Which printers work with cardstock? Choosing cards and printers. Why some card won't print well
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2024
- Will a printer work with you chosen cardstock? How I can probably answer without knowing what card or printer you are referring to. Which sorts of card work in inkjet printers.
Addressing a question about card printing I'm often asked, and why the key is in your choice of card, not the printer. Includes watercolour and other art papers meant for drawing and painting.
The et-8550 and linked videos are at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/e...
Card printing on the PRO-300 [inc videos]
www.northlight-images.co.uk/c...
A bigger printer WF-C8690
www.northlight-images.co.uk/e...
See when I tried printing on a paper which rally didn't work well
Why some paper just won't work with your printer. Some papers are simply not compatible
• Why some paper just wo...
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Thank you for all the quality content! Printing a card sounds so simple, love that you help us learn and understand the challenges
Thanks - glad it's of help
Thank you so much Keith! You are completely blowing my mind and helping me slow down and be more intentional in my printing choices ❤
Thanks! - glad to help
Thanks Keith. Great info, as always. I use Red River 60lb Polar Matte greeting cards to make the occasional birthday or holidays cards and it works very well on my Pro-100. I would not want to do this as a business though as it is a manual process feeding one at a time.
Thanks - that's the benefit from using a company which understands inkjet printing
I love red river paper!
This was very helpful and soothed some frustrations for me thank you!! Also made me realise how slow printing one by one is ... guess I could always outsource some help if it gets too much ! Great video
Thanks - it's often the 'small' things like the speed, which people don't think of.
I'm always looking for printers where you can stack card [pref pre-creased] and print borderless, but nothing's appeared yet..
I've got a HP Envy 4520 printer and it's great. At the time I bought it for $39. And they threw in 3 pkg of paper. I'm a watercolor artist and I make my own cards from my scanned pics and I print them on standard cardstock. 2 sides. I've also been able to print on French linen and parchment cardstock. Try it!
Consider yourself somewhat lucky - not a printer I'd ever pick for high quality repro. or photos
BUT if it works for you then go for it...
Thank you , you gave me new ideas at same time solve future problens .
Happy to help
thank you so much for this video it helped me tremendously
Glad it helped!
Great video, thank you!
Could we have more detail on ‘proper media’? Do you know of any pre-cut / folded papers that feel like a shop bought card (not floppy)?
Thanks, I've some from Paper Spectrum [Leicester, UK] which is quite stiff, but still not really rigid. Other [UK] companies I'd check with are Fotospeed and PermaJet
I don't know any suppliers elsewhere - in the US, the only company I've dealt with is Red River paper.
Hello Keith. I'm basically new to printing, and am trying to get a general idea of what to print on for making booklets and covers. Have you made such a video? I did look, but you have so many videos to search through, it would take me till Christmas.
Many thanks.
I don't have such a video - You just need to make sure you are using media sold as meant for inkjet. Commercial paper stock often looks awful.
I'd also note that the best place to check my range of videos is not here on TH-cam
It is truly awful for indexing/curating any collection.
So, I created a categorised index of all my [600+] videos on my site at:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/
It's designed to help people find all related videos on different topics
Because I had unsatisfactory results, as you said, with printing on cardstock, I switched to Matte Photo Paper. I get a nice crisp image, and I'm very satisfied with what I produce from that paper.
Yes - the media setting can make a big difference
Great work again, Keith. Really enjoy your relaxed and informative style. Any greeting card stock/paper work well with the Epson p5000/5070 do you know? Or is using that printer, overkill for cards?
Thanks
The P5000 has a straight through print path, so in that respect works fine for thicker cards [I've printed on Epson posterboard]
BUT
- It needs to be proper card for inkjet
- There is a big trailing edge margin [25mm?]
So, printing on A1 card and cutting afterwards is fine - forget small individual cards though!
