This is an evaluation of how good these printers are at printing solid black on transparency film. This is only a partial list as there are thousands of different types of printers in the world, but we would welcome your help in increasing its scope. So if you have anything to add, either on a printer mentioned below which you have a setting to improve its printing, or a printer that we haven’t mentioned, then please tell us about it. The first section is for ink jet printers the second for laser printers. To date we have never found an ink jet printer that we can’t make a negative on by printing it once, but you may find it easier to just print two copies and stick them together, a few dots from a glue stick will allow you to align them easily, if you do this allow another minute in the Stampmaker as two negatives will stop more light.

Epson
General points:
Many of the Epson range of printers will default to print in colour. You must open ‘Advanced settings’, a warning message may appear saying that they are only recommended for experienced users, ignore this and tick ‘Black ink only’ or ‘greyscale’, all the colour options will then be no longer adjustable. You may well find that Epson branded OHP film works slightly better than our imageblack ink jet film.
This manufacturer’s range of printers will typically give you the blackest artwork by changing the settings to:
Paper to ‘Photo Paper Matte or Ultra Glossy’
Quality to ‘Normal’
and Ink to ‘Black and White’.

Ink Jet Black
Model Optimal print setting Rating
RX685 Greyscale / Best Photo / Photo matte paper

R220 Ultra Glossy / Best Photo / Black Ink

R230 Plain paper / Normal quality / Under Printer Features / Output Extra 12 Black Density 2.0000

R1400 Best photo / Premium Photo paper glossy
Select advanced menu and cancel warnings
Select grayscale (used with a CIS)

R1900 Default setting

4200 Transparency / Best

CX6400 Matte Paper / Best Photo / Black Ink

SX125 Photo and paper on Epson matte

CX6600 Matte Paper / Best Photo / Black Ink

SX215/SX218/ SX420/SX510 Epson matte / photo / black ink

DX4800-4850 Epson matte / photo / black ink / Calibration Epson, gamma 1.8

This manufacturer’s range of printers will typically give you the blackest artwork by changing the settings to:
In a shortcut menu choose ‘Specialty Paper’ or ‘Presentation Printing’
If those don’t work change Paper to ‘Photo Paper Matte’ or ‘Other Speciality Papers’ and Ink to ‘Black ink only’.

Ink Jet Black
Model Optimal Print Setting Rating
Officejet K80 OHP Premium Inkjet transparency film / Normal / B&W / Increase Ink

Officejet 6000 Increase ink volume to maximum
Increase dry time to maximum
We use this with a CIS system to print negatives

Officejet 8000 Presentation Printing / Black ink only

Officejet B8550 HP Everyday Photo Paper Matte, Best Quality, Grayscale, Maximum Ink.

Deskjet F380 Photo paper matte / Black ink only

Deskjet 840c Other transparency films / Normal / Black cartridge only

Deskjet D2050 Specialty Paper from short cut menu

Deskjet D1000 Specialty Paper from Paper menu

Deskjet D1660 Presentation Printing from short cut menu

PSC 1115 Transparency / Best / Black cartridge only

PSC 1213 Superior quality and Transparency

PSC 1215 Plain paper / Normal quality

PSC 1410 Other brochure paper / Normal / Black cartridge only

PSC 2110 Paper / Best / B&W

PSC 2115 Paper / Best / B&W

2179 Other Speciality Papers / Best / B&W

2360 Photo Paper Matte / Black ink only

3180 HP Transparency / Ink density to maximum / Greyscale

Photosmart C4680 HP Everyday Photo Paper Matte, print quality Normal, Print in Grayscale, Black Ink only

4200 HP Transparency / Best / Black and White / Increase Ink

Photosmart D5400 Borderless Photo / HP Everyday photopaper matte / Best quality / Greyscale / High Quality / Increase ink volume (advanced) / print in black.

HPC5280 Grayscale / Transparency- / Inkflow heavy

Officejet 5510 HP Photo Paper Matte / Normal / Black and White

Lexmark

This manufacturer’s range of printers will typically give you the blackest artwork by changing the settings to:
Paper to ‘Photo Matte Paper or Cardstock’
Quality to ‘Normal’
and Ink to ‘Black and White’.

