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Hi all! I was wondering if someone could suggest a good printer/ink for me....I am finding that when I print my digi images, and color with COPICS, the ink is running pretty bad.
I have an older Canon Pixma MP470. It uses Canon PG-40 and PG-41 ink. It does not bleed when I color printed pictures with Copics. I don't know if it makes a difference, but when I print images in black & white, I print in grayscale so it doesn't use my color ink--at least that's what I do when I remember.
For me, when I print, I have to let it dry. I know it seems dry when it's printed, but it's not really "dry". I usually wait a day or so. That really helps on the smearing of the ink. I have also had people just suggest heat setting (i.e. using your embossing gun and just running that over the image). I am also more careful not to run over the printed areas as much unless I have to (like when coloring hair for instance).
But for me, I use a cheap black and white only laser printer (as opposed to the expensive color laser printer that I had which finally stopped working for me). I have had slightly more problems since I used the newer printer, but letting it dry for the extra day makes a huge difference. I assume heat setting it would also do the same trick.
I also at least wait a day and try really hard not to color over the black lines as much as possible. Also, heat setting with a heat gun will help. I use an HP printer and I use Copic Xpress It paper and have had good luck....but you can't be too anxious--really let the ink dry!
Never thought of heat embossing! That's a great tip, thanks ladies! I usually let my images sit for at least a few hours, but will try letting them sit longer now too. Thanks for the tips!!
If your printer will take either a regular Black cartridge or a special Photo cartridge (which has a different type of black ink), you can try swapping it. My HP printer's normal Black smears badly, but its Photo cartridge works great with Copics.
Any laser printer should work fine with Copics. I never have trouble with my ink bleeding when I color with Copics after printing digis on my laser printer. Have you also tried setting the ink with a hair drier? I've read somewhere that that may help.
I think that the paper that is used will also make a difference. I have tried using Copics on regular card stock. If I am really careful, I can do it, but it not the best plan of action. I am wondering if using a heavier card stock and heat drying or waiting a day or so will make a difference. Does anyone have a suggestion on paper for digis?
... I am wondering if using a heavier card stock and heat drying or waiting a day or so will make a difference. Does anyone have a suggestion on paper for digis?
You're probably going to get as many opinions on paper as there are people responding.
For my printer, it's not so much the weight of the paper. I've successfully used Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and X-press It Blending Card. But my current favorite is Hammermill Color Copy Cover. It has the advantage of being the least expensive of the three, too. I have it in three weights: 100# for card bases, 80# for general Copic use, and 60# for quick Copic color tests. It's very smooth, acid-free, and 100 brightness.
If you have an Xpedx store near you, they probably can give you a free sample to try before you buy. I picked up samples of about eight different brands of cardstock and took them out to my car to test with Copics. Then I went back in to purchase the Hammermill. Amazon also carries it.
I used to spray my images with a workable fixative, but I've found a really easy and quick solution is to print the images and then rub an eraser over the entire image. This removes any ink that hasn't set and you can color with no problem!
I sprayed my images with hairspray last night and colored them with water color pencils and a blender. There was a *lot* less smudging and running of the black printer ink although the blender still picked up some so I had to be a little cautious. The hairspray also seemed to make the paper a little more resistant to ''pilling'' under my blender if I went over an area too much. I've tried waiting for it to dry and heat setting with no luck for my printer/ink/paper combo. I have an HP with a regular black ink cartridge.
I will use the hairspray again but want to try a ''real'' spray fixative and the eraser technique Holly described. I've also heard of people using an embossing or glue pen to trace the image and then using a clear embossing powder. Sounds like a lot of work on complex images but it may be worth a shot.
Copic help.....