Great, thank you Keith. Might leave my p5000 for the larger prints :) Do you have any recommendations for a good quality greeting card printer and greeting card stock that can produce excellent results for landscape/streetscape hdr photos?@@KeithCooper
In the UK, see Paper Spectrum, PermaJet and Fotospeed
I've lots of tests of them in my printer reviews
As to 'hdr' and 'excellent' that is an entirely different question given the inherent lower dynamic range of print... ;-) :-)
Thanks Keith. I'm in Australia but will check those paper brands to see if they are here. Ha, yes of course... understand with print restrictions.@@KeithCooper
Red River in the US do quite a range, but I've no suggestions more local...
The ts9550 supports a few borderless paper sizes , Borderless Printing (A3, A4, Letter, 20x25cm, 13x18cm, 10x15cm, 13x13cm, 8.9x8.9cm, 10x10cm, 17.5x25cm, 25x30cm, 30x30cm) , the rear paper : Max. 20 sheets (photo paper)
Yes, many printers do - the problem is that none support borderless for custom paper sizes.
A big issue, from my POV, with these small Canon printers is that as a Mac user, colour management is broken, which without profiling, means actual print quality is hit and miss.
Thank you for this, offset commercial offset printing is surely the best alternative for certain cards, like postcards for printing in large volumes. When it comes to inkjet printing, I would like to order quality paper from, Paper Spectrum (Leicester), but their shipping prices (to Finland) just don't make any sense. And they don't answer to emails...
Very true about when commercial is better.
As to not replying to emails - can you email me at Northlight with some info? I'm going to be visiting their offices in the next few weeks and already have a few issues to raise...
Other companies [uk only I'm afraid] are Fotospeed and PermaJet...
I use Fotospeed cards, they provide profiles and templates to make life easier. I generally use A6 finished size and with my Canon Pro10S have a white border. I must admit that I haven't tried printing more than a couple of a cards at a time, so I'm not sure how many it could cope with in one go.
Yes, I've included Fotospeed stuff in some of my reviews - they do a good range, as does PermaJet
Good video Keith
Thanks
Hi Keith, great video I was just wondering if you had any recommendations on printers below £250 that would be suitable for printing on 300gsm card, I’ve not got a particular brand of cardstock in mind it’s more the thickness of card that’s needed n I want it to print well n not have the issues mentioned in the video
I can't help much I'm afraid - I genuinely don't keep track of printer prices [I don't sell printers]
Basically, with any of the inkjet printers I've reviewed, you need a card made for inkjet use - none of them work well with plain card
Keith thank you so much for your insight!! My question for you if you help me answer is...what printer would you recommend if I took a store-bought greeting card, and wanted to print only messages on the inside?
Even a relatively basic one like a G550 or ET-2850 would suffice for that.
However, do note that I don't review a wide range of lower end printers, so there are quite a few which might do this.
If I had watched this before I wouldn't have wasted nearly $400 on a high-end printer that has the limitations you noted - thank you for sharing!
Sorry not to have been of help in time...
Not negative, just accurate! Appreciate the video. In the end you mentioned there were a couple laser printers that could potentially handle cardstock…happen to know the names offhand?
Thanks
Sorry - I don't know models. I also asked Océ since I'd heard their name mentioned, but no-one ever got back to me :-(
Thank you for this!
I haven’t been very happy with my outcome of cards. So good to know it’s not so much user error 😅
Off subject question, I’m trying to find the best way to make custom tissue paper for my small business. Any recommendations?
Thanks
As in actually make it? I've no idea I'm afraid
Hi Keith, I just found your channel. Thank you for making content, it is very informative. I am looking to buy a printer that I can use to print digital papers and photos for scrapbooking. The idea is not to spend a lot of money in the paper used for printing the digital paper since you need a lot of it and it would be extremely expensive. However I still need something that is acid free. Do you have any recommendations on printers for this type of work?
Glad it's of interest...
Sorry, but generally 'Quality vs price' - pick one...
