The saga continues........ I`ve decided just recently, to do all my background printing at Officeworks instead of at home. The price of printer ink is extortionate and it just doesn`t seem to last very long. Officeworks charges 69 cents for an A4 page, in colour, and the quality is far superior to what I can do at home. So I`ve bitten the bullet and started a new way of doing things in that regard. Whilst I was at Officeworks today I had some background images printed and also we needed new ink cartridges for home. The cartridges for our el cheapo printer were 64 dollars, which made me cringe a little, however a bit of lateral thinking kicked in and I investigated the possibility of buying another printer instead. Found one !!!!!......HP Desk Jet 2130.....for.???.....wait for it.???.....15 bucks........this is crazy.????.......so I bought a new printer in preference to ink cartridges at four times the cost of the printer. I must say this printer is the same quality as the Canon we were using. So out with the old and in with the new.......and most likely the next time we need ink, I will do the same again. I know it`s wasteful and not good for the environment, but there are.......I had my back to the wall and I found a way out. Anyway.....that`s my whinge for this session. The backgrounds printed out very well and then I had the task of cutting them in such a way as to blend them and keep them in context with what I had already done before. It starts out high at the doorway and gradually tapers down to the airfield back ground at the far end. This the airfield background. The tree on the right is an overlap from the other totally separate image. This is the new part just near the doorway. It has been cut down quite dramatically to meet the airfield scene. Here we have a grape stalk tree just plonked down in front of the backscene for a colour check. This is how it works with the older neighboring scene And the airfield at ground level I might use this factory near the tunnel entrance here.....not sure yet....still thinking about it, but I think it looks OK..?? Anyhow.....now that the backscene is set, I can move forward with static grass, trees and bushes etc. to get this section rolling along. Gormo
Thanks Toto, Yes I probably should have gone down this road before, especially with the printing of backgrounds, but there you are, you learn as you go along. I think Gary used Officeworks to print a full length back scene at one point and I`m fairly sure he was happy with the result.?? I still have some images that I may use elsewhere too, so that`s a bonus.!! Gormo
Gormo, as I have said before, I do like your back scenes, the whole section is coming along nicely I don't want to be the bearer of doom and gloom, but it is a well known fact, that very cheap printers, priced well below the manufacturing cost, are shipped with partially full ink cartridges, meaning it will need a new set of ink very quickly! Example write up The only effective way to get prints cheaper is to use compatible ink cartridges, but be warned the long term anti fading, quality and clogging issues attributes of them, may be the down side. At work, in a busy office, compatible work well with high throughput's, but at home, as we don't have continuous high volume and use the printer intermittently, compatibles will clog up through lack of use. I have bought 5 printers over the years, that all still work well, but the ink wont come out (hence i bought the next one), as a home user, I based my last purchase of printer, on the cheapest cost per (separate) cartridge, with the biggest content and bite the bullet on the cost of genuine ink, but try to print something every month so they don't clog up. So far, had it 3-4 years and gone through about 4 sets of ink.
HP are doing a deal on most of their new printers called "Instant Ink". There are 4 options depending on your page printing needs. New cartridges are ordered by the printer itself through the Wi-Fi, and are delivered before the old ones run out. Jim
Not quite, and it;s not available in Australia. https://www.trustedreviews.com/news...nounced-an-end-to-ink-cartridge-blues-2915216 Ed
In the U.K. if you buy a new HