Selecting Film.

Choosing the best transparency film for your printing equipment is the first and most important consideration when creating transparencies. Transparencies can be created by color or black-and-white inkjet and laser printers and by photocopiers; each machine has a transparency film specially designed for it. Choosing the wrong film can impair the quality of the project and could jam the printer. Check your printer or copier manual for its recommendations and check the film to ensure it works with your equipment.

Transparencies have different coatings depending upon which type of printer they are designed for, according to Lauren Brode at 3M's Visual Systems Division. These differences in coatings are necessary because of the way each type of printing equipment deposits ink on the film.

There also are differences in film designed for copiers, some of which require film with sensor strips. "Sensor strips note the difference in opacity (whether plain or coated paper or a transparency is used) and determine the amount of ink to use" based upon that opacity, Brode said. If your copier doesn't require sensor strips, you can save money by buying transparencies without strips that are designed for plain-paper copiers.

If a transparency package indicates that it works with a particular machine, it should produce quality images even though some printer and copier manuals recommend their own brands of transparencies.

Costs can vary considerably, based upon the need for color and the type of printer. For example, 3M makes a write-on transparency that sells for about $35 for 100 sheets. Hewlett-Packard's Premium Ink Jet transparencies cost about $45 for 50 sheets, but the company touts the transparencies' smudge-resistant quality. 3M's top-of-the-line color laser transparencies sell for about $60 for 50 sheets. At the other end of the price scale, you can buy Apollo laser printer transparencies—black on clear—for about $18 for 50 sheets. Prices will vary among stores.

Transparent Production.

Making transparencies is as simple as printing on plain paper. Simply design the transparency using your favorite word processor, spreadsheet, or graphics program. Then, either load blank transparencies into a printer and print them or load transparencies into a photocopier, print the information on plain paper, and then copy it onto a transparency.

When loading the transparency into a printer, position the transparency so the transparency and not its backing will be nearest the ink deposition device. Then move the paper thickness lever either to the envelope position or to a mid-level position as indicated in your manual. The number of transparencies that can be loaded also varies depending upon the printer. The Canon BJC-4100, for example, accepts up to 50 transparencies, but the Canon BJ-200e recommends that transparencies be manually fed.

When the transparency leaves the printer, remove it immediately and lay it flat to prevent curling. Be careful not to touch the image, and do not lay anything on top of the transparency. Drying time varies, but some transparencies can take up to 15 minutes to dry, depending upon the type of printer or copier used and the manufacturer's film coating. Printers that have a heater—such as some Hewlett-Packard models—dry immediately. If your printer does not dry the ink immediately, run one or two blank, uncoated sheets of paper through the printer after each transparency is printed to pick up any ink that may have adhered to the platen.

To maintain quality, transparencies must be stored flat or in a rigid holder. To store flat, put a blank page between each transparency to ensure they cannot be scratched. Transparency protectors, also called sleeves, probably are your best option because they provide two-sided protection and can be stored in three-ring binders. Protectors cost about $26. Some protectors, such as 3M's Flip-Frame protectors, include frames for rigidity, provide space for notes, and block extra light for professional presentations. They cost $62 for a box of 50. Transparency frames also can be purchased separately and cost about $33 for a box of 50.

Let Others Do The Work.

If you do not want to make transparencies yourself, you can send your files to a printing service. Kinko's, for example, will produce color transparencies for $3 each and black-and-white copies for $1 each. Kinko's prefers to have files stored on computer diskettes. Minuteman Press charges $10 extra to work with a diskette, but offers color transparencies for $2.38 each. In each case, the transparencies are delivered in a box, with a sheet of paper separating each transparency. Prices for these services may vary in your area.

Naturally, it's less expensive to print transparencies yourself. We found that printing 50 color laser transparencies and storing them in protectors and holders cost about $120. The same services provided by a printer cost about $210.

by Gail Dutton