The Epson ET-8550 and smaller 8500 are popular for this sort of stuff
See the main [written] reviews at:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/ and
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8500-printer-review/
That said I know next to nothing about 'scrapbooking' ... it is largely a US thing AFAIK?
Hi Keith, I had the same, similar thought as I embarked on a Photo Booth business. I’d like to print 4×6 photos on post card like paper that makes them more useful and a luxurious feel. Any suggestions for me to think of it the other way around, where I focus on finding a printer that can print on heavy paper?
The main problem with such media is that it's not coated for inkjet use - leading to generally poor results.
The other issue with such small prints is that unless you are looking at a photolab style printer, then 6x4 is only supported by consumer style printers. If you can print 6x4 then you find that borderless causes issues and they are slow.
Printers for such work [at serious volumes] are not cheap - I reviewed the D700 a few years ago www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-surelab-sl-d700-review/
Hi Keith, I want to print only my logo on heavier card stock (110 lb). The base card needs to be sturdy enough to hold overlays. I print my logo and then cut and fold the card. Later, I added a front art panel that has been hand-painted and stamped. My logo is tri-coloured and small. The problem is that the base paper needs to be accepted by the printer. My HP Office Jet Pro 8600 used to handle the job, but the print heads got clogged due to inactivity, so after unsuccessfully trying to clear the head, I am searching for a new printer and looking for suggestions.
Ah, nothing I've looked at really handles this - all the printers I've looked at over the years are primarily for Photo/Art printing.
The nearest I've ever tested was this from Epson
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-wf-c8690-printer-review/
Keith I still don’t understand “profiles”. How do I get them -use them? What do they do?
I've covered this in several videos. Hopefully they can help?
See the index page for all my videos, in the colour management section:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/#cm1
If that doesn't help - drop me an email at Northlight. I'm always looking for topics for cover in this area.
Hi Keith, athank you for all the information. I just purchased a Pro-300 trying to print on A6 or A7 card stock but all I get is errors. I tried putting in custom page sizes but still wont print on the cardstock. I'd appreciate any help or thoughts. I'm net getting anywhere with Canon Canada . 🤨
Check the paper details at the end of my main review for minimum sizes
www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-300-printer-review/
A6 and A7 are not directly supported
A7 is below the minimum width of 89mm IIRC
Hi, I need your advice please. I'm trying to create a 7cm by 7cm square image to print on a a4 card for a mini disc album cover insert. Could you advise me how to do this please?
I appreciate your time.
I'd just create a template in Photoshop and practice the alignment on plain paper.
Hi, I recently got the Epson ET- 2856 im struggling on getting inkjet suitable card in the UK, do you have any suggestions I could test out?
Try Fotospeed, PermaJet or Paper Spectrum
You will need a matt stock for this printer - the ink set is much poorer on gloss/lustre
See: www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
for what will work and what will look poor...
What would be your suggestions for a B&W high volume Card Stock Printer?
I've been searching for 10 - 15 years and haven't found a good solution yet.
Do any of these Printers have a B&W Version?
I run through Brother B&W Laser Printers about once every 6 months. Apparently, the leading edge of the spinning mirror the laser shines off of gets dusty, and as a result, 1 side of the page always goes light and blotchy after a few months, They work great for 3 or 4 months, and then the problems start, and it's always the same no matter the model or the price. I keep going more expensive for the card stock feeders, but the print mechanism still fails just as fast.
I need help.
High volume - print on large sheets and cut.
This is commercial print - nothing in the sort of inkjet printers I test is in this market.
My testing is aimed at the Photo/Art side of printing - the card I'm discussing here is really for low volume craft type applications.
@@KeithCooper
Not Large Format. . 8.5x11 Card Stock.
Just a lot of prints...
It's really hard to find a printer that actually works
This is something for traditional commercial printing - I just don't have experience of that sort of kit or the market it sells in.
What laser printer would you use for bussines cards, flyers, brochures etc?
