Copic and printing images

[Westwind]

Will my injet printer be compatible for photocopying images to colour with my Copic markers?

Sandra

[bound4london]

It depends on the printer. You will just have to try it and see. I've heard that making sure that the ink is completely dry can help, as in print and wait for hours to days. Also stay away from the lines when you colour. Good luck!

[crrimal]

I use a laser printer, but I've heard from a copic instructor to let it sit for several hours or you can heat set it.

Christi

[Karen Wallace]

I have an inkjet and no it doesn't work very well, most of my friends bought a cheap laser printer to use digital images with the copics. You can even heat set the inkjet but it will still smear if you get on the lines.

[Mindykid]

I have a LexMark inkjet and it works just fine for Copic coloring. I also agree that coloring just shy of the lines is a good idea too.

[Quixotic]

How the ink behaves will very much depend on the type of ink. I now use a laser printer, but my inkjet printers worked perfectly for colouring with alcohol based markers. My inkjet printers are/were Epson and used the Epson Claria inks which are dye based - I found that I could colour as soon as the image was printed, with no smearing whatsoever.

Printing on the draft setting, which lays down less ink may help if you find you have issues with smearing. Some people have also suggested that using a compatible ink rather than the branded ink can help, as they may contain less pigment - I haven't tested this theory.

All you can do is try! If you find that the ink smears, you may want to try heat setting the ink with your heat gun, or leaving it overnight to dry fully.

The type of paper you use can also affect how the ink behaves, so you may want to test different papers.

[Krysiad]

I've printed digital images on an Epson and it worked fine with copics. On matte paper it required no drying time before using my Copics. With photo paper I waited a few minutes. I found my best result came with using a smooth matte cardstock like SU whisper white, or my favorite Domtar First Choice white cardstock.

[RiverIsis]

I have an older HP all in one inkjet printer that is connected to a Continuous Ink Supply. I haven't had any issues with line bleed, however I do either leave it a day or two to color and/or blast it with my heat tool before coloring. HTH.

[stamp_momma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westwind

Will my injet printer be compatible for photocopying images to colour with my Copic markers?

Sandra

If you ask 12 different people, you are probably going to get 12 different answers. The reality is that many printers behave differently with Copic ink. The only way for you to know is to print a test image on the paper that you like to use with your Copics - same paper you would use if you were stamping the image and do an ink test:

Using the tip of your marker, apply a lighter colored Copic ink to the image (a very small area will be just fine for testing) right up to, but not touching the printed line. (By avoiding the printed line with your marker tip, you'll eliminate the chance of damaging your nib.) If you gently push the Copic ink toward the printed line with your marker tip, it will start to feather over the printed line. If the printed line stays in tact with no running, you'll know that your particular printer ink is compatible with Copic. If you get a little bit of printer ink running when hit with the Copic Marker, you might try the heat gun suggestion to 'dry' it and try the test again.