A range of decal papers is available for ceramic tranfers printing:
Standard Waterslide Decal is a 170gsm paper for digital printing of ceramics. The toners will fuse to the paper during the printing process but normally need a Thick paper setting in order to adhere properly. On Ricoh printer we recommend a Thick 3 or Thick 4 paper setting. The paper needs to be overlaquered after printing to create a decal which can be tranferred from the paper. This over layer normally referred to as a covercoat can be screenprinted using a wet varnish or alternatively we can provide a lamination paper on which the laquer has been preprinted.
Lamination Paper is available in 2 forms: standard unfluxed and fluxed. In order to fuse to the printed transfer the paper must be passed through a laminator with the lacquer layer in contact with the printed surface. We recommend a Fellowes Proteus or GBC 3500 laminator operating at a temperature of 130°C and the lowest (1) speed setting. The fluxed laminate will provide a glossier finish after firing but can leave a visible ouline around the printed area, whereas the standard unfluxed version will burn away but the transfers so produced can have a more satin finish particularly on harder glazes.
Precoated Decal Paper has a lacquer layer already applied to the paper to eliminate the need for over lacquering. During the firing process this lacquer burns off through the toner layer and in some situations can cause disruption to the print. We advise clients to run their own tests to verify that the product is suitable for their application.