Thread: Solid black to clear gradient help

Tweet

I know this sounds strange, but I need a way to make a 3" color gradient fading from solid black to completely clear. Right now it looks like buying transparency film that I can print on with my inkjet printer is the best option, but it's absurdly expensive. $60 for a pack at Staples. I can find it online for $20 (20 sheets) but that's still real steep.

I tried "Clear Sticker Paper" that I found at walmart, but it was anything but clear. It had a frosted look to it, and I need to be able to see through the stuff clearly.

Any suggestions?

Do a search at your art supply stores for things like clear acetate film or paper. It is usually in colors (completely see-through but bright blue or red or whatever), but also comes in clear and is easy to cut with scissors or xacto to make it letter sized to fit into a printer.

I've also used plastic packaging when desperate. Anything that came in a plastic package (like an action figure that has a good portion of a smooth, clear piece of plastic) can be repurposed with a pair of scissors. Same for plastic file folders, really cheap picture frames that use a piece of plastic instead of glass... or anything that has a smooth, clear plastic insert.

If you're using an inkjet printer, it may not work well on plastic surfaces tho. It is not heat-set like laser printers, so it will not be weatherproof (rain or even dew will mess it up).

You might want go to some local print shops - Kinko/Fed Ex or Office Depot, Staples - whatever is around that is open to small print jobs. If you explain exactly what you want, they can do it and probably for under $10 with inks that won't run on plastic.

I don't have a clue how I forgot about Kinkos/Fed-Ex. Just called them and they print transparencies for $0.75 a page! Many thanks!!!!!!!

Yeah, as far as I've been able to tell you cannot get perfectly clear labels in stores. OnlineLabels.com sells them but they're expensive unless you buy the whole pack of 100, otherwise the price is so high it's "not worth buying less". You could always try getting samples from them, but they don't always actually mail them. I have several brands of inkjet transparencies, some of them are near clear, others are frosty too. Depending on the printer they use, the laser print may or may not be clear enough for you to use (some brands put too much toner down and it becomes opaque) but that's a good idea to try, since, as FG mentioned, it'll be waterproof.

I made a late night Kinko's run last night to the 24 hour location and had them print me up six sheets for less than $5. It was a perfect (and inexpensive) solution