printing on plastic from photoshop?

[cdorch]

hope this is the right section for this....okay, so i designed new gift cards for my brother's bike shop and they must be printed on pvc cards so they can be swiped. however, when i go to print them there is no setting for printing on plastic. I tried it on the ultra premium glossy photo paper settings and its like bubbling up and just wipes off...any suggestions for settings?

btw my printer is made to print on cds and pvc cards via a seperate tray, but apparently idk how to use it lol

 

[UUilliam]

Hrm...
Bubbling is usually caused by heat, Is it hot in your house?
and perhaps leave them a bit longer, In your fridge perhaps.
however, this risks cracking the ink.
Idk, I am not a print specialist.

 

[Buckster]

The problem lies with your printer and ink capabilities, rather than Photoshop. Regular inkjet ink doesn't have the ability to 'stick' on the type of material you're trying to print on because the material doesn't absorb it the way paper does.

The types of cards it sounds like you're describing are made with thermal printers, which can be fairly pricey.

You might check with some local professional printers as well. They may be able to handle the job for you for quite reasonable prices.

What about printing on regular photo paper and then laminating it?

 

[cdorch]

actually i think you're right because its bubbling up like the card isnt absorbing the ink. I just did a little research after seeing your post and found that there are specially made pvc cards for inkjet so that could be my solution...thanks for the help!

 

[Perniciouspoof]

The problem lies with your printer and ink capabilities, rather than Photoshop. Regular inkjet ink doesn't have the ability to 'stick' on the type of material you're trying to print on because the material doesn't absorb it the way paper does.

The types of cards it sounds like you're describing are made with thermal printers, which can be fairly pricey.

You might check with some local professional printers as well. They may be able to handle the job for you for quite reasonable prices.

What about printing on regular photo paper and then laminating it?

This is all true

-However, before your start printing on crappy paper and laminating it consider using an inkjet precoat like Inkaid. You can coat virtually any kind of substrate with Inkaid and it makes it inkjet compatable, the only problem is, it can void the warranty on your printer if you run substrates through it that aren't authorized by the manufacturer. I've even made digital prints off of velum and cloth, it can be very messy but it's a lot of fun.

 

[hyperdash]

Hrm...
Bubbling is usually caused by heat, Is it hot in your house?
and perhaps leave them a bit longer, In your fridge perhaps.
however, this risks cracking the ink.
Idk, I am not a print specialist.

not a good step.. it really causes the ink to crack... been finding ways to eliminate the bubbles..