Printing Wallpaper on Epson?

[narikin]

Was looking at the price of printed wallpapers online - oof!

I own LF Epson and Canon printers, can anyone suggest the right roll material if I wanted to print some myself?

[tastar]

How about Photo Tex Adhesive Fabric:

Photo Tex Adhesive Fabric OPA Opaque

Tony

[narikin]

Looks Great - thank you!

[Lessbones]

How about Photo Tex Adhesive Fabric:

Photo Tex Adhesive Fabric OPA Opaque

Tony

I'd recommend trying both matte black and photo black on phototex--  in my experience matte black usually gives you richer contrast, but it's more susceptible to smudging if it's touched or rubbed up against.  In either case it will pale (no pun intended) in comparison with a wallcovering material printed with latex, UV, or solvent inks.  If you have access to a laminator, or someone who could laminate for you you could print on a cheaper, flatter self adhesive material then run it with a semi-matte laminate which would protect it and also punch up the contrast a bunch

[Kyle Jackson]

How about Photo Tex Adhesive Fabric:

Photo Tex Adhesive Fabric OPA Opaque

Tony

Hi, in addition, PhotoTex licenses their product to be sold under other brand labels. When I last investigated this (early 2021), there were:
- Kodak Photo Tex Repositionable Fabric
- LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric (**LexJet website clearly states this is Photo Tex)
- Canon Peel and Stick Repositionable Media (**Canon USA product sheet explicitly confirms this is Photo Tex)
- HP Removable Adhesive Fabric (pending)

(Since the above info is 3 yrs old now it could be out of date.)

This really opens up the options for price/availability. I got the Canon to use with my HP Z3100 (and now Z3200).

Also note that Breathing Color Art Peel is *not* PhotoTex, it's a competing product. I found the BC inferior to PhotoTex and I'd struggle to recommend it (again based on the 2021 offerings).

Cheers

[Lessbones]

Unless they completely changed the product in the last few years, Lexjet Peel-and-Stick Fabric is *Not* PhotoTex.  It has a much finer weave, and gives considerably better contrast, but it is on the thin side.

[dgberg]

I have only used the pigment PhotoTex and it is a pretty darn good product. About 10 years ago we did a bunch of tests spray laminating as well as cold roll laminating and ended up going with a couple of light coats of satin Clearshields. Really pops the colors and gives it the much needed protection for commercial environments where people cannot keep their fingers off. Adds virtually no weight to the product and does not affect the adhesion qualities. Now that I have a solvent printer I need to get a roll of the solvent product to compare against the pigment. The solvent is pretty hardy stuff and doubt if it needs any protection. The flower artwork print has been hanging on my spray room door for 8 years and still looks new. The other project shown is a collection of approximately a thousand nurses printed on PhotoTex that have worked at the local hospital the last 100 years. That one we sprayed as well.

[Kyle Jackson]

Unless they completely changed the product in the last few years, Lexjet Peel-and-Stick Fabric is *Not* PhotoTex.  It has a much finer weave, and gives considerably better contrast, but it is on the thin side.

Hi, it seems LexJet lists more than one line of SKUs... There is "Photo Tex PSA Fabric" (not LexJet-branded):
https://www.lexjet.com/photo-tex

and then there is "LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric":
https://www.lexjet.com/lexjet-print-n-stick-fabric

The specs for the first one seem to match Kodak's "Photo Tex Repositionable Fabric" (45% polyester, 45% pulp-cellulose), while the second one seems to match Canon's "Peel and Stick Repositionable Media" (Terylene Fabric). Canon claims theirs is PhotoTex as well, and it definitely has a very fine weave to it.

I'm wondering if there is more than one Photo Tex product/grade being licensed? Photo Tex themselves have an "original" translucent one with only ~70% opacity, and then the "OPA" opaque/blockout version claiming 99% opacity. (LexJet lists 95% on Print-N-Stick, Canon 90%, and HP 85%.)

[Lessbones]

The phototex opaque has a whiter base (maybe with OBAs)  and its a bit thicker, but the surface texture is virtually identical.  dberg, I wouldn't bother with the solvent version, I've tried it before and it wasn't even in the same league as any old cheapo PSA vinyl you can get for pennies on the dollar.  I really don't know why you would want a fake-fabric look when you don't need that extra surface area to soak up ink and protect the surface a bit...

