Making Holos with a Dye Sub Printer...

spunone69 · #1 (**permalink**) 09-14-2009, 09:33 PM

Since I have time at work today (meaning NO service calls...) I guess I'll re-write my old tutorial on making holograms with a dye sub printer. So, here goes...

I might as well get this out of the way first, the only printer that I have done this with is the Alps MD-5000. It is a thermal and dye sub printer. For those of you who don't know, Dye-Sublimation uses high heat and solid dyes to produce photo lab-quality images. Dye-Sub printers contain a roll of transparent film made up of page-sized panels of color. Solid dyes in cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are embedded in the film. Print head heating elements vaporize the inks which adhere to a specially-coated paper. As the ink cools it re-solidifies on the paper. Color intensity is controlled by precise variations in temperature.

Dye-sublimation printers lay down color in continuous tones one color at a time, instead of dots of ink. Because the color is absorbed into the paper rather than sitting on the surface, the output is more photo-realistic, more durable, and less vulnerable to fading than other ink technologies.

I know what you're thinking...how does a medium that has to be absorbed by the paper help in making holograms?? Actually, it doesn't...the "finish" ribbon or "clear coat" is the only one you'll need to effectively "print" holograms. Contrary to the above description of the dye-sub process, the "finish" ribbon is not liquefied to be applied to the paper, it is almost "rubbed" over the image you're trying to re-create as a hologram.

Let me clear something else up right now...this process DOES NOT make the multi-colored/semi transparent holograms or the foil type holograms like you see on credit cards. It is strictly for creating interference powder or pearl-ex powder holograms.

Here is what you will need to get started:

1. A good thermal/dye-sub printer
2. Lamination of choice (nothing thinner than 5 mil)
3. Interference/Pearl-ex powders (gold, green, sparkle silver, etc.
4. A semi decent dusting brush
5. A clean, printable image of the hologram (exact size)
6. A good laminator to apply finished product

First, I'll talk about the printer. As I stated above, I've only done this with an Alps MD-5000. I'm not saying that there aren't other dye-subs that will work, I'm SURE there are, but the Alps is my printer of choice. The Alps MD-5000 actually uses a barcode on each individual ribbon so the printer can identify it. Even though my method is different, I have heard of other people switching the barcodes for the black ribbon and the "finish" ribbon to achieve a heavier coating, I never tried it personally, but I've read it more than one place. Finding an Alps MD-5000 is getting to be more and more difficult, they can be found on e-bay for $500 to $600 dollars. The problem with this is that the MD-5000 hasn't been in production since 1999/2000 so any "used" ones found on e-bay are close to ten years old. We all know the probability of a ten year old printer functioning "like new"...so be careful buying these. The other (better) option is a NEW alps printer. Alps recently released the MD-5500 in New Zealand and Japan. I read the specs for it and it seems almost exacly the same as the MD-5000 except for a wider carriage and better ink ribbons (according to the web page I read) and supplies. Weather you buy it new or used, make SURE the package includes all the ribbons you'll need to get started; C,M,Y,K, Primer, V-photo, and "finish" or "finish II"...you only need the finish cartridges to print the holograms, but you should get all the ribbons to print other things too...seriously, the photo quality of this printer is unbelievable!!

Lamination - You want to try to match the look and feel of the lamination on the ID's that you are trying to duplicate. If they have a glossy lamination, then use glossy, if it's matte, use that. Nothing to thin or it will get caught in the carriage rollers (5 mil is the thinnest I used) and nothing over 15 mil (that's too thick for ID's anyway) I don't recommend using 5 mil until you are thoroughly familiar with this process, it's very hard to work with when trying to print on it. For California ID's, I used to use an 8 mil diffused crystal lamination. It had a semi-gloss front and matte back, which is good because you will be printing on the back. Any lam that has a gloss finish on BOTH sides will give you trouble due to the fact that the thermal ribbons have some trouble adhering to a completely smooth surface. Try to find the lamination in 8.5 X 11" sheets, the butterfly pouches are just too damn difficult to line up and feed into the printer. You may be able to find it on a roll and then cut the roll every 11 inches to make standard letter size sheets.

