I want to print in silver and gold inks onto cards. What kind of printer do i need? do i need any software?

Question

I am wanting to start making cards for weddings and special ocasions, but i need to know what type of printer i could use for the printing and do i need any special software for printing these kinds of cards?
I realy apreciate any advice on this subject.

Answer 1

I think the most common way to do this is not to use "ink," but to photocopy your text and/or line graphics with a photocopier along with a sheet of "metallic foil" (...the text and/or graphics for the original that you use on the photocopier bed can be an inkjet printout, or just anything with strong black lines).

The heat generated in the photocopier will melt the metallic foil only onto any areas that have toner laid down on them by the photocopier as you make the copy (your text, etc). So when the final copy and the sheet of metallic foil come out, the foil is removed, leaving only your design in the metallic color of the metallic foil you've chosen, and the background paper or cardstock won't be affected.

You can buy these heat transfer foils online or at office supply stores, at least.

P.S. Some printers and laser printers use "toner" these days (like photocopiers) instead of "ink," so any of those may work too.


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

You can get gold or silver ink for printing presses but not the type of printer you use with your home computer. A printshop can also give raised print by sprinkling a powder onto the inked text before it dries and shaking the excess powder off. It is then passed under heated bars on a conveyor belt and the powder fuses to the ink. You can do a version of this yourself by having a rubber stamp made of the text you want and using embossing powder and a heat gun from a craft shop. It does take time and you will need to make extras as you will not get a perfect impression every time. The simplest thing to do is to print in normal black, blue or whatever and use peeloffs from a craft shop to add a metallic touch. These are inexpensive and you can buy sheets of words such as 'Wedding Invitation', 'Evening Invitation', 'Order of Service', and 'Menu' in a variety of different typestyles. (These wordings are also available in rubber stamps if you want to use the embossing powder method.) Peeloffs come mainly in gold or silver but there are other colours available and they can be coloured with permanent overhead projector pens or special peeloff markers. They are peeled off the backing sheet as a complete word and have an adhesive backing to stick where you please. If you do not get them positioned correctly they can be lifted and stuck down again. They have the advantage of allowing you to use a heavier card than you could print. You can buy ready made toppers to decorate the front (ask for advice at the craft shop) and you can print all your personal details on a good piece of paper which can be attached within the card

Answer 3

There are special inkjet papers that are silver, gold or chrome that you print on using standand inkjet inks. This gives a glittery appearence but is not really the same as printing in those colors.

Then there is dye sublimation. This is a special printer that uses expensive inks.

Other than that, you can get close to gold and silver using a standard, good quality, color inkjet printer and a graphics program. Play around with the color intensity settings. It won't be perfect but you can come close.

Inkjet embossing powders used to be sold. I don't know if they still are. They allow you to get a nice raised effect to your cards after heat is applied.

Answer 4

depends how thick the card is