Best Pen For Writing On Transfer Film?

[Cjrademaker]

Hey Everybody,

I have been experimenting more and more with transfer film and hand carving. As I get to doing more complex designs I am always frustrated by the difficulty of getting good clean lines on the stuff.

From what I have figured out though trial and error a light touch with the pen goes a long way as does keeping the pen more vertical than when writing on standard paper.

Has anyone found any pens that work particularly well writing on transfer film?

i.e. marks reliably, clearly, and does not smudge.

Or maybe the inverse, are there better transfer materials available than the film I am buying from tandy?

[TomG]

If you have a scanner, scan the paper pattern, then print on inkjet transfer paper (Tandy, Staples, etc). Perfect transfer...

I haven't used these films, but we do screen printing and use a transparent film for making our screens. We have 2 types of film. Waterproof and non-waterproof. One was for use with the older dye-based printer inks and the other used for the newer pigment based printer inks.

I'll be at Tandy Monday and if I can remember, I'll see if they have a scrap of the film and I'll draw on it using different inks I have, I have sharpies with regular ink and with oil-based paint, a couple of Molotow pens and a couple of others with India ink.

[Cjrademaker]

I do all of my design in illustrator so they start digital, printing would be the obvious choice but my printer is a laser so the inkjet sheets will not work for me.

From what I have found,

Gel pens like the pilot G-2's smear

Liquid ink pens like pilot V-5's smear terribly

Every kind of sharpie I have tried smears as well, both ultra fine and regular

Standard ballpoints do not smear but the inkflow is unreliable

Maybe I just need to find a really high quallity ballpoint with better inkflow in general.

[TomG]

They make a laser film. Just test for shrinkage. the older stuff used to shrink about 10%. And check your settings for a Label setting on the printer. Older printers had fusers that got too hot for the film and could actually melt it.

[Cjrademaker]

Good to know, I had only seen the inkjet products before. I will take a look around

[TomG]

Here are a couple of items from Staples.

Apollo Audio Visual Transparency Film for Laser Printers , Clear

http://www.staples.com/Apollo-Audio-Visual-Transparency-Film-for-Laser-Printers-Clear/product_829903

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This is a Write-On film but says it needs special marking pens... Didn't see those listed, but I only did a quick search.

Apollo® Write-On Transparency Film, Clear, 8 1/2"(W) x 11"(H), 100/Box

http://www.staples.com/Apollo-Write-On-Transparency-Film-Clear-8-1-2-W-x-11-H-100-Box/product_APOWO100CB

Good luck

[kevinp]

I use a ball point pen that has run out of ink

[billybopp]

I used to buy laser transparency film by the case in my old job at a school. Just be absolutely certain that it is laser film and do NOT mix it with any other. Others can melt in the fuser section of the printer. The occasional professor that brought in his own film and threw it into one of our printers cost us a lot of money in repairs.

Markers for transparency film can be had in dry erase, wet erase, and permanent varieties, as well as in various line thicknesses. If I remember correctly, the Expo Vis-A-Vis brand fine point markers are more medium thickness. Staedtler brand markers were the finest points that I came across for transparency markers.

Write on film is usually considerably thinner, and would probably trace better on leather but would melt in a laser printer, and smear in an inkjet.

Inkjet film will also melt in a laser printer, and has a slight tooth to hold onto the ink. Be sure you print on the right side for most inkjet films.

Hope that helps

Bill