But yeah, I also suspect that a lot of these products are the same-- a lot of silly trickery that paper manufacturers do (like increasing/decreasing gsm by 5 to try to look like, say, Canson Platine isn't the same as Epson Legacy Platine).

[Nora_nor]

Which reminds me, I have seen videos, the lady has some videos shere she changes printhead and service station on an Epson printer in the printshop where she prints maps and other large prints.
Here is a video she uploaded with a map https://youtu.be/4h-tkq4iiOU?

[Kyle Jackson]

The phototex opaque has a whiter base (maybe with OBAs)  and its a bit thicker, but the surface texture is virtually identical.  dberg, I wouldn't bother with the solvent version, I've tried it before and it wasn't even in the same league as any old cheapo PSA vinyl you can get for pennies on the dollar.  I really don't know why you would want a fake-fabric look when you don't need that extra surface area to soak up ink and protect the surface a bit...

But yeah, I also suspect that a lot of these products are the same-- a lot of silly trickery that paper manufacturers do (like increasing/decreasing gsm by 5 to try to look like, say, Canson Platine isn't the same as Epson Legacy Platine).

Yeah I suspect the material itself is pretty much OB'ed by definition since it's a synthetic polyester compound that would need a chemical mix to manufacture the desired colour (whether "white" or otherwise).

Good point about the vinyl... I've never tried it. They're available with similar removable adhesive? Is the vinyl prone to creasing during handling? I like that the textile/wallpaper media is a lot more forgiving of handling than paper prints, and they're basically glare-free with the matte texture. I've been using it for easy frameless/glassless replacements for wall displays at home.

[Lessbones]

Good point about the vinyl... I've never tried it. They're available with similar removable adhesive? Is the vinyl prone to creasing during handling? I like that the textile/wallpaper media is a lot more forgiving of handling than paper prints, and they're basically glare-free with the matte texture. I've been using it for easy frameless/glassless replacements for wall displays at home.

The world of different vinyls is pretty overwhelming and practically endless- they have every combination of thickness, adhesive type, grey or white backing, etc. that you can imagine.  Then there are cast vs. calendared vinyls, the former being much more malleable (and expensive) and often used for vehicle wrapping.  In terms of creasing when handling, I've found that the majority of the time dings that look bad go away when the paper backing is removed and it's actually applied to a wall or something-- unless of course you really crack and ruin the surface, but that would be pretty extreme--

[Kyle Jackson]

The world of different vinyls is pretty overwhelming and practically endless- they have every combination of thickness, adhesive type, grey or white backing, etc. that you can imagine.  Then there are cast vs. calendared vinyls, the former being much more malleable (and expensive) and often used for vehicle wrapping.  In terms of creasing when handling, I've found that the majority of the time dings that look bad go away when the paper backing is removed and it's actually applied to a wall or something-- unless of course you really crack and ruin the surface, but that would be pretty extreme--

Haha ok I'll add vinyl to my research list when I find some time. Learning the textile / wallpaper stuff is already keeping me busy, but I'm definitely interested in the possibility of bolder gamut that vinyl might offer.

[mfrohman]

I've used Breathing Color's Art Peel with good results.

[Kyle Jackson]

I've used Breathing Color's Art Peel with good results.

Hi, I tried BC Art Peel a few years ago and was very disappointed (indicated above). It was disastrous actually. Without even touching on qualities like gamut, whiteness, texture, and opacity, there was the spectacular head crash from the backing separating in the printer -- sounds that I never want to hear from a printer ever again. I didn't even get through the sample roll. Unless something dramatic changed in the product since I tried it, I could never recommend it after my experience with it.

I tried the (Canon-badged) Photo Tex and it was so much better right out of the box. Ironically I ended up there because supply shortages kept me from finding another BC roll for further testing. It was so much better for me that it was pointless to spend any more effort on BC.

All that said, whether someone's BC Art Peel experience has been positive or not, I recommend giving one of the Photo Tex offerings a try for comparison to see how well it works for you.

Cheers