Digitally printing letterhead

[CMCRhonda]

I am looking for suggestions on stock or settings for printing letterhead. We are using a Ricoh C900, and have some smaller customers with 4cp letterhead on offset stock. It looks great, but when they take and run it through a laser printer, the print smears off, onto the rollers, and onto the other sheets, and generally causes a mess and is unacceptable. This wasn't an issue with our Konika, so we have customers used to ordering small qtys of letterhead. We played with our house stock and different settings, but didn't find anything that worked - any ideas would be appreciated.

Rhonda

 

[lfelton]

I am looking for suggestions on stock or settings for printing letterhead. We are using a Ricoh C900, and have some smaller customers with 4cp letterhead on offset stock. It looks great, but when they take and run it through a laser printer, the print smears off, onto the rollers, and onto the other sheets, and generally causes a mess and is unacceptable. This wasn't an issue with our Konika, so we have customers used to ordering small qtys of letterhead. We played with our house stock and different settings, but didn't find anything that worked - any ideas would be appreciated.

Rhonda

Hi Rhonda,

This is a problem lots of people experience and has been discussed many times on this board. Take a look at old threads to get a flavour, but you could start here:-

http://printplanet.com/forums/digit...19366-printing-letterheads-xerox-dc2xx-series

 

[CMCRhonda]

Thanks - my search function wouldn't work, so I appreciate the link and the advice.

 

[X33]

the problem is the difference is fusing temperatures from one printer to another.

you shouldn't print letterheads in any digital device. try it at your own risk.

 

[LugNut]

We were just getting ready to try this for a customer who wants small qty (100 each) of letterhead customized for 2 different offices. I will have to upsell them to 500 min. offset now based on this thread. Thanks.
Actually what I may do is run 1000 of the shell letterhead and then overprint the custom office info as they order it.

 

[Krull]

We always advise that digital letterheads can only be overprinted on an inkjet printer. We've had no success with digital going through a laser.

 

[Keith]

the problem is the difference is fusing temperatures from one printer to another.

you shouldn't print letterheads in any digital device. try it at your own risk.

I have used my DC252 to print letterhead once, when I couldn't get my Ilumina to print the job correctly. But just as X33 pointed out, the lower fusing tempature of some of these newer machines will prohibit sending the letterhead back through. Unless it's an inkjet machine. I usually use my Ilumina to print letterhead and tested it to be sure of a clean second pass. It takes the hottest setting to get the toner to smudge. Either way, I always explain the caveats to my customers.

 

[Morning Flight]

Actually what I may do is run 1000 of the shell letterhead and then overprint the custom office info as they order it.

LugNut, make sure you use laser-safe inks when you do. If the office copier runs hot, you can get ghosting even with offset. Been there, done that!

Hal

 

[lfelton]

LugNut, make sure you use laser-safe inks when you do. If the office copier runs hot, you can get ghosting even with offset. Been there, done that!

Hal

Hmmm... well we're not a big letterhead printer, but conservatively there must be several million letterheads that have been printed on one of our presses that get overprinted on a laser printer every year. We've never had a single complaint about ghosting and we use standard H-S Encore. Maybe a printer that specialises more in stationery might run "laser safe" inks, but I expect they would be quite a bit more expensive than "standard" 4c letterheads.

 

[Craig]

Could it have been with rubber base inks?

 

[kinni88]

Rhonda --look at the DP60 from MGI. It has no oil in the toner and is laser-safe. It also can run envelopes, so you can match the bus. cards, letterhead and envelopes. Quality is great, does not have the raised/shiny effect like other elctro-static machines.

Good Luck

 

[UberTech]

I wouldn't buy a digital machine just to do letterheads. We have a lot of succses with letter head printing on the 6500's, in fact more often then not it works no problem. However I would'nt base a business on it. If your customer wants you to do letter heads your best option is to design a test chart that has solid areas of ink (as these will be the first to let go) and give it to the prospective client and ask them to test it on there machine, infact give them a dozen or so.

The other thing people don't think of is the service of the machine that the letterheads are going to be used in. These little desk laser printers have teflon coated fuser rollers if the coating comes off that it may be fine for blank paper but anything that has toner on it isn't going to make it.

 

[BodilAnu]

Hai everyone,

Letterheads are your platform in speaking the formal language of business and commerce. It equips you with the ability to officially present your business profile to your targeted audience or concerned public. A simple company, business address, and contact information can and will contribute to your media mileage.Match your letterheads with the same envelope printing we provide at Digital Room. Carry your messages in the same and consistent design and send out your mail in impressive, legal envelopes. Complete your business profile too and print matching business cards and presentation folders.
document destruction

 

[AverroesDesign]

I run letterheads on my dc242 regularly and have had no complaints from clients. However the reasons given on this thread and various other as to why not to print letterheads digitally is correct. Generally speaking we shouldnt be printing digitally but due to small run demands, time consuming offset process and generally speaking large cost for smalls runs on offset, id rather take the gamble. However if my client has high heat copier, i give them plenty of sample sheets to try out first.

I heard real horror stories when people attempted it on older DC12s. I suppose it is a risk but considering these new energy effecient ratings desktop laser printers have these days you are safe with machines like the dc242 but Im not sure how the Ricoh and KM are in terms of heat

 

[Windward]

Letterheads on Docucolor 250

Letterheads on Docucolor 250

We have had good success printing letterheads on our Docucolor 250. However, all the warnings in this thread are valid. In addition to toner issues, also beware of paper curl. Whenever we have a request for letterheads, we always print some samples and ask the customer to try them on their laser printers.

 

[AverroesDesign]

Windward, Since you have a machine with a similar engine to mine. Could you have a look at my other thread, maybe you can help

 

[xit791]

We have printed letterheads on our backup Canon IR 3200 without a customer complaint for many years. Just printed 2000 full color, ran 11 x 17 2 up, and it's the third time this company has ordered from us. It also runs envelopes, painstakingly.

 

[dabob]

Conventional Printing - laser safe inks . .

Conventional Printing - laser safe inks . .

Basically all it takes to make a conventional printing ink laser safe is to order a wax free version of your ink. . . . thats pretty much all we run unless we foresee an issue with the image rubbing off the wax protects the image in this case. Running wax free virtually solves the laser problem.

 

[nhprinter]

Hmmm... well we're not a big letterhead printer, but conservatively there must be several million letterheads that have been printed on one of our presses that get overprinted on a laser printer every year. We've never had a single complaint about ghosting and we use standard H-S Encore. Maybe a printer that specialises more in stationery might run "laser safe" inks, but I expect they would be quite a bit more expensive than "standard" 4c letterheads.

As far as I know....most inks made today are "Laser safe". No need to buy special ink.