After applying the tape, I go over the entire back surface of the card, firmly pressing all of the air out of the tape and ensuring a tight seal along the edges. I try to line up the side edges as perfectly as possible to lessen the possibility that a bead of something will collect on the tape along the edge of the card. I apply it by putting a small strip along the top and bottom of the card (about 1/4' from the top and bottom with the excess extending beyond their respective edges - more on this in a second) and then two vertical strips along the side edges. The glue on this tape is especially light on smooth surfaces, such as the standard UV coating on MTG cards. I find that using a few strips of 1.41' tape is enough to cover the entire back of the card. This new tape is now available at most hardware stores and it works wonders at protecting the back of your card. So, just as you've shared your technique with the world, I figured I'd share how I protect the back of my cards while working - enter 'Delicate Surface Frogtape' (). One thing it does not address, however, is an effective means to protect the back of the card while working with acetone and other messy substances. I'm on my journey to the perfect proxy and I find your method to be superior to anything I've found so far. Most of the images I print are absolutely massive resolution and I get very nice dark crisp lines.įeedback? Email me at chess314 at Gmail dot com Also, sometimes what looks like bleeding is actually just a symptom of printing an image that is too low resolution.

If you get bleeding make sure to use at least two layers of coating. Make sure to right click the image layer and rasterize it before hand. Then adjust the black level for black and gray tones. So the two things you'll want to adjust are (in Photoshop) Image->Adjustments->Brightness and ContrastĪnd Image ->Adjustments->Selective color. Compare any new images you print to the reference image and adjust the black and contrast until it matches and then you'll know your new image will print black correctly. Once you've done that then you can use that image as a reference image for anything else that you want to print. The idea is to set the contrast and black values in Photoshop, do a test print, see if it's black enough, then keep doing that until it looks good. Instead of calibrating the printer it's better to calibrate the images. What do I do now?Ī: I only know what settings to choose if you have an HP Envy 120after you click 'Print' go to 'Print Settings -> Paper Type and Quality.' Select 'HP Photo Paper,' select 'Best' under 'Quality.' Then print.Ī: Printing black is very challenging and requires some skill. Q: After I print in Photoshop all these settings come up. You can also try applying in front of a heater to dry faster. You can try mixing it with the FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and apply both in one step. Q: I get a bumpy surface when I apply the InkAid ?Ī: Make sure you shake it well. This material will allow the ink to adhere to the surface of the card. See 1) in common mistakes people make.Ī: This is the inkjet receptive coating. Without this layer darker inks would cake on the surface and bleed. Secondly, it acts as a porous layer that allows ink to seep into it. Firstly, it acts an adhesive that allows the next layer to be applied without peeling off. Q: What is the purpose of the FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium ?Ī: There are two main reasons this layer is applied. A: This creates a hydrophobic layer that will prevent the card from warping after applying the next layers.

Mtg proxie maker