I love paper chains don't you? I love that they're simple & quick to make and that anyone can make them. And that they always look fabulous regardless of the paper designs & colour combinations we choose to use for them.
I made this one using a selection of designs from The Colour Collection - 'Pointy Poinsettias', 'Scandi-Chic Winter Blooms', 'Gingham', 'Lots of Dots' & 'Pretty Little Hearts', all in Pure Crimson with White and leaving the reverse unprinted.
I printed them onto HP Everyday Photo Paper. It's 170gsm which is sturdy but light & perfect for paper chains. It printed beautifully too - lovely bright colour and clean, crisp prints. And it has a semi-gloss finish which is perfect
I cut mine the width of the A4 printed sheet, so about 21cm, and 3cm deep. And two printed sheets of A4 paper made a chain about 1 metre in length. 2.5cm (about 1") is a nice depth too.
I think they're very festive!
Aww, that reminds me of making paper chains as a child! They weren't as lovely as this though, it was crepe paper in those days!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas Liz x
This looks great, I have never been able to achieve that shade when printing Pure Crimson, I'd be really interested to know what Colour Management settings you use when printing, I use an Epson printer but never seem to get the right shades compared to what I see on your photos.
ReplyDeleteWill definately try the photo paper :-)
Hi Wendy,
DeleteI print using a Graphics program, tend to use Epson Inks more often than not now and select the following options ...
Paper Options
Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet
Size A4
Quality Option
Photo - which automatically selects the 'Epson Vivid' Colour Option in Colour Management under the Advanced Tab. Sometimes I change this to 'Epson Standard'. I left it at 'Vivid' for printing on this Glossy Paper.
What settings are you using Wendy?
Liz
xx
Hi Liz
DeleteI have tried so many different settings and the best I have managed to come up with is to use the following settings -
EPSON Matte A4 size
EPSON Standard with a 2.2 Gamma setting
This is what I use in general but I have to use a different setting with the Kraft papers as they tend to come out too dark. I do use compatible inks which probably doesn't help my colours so maybe I need to invest in some Epson inks to use when printing the darker colours.
Wendy
:-)
Hi Wendy,
DeleteIt might be worth trying a set of Epson Inks. Although compatible inks may not be the problem. I've used them quite a lot in the past and I never experienced any striking difference in colour output. Some of them are very good.
Something else to try - checking the ICM (Image Color Management) box in the Colour Management Tool. I'm assuming you're using a Windows computer? There have been issues in the past with some Windows OS & Colour Management. Checking the ICM option can fix it.
Liz
xx
Hi Liz
DeleteI have just tried ticking the ICM box and it has made a huge difference for the better, I wish I had asked this question years ago now! I am now officially cancelling Christmas so I can spend the next week printing all of the colours I usally avoid because of this reason, thank you so much I really appreciate your help and hope you have a great xmas and new year :-)
Hi Wendy,
DeleteI'm really pleased we found the solution .. all those lovely, pretty colours ... and you can have all of them now : )
Have a merry, colourful Christmas!
Liz
xx