chrismp wrote:the HP C6569C paper has arrived!
completely different finish from the stuff i got from the print shop. their paper has a smooth, almost glossy, plastic-like coating that would never bond (imo).
the HP roll looks and feels like regular printer paper, just a bit heavier...it's hard to believe that it won't turn translucent during layup, but i guess i'll have to try it
As long as it has ink on it, it wont turn translucent
If there are small bits of white (1/16" - 1/8") of white it will turn translucent but any bigger will show as a slightly off white.
alright, i've done quite some testing over the last couple of days. all graphics were printed on my Epson Stylus Photo 2100 inkjet printer.
test set-ups were as follows:
1. HP coated paper w/ regular clear epoxy
2. HP coated paper w/ white pigment epoxy
3. regular printer paper w/ white pigment epoxy
4. PE coated photo paper w/ regular clear epoxy
5. PE coated photo paper w/ white pigment epoxy
6. wood core coated with white acrylic paint w/ regular paper
7. wood core coated with white acrylic paint w/ HP coated paper
8. plain wood core w/ regular paper with acrylic paint brushed on the back of the paper
9. plain wood core w/ HP coated paper with acrylic paint brushed on the back of the paper
adhesion seems to be really good on all samples.
the best samples in terms of graphic accuracy and clearance were number 4,5 and 9. this is because the papers were either coated on the top (PE paper) or the back (HP paper painted with acrylic paint) which kept the epoxy from seeping through.
problem with the PE paper is that it can't be coated with PU varnish since it won't stick to the PE and the paper itself is not up to withstanding all the abuse on the mountain.
the main problem with the other samples is that my epoxy turns to a yellowish tint when it's fully cured. and in all those samples the epoxy was able to soak into the paper which lead to a slight tint and darkening in all of the graphics.
photos! (sry for the somewhat questionable motifs...those were actual graphics from some boards i built)
#1:
#2 left, #3 right:
#4 top, #5 bottom:
#6 left, #7 right:
#8 right, #9 left:
(on the lower left side you can see that i didn't paint the whole paper, so the epoxy seeped through in this area)
i know that i should have done these tests with the same graphics to really get an idea of the differences, but what matters most for me is the reproduction of the white areas and there's at least a small white area in each sample.
Hmm. Seems to me your epoxy has a stronger yellow tint then mine. It seems also that wood shows through more the whites more then mine do as well. Probably because the wood your using has a much darker grain than my bamboo. I'll post up a picture in a minute to show you how my whites come out. I have a board hanging up at work I'll snap a pic of.
I didn't color correct for the light form the lamp next to it. In daylight, its pretty close to white and it doesn't feel like it has a yellow tint. It just feels a bit "off". It doesn't pop like something sublimated would. Which is the big reason I want to shift to sublimation printing this summer.
yep, looks like that's the problem...i'll probably switch epoxy to a system from entropy soon, so we'll see how that one works out. in the meantime it doesn't really bother me that i have to screenprint the back of my graphics in white. plus i'll have to continue doing so anyway since i use beech for my cores and my sidewalls are also a darker color.
what epoxy are you using?
chrismp wrote:yep, looks like that's the problem...i'll probably switch epoxy to a system from entropy soon, so we'll see how that one works out. in the meantime it doesn't really bother me that i have to screenprint the back of my graphics in white. plus i'll have to continue doing so anyway since i use beech for my cores and my sidewalls are also a darker color.
what epoxy are you using?
I'm also using the entropy system. Currently using the CLR super sap with the fast hardener.
Hi,
didn't want to start a new thread for this question, because it's somewhat related.
I just want to make sure that this won't mess my first skis up:
I have a black logo printed on normal office printer paper.
I'm going to cut away the white parts and just lay it up between fiberglass and topsheet and coat it with epoxy. The epoxy that I use for all the layup will be dyed to red color.
What do you think, will this work?
My main concerns:
- Will the logo delam
- Will the red epoxy hide the black color totally (it's ok, if the logo is only faintly seen)
The logo is about 20x6 cm in size, so it's not huge.
Thanks for any responses!
I'm using an inkjet printer. The paper will be totally soaked in with epoxy and disappear, so no delam because of that, but the ink will still be visible, but not as black as you want it. And with red, there will definitely be an effect.
nope, there are lots of other papers that work well too...but you'll have to do some testing.
i settled for sihl true color 140 since it's pretty much the same as the hp stuff but cheaper in my part of the world.
there's not much info on the site, but the paper seems right. keep in mind though that this paper will turn slightly transparent in the white areas. if your're using a water clear epoxy and a light colored core then it's not much of a problem (like for yeti skis). but if you have an amber colored epoxy and also use darker woods (like me) then you'll have to find some way to seal the underside of the paper.
i do this by applying a couple of coats of white water based acrylic paint (the one you get at hardware stores, not arts and crafts stores). this seals the paper so no epoxy can seep through during pressing. i then coat the top of the board with a two part polyurethane clearcoat to protect the graphic.
