I think if one is going to do any kind of production work the shuttle is necessary ( in my opinion )
I purchased my system through Johnson Plastics. I am quite please with my equipment decisions and with the support I have received thus far.
I did have some problems getting the printer set up, BUT the epson 4000 is a little more feature rich than printers I am used to. However once I got it up, I was a sublimation fool.....fortunately a friend of mind gave me some extra sublmation substrates he had laying around so it made it easy to get started....
This is probably more information than you needed, but I 'm just having so much fun............I hope this helps.
Be well.
From: JimK (JUSTTHE4OFUS) [#13]
24 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#12] 24 Apr 2006
Chuck,
No not more info than I want, just right. I am going to get the same press with shuttle table and I have an Epson 1280 (2 actually) I was going to try and make work. The 1280 is the one that Photobrasive recommended for the RapidMask process, and I was hoping to get extra duty from it without buying more equipment (a different printer again). I followed you down the blast cabinet road, I guess I'll tag along on the sublimation road now. Thanks for the info. Darn I need to come to Hawaii! Spent a week there overnight in 1975 on the USS Coral Sea on my way to Australia via Cambodia and Viet Nam. Fraid I didn't see much and as I was a good sailor, I don't remember much. I'll have to check out Johnson Plastics.
Jim
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#14]
24 Apr 2006
To: JimK (JUSTTHE4OFUS) [#13] 24 Apr 2006
Jim,
Anytime you want to come to Hawaii, let me know.
You should talk to John Montgomery about sublimation pinters...he has the 1280 also and is considering getting the epson 4800.
When I first started looking into sublimation, I almost bought the 1280, BUT it looked pretty much like a make shift printer once the bulk ink attachment was installed. The 4000/4800 have high capacity cartridges that are MADE for the printer.... might be something to think about.
So now that you have your sandblaster, how do you like it?
From: gt350ed [#15]
24 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#14] 24 Apr 2006
You know I love you dearly, but that's a pretty presumptive statement for someone just starting out in dye-sub. I would say that it depends on what you intend to do. For what you have in mind, your choices are good ones.
Having said that, we're making a lot of money producing dye-sub and "cross-platform" products with a couple of 1280s; and have been for several years. And prior to that, they were "980s". That's why the 980 and 1280 are widely and historically referred to as the dye-sub industry's "workhorses".
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#16]
24 Apr 2006
To: gt350ed [#15] 24 Apr 2006
You know I love you dearly, but that's a pretty presumptive statement for someone just starting out in dye-sub.
Ed my friend, I didn't say it didn't work or was not a work horse. I did say it looked makeshift.....and it does, what with the tubes coming out of it, connected to bags held in a rack, that prevent the cover from closing....
What would have been presumptous (sp?) of me, would have been to tell Jim not to use the 1280 because it is a piece of crap or some such thing. But I did not.... And one can use the 1280 without the bulk system, however it isn't very cost effective....
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#17]
24 Apr 2006
To: UncleSteve [#10] 24 Apr 2006
Steve,
Lets stop THAT rumor right now. Thanks
;-)
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#18]
24 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#16] 25 Apr 2006
My opinion, is that the 1280 was introduced as a sublimation printer, primarily, because it was a relatively inexpensive solution, for those wanting a print wider than 8.5".
At that time, the Epson 3000's, (which were widely-available, although out of production) were about the only other choice, without going to large format, (which I had originally heard was 24", until Sawgrass Technolgies, for the purpose of their patent-infringement lawsuits, deemed wide format to be 42") but still cost about twice as much as a 1280.
Another opinion: Anything beyond 4 colors (CMYK) for ink jet dye sub, is overkill and simply an added expense, in having to buy the two extra colors of ink (Light Cyan, Light Magenta). 8-color printers have been added to the mix, with red and blue being the additional colors.
I haven't seen enough output from 8-color printers, to form a strong opinion, although I suspect their gains over 4-color output, are marginal.
Compared to the entry-level small format printers of yester-year, i.e. Epson 900/980, the new entry level printers, i.e. C86/88 are flimsy, by comparison.
They do the job, but unless a person is refilling their own cartridges, or fits the printer with a bulk ink system, (which I feel can be problematic, in themselves), aren't an economical way to go.
I think your choice of the Epson 4800, with dual-CMYK carts, was the right call. They're a robust, commercial printer, with cartridges that hold enough ink 110 ml / 220 ml to be considered built-in bulk ink systems, without the problems associated with aftermarket bulk ink systems, that you see used with smaller printers.
EDITED: 24 Apr 2006 by DGL
From: UncleSteve [#19]
24 Apr 2006
To: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#17] 25 Apr 2006
LOL!
From: JimK (JUSTTHE4OFUS) [#20]
25 Apr 2006
To: ALL
Just realized I hijacked a fun thread and went serious, sorry. That's the downside of cyberspace, you can still type even when mouth is full of foot. Thanks all for the printer discussions. I have a 1280 in shop now, and a clogged one coming for free with a used bulk ink system originally from www.shopdyesub.com that I know nothing about but the price seemed good. I think that what's important to me now is I can do everything Chuck is doing. I liked his enthusiasm early in this thread and I just want to be like Chuck! And Ed, and David, and David, and Harvey, and my gawd what a list of role models! I am not going to get the press yet but I will talk to Johnson Plastics and see what we can put together as my shop gets finished. I have too much unpacked new stuff to order now so will just plan and research. Who is John Montgomery?
Thanks all!
Jim
Show messages: 1-20 21-30