It's only a stupid question if you know what the answer is

[Dale Davies]

Can someone tell me if the "white printers ink" that is used to whiten marble (fake) if it's the type of ink that printers. as in newpaper, use or is it the type of ink that is used in computer printers. Thanks in advance and i really appreicate your time...dale:)

[Dan Hintz]

Google Van Son Holland... plenty of inks to choose from. Personally, I use Titanium White oil paints from a tube, no specific brand, just picked it up at an art supply store that was going out of business.

[Larry Bratton]

White ink is a specialized ink used by some sophisticated high end printers. The every day garden variety computer printer does not use white ink. A standard 4 color printer will use CMYK or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (K). These 4 colors combined can make millions of various color combinations. My Canon large format printer is a 12 color printer, but still no white ink. I think now, that some of the upper end dye sub systems have a white ink that allows printing on dark T-shirts and the like. I saw a demo from a company called Inkcups (they make pad printers for imprinting promotional stuff) where they had a black guy allow them to imprint a white tatoo on his arm with white ink.

[Mike Null]

Larry

Here's a link to one such system. Roy Brewer distributes these.

It is not dye sub though.

http://www.directcolorsystems.com/

[Larry Bratton]

Mike:
Yes, that's a nice system. We are probably going to see more and more printers with white ink capability too but as I said, that is not your "garden variety" printer.

Pad printers will print on a coffee mug or glass, I have been wondering how dishwasher safe the ink is opposed to regular dye sublimation process.

[Bill Cunningham]

If your running a pad printer, make sure you have plenty of ventilation, cuz the fumes can cause unspeakable horrors

[Larry Bratton]

If your running a pad printer, make sure you have plenty of ventilation, cuz the fumes can cause unspeakable horrors
I doubt I am going to get into that. I hear there is little margin and it is highly competitive. Looks like a pain also to create the plates and all involved.

[Bill Cunningham]

I have all the stuff to make the plates, but I'm also pretty sure they could be etched on the laser. It's just a screened image.. Like any ink, it will 'eventually' wear off in a dishwasher.. I have lasered glassware that has been through a dishwasher literally 'hundreds' of times, and still looks as good as it did when it came out of the laser cabinet.. I wouldn't waste my money on a pad printer unless I had a HUGE golfball order. There's not much call for the walnuts and egg shells they like to demo these thing on

[Mike Null]

I tried etching a plate with the laser several years ago and came up blank.

There's a lot of equipment on the market that will make a lot more money for you. This is a volume oriented business; without high volume you can't make it.