Shop Our Selection of Laser Paper and Vellum:
Why Choose Garston for Your Laser Paper and Vellum?
Affordable Prices
To keep your print shop completely stocked and running efficiently, we offer low, honest prices on all of our laser paper and vellum products.
Customer Satisfaction
Whenever you have questions about orders or products, our representatives at Garston are always here to assist you. With over 60 years in the industry, we know a thing or two about screen printing.
Name Brand Products
Recognizing brands is always a comfortable feeling. That’s why we stock well known brands for laser paper and vellum at affordable prices.
Shop Our Selection of Laser Paper and Vellum:
Qualities of Laser Paper and Vellum
Fast Delivery
Printing vellum sheets is an easy process with the help of a computer. Compared to traditional film, you won’t need additional equipment to create or design your film. The only time you have to wait is roughly 10-20 minutes for exposure.
Low Overall Cost & Multiple Uses
This cost-effective material can be used for most single color jobs and multi-color jobs where perfect alignment isn’t needed. You can also use vellum with screen meshes that don’t need long exposure time.
Printing Vellum With a Laser Printer vs. Inkjet Printer
Laser Printer
When using vellum in a laser printer, you must be careful with the toner melding on the page. Not sure what melding is? This is when the toner becomes hot and melts, causing toner particles to stick to whatever your printing on causing an opaque design. The portion of the laser printer that heats is called the fuser, and most modern printers have fusers that can be adjusted.
Step 1: When you are getting ready to print and you’ve opened the printer setup dialog, look for a section where you can choose the paper parameters. This dialog section will be different for every program and computer, so you’ll need to figure out where you can make this adjustment.
Step 2: Next, you should look for the “paper types” that your printer has. You can usually find this around a top-down menu, and you’ll need to choose the thickest or most heat-resistant setting available. Usually a few keywords you’ll see are “thick”, “cardstock” or possibly, “rough.” It may take a few trial and error runs to get it just right. You should usually avoid the “transparency” option because it will probably have a cool setting and you don’t want this for your printing job.
Step 3: Now that you’re almost done, all you have to do is look for a print quality area in the print setup dialog box. If you see anything like, “brightness”, “contrast”, or “saturation” you can experiment with these different controls. They will be the determining factors in how dark your printer can be set before toning occurs. Toning is when the unprinted areas of your print become gray due to excessive toner.
Inkjet Printer
A common problem with ink-jet printers and vellum comes from opacity. Ink-jet technology uses liquids to create an image, and it can be hard to achieve an adequate opaque image if there are not enough solids in the dried image. Most printers overestimate how much opacity is actually needed for their vellum.
Step 1: Similar to the laser printer, you’ll first open the printer setup dialog box. Now you’ll look for the paper parameters to guide you through the next few steps. Most printers
Step 2: Inside the dialog box, you’ll need to look for a list of paper types that your printer supports. You’ll find these options on a drop-down list. In order to print on vellum for an ink-jet printer, you will need to choose an absorbent paper type. Vellum is traditionally not an absorbent type of paper, but you’ll need to lay down a good amount of ink so that the printer can figure out how much ink to deposit.
During this step, you’ll probably be experimenting through different options to find the best paper choice. You’ll want to avoid ink running at all cost, and options like “rough cardstock” and “plain paper” can usually combat it. Some printers actually include a “vellum” options but it’s not always recommended for screen printing vellum and can actually be presented for a wide arrangement of products.
Step 3: Next, you will need to find the color management section inside the print setup dialog box. Most inkjet printers have quality settings like “draft”, “fast”, “best” or “highest quality.” By choosing a high quality, your printer is more likely to lay down more ink, which can slow down the print head. You need to make sure that your vellum or laser paper sheets are in a horizontal position and extra sheets will not land on top of your previous sheet. This type of sheet takes longer to absorb, so it’s best to keep them printing separate.
Other Considerations
It’s also good to note that screens with a variety of densities will only hold certain amounts of emulsion, while lower mesh counts can hold more. This statement means that lower mesh counts will need longer exposure for screens for the emulsion to set properly.
Water-based inks typically dry faster with a finer screen. You could also add a retarder to the ink to keep it from transferring and slowing down the process. Overall, choosing a mesh count is up to the screen printer. Once you’ve gained experience, tested out a few different mesh types through experimentation, you’ll be able to find the mesh count that gives you the results you want to see.
Dye Sublimation Media FAQ
Why am I Having a Hard Time Keeping My Paper Tray In?
If you’re experiencing problems with smearing or jamming during the printing process, you may need to test out a different paper tray. There are certain trays that move your laser paper or vellum on a roundabout path which can increase the chances of issues. It’s best to use a printer that feeds paper straight.
Can I Use My Print Straight Away?
Not every type of vellum or laser paper will dry instantly, especially after immediately printing. You will need to let your prints dry for a period of time to avoid smearing ink. Lay your paper lay flat in the meantime.
Can I Print In Batches?
Like a lot of different printing technology, printers can tend to overheat quite easily, especially from extended use. This can create problems in your prints and quality. If you find that your vellum is starting to jam, smudge or wrinkle, let your machine rest. It’s best practice to print in small batches, let your machine rest, then continue to print once again.
Why Is My Ink Smudging?
A common problem with printing vellum on an inkjet printer is the possibility of smearing ink. Vellum appears as a non-porous, plastic-like finish and can take longer to dry on the surface. It could be the way you are handling your prints as well or if they are printing on top of one enough. Be sure to give enough time for drying, or use a different type of quality mode. You can use less ink by switching to “draft” or “quick.” This means less ink for your vellum and less time to dry it.
Honest, Fair Prices On All Laser Paper & Vellum
For over 60 years, Garston has been a leading supplier in a variety of different screen printing products. We always love lending a hand to our clients and we are always looking for the next best product to stock for our multitude of screen printing business owners and enthusiasts. Have a question? Need to order a product? Call us at 860-289-3040 to get started today.