The Woes of Printing . . . [RANT]

[Replicator]

customer:
This print you just made for me 24x36 is rippling under the glass in this frame.

Me:
it's poster paper, it's not meant to be under glass . . . It's a poster !

customer:
The other paper you used was thicker and it didn't buckle like that.

me:
That paper took 4 hours to dry and while your prints filled my work benches I couldn't do any other work.

customer:
How come when I go to ritz camera they can make prints that don't ripple?

me:
they are making actual photographic reproductions, not posters.

customer:
why is it that when we tried to print on photo paper it didn't look as good as ritz camera's prints.

me:
again, photo paper is still just really paper and is quite different than what a photographic reproduction at a camera shop will look like.

me again: We've done your prints on 4 different types of paper over the past 2 months and there is always something that isn't right.

Either you can go back to ritz camera and pay more for your prints, or you can except the fact that they are posters,

not photographs and they are not meant to be under glass in frames. I can go back to the thicker paper if you want,

but I'll have to charge you more for my time, because of the countless hours I spend waiting for the prints to dry.

customer:
OK, lets do that !



NOTE: I really do like this customer and they give me tons of work, but I just had to vent !

 

[Circleville Signs]

ROFL...I've had my fair share of those as well. Just be glad you're not dealing with a wrap customer...Ugh.


Gary

 

[Replicator]

Yeah, Really glad I don't do wraps . . .

 

[ProWraps]

you charge for prints to dry? wow. im in the wrong business. the 24-48 hours i let my wraps dry should make me millions. sounds like you are using the wrong materials and rushing the process.

 

[Replicator]

Even Rolands instant dry paper is tacky for hours . . .

 

[ProWraps]

heh. see my post above.

 

[Mosh]

We print "posters" on cheap oracal film, drys instantly out of our Roland. If the cusomer complains about rippling we have them bring the print in an slap them on a peice of foam board. Then they think that poster is worth $1000 bucks. About one in fifty do this, most are happy with the print.

 

[Replicator]

Pro . . . I saw your post, I don't normally charge for drying time because everything dries instantly except freakin' paper coming off VP-540,

My shop is the size of a shoebox and If I do 3 prints for this customer I can't do another freakin thing for hours 'til the damn prints dry.

so yes, I would consider charging for drying time on a material that takes 4 times longer to dry, at the customers request.

Mosh, foamcore warps and believe me I've been round and round with this customer about different materials,

which all have there ups and downs . . .

 

[ProWraps]

i feel ya rep. im just rattling your cage. the job we are doing now, we had 13,500 sq/ft of media we had drying. unless your shop is a stadium, it gets crowded as well. BUT! it makes you get creative. we use the drying buckets i posted on here that we made. we now have 30-40 of them due to this job.

i would think you could get one of maybe those towel racks that has the dowels that go across and hang your prints. necessity is the MOI.

 

[gnatt66]

Rep, if you get ahold of some acid-free foam (Bainbridge Artcare for example) it has a thicker, heartier skim paper on it and warps WAY less than standard foam.



just think...i wont let any quality prints touch glass...i demand that there be a 1/8" spacer to keep the "poster/photo/print" from sticking to the glass, so it HAS to be mounted(or matted) in some way or we just wont do the job, it almost never looks right any other way.

 

[Jester1167]

Thumb tack the prints on the wall while they dry.

I feel your pain, none of the photo glossy paper dries worth a damn. I use General Formulations/Magic PPM7. its a 7 mill polypro matte.

 

[Jester1167]

Oh, and have the customer put several tabs of tape on the top only. If he does it right, it will hang from the top and be less likely to warp with temperature changes.

 

[Replicator]

Some great ideas folks, thanks !

I use General Formulations/Magic PPM7. its a 7 mill polypro matte.

I tried the poly-pro paper and as soon as sunlight hit it in a window it buckled up and looked like a 4x4 ran it over . . . End of that material !

 

[scarface]

man, and as I'm buying a Roland printer tomorrow you had to give me this exciting tip! LOL

 

[Farmboy]

I'm guessing that these posters have to be of photo quality? All the posters we do we print off on 180 Gram Matte Paper. There's no question about it being dry. If the customer wants it shiny we lam it. Just to be clear, to date we have only done very small poster orders. Customers looking to promote events or wanting a large poster of a pic. they have taken.

 

[gnatt66]

i did some trade show photo reproductions the other day(approx 22x28)..printed them on oracal 3621 matte and mounted them to foam core with my B.S. printed them GCVP highest print quality and they looked amazing.

 

[Replicator]

I agree laminated prints mounted to foamcore look amazing and I could do it all day, but these images, most 24x36 go to galleries,

outdoor shows and events and are usually framed.

I usually print an artificial matting that gives the appearance of matting and the customer loves that they are saving money,

but at the same time I've tested numerous materials that have come up short.

I guess I'll go back to the original paper (thick and sturdy) local brand, and I'll just have to let them dry overnight.

Thanks for the comments !

 

[Grafix USA]

Oh, and have the customer put several tabs of tape on the top only. If he does it right, it will hang from the top and be less likely to warp with temperature changes.

Yep, sounds like it is not being framed correctly. It should have a mat or spacer to keep it from touching the glass and acid free mounting tape on the top edge only whichi will allow the print to stretch. Since my other job is a photographer I have done hundreds of these. When I print photos on my large printer I used Sihl and have never had any issues with what you are describing.

Your customer isn't hanging the prints in a sauna are they? :ROFLMAO: