Decal printing

[JoeW]

I am looking for advise on purchasing a new printer.  There used to be an active alps decal printing group on Yahoo but it seemed to die along with the practical support of the Alps printer, support materials and parts.  So I am considering an Epson Eco tank.  It is a ink jet type which seems to be the standard after the loss of Alps as a practical solution.    If you have any experience with the subject and are willing to share I would appreciate your thoughts.  I am also interested in joining a decal printing forum if one exists.  ???

[reinhardtjh]

@peteski will join in as soon as he sees this, I'm sure but to paraphrase Monty Python, The ALPS groups on Yahoo aren't dead yet.  Both are fairly active.  And there isn't a replacement ink-jet type printer for decals unless you're willing to spend about $3K on an Okidata (OKI 711WT).  Even then it's not been proven to work yet. There's a dealer that is in the groups who promises a hefty discount for group members but as far as I know nobody had taken the plunge yet.

Alps@yahoogroups.com is the most active, but alpsdecal@yahoogroups.com isn't far behind.  Both have good information in their file sections. If you're an ALPS user then joining both is a good idea.

The Epson Ecotank will have the same problem as all the others. It won't print white.  And unless the colors are opaque enough to block the undercoating, your printed colors won't match what you want without the white undercoating.

[JoeD]

now that you can't find most of the inks, what are folks using?  I still have a stash of white and feel silly not printing what I need because once it's gone...I'm done  LOL 

Thanks

Joe

[jdg]

You can find white every once in a while on ebay for not too bad a price.  Have a few so I am good for now.

The one I really need is a First Check Process Orange cartridge.  Anyone have one they can part with?

[JoeW]

Thanks John, Joe and JDG
It has been quite a while since I have checked in to the Yahoo Alps group.  For a period of time the group posts there were often not related to the subject and for the most part un-moderated.  Besides I no longer own an Alps printer.  I have since resigned to Microscale for my railroad prototype graphics.  However before owning an Alps I had a pretty good run of luck with a HP ink jet on white opaque water slide film for structure graphics and road signs.  That was before the Alps.  Now since giving up on the Alps I have tried laser printing but have not really been satisfied due to adhesion problems.  I am currently looking at purchasing an Epson Eco Tank printer for household and office tasks but before I did that I thought I would see how some of you were printing your graphics.  I had heard in other modeling communities that the use of ink jet printers had found its way back.  I realize that having the white ink is the ideal but as pointed out printers capable of white printing are not economically feasible for the casual hobbyist.  I thought some others may have moved on and might have some suggestions.
Thanks JoeW 

[peteski]

Alps MicroDry printer is dead - long live Alps!   

Both Alps groups on Yahoo have over 4000 members each and they are alive and well. I'm amazed how many people are still joining those groups (on the average probably about one person a week). I've been on both for around 15 years and they have always been fairly well moderated (I'm one of the moderators on the Alps group).  But not every member and every message are screened, so sometimes things happen.  We also sometimes stray from strictly talking Alps (especially when people are looking for alternatives). Still, nothing even comes close to Alps MD printers.

Alps not only prints waterproof and color-fast inks, it can print white and metallic colors, and it can overlay inks which approximates the silk-screening process the "real" decal companies use for producing decals.  No other consumer printer in the price range of Alps can perform these tasks.

Those printers are in fact discontinued but there are still plenty of supplies available (however as with all things which are obsolete but still in demand, the price is higher than when you could buy supplies in a computer store).  The used fully-functional printers are getting pricey too (since there are only few good ones left). The dreaded head-damage is killing many of them.

If someone is using Alps or thinking of getting one I highly recommend joining both groups https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Alps/info https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/alpsdecal/info .

As far as supplies go, Alps group has a list of active suppliers of Alps inks.   Here is a copy:
http://tangopapadecals.com/prod02.htm    (USA, ships worldwide)
http://Systems-Consulting.com     (USA, ships worldwide)
http://bigbuys.com/alps/index.htm     (USA, ships worldwide)
http://www.alps-supplies.com/     (New Zealand, ships worldwide)
http://www.hcrhamburg.de/cgi-bin/shop/10200.html    (Germany, ships worldwide)
https://www.mpsuppliesusa.com/alps-m-2.aspx (USA - might ship worldwide - ask)
http://www.aust-n-rail.com.au/category1_1.htm (Australia)
Elephant's Rocket store on eBay http://stores.ebay.com/Elephant-s-Rocket?_rdc=1

**** Also look for Alps cartridges on eBay and Amazon. They are out there. ****

Elephant's Rocket (ignore the funny name) is the only remaining true repair service center worldwide. They have the parts and calibration equipment to properly repair those printers and replace the print heads.

[Teditor]

What Peteski said, ALPS supplies are no problem, I purchase direct from Elephant's Rocket, postage to Australia is a bit pricey, but the cost and supply of the cartridges and decal paper far outweighs the postage costs, on average, if I order on a Thursday night, I usually have my order in Australia within two to three working days.

Like the media works, don't let the truth get in the way of a good myth!

[glakedylan]

thanks @peteski for all the good information
very appreciated
sincerely
Gary