Stupid or too much money?

[budafist]

Got a client that wants 1 certificate printed.

They want it in 2 colours: black and gold. It's going to cost them $150 for this certificate because it needs plates. If they didn't mind a CMYK version of gold it would cost them about $2 on the colour copier.

Is the client stupid or has too much money?

Or am I missing the point entirely?

[urstwile]

Is the gold going to be a metallic? That'd be hard to get on a laser printer.

[PrintDriver]

Could be missing the point. Maybe it means a lot to him. All I do is one-offs. $150 is cheap even at museum quality... And yours has something shiny on it. :D

[budafist]

I guess so...If it were me I would go Xerox. Felt bad when we quoted him the price but they didn't bat an eyelid.

[hewligan]

I've certainly done one-off pieces that cost about that much. Sometimes that laser just isn't going to be good enough.

[Crimson]

take their money and do it by hand with some gold leaf at michaels. . .

[CamarotaDesign]

take their money and do it by hand with some gold leaf at michaels. . .

excellent solution. You can get gold leafing material at any arts and crafts store. You could also get calligrapher to do something in gold.

I say why do the job in mettalic ink, that looks barely like good. At least have them pay an extra $150 more to get a diecut for a gold foil.

[budafist]

It's out of my hands now. The sales guy was the one that convinced them of this route. I guess he's partially to blame too. Though the boss would think it's brilliant!

Gold foil would be cool but it's almost the whole page so a full page gold foil would be pretty pricey!

[Broacher]

I remember reading years ago about some high end Kodak proofer that could handle metallics and virtually any Pantone, on most any stock. Now, if you could find one--I'm not even sure if it'd be cheaper.

There also used to be, wayyyyyy back, a Letraset film product that you could iron on a colour (including metallic foils) right onto any black toner.

[budafist]

Ha! When I worked at a copy centre back in my first year of GD school we had film that you heated onto black toner.

It was cooooool! You do a photocopy out of what want foiled. Then you put the sheet of foil on top, put it into a special pocket and put it through the laminated. The foil sticks to the toner. I think we did it to transparencies too. That way you get plastic transparent +foil business cards. What fun! I doubt I could find a place to do that now.

[seamas]

Ha! When I worked at a copy centre back in my first year of GD school we had film that you heated onto black toner.

It was cooooool! You do a photocopy out of what want foiled. Then you put the sheet of foil on top, put it into a special pocket and put it through the laminated. The foil sticks to the toner. I think we did it to transparencies too. That way you get plastic transparent +foil business cards. What fun! I doubt I could find a place to do that now.

That film might still be available.
A good art supply store with a good stationary section might just have it.

[budafist]

Definately something to keep in mind for cheap invitations. Anyone know what this technology is called?

[captain spanky]

can't remember the name but i used it ALL the time in my first job at a school... used it on all the certificates for the kids... really cool effect for much cheapness. We had gold, silver, bronze, metallic red, metallic green (red and green = school colours) and i convinced them to get me some different rolls of holographic film too... looked really cool all over a full page of text :D i put it on a random single page of a large multipage admin document for all the teachers and they thought their eyes were going mad the first time they read it. lol

[Twisty]

letraset was widely used by signwriters back in the day. Maybe an older sign shop would have some. They just cut the design into the letraset with plotter, weed out the bits you dont want and iron on.

Any sign shop with a half decent plotter could also this for you with a gold vinyl. The gold vinyls you get today actually look really good and your spoilt for choice.

Otherwise, again a sign shop, they can cut a mask which you put over the paper and spray or bursh on gold paint or gold leaf.

Ive also heard of a few digital printers that do metallics on demand.

[PrintDriver]

In order to do small certificate size text on a vinyl plotter you'd need a laser unit. Most plotters, even really good ones won't do less than 1/4" cap height.
And you can weed that puppy... :D Those metallic vinyls are polyester, not vinyl. They rip something awful if you aren't careful.

Some thermal transfer units do metallics. The metallic inkjets aren't ready for prime time quite yet. Rumors only.

[Twisty]

We've got a mimaki cg130FX plotter here that will cut lettering down to 0.75mm thick! And yes i have cut and weeded lettering that was 4mm high and in metallic gold and stuck it to an honours board. Pain in the ring but it is do-able!
And the gold vinyl we get is a cast pvc base with metallic finish over the top, whole thing 35microns thick. Its made specifically not to rip. They do stretch though if your not careful.

As for metallic in digital printers..thermal transfer is the go
Check out the desktop printers from ALPS, you can get gold for them.

[PrintDriver]

Who makes the gold you're talking about?

[Twisty]

I knew you were going to ask that!

Old Post.
Jobs Done.

[PrintDriver]

Touche.
;)

I've already checked into it. Our standard gold is a cast as well. It's just doesn't handle as well as the non-metallic HPs. And the specialties are polyester (spun and gold leaf).

[Twisty]

No worries, i do occasionally know my stuff.
I also do occasionally only *think* i know my stuff, so research was wauranted.

Peace out!

BY the way PrintDriver are you in Au Nz US or other?

[mattbing]

Yeah but a Xerox copy is a xerox copy. Looks like it's worth $2.00.

There used to be a product that was foild that you ran through your laserprinter and it imprinted on the paper where the toner would be. I used it in scholl way back. Wonder if it's still aound. Think it was lettraset.

EDIT: Guess I should of read the other post first.

[carter the artist]

I betcha it's a Diploma off an internet site.

[budafist]

It was a certificate for a member of an insurance club. Sounds flash :rolleyes:

[Silence04]

i'd take that $150 and buy an old ALPS MD-5000 desktop printer, they can print Foils, Metallics, and Coatings...

mine's about 8 years old and i still use if for proofing things that require that stuff...

[PrintDriver]

U S