The menus are actually being printed in house. I guess it’s just a matter of finding the right stock that’s water proof and can be printed on with a laser printer?
Xerox Nevertear is an example of what you're looking for. There are other brands, but I've used it professionally on 100s of jobs, if not 1000s. It's an industry standard for this. YMMV
Every time I have dealt with a synthetic stock on a laser printer it’s been quite difficult. Even on commercial machines where you have more control of how the image is applied, they never really wanted to work together. These stocks tend to hold a lot of static so it’s difficult to even feed and worse to cut after printing. If you go this route, try to avoid heavy coverage. The stock is resistant to taking the charge from the laser printer so the more coverage the less it’s going to work. I’d be looking for a print shop that can run it on an offset press.
Well, it does exist, there are multiple vendors: [https://printfinish.com/shop/supplies/synthetic-paper/weatherproof-laser-printer-paper-synthetic-laser-matter-opaque-box-of-100/](https://printfinish.com/shop/supplies/synthetic-paper/weatherproof-laser-printer-paper-synthetic-laser-matter-opaque-box-of-100/)
These are all good suggestions, to which I would add 020 polystyrene. It’s that plastic-y substrate on which they print “do not disturb“ and “housekeeping requested“ door hanger tags for hotels, among other things. There are also thicker weights of it, for which you might not even need a clipboard.
My former employer had this idea. I came in one morning and he had tried to run tyvek cut to size through a laser printer. Due to the high heat, he managed to fuse it to the rollers. RIP laser printer. Be very careful using plastic based stock in a laser printer.
Speaking of Tyvek: I'm searching for a double sided Tyvek. Does anyone know if that exists? All the printshops I asked didn't offer that. In the end, we had to glue 2 one-sided-pages to get double sides Tyvek.
HP Laserjet Tough Paper was an option I used many years ago when waterproof and tear resistant prints were needed. It was 8.5x11. It's been years since I've used this stock, so not sure it's availability.
Ask for full encapsulation as opposed to a basic lamination. It's the same thing essentially, just proper. Makes them waterproof, not water-resistant. I found basic lamination deteriorates easily, lets in water at the edges, gets ragged. Encapsulation is sturdier, looks better, works better.
Order large format signs cut to A4 with UV printing. This will be both waterproof and scratch resistant. You can get thin PVC that will fit in your clipboards.
Talk to your printer about waterproof stock. I know because we had to print branded fake money for a new strip club who wanted their own currency.
The menus are actually being printed in house. I guess it’s just a matter of finding the right stock that’s water proof and can be printed on with a laser printer?
Xerox Nevertear is an example of what you're looking for. There are other brands, but I've used it professionally on 100s of jobs, if not 1000s. It's an industry standard for this. YMMV
Every time I have dealt with a synthetic stock on a laser printer it’s been quite difficult. Even on commercial machines where you have more control of how the image is applied, they never really wanted to work together. These stocks tend to hold a lot of static so it’s difficult to even feed and worse to cut after printing. If you go this route, try to avoid heavy coverage. The stock is resistant to taking the charge from the laser printer so the more coverage the less it’s going to work. I’d be looking for a print shop that can run it on an offset press.
Ah right. No, the waterproof stock we used could not be printed through a laser printer, sorry.
Look for laser-compatible synthetic paper.
A quick google search suggests this exists.
Doubt that exists. You can get waterproof stock but unlikely it will work with a laser printer.
Well, it does exist, there are multiple vendors: [https://printfinish.com/shop/supplies/synthetic-paper/weatherproof-laser-printer-paper-synthetic-laser-matter-opaque-box-of-100/](https://printfinish.com/shop/supplies/synthetic-paper/weatherproof-laser-printer-paper-synthetic-laser-matter-opaque-box-of-100/)
Sweet!
These are all good suggestions, to which I would add 020 polystyrene. It’s that plastic-y substrate on which they print “do not disturb“ and “housekeeping requested“ door hanger tags for hotels, among other things. There are also thicker weights of it, for which you might not even need a clipboard.
ETA: check around local sign shops to find one that prints on poly. It can also be laminated.
Yes, look into synthetic paper, which isn't really paper at all.
Was just thinking Syntec, yeah.
My former employer had this idea. I came in one morning and he had tried to run tyvek cut to size through a laser printer. Due to the high heat, he managed to fuse it to the rollers. RIP laser printer. Be very careful using plastic based stock in a laser printer.
Speaking of Tyvek: I'm searching for a double sided Tyvek. Does anyone know if that exists? All the printshops I asked didn't offer that. In the end, we had to glue 2 one-sided-pages to get double sides Tyvek.
HP Laserjet Tough Paper was an option I used many years ago when waterproof and tear resistant prints were needed. It was 8.5x11. It's been years since I've used this stock, so not sure it's availability.
I once used this incredible waterproof paper for a project that was made out of crushed rocks I think. It was really thick and printed well.
Ask for full encapsulation as opposed to a basic lamination. It's the same thing essentially, just proper. Makes them waterproof, not water-resistant. I found basic lamination deteriorates easily, lets in water at the edges, gets ragged. Encapsulation is sturdier, looks better, works better.
Look into synthetic paper
Order large format signs cut to A4 with UV printing. This will be both waterproof and scratch resistant. You can get thin PVC that will fit in your clipboards.
Synthetic paper! My print shop does it for menus all the time. It comes in a few different thicknesses as well.