Now for the one thing you MUST have to make holograms...the MAGIC DUST!! Interference Powder (gold, silver, green, etc.) is a powder made up of actual ground metals and Formica. The particles are ground so small and mixed so thoroughly that they seem almost invisible in thin layers yet still retain the refractive properties of the metal. There are many different kinds, Pearl-Ex being one of the most common. If the label has the "mesh" rating, then you want a powder with at least a 600 or higher rating. The "mesh" is the size of the particles in millionths of an inch. You will also need to know the correct mixture for the holograms you are trying to reproduce. For instance, California uses 70% interference gold, 25% interference green, and 5% sparkle silver. Notice the sparkle silver is NOT an interference powder. That is added for the refractive effect. Every states hologram is different, you will need to figure out the best mixture to reproduce the effect you're looking for.

The dusting brush can almost any fine-haired brush like ones used for applying make up. Any Walgreen's or K-Mart will have these readily available. You can figure out what size or thickness works best for you.

For the hologram image, you will need a solid black representation of the seal or image you want to duplicate. Since California holograms are an exact replica of the state seal, I just went to any state website and copied the seal from their web page. Cleaned it up a little in Photoshop, and then removed all the colors except black, using the hue and contrast tools to make it as dark as possible. You will need some basic Photoshop knowledge to complete this process from start to finish. Once you have one complete image, you need to open a blank 8.5 X 11" template in Photoshop and replicate the image until it covers the whole sheet. The spacing between the images has to be exactly the same as it is on your state ID for the end product to be acceptable. When the full page is complete, save it.

Now for the fun part...printing your holograms!! Take one sheet of your lamination and lay it on a piece of newspaper (this gets kind of messy) with the back, or inside, facing up. Mix your powders thoroughly and then take the dusting brush and dust the ENTIRE sheet of lamination. As I stated previously, lamination that is glossy on BOTH sides will produce a poor finished product. You should be applying the powder to the matte or dull side of the lamination. Don't be cheap with the dust either, when your done, you can dump the excess back into the mixing jar and use it again. After you've dusted the whole sheet, flip it over so that any loose particles will fall free. Now you should have a sheet of lamination that looks almost totally opaque gold on one side. Carefully load this sheet into the printer with the gold side facing up...by now, your hands, hair, table and anything else in the near by areas will have little sparkles all over it...Load up the 8.5 X 11" image in Photoshop and set the printer to print the image in "finish" mode or "over coat" setting. Make sure the image on your screen is reversed since you are actually printing on the inside of the lamination, not the outside. Also, make sure any basic settings are correct, like HIGH quality, GRAPHIC mode, etc... Once the lamination is done printing, let it set for 10 - 15 minutes and then run it under luke warm water to remove all the powder that was not bonded to the lamination material. You might have to rinse it a second time to get all the left over powder off. Once it's rinsed, you can let it hang dry or blot it dry with paper towels - DO NOT rub it dry, this has a tendency to distort the finished product. And DO NOT use hot water...it's lamination, and will react to high temperatures - DUH!! Now just cut it to whatever size you need, and laminate it onto the ID. This type of home-made hologram bonds VERY well with telsin!! Enjoy... SpunOne

spunone69 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-07-2009, 05:29 PM

Ok...here's an update to my tutorial! I actually dug out the old Alps MD-5000 last night and printed up some Cali Holograms...the exact printer settings are Paper Type: Laser, Use Spot Colors, Set to "Spot Inks" and select Finish Only!! Then print as described above...I ran off about 2 dozen PERFECT holos in about two hours...after five years, I still got SKILLZ!!!

J10New21 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 04:01 AM

Your tutorial seems very thorough. I am actually planning on purchasing an Alph printer. My question is with these letter size lamination sheets, how can I also have magnetic stripes on the cards? is that even possible? and with your tutorial; how do you print the hologram just black ink? and the black ink picks up the mix you put on the sheet?

spunone69 · #4 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 12:09 AM

First of all...you can buy full sheets of lamination with magstripes in them, then you just cut them to whatever size you need. If you check ArcadiaID or BrainstormID they should have the lamination there. If not try holosupplies.com, but he is EXPENSIVE!! Second...read the tutorial!! You dust the lamination with the PearlEx mixture, then print the holo with the "Finish" or clear coat setting on "spot color"...this actually bonds the powder to the laminate with a clear overcoating in the design you printed. Then you just wash off the excess powder under warm water. If you're going to buy an Alps printer, be VERY CAREFUL buying on e-bay, all the MD-5000's on there are at least 5 to 6 years old (some up to 10 years old) so they may not be in working condition. If you have a lot of CASH to play with, order a brand new MD-5500 from New Zealand or Japan (they aren't available in the US)

J10New21 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 06:58 AM

I just bought a MD1300, and hopefully it works (supposedly its in perfect working condition), but if it does for the finish cartridge. Can I use the Finish II for the 1300? It looks the same as the Finish I...

drastice · #6 (**permalink**) 11-09-2009, 04:30 AM

how much did you get your 1300 for?

