Question about ALPS/OKI/Citizen ribbons.

Yes, white ink is what makes Alps (and OKI and Citizen) printers so desirable.

Yes, you have to undercoat any color inks with white (unless you will apply them to a white colored surface).

One layer of white should be opaque enough for most applications. Having more than one layer of white does make it more opaque, but most printers will not allow multiple white layers (white ink does not like to stick to white). Alps manual specifically states that it cannot be done. But some people do manage multiple white layers. Personally, I find single white layer opaque enough in my applications.

There are 2 white inks. Alps and OKI white ink is the opaque ink. But there is a specific OKI ink called "Opaque White". That one is actually semi-translucent and NOT opaque. Do not use that as an undercoat.

Peteski

"Peter W." wrote in news:1144607450.810738.259860 @i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

actually

OK Peteski,

That is what I thought would be the/a solution to the translucent ribbons.

Thanks for the tip on the Opaque White. Had I found them on the internet (or where ever) I would have certainly bought them!

I have done some printing with the normal colours (Ihaven't bought a white yet) . The thing prints like a charm, but I keep wondering how this would work with 4 colours AND a white. the printer's got only 4 stations.

Can you explain that too?

Cheers,

Dennis

When printing spot white the black cartridge is replaced with the white. Once the white print pass is finished the black cartridge is swapped back in.

Whenever I make ALPS decals with the 4/C process, I make a seperate base decal solid white. I apply the white decal first, then when it drys I overlap the color decal and it looks pretty good. Another tip - when the

respond via email.

Couple of things:

The printer will stop and ask you to insert the appropriate cartridges. Once you comply, it will continue printing.

AFAIK, None of Citizen badged Alps printers will recognise white cartridges - those are very old printers.

But you can fool the printer into printing white. If you want to learn this and lots of other info join the "Alps" and "alpsdecal" Yahoo Groups and check out their "Files" sections. Lots of very useful info.

Why not just do a second CMYK pass while printing the decal? Wouldn't that accomplish the same thing?

Couple of things:

The printer will stop and ask you to insert the appropriate cartridges. Once you comply, it will continue printing.

AFAIK, None of Citizen badged Alps printers will recognise white cartridges - those are very old printers.

But you can fool the printer into printing white. If you want to learn this and lots of other info join the "Alps" and "alpsdecal" Yahoo Groups and check out their "Files" sections. Lots of very useful info.

Couple of things:

The printer will stop and ask you to insert the appropriate cartridges. Once you comply, it will continue printing.

AFAIK, None of Citizen badged Alps printers will recognise white cartridges - those are very old printers.

But you can fool the printer into printing white. If you want to learn this and lots of other info join the "Alps" and "alpsdecal" Yahoo Groups and check out their "Files" sections. Lots of very useful info.

Couple of things:

The printer will stop and ask you to insert the appropriate cartridges. Once you comply, it will continue printing.

AFAIK, None of Citizen badged Alps printers will recognise white cartridges - those are very old printers.

But you can fool the printer into printing white. If you want to learn this and lots of other info join the "Alps" and "alpsdecal" Yahoo Groups and check out their "Files" sections. Lots of very useful info.

Al, this whole thing doesn't make sense to me. If the same 4/c image is printed twice, dither patttern will be identical. So, to have dither pattern non-overlapping he would have to offset each printout a little. That's no good.

And if he printed 2 passes of the same color over each other the dither pattern would be identical, so there would not be much visual difference.

Also, if the original color had a highly visible dither pattern and lots of white showing, that means that the resulting color was supposed to be light (or pastel). If you then apply another 4/c layer of the same color, yes there will be less white showing. But the resulting color will be totally different than the expected color. Since less white would be now showing, the shade woudl be much darker. And if you are trying to match a specific light color, it would be totally off.

Peteski

That's what I've always thought. I wonder if creating an offset second CMYK layer in the artwork and then applying it separately would help. Just thinking out loud in the wee hours of the morning...

Al Superczynski wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Hi Al,

Is printing Spot White a function on the printer or is that a certain software or is it just called that way? please enlighten me on that

"Peter W." wrote in news:1144650775.770798.315720 @i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Hi Peter,

That would imply that I have software that knows I want to print white. Is that a certain software? (about the same question like the question about the Spot Printing)

If I take a label from a black cartridge, put it on a white cartridge. would I be able to fool the printer into printing white?

But I can also go to the groups you gave me. haha.

Thanks

Dennis

Mechanical Menace wrote in news:Xns97A172ADCFB84meme@213.75.12.135:

OK Al,

I just subscribed to Yahoo Alpsdecals group and found some VERY interesting reading material, done by Peteski.

So no need to answer this anymore 'till I've read all that in the alpsdecal group. haha.

I see you are a "regular" there too.

Cheers, Dennis

Mechanical Menace wrote in news:Xns97A173D78E5E7meme@213.75.12.135:

news:1144650775.770798.315720

cartridges.

OK Peter,

I just subscribed to Yahoo Alpsdecals group and found some VERY interesting reading material, done by Peteski.

So no need to answer this anymore 'till I've read all that in the alpsdecal group. haha.

Cheers, Dennis

"Peter W." wrote in news:1144730495.683845.25540 @e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com:

Hi Peteski,

I still have a thing that I don't get about printing 5 colours. I may find the answer in the groupstoo, but maybe you (or someone else) might give me answer a bit quicker.

If I load 1 sheet of paper in the printer and print the white (for white and base), will I have to re-feed it in the printer for the run with the 4 CMYK colours, or will the printer hold the sheet 'till I swapped the black and white cartridge.

btw: what stands the K for in CMYK? (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and ????? (K)lack)

Cheers,

Dennis

You select 'overlay' in the printer properties before printing white. The printer then pulls the paper back in to its starting point so you can run another pass using the CMYK cartridges while maintaining registration..

K is for 'Key', an offset printing term. Offset printing uses CMYK values while on-screen displays are RGB - this is one of the reasons color matching is tricky when creating and printing decal artwork.

Al Superczynski wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Hi Al

Thanks,

learning every day (but getting wiser??)

I noticed indeed that the orange I printed is way darker than the orange I had on my screen. Is there a way to "fine tune" the printer or has it to become "a way of living"?

Cheers

Dennis