Ah - I've not used a laser printer for at least 15 years...
Not the sort of printer I ever test I'm afraid.
Most to manufacturers include the more universal GSM (grams per square meter) and some list thickness in mild (thousandths of an inch), points (same as mild) and sometimes in metric (mm and sometimes microns). The pound weights are based on whatever size is considered standard for that type of paper which varies (bond, overstock, and so on).
yes - any time I see someone using pounds, it signifies someone in the US and someone looking at a media likely not made for inkjet use
I’m printing business card using the Avery business card sheets, and my Canon Pixma MG3620 just gave up on me, do you think this would be a good printer for me?
Which printer? This vide is not about a specific printer.
Ok thank you i was looking at the epson ones but still unsure what would be best with color its stressfull when you dont know much about printers dont want to buy the wrong one but wanted to print in card paper with color dont have a clue what one is best to buy
ET-8550 - see the part of the [main written] review about art repro and cards
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper thank you so much for your help
Hi Keith.i am trying to print photo cards on my Epson ET8550 PRINTER . i am using Lightroom template for greeting cards, i cannot get the picture in the right position. They are coming out center
of the fold line . what am i doing wrong, hope you can help me. Steve
I can't help with Lightroom at all - I never use it for any form of printing
I print from Photoshop using templates - see the examples at:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/greeting-card-paper-and-printing/
@@KeithCooper Ok thank you Keith i will have a look and even try doing them on photoshop. all the best Steve. By the way enjoying your videos.
Hi Keith! I would very much appreciate your professional opinion on my tricky situation. I have 330g/m2 Woodstock Betulla paper (with a light/natural paper texture), and I'm trying to find an appropriate printer for this paper. My issue is that I'm only looking to print a simple text-based 'thank you' message for customers, not image printing, and need to do an individual message for each client (that limits me to buying a printer, not bulk solutions). I also would want to avoid any bending/curving of the paper. Could you please advise me a budget-friendly printer for this sort of use case? Thank you for this informative video! Ava
This is a tricky one... I don't know that paper, so I don't know for certain. As for 'budget friendly' I don't cover much at that end of the market - I tend to look at photo printers ;-)
For non-inkjet papers like this, a pigment ink may be better suited (laser type printers often have difficulty with thicker papers)
I'm afraid it's one of those things where you need to find some people with printers to experiment with.
@@KeithCooper Thank you for your kind response, Keith! Wishing you success with your next videos!
Greetings from Iowa!
I am just starting my greeting card business, and am considering the Epson 15000 or even the 2803.
Do you have any advice for me?? Thanks!
Yes - work out the business aspects properly before worrying about printers ;-) :-)
The print speed and cartridge size of the XP15000 means it had better be a fairly small business. I don't actually know the '2803'?
Check the card types you want to print are OK for inkjet use
See my written 15000 review for more
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-xp-15000-printer-review/
I do have a ET-2850 review?
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Morning. Could you recommend a printer that prints up to 300gsm card. Thanks in advance
Not really - it's far too generic a question.
Hi, will the epson xp 8500 printer print on 160 GSM card stock please?
Probably - but the important bit is whether the card is meant for inkjet use.
Any time someone mentions 'card stock' in a question, it rings a few alarms ;-)
I have an A3 printer thats printing normal plain 300gsm cardstock fine but Im trying to find a glossy inkjet cardstock to print custom vhs boxes (like in the US) and dvd/bluray covers and its difficult to source something suitable. Dont know if youd be able to recommend any?
You'll need to contact a proper commercial paper merchant - this is not the sort of media I ever get to test I'm afraid.
@@KeithCooper No worries. Thanks for getting back though!
Which printer is that please?
@@alanmcdermaid4438 I have an Epson Et-15000
Hi, I have a canon pro 300 and buy the 7x10 Double Sided Matte Paper with envelopes. MP-101D.
Should I be setting up for Matte paper not Greeting card J1 I think it is on the printer?