J10New21 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-09-2009, 09:09 AM

I paid about $160 on Ebay, and it came with CD, all cords and slightly used ribbons. I havent recieved it yet....Its supposedly in perfect working order, but I will know when I get it; should be before Friday. Ill post how it works and looks when I get it.

spunone69 · #8 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 04:32 PM

Finish and FinishII are exactly the same, the only difference is that FinishII cartridges can be "flipped over" and used up to five times (according to Alps)...I print my holos with finish II and believe me, you CAN NOT re-use them!! Maybe for everyday printing, but for holos, you need the ribbon to be brand new if you want the best results. And yes, an MD-1300 will work to print finish or finish II

spunone69 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 04:33 PM

By the way...$160 is CHEAP for any working Alps printer...I see them going for $500 to $800 on flea-bay all the time. If it's "like new" as they claim, then you got a GOOD DEAL!!

drastice · #10 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 05:08 PM

i'm about to get a 1300 also. Few questions

If you cover a laminate full with perl wouldn't it get all over inside the printer? so that next time you print you have perl over your teslin etc?

Also when buying the back Hico strips etc on full sheets of laminate
there are several differernt sig pannels? theres 1/8,3/4,

What is the best way to cut the back out so it fits perfectly with your teslin and is it best to die cut everything before laminating or after?

J10New21 · #11 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 08:36 PM

About the back laminate. You have to watch what state your doing...I know michigan uses a 1/4" magstripe instead of the common 1/2". And if the back has an area to just sign your name then you get 1/8 if it has info to fill out and check boxes its 3/4" (which is more common)

J10New21 · #12 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 09:54 PM

And Die cut after laminating. If your doing the dye sub method...from what I have read, I would print out the hologram (horizontally inversed) on to the laminate, and I would print a whole sheet worth at once (8 to be exact). Then attach the front laminate and back laminate to teslin sheets and run through laminator at perfect temperature just around 250*. Then cut like 2 out at a time and cut them with the die cutter. and voila perfect. As for using UV;; if you decide to do so, I would stamp the UV powder/ink onto teslin before laminating and before doing holos. Dont forget to let the ink/powder UV sit for about a day for better results.

drastice · #13 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 10:36 PM

my lamintor def can't fit a whole sheet at a time.
So i would have to cut out each individually. my concern is
having the back linned up correctly. I mean a slight movement can
easily ruin a back. I have only used butterfly as of now

J10New21 · #14 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 11:56 PM

Well if you have funds, you can buy a decent laminator for $25-$50 that is like 9-10in. But if not then the best way would still to use full sheets (butterflys are complicated when using alps, as they have to be completely flat). So I would buy the full sheets print the holo on a full sheet and then cut each laminate and teslin directly in have (4.75in on each side), possibly trim a little more. Then take a piece of tape to put at the top (part that goes in laminator first), put through laminator and voila. But honestly, I just paid $25 for a brand new GBC 10" laminator.

FuzzyWhaleKub · #15 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 06:27 AM

Hey guys, great tutorial. Well...if we don't have a zillion dollars to buy an Alps or don't feel comfortable buying a used 5-year-old printer,what would be one of the next best ones? I looked at them online but I have no clue which ones are nice and which ones are not. Thanks in advance for any help you contribute.

J10New21 · #16 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 07:33 AM

I jsut looked at the Canon Pixma IX7000, and the Canon Pixma MX4700. They both print clear ink, maybe take a look at them. But you can get an alps MD1300 for just about 250$ish. Might be worth it. It costs about $700 total to get all the start up equiptment and supplies.

spunone69 · #17 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 04:59 PM

Okay...let's see if I can answer all the questions! First, you can print whole sheets of holos if you like doing it that way. It does create a mess with the PearlEx, but if you use spray-air and some q-tips with alcohol you can clean the Alps fairly easily. What I usually do is run a whole bunch of holos at once, then clean the Alps before I print any other stuff. I prefer printing the holos individually on butterfly pouches, then you don't run into the problems with lining up the front and back. It obviously takes longer to print them individually, but it eliminates the need for die cutters and extra wide laminators. For those of you asking about inkjets that print with the "clear" ink, no, it's not the same. The Alps finish/finishII inks are not really "ink" at all, but a ribbon. It's a "dry" process that doesn't allow the PearlEx to "gum" up like "wet" ink does. Believe me, I've tried a number of printers that say they print "clear" coating, and none of them work like an Alps. You would have to find another dye-sub that has the ability to print "over-coat" using a ribbon. I have looked around and have not found anything even close to the Alps for under $2000. Kodak and Polaroid both make high-quality dye-sub photo printers, but thery are extremely high priced.

