Has anyone tried to print on these styrene sheets with a laser or inkjet printer? The 0.01 inch is as thin as most printing paper. This would simplify marking sheets for doors, windows etc. Cad drawings could be used or larger drafted prints, copied, reduced and printed. DOES ANYONE HAVE A PRINTER THEY ARE ABOUT TO DISCARD THAT COULD BE USED FOR A TRIAL?
I would not suggest a laser as they use heat to bond the toner and you would have an awful mess.
Have not tried an ink jet but I wonder how well the ink would stick? My guess is that it would just bead up and not fix to the plastic.
Go to Office Depot or some place like that, they sell printer sheets for overhead projection slides. They are plastic & designed for ink jet printers so ink sticking or plastic melting would not be an issue. As to what these sheets would be like for modeling [%-)]
I have used these lots in the days before digital projectors. The suitability would depend on the use you want. As structure material, they would need to be backed with something as they are very flimsy. Also, the inks in the inkjets go on translucent, not opaque, so you will be able to sort of see through them. They also have a “tooth” to them that allows the ink to stick, so are actually surprisingly rough. The tooth also means they are not truly clear, but may make a nice, “dirty” window with the mulleins you want printed on them.
I think these overhead projector slide sheets are clear acetate. They could probably withstand the heat of a laser printer, but the ink in an ink jet printer would just bead up and smudge.
First of all… Never use anything in a laser printer that is not specifically rated for a laser printer. You can do major damage to the printer by using any material not designed for the laser.
Second… You can buy inkjet printable overhead projector sheets. I have some right here in the shelf next my printer. They are made by several companies.
Third… there are sheet plastics that can be printed in certain kinds of inkjet printers with excellent results. Read the acceptable printing medium list that comes with your printer. I would doubt that evergreen styrene sheets would work well though.
Just my [2c]
Evergreen sheets do not work in an ink-jet printer. It just beads up. Ask me how I know.
There are ones designed specifically for inkjets and for lasers. I have used both, but only B/W laser, not a colour one yet. The ink jet ones will melt in the laser, while the laser ones will not take the inkjet ink, so they are not interchangeable. This I know from working in an office with both types of printers/overhead sheets and some people who can not read [:O]
I was remiss in my original post. I was under the dumb impression that most people would actually read the instructions before useing a product![%-)]
Actually, if you want to print on styrene, thereIS a way to do it, indirectly…
It’s called the “toner transfer method”.
Print what you want IN REVERSE onto a transparency using a laser printer. Then you can use a household iron to transfer the image onto the styrene. You have to be careful not to get the iron too hot or you’ll melt the styrene, obviously. [:)]
I use this method quite often to make PC boards (the toner acts as etch resist).
Granted, it’s not the BEST method, but it does work. The downside is that you lose a bit of resolution on your image…fine lines can get a bit blurred.