PS Your videos have helped, thank you.
Depends if you have profiles and just what the card actually is - I don't know what that particular media is. or who it's from? [I don't sell paper and the like]
If you've not seen it, have a look at the main [written] review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-300-printer-review/
I will, thanks. Looking further I misspoke it’s a ij setting (means ink jet greeting card stock) I had a photo and used the Matte paper settings on the printer and driver was photo. It turned out very nice.
Now I will go watch your other video.
Thank you again.
6:40 look at the printer inside. their you will see little gaps with a type go gaze inside. these gaps are at there to suck the ink which are going over the edge. because of this mechanism borderless prints can only work with standard sheet or roll sizes...
Yes, with some printers this is so, but with many other printers the whole width of the platen area can absorb overspray.
I rarely do any borderless printing [other than for the reviews] but it's something I've had many complaints about over the years
What would the setup look like in order to print on aluminum foil? Could a laser printer do it?
It's all about the ink sticking. Some form of 'ink receptor' coating would be needed for inkjet.
As to lasers, I've not used one for many years I'm afraid
What printers are best to buy for printing on card in color?
Commercial printers as used by card manufacturers...
That's the way it is - if you want to print using a desktop printer, the key is finding a good card made for inkjet printing. The printer choice is then about costs/ink use/stacking cards and all sorts of business considerations.
Get the wrong card and printer choice [in this inkjet category] is almost irrelevant
6:15. incorrect. it is not a firmware issue. Boarderless printers have a tiny sponge typically on the edges where the excess ink goes. If you make a custom size the sponge is not there and the ink that spills over can smudge the print.
Actually not always so - different printers have different approaches to this.
I get to test/try a lot of printers in the course of my testing...
However I should have also noted that the size limitations are also in the printer PPD file
Can i print invitations or buisines cards on big printer like prograf 2100 ? Is it better to print on cut paper or roll ?
Only if you print on a larger size paper and cut to size.
Roll/sheet both work fine - depends on what you are printing on,
Note too that the PRO-2100 has a curved print path [I have a detailed written review of the almost identical PRO-2000] This can cause issues with thicker media
@@KeithCooper i have printed od 320gsm vanvas,no problems,so i tought 250gsm card paper would be bad
Canvas is flexible in a way that card may not be - watch for head strikes along the leading edge. Depends entirely on the nature of the card
@@KeithCooper what kind of paper do you recomend for invitations ? Does canon make paper rolls like that ?
Can't help there - I don't do wedding photography or anything connected with it.
That's one to contact a paper supplier over.
For actual card [and sheets don't show curl like roll does] I don't know what will feed well in a 4100 - it's not a printer I'd normally associate with card printing for just this reason.
I just bought a cheap brother t520 tank inkjet and the results are very good for cardstocks, poster and and paper craft. Cost is almost ignorable comapred to a canon pro 10.
It would be cheaper - the pro-10 is hardly cheap to run for bulk printing.
Two very different printers - but I have not any direct testing of the t520
i guess that something like the "melted wax" colour printers will print on most anything, but...as you mentioned, a colour laser printer, especially with a straight paper other might work, but would be quite limited in what kind of subject matter would suit their process and Toners.,,
Yes - all kinds of other issues with different printer types.
It's almost as if you want cards that look like commercial ones, you may need to get commercial ones made ;-) :-)
@@KeithCooper " look like commercial ones, you may need to get commercial ones" ...Wow! Strange concept, or, is it, as the English might say: "Horses for courses"?
yes - I tend to allow a lot more for an international audience here ;-)
Thanks for this video, Keith! My English is not so good, so, maybe i didn't catch, what is the solution for this problem? Because i see that you printed cards ( with watercolor and other) on printers Epson 15000 and Canon 300, as i understand, and it looks pretty well. So it worked, or not? 🤔
I need to print a simple greeting cards ( one side, one page) on white background, so margins not important) , and i'll print not many - max 20 pieces in a day. Also bigger format A4, A3 maybe ( maybe 10 pieces in day). And all that must be on paper 250-300gr matt, so any beautiful paper with texture or without. It will be reproductions of watercolor pictures from my lessons for kids.
