Dye-subs apply a coating that helps to make their output look and feel much like quality RC or matte silver halide prints.
What I want, and am proposing, is an ink-jet or laser document printer that can apply, dye-sub style, a resin-like coating to just the photo regions on a page. The results would, hopefully, have a "plate" quality like that of high-end art books.-- bristolz, Nov 17 2004 Dye-sublimation Printers http://asia.cnet.co...9,39121551-1,00.htmA little bit about "dye-subs" (if, like me, you've never heard the term before) and how they compare to inkjet printers. [jurist, Nov 17 2004] Epson R800 http://www.epson.co...ies=no&oid=37472319"Print brilliant archival quality glossy and matte photos!" "And, it provides eight individual cartridges, including matte black ink and a unique gloss optimizer, for professional results every time - no matter what the paper type." [half, Nov 17 2004] Art supply shops sell a clear acrylic that you can paint onto an area to make it matte, gloss, etc. Maybe....? [+] idea!-- not_only_but_also, Nov 17 2004 I like the idea, even though I had always thought traditional offset or lithographic printers used fast-drying lacquer (glossy or matte) to make individual images on the page 'pop'. A desktop document printer that could be easily directed to just treat specific items, or images, or areas within an image with a special masked coating or combination of coatings would be very slick.
In theory, couldn't this be accomplished with just the addition of a combined matte/gloss lacquer-jet cartridge on the print carriage bar of your printer and a few new software instructions? What's HP waiting for?-- jurist, Nov 17 2004 Indeed, that might be the way to do it. The only thing that came to mind was the dye-sub method which is costly, generates additional waste and could probably only work on regular shaped regions.
Soliciting a better title for this somewhat dull idea. I think the idea itself needs a glossy overcoat.-- bristolz, Nov 17 2004 "HP CoatJet"-- krelnik, Nov 17 2004 I now know more than I am ever likely to need to about dye-sublimation printing, and thus feel qualified to print a clear-coated, satin-finish + on this.-- angel, Nov 17 2004 Personally, I've sworn off (not to mention "at") cheap Epson inkjet printers, but does this R800 unit with the "gloss optimizer" cartridge dealy-bobber look like it would do the job? (link)-- half, Nov 17 2004 Epson's gloss optimizer merely fixes the special "ultrachrome" inks so that they won't bronze on glossy paper. This has been a problem with their inks which are very desirable for photo printing because of their incredible color saturation and colorfastness but until the optimizer came on the scene, couldn't be used on anything other than matte finsih stock. It's not a coating, rather just an ink stabilizer.-- bristolz, Nov 17 2004 I see. So their reference to "glossy and matte" photos must still refer to using different papers. Never mind.-- half, Nov 17 2004 Yes, either their matte or "Ultrasmooth" papers. The results are amazing, though. It is a great, great photo printer.-- bristolz, Nov 17 2004 Better title: Glossing Over The Details-- jurist, Nov 17 2004 Oooh. Thanks!-- bristolz, Nov 17 2004 Can it do my nails, too?-- jutta, Nov 17 2004 random, halfbakery