drastice · #18 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 07:09 PM

what settings / how do you align a butterfly pouch through the alps??

spunone69 · #19 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 09:29 PM

To align a butterfly pouch, just get a sheet of heavy paper, print the image you want to make into a holo onto the heavy paper. Print it upside down and reversed (you'll be printing on the inside of the pouch) and a little above the center of the page. Lay the butterfly pouch over the image so that it lines up with the holo exactly where it should be on the pouch. Use scotch tape to fix the corners of the pouch to the paper and then feed the paper back through the Alps, printing with "spot color" settings using "Finish" as the spot color. Peel the tape off carefully, remove the pouch then rinse off the excess PearlEx with luke warm water and your done....

J10New21 · #20 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 01:43 AM

Drastice: There is currently a Alps MD1300 on Ebay that ends very soon, and is currently at $130 plus shipping. Good deal. supposedly in good working condition.

drastice · #21 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 02:22 AM

I acutally got one the other day
paid a lil bit more. But it should be here monday.

Haha i think you acutally outbided me when you got yours

have you gotten yours yet?

J10New21 · #22 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 02:31 AM

Nope should be here tomorrow(friday)! lol Im excited. Was the bid for liek 133$ plus shipping? if so yepp that was me lol

drastice · #23 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 03:36 AM

Alps MD 1300 Dye Sublimation Printer - eBay (item 230394266805 end time Nov-07-09 10:54:33 PST)

lol
btw what operating system do you have? I hear alps are a pain to get installed. Won't work on vista and only work on XP or earlier. I feel like i'm going to have some issues with all of this. But we'll see..

Spun-------What kind of teslin do you get for the ALPS... Inkjet or laser? becaues i've read if you put normal printer paper in ALPS it ruins it.

Also I don't know if you've been told this yet or not but you cannot use Finish II for the 1300 only Finish I.
If you have aim it'd be easier to discuss all of this as we both are dealing with the same thing
PM me if you do

J10New21 · #24 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 05:01 AM

Yepp that would be the one I bought lol. I was told that Finish II is fine also.

drastice · #25 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 05:11 AM

Alps MD Printer Ink Compatibility Charts

J10New21 · #26 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 05:22 AM

Yeah I seen that chart before, but one of the senior members on here said it did work. so Idk I just bought a Finish II cartridge and Ill see if it works with the MD1300. If it does Ill let you know. But Let me know when you get your printer in...I will try to get it installed tomorrow. And Ill let you know how it goes.

spunone69 · #27 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 04:46 PM

The MD 1300 and 5000 are the only ones that print "Finish" and "FinishII"...I think they are the only ones that do foil as well. The XP drivers work pretty good, no Vista or Seven support. The truth is that the Alps printers work best on Win2000. If you're running XP, your best bet is to get a USB/Parallel adapter. DO NOT use the Alps brand USB cable on XP, it will print regular stuff okay, but all the unique features (like spot color, and dye-sub coating) don't work correctly. The best way to go is with an actual IEEE1284 parallel cable (25 pin type) if your PC still supports it. You CAN use any type of paper in an Alps, but with regular paper you have to "pre-coat" the paper with the dye-sub undercoating for optimal results. It will print on any kind of teslin, inkjet or laser, but DO NOT use inkjet "glossy" paper AT ALL. The heat from the thermal print head will actually melt the glossy coating on the paper and ruin the print head.

spunone69 · #28 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 04:49 PM

By the way...thank you to EVERYONE who read and inquired about this thread!! It's nice to know that my info is not going to waste...

Drastic · #29 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 08:54 PM

if anyone has a pic how it looks before/after I would love to see the actual shine/reflection of it. PM or post.

I am curious if it will resemble a BC Canada style.

any help would be appreciated.

J10New21 · #30 (**permalink**) 11-13-2009, 08:57 PM

My alps is out for delivery now. should be in within the next few hours. Then I have to wait a day or so for my Finish cartridge to come in, and Ill test it out and post what it looks like