OEM Laser - License Plate - Engraving Etc. Forum

From:	gt350ed	22 Mar 2007
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	3 of 20

6400.3 In reply to 6400.1
That's pretty impressive, Carl. I've sent an email to Mick but, as yet, have not heard from him. I'm sure I will. I'm thinking while we will still continue with our inkjet sublimation, we will also start getting up to speed with certain laser printer/OEM toner/Mick's papers applications. BTW, when you say "OEM Laser transfer" and "VersaTrans paper", I'm presuming you mean regular toner, but with Mick's VersaTrans paper. Ed Holley Victor Valley Trophy & Awards Co. and Coffee Mugs Online www.coffeemugsonline.com

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	22 Mar 2007
To:	gt350ed	4 of 20

6400.4 In reply to 6400.3
quote: BTW, when you say "OEM Laser transfer" and "VersaTrans paper", I'm presuming you mean regular toner, but with Mick's VersaTrans paper. Precisely. If nothing else, it's a great excuse to buy a color laser printer (with OEM cartridges, of course!). :^) Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com

From:	Mick	22 Mar 2007
To:	gt350ed	5 of 20

6400.5 In reply to 6400.3

When did you send it ??? Didn't arrive. Please re-send to:

mick.eminger at gmail.com

Mick

Found it and answered it, sorry to take so long

Mick
Cactus Equipment & Supplies
www.cactus-equipment.com
800-440-6847

EDITED: 22 Mar 2007 by MICK

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	23 Mar 2007
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	7 of 20

6400.7 In reply to 6400.1
Carl, Looks good! Is there news on how OEM toner holds up to UV exposure? Sublimated license plates were (are?) a popular item, although, depending on the part of the world and how much direct UV exposure they receive, the lifespan of an image has generally been rated between 6 months and a year. I think Unisub claims 2 years of fade resistance. David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	23 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	8 of 20

6400.8 In reply to 6400.7
I don't have any numbers for you, but from what I've heard, it looks very promising. Maybe Mick has more concrete information? Ask me again in a couple of years. It gets pretty hot and humid down here. I'll put a few out and see what happens. I'd put one on my car but it doesn't have a front license plate holder. My wife is going to ask the dealership to install the original license plate holder on her van (a special plastic rivet tool is required). I'd also be interested in how it holds up against stones. Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com

From:	Bieb (HABIEB)	23 Mar 2007
To:	PenTrophy (PENINSULATROPHY)	9 of 20

6400.9 In reply to 6400.2

Ask how much they want for the heat press and mug press. And all the specs would be great too.

Thanks
Harold

www.southeastlaserengraving.com
Atlanta, Georgia

From:	Dave_Miller	23 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	10 of 20

6400.10 In reply to 6400.7
Dave Last year Bill at JBL Graphics sent samples of OEM transfers away for U.V. testing and had it compared with several ink jet dye sub samples. OkiData toner did better than all ink jet dye sublimation in general. However it appears that each toner brand reacts differently to U.V. testing. There was one other Laser company that their toners did well but I forget which company it was. So it appears that OEM can offer a longer life span than dye sub in some situations. Toners are continually changing as well so its very hard to say at any given time. Dave Miller

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	24 Mar 2007
To:	Dave_Miller	11 of 20

6400.11 In reply to 6400.10
Thank you Dave. More and more evidence that it's the toner and not so much the specialty papers that are responsible for the durability of an image. Interesting. David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	24 Mar 2007
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	12 of 20

6400.12 In reply to 6400.11

The papers do nothing at all except transfer the toner on hard goods. They do not coat it at all. They are nothing but a carrier for the toner.

Soft goods may be different, I do not do them.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	24 Mar 2007
To:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	13 of 20

6400.13 In reply to 6400.12
quote: Soft goods may be different, I do not do them. Same for the soft goods. After you press soft goods, it may feel like something was transferred to areas not cover with toner, but I don't think that's the case. In fact, on t-shirts, with the fabric weave, you actually leave toner, where there are spaces between the fabric fibers, on the transfer. Or, at least I do! Mouse pads pretty much get all of the toner. Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	25 Mar 2007
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	14 of 20

6400.14 In reply to 6400.1

Carl,

Nice work.

I tried (finally) using the oem and the versa trans......after I called Mick and had him walk me through my mistakes with the printer......

Sadly, the results I got pressing on the the JDS alder plaque were less than promising......but I have not given up.......just need to experiment some more ...I just hate wasting product on experiments....

Back to your license plate....where did you get the image? Is it yours? If it is may I have a copy of it?

Thanks

From:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	25 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	15 of 20

6400.15 In reply to 6400.14

If you start to peel a corner and it is not all sticking, stop peeling. Put it back in the press and try either a little more time or pressure. it will normally heal the broken spots when you achieve the proper time/temp/pressure.

On acrylic you want to allow it to get to room temperature before repressing, due to the large expansion of the acrylic with temperature. Back to room temp and usually even photographs will heal perfectly.

Edit: You can salvage most items using warm lighter fluid or cold lacquer thinner to remove the toner in order to reuse the product. Lacquer thinner is an instant solvent.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

EDITED: 25 Mar 2007 by HARVEY-ONLY

From:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	25 Mar 2007
To:	Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)	16 of 20

6400.16 In reply to 6400.15
quote: You can salvage most items using warm lighter fluid or cold lacquer thinner to remove the toner in order to reuse the product. Lacquer thinner is an instant solvent. Thanks Harvey. If the plaque is still in the garbage, I'll dig it out and try that...otherwise, I 'll keep it in mind for the next one. Thanks

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	25 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	17 of 20

6400.17 In reply to 6400.14
quote: I just hate wasting product on experiments Don't forget to use both sides!!!! I hope I'm NOT presenting CLTT (color laser toner transfer) as a simple and fool-proof process. If you want a confidence booster, though, do a few mouse pads! I've spent many years in engineering R&D environments. Failures occur more often than successes. And remember this: ------------------ The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not "eureka" (I found it!) but "that's funny..." --Isaac Asimov ------------------- I got the Alder plaque right the first time and that's the only alder plaque I've done. Send me a description of your results and your process and I'll see if I can see something. Don't be afraid to press for long times 3 or 4 minutes. Most importantly, you want success. Then you can work on cycle time. quote: license plate....where did you get the image? CorelDraw! Photos. Thanks to Dave Miller for pointing me in that direction. Disk 2, I think, of V12. They're probably the same or similar in X3 (I haven't looked, yet, since I JUST got X3!!!). I don't think it was in Landscapes, maybe Nature or Natural? There are a whole bunch of photos in there that will work for license plates. It takes a while to go through the photos. At least it does on my slow computer. If you need it in a hurry, I can send it to you on Monday. If you need it today, I can remotely log into my work computer and get it for you. Let me know. Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com
EDITED: 25 Mar 2007 by CSEWELL

From:	Doug (JDOUG5170)	25 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	18 of 20

6400.18 In reply to 6400.16

Be careful in cleaning off the toner on a wood plaque with lacquer thinner, there is a good chance that it was finished with lacquer which will also come off with the thinner.

Doug

Lavivrus Woodworking
www.tileframe.com

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	25 Mar 2007
To:	LaZerDude (C_BURKE)	19 of 20

6400.19 In reply to 6400.14
quote: license plate....where did you get the image? CorelDraw X3, Disk #3, Photos>Water>739047.jp2 And make sure you take a look at the Sunsets folder on that same disk. Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com