Printing on aluminum.

[Ezeeduzit]

Has anyone printed metal prints using the BookSmart Fine Art Metals? They say it can be run through a straight path printer. If I have it correct, these are pre-coated aluminum materials that can then be printed directly through an inkjet printer. I currently print on photo paper and canvas in my Epson 9890 44" printer. It's a relatively new printer and I'd hate to ruin it. So I'm asking about two things: whether anyone has done this with decent results--and can it damage a printer or printer head?

I do not have the funds to get into the dye-sublimation printers, ink, heat presses etc. and I prefer not to use the InkAid method of making metal prints.

Ezeeduzit

[dgberg]

Hi Dale,
Hate to see you get no responses but I think the popularity of these has fallen and few folks are doing them these days.
I have done more then a few and can classify the results as decent at best.
If you do not lay them next to the dye sub prints you might even call them good.
It is all in picking the right image.
Why don't you order one of the sample packs and give them a try.
Just don't forget to set your printer platen to its widest and you should be ok.
You also might want to fool around with different borders so you do not have those funky rectangular borders.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.

[Ezeeduzit]

Thanks Dan.

[I.T. Supplies]

I haven't heard of that brand of metal sheets, but there are other options for different size dye sub printers and the printing products are almost endless.  You can print on many different types of products including metal, frames, mugs, shirts, keychains, etc.  You can check out http://unisub.net/ to view the possibilities.

If you're looking into printing the large metal sheets on your current printer, you may want to watch for the sheets as the CTP was the only model really made for doing this and the heater that came with the printer baked the ink on the sheets to help make many many prints (like a newspaper production).

Other customers have converted the 24" and 44" Epson models from Pigment to Dye to also go this direction.  Epson than came out with their own Dye sub large formats which also store large amounts of ink to save on the cost of production.

Hope this somewhat helps.  The other post is another option.