🙂🙏Could you advise me, please, printer, like Epson 15000 or Canon 300, that will work, and which one is better?
Because i really didn't understand from video, your cards are so nice , but you said that it doesn't works , so I'm a little bit confused... I don't need really big amount of cards( 10-20 in a day), but i need that it will works with nice thick paper. Hope for your advice, 🙂. And thanks for such useful channel!
You need card meant for inkjet use - plain card often does not work
See here for examples
www.northlight-images.co.uk/greeting-card-paper-and-printing/
@KeithCooper Thank you very much, for your answer! Buy is it possible to use Epson 15000 for the same needs(cards)? With special thick paper? Because i looked and Canon 300 cost too much for me.. But in Google i didn’t find any special thick paper for Epson 15000, but normally it must work with paper 300gr
@@ketipo4622 See my 15000 review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-xp-15000-printer-review/
Thanks! I've watched review, now it's much clearly for me. And i think i'll take that model, but i have a question. If i need to buy paper for greeting cards, so , i think it must be about 300gr, where i can find this? I mean, should i search in Google: paper for Epson 15000 for greeting cards, matt",- something like this? Or it's not necessary for Epson, and i can take any paper for any printers , and it will work with Epson ? Sorry, that i ask such stupid questions, but i never had printer in my life.
Can I use A4 dtf l805 printer ?
No idea - not one I've ever tested
More...I generally print on 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock and cut it after printing.
Yes - arbitrary sizes are tricky to get to work. It's why commercial cards are cut after printing
Can i print on canon prograf 2100 ?
Card does not work well due to the curved print path.
A thin enough card, with a custom media setting might work
See the almost identical 2000
www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-imageprograf-pro-2000-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper nice one,why do you think pro 2000 is better than 2100 ?
I don't... the 2100 is the current model
My detailed review is of the PRO-2000 when it first came out. I didn't get a PRO-2100 here to test since it's no significant difference to the 2000. I've been reviewing such printers for 15 years - the videos are ony a recent supplement to the main [written] reviews. @@travelguide9184
Can Epson L18050 print on cardstock?
Not very well IIRC
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-18100-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper Thanks a lot for the response. In this case, could you recommend like 3-5 printers which supports cardstock and sublimation printing? This would help me a lot. I am from India.
Sorry but I could not suggest one, yet alone 3-5...
Not the sort of printer I ever test I'm afraid.
It's possible people have modified printers to do this, but nothing I've come across
@@KeithCooper That’s okay. Thank you.
Thank you. You just saved me 700 Euros. :)
Glad I could help!
I'm doing a desk calendar project and have run into the horror that is North American paper weight/thickness "standards." Instead of using some sensible way to express the heft of paper, we use several legacy methods to express the weight in pounds. Not pounds or ounces per area, but the weight of 500 sheets of a specified size, but each type of paper is weighed using a different size! So we have 40# cover paper that is heavier than 70# text paper. There seem to be at least five of these paper types, each with their own system of measurement. How did we not get grams/square meter or even ounces per square yard? Don't even remind me of our paper aspect ratio nightmare.
Yes, I get people ask me about things using US units and there are a fair few that still catch me out ;-)
Then again I still estimate large print sizes in inches ;-)
A3+ confuses me when you already have constant-aspect-ratio sizes.
@@kevins8575 Ah yes 11" x 17" with a one inch border ;-)
You finally put into words what's been confusing me!
How many times he said "NOW" in this video 😅, but anyway thanks for the information
Probably lots - these are shot in one take without a script ;-) :-)
I have s canon and found a setting that said borderlessBrena
Yes - it only works with some specific sizes and media types
Depends on the printer model