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For the puzzle picture I use a Minolta Magicolor 2300
color laser printer. I got mine as they were replacing the 2300 with
a new model, so it cost about $300. The new model is a little more
expensive. I use 28 lb, 110 bright paper. It costs a little
more, about $8 per ream, but that price is amortized over 300 pages, so
it's worth the extra whiteness of the paper. I don't have a good
feel for the cost of the ink, as I haven't run out of a color cartridge
yet. One of the reasons for going 5"x7" is the ink
costs. I debated about 8"x10", but I feel the ink cost
would make it too expensive to sell. |
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I cut the picture using a Fiskars paper cutter from
Sams/Walmart. I try to cut it right at the edge so no white
shows. This is not critical, as we'll be sanding down the edges
later. Adding crop marks during the printing help line up the edge
of the printer, but it's usually pretty obvious anyway!
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I use the 3M 77 spray adhesive to glue the picture to
the blank. I use a heavy spray and then carefully apply it to the
blank. I grab it by the two edges towards the bottom. Center
it on the blank, and then place it so the center of the top edge touches
first. Then I lightly press down towards the corners. The idea
is to not get any wrinkle in the picture.
(Note "top" and "bottom" is how
I happen to grab it when spraying. It doesn't have anything to do
with actual orientation of the picture itself--note I put this picture on
upside down). |
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I then take one of the scraps from the paper cutter and
place it over the picture. A wooden wall-paper roller gives enough
force to roll out the picture. When spraying the adhesive I usually
hold it with one finger on the glue-side (about 1/8"). The
rolling will squeeze some of the adhesive into this area.
The paper keeps any dust/trash/ink on the roller
from transferring to the picture. It also keeps any ink from
transferring to the roller. Some loose ink may transfer to the
paper, so I use a fresh piece each time. The amount is very small; I
haven't noticed any missing on the pictures themselves. But a small
dot of brown shows up very well in a nice blue sky! (another Voice of
Experience...)
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I use the Deft gloss spray lacquer. It dries
quick, so I can get in multiple coats quickly. Between coats I'll lightly
use a very fine sanding block over the picture. I'll usually put
about 3 coast on at this time. I've also
used the Krylon triple-thick gloss. However, as you'll see later, I
stack the puzzles picture-to-picture when cutting. The Krylon tends
to stick to itself (or the parchment paper), making it hard to
separate. I haven't had as much trouble with the lacquer. |
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