Tough Decision for Anyone
With Alps no longer being made, this is quite a decision to make. Inkjets can make decals on waterslide paper from what I've heard, read, and seen on picture boards and there's other things that can do them also. Roland makes a printer that does similar to the Alps, but it's in the thousands of US $$$, too.
The thing about the inkjets and other systems is two-fold. The work involved in doing it and the finished product compared to what an Alps can do. I would really like to see an inkjet print out a decal that can do something like I did on Doc's rod and his reel, too (shown below). It's a tough decision for anyone to make, that's for sure.
For me, I'll continue to buy supplies on eBay for my Alps (and for a few friends who use them and aren't "up" on eBay) and continue to use it until an alternative system comes up that is as good and as easy to use. Printing in metallics (and white) and the "overlay mode" of printing, where the paper doesn't come out of the printer and it prints EXACTLY over top of the spot that you want it to are some features that I just don't see out there in any other type of printer.
The overlay mode lets me print two ways that just aren't available to me.
1. I can print standard colors over top of white so that it shows brightly and boldly over any color background, including black.
2. I can print a person's name (or as below, "Screamin' Eagle") in two colors that contrast and thus shows over multi colored backgrounds such as marbling, Moire (tiger) wraps, and other varied thread wraps.
Tough decision when eBay is about the only source of the Alps. I wish all a lot of luck on their decisions. If you decide to buy an Alps off eBay, you can email me and I can help you as much as possible so that you can get a working one or at least have a better chance of getting a working one. Shipping of electronic items of any kind (and these printers are not bullet proof at all) is a shot in the dark and it ends the life of a lot of them.
I'm going through a claim action right now with UPS on one that I tried to pick up for a friend. The seller did everything right on his part (packaged well including a padded stopper so the print head didn't move around during shipping, no cartridges in the printer when shipped, test print sent to me before purchase, and door on printer taped shut) to help get the used printer to me in good shape, but UPS once again had to throw the box around a few times and bust things up inside the printer and ruin it.
The USPS shipping to me on the Alps has been perfect so far (4 for 4). UPS is 0 for 2...
The other thing about this that you should keep in mind is that I've used the Alps for quite a few years now and I haven't tried anything else and have no reason to try anything else. So I'm not an expert on any other method whether it's good or bad or whatever. I know a fair amount about the Alps printers and try to help others who use them, too. But keep those things in mind, please. I may be speaking from an angle that's a bit jaded because of my own experiences and success with the Alps printer.
I did try an inkjet with clear Avery labels before ordering my Alps many years ago. That didn't work at all for me because standard colors won't show over any background color darker than silver (best over white, of course).