Ink Jet Black
Model Optimal print setting Rating
Z617 Cardstock / Normal

X5470 Photo Matte Paper / Normal

x7675 Matte paper best quality

Canon

This manufacturer’s range of printers will typically give you the blackest artwork by changing the settings to:
Paper to ‘Other Speciality Papers’
Quality to ‘Best’
and Ink to ‘Black and White’.

Ink Jet Black
Model Optimal print setting Rating
MP160 Normal paper, Normal quality & greyscale

MP220 Normal paper and standard printing and grey scale

Smartbase MP3605 Set to Paper and normal. Do not print on transparency.

Pixma 1200 Set to Paper to transparency. In Printing Preferences set Colour/Intensity to Manual and increase intensity to maximum.

MG5220 Grayscale, plain paper and high print quality

Common problems

Artwork has white flecks in it:
If you have white flecks in the black the light will get through and you will not get enough depth to your stamp. White flecks are either because you didn’t enhance the Brightness and Contrast on a scanned or downloaded image or because your printer has been told to print on the wrong media (say paper instead of transparency).

Artwork has white dotted lines through it:
One of your ink jet heads is blocked. Go into the properties and clean your heads.

Artwork has a red or blue hue to it:
Your artwork may have been printed using the colour or Cyan/Magenta/Yellow cartridge. Although this may look black it will not work. You can see your black artwork will have a blue or red hue when examined against the light.

Laser Printers

Print it twice and stick together:
For most laser printers the easiest way to make a negative is to use imageblack laser film and print two copies of your negative. Then by applying a few dots from a glue stick you can stick them together whilst giving time to align them easily.

Increase the toner density:
Insert film either way round into printer. In Microsoft Windows click Start and Printers and Faxes. Select your laser printer, right-click and open Properties from the drop down menu. If you have the option, increase the laser density to maximum. Set your printer paper settings to Vellum, or if it does not provide that option use Transparency. Increase the resolution to maximum and press Print. Do not touch the printed surface until fully dry.

Is it dark black?
Examine your negative by holding it up against the light, the black areas should not allow light through. Some printers will print artwork with white flecks in the solid black. This will allow light to pass through the black areas and your stamp will end up being solid. Do not use it, change your settings or print it twice and stick together.

To make the output from HP and some other brands of lasers and photocopiers dark enough, follow these simple steps:
Soak a cloth with White Spirit and wipe it once over the printed side of your artwork. A little black may come off on the cloth. Do not wipe it too hard or with a dry cloth or you will remove too much black. Run a hot air gun (not a hair dryer) over the surface of the artwork to flare off the white spirit, if you hold it too close you will melt the plastic. The surface should now look shiny and the black and will be dark enough to make stamps with.

Epson
Laser Model Resolution Specific Instructions
AculaserC1100 600x600 dpi

Panasonic
Laser Model Resolution Specific Instructions
KX-P7200 600 dpi Wiping with white spirit and heating required.

HP
Laser Model Resolution Specific Instructions
HP1018, 1020, 1022 600x600 dpi Set to maximum toner in Properties, set to vellum and FastRes1200. Wipe with white spirit / turpentine and heat with hot air gun or in oven.

Konica
Ink Jet Model Resolution Specific Instructions
Magicolor 2400W 4800x1200 dpi Set to Best, Black and White and transparency. Makes good negatives.

Brother
Ink Jet Model Resolution Specific Instructions
HL 2030 600 dpi Does not print black enough.

Photocentric Ltd. 12 Stevern Way Peterborough PE1 5EL UK t: + 44 1733 349 937 e: info@photocentric.co.uk
Photocentric Inc. 20817 N. 21st Ave Suite 18 Phoenix 85027 AZ USA t: 800 210 9030 e: info@photocentricusa.com w: www.photocentricusa.com

PhotoCentric Ltd, 12 Reynolds Industrial Park, Stevern Way, Peterborough, PE1 5EL. United Kingdom.
info@photocentric.co.uk Telephone +44 (0) 1733 349 937 Facsimile +44 (0) 1733 349 949

website design and services by pr-soft internet solutions