TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> A client needs to print clock dials, gold or sliver on black.
Assuming they just need to print just a few clock dials, one option is
to use the foil that David Castro mentioned. To use the foil, print
the image with a laser printer, then lay the foil over the page and
run it through the printer again. The heat from the fuser will
re-melt the toner and cause the foil to stick. Older laser printers
which lay down a thick layer of toner work much, much better than
newer ones which use "micro grain" toner. Some craft stores sell foil
for use on fabrics (think fancy T-shirts), which seems to be
identical, and is much cheaper. With some skill, a clothes iron can
be used to apply the foil, reducing the risk of bits of foil breaking
off in the printer.
Another option for very limited quantities is to print on gold paper.
A variation, which can solve ink coverage problems, is to print on a
transparency, which can then be placed on top of gold paper (or
perhaps a gold CD-R disc).
A "crafty" solution for very limited quantities would be to get rubber
stamps with the numerals. Craft stores sell special rubber-stamp ink
and metallic powder which sticks to the ink.
If they need to print more dials, and the dials aren't too big, look
for an Alps MD-series dye-sublimation printer. They can take metallic
ribbons. These printers can be hard to find new (I believe they're no
longer sold in the USA), but there's a thriving market for used ones.
Finally, if a large quantity of identical clock faces is required, a
print shop is definitely the way to go.
(If you haven't guessed, I LOVE trying to print things that make
people ask, "How did he do that?")
--
Paul Goble
Colorado Springs, Colorado
pgcommunication -at- gmail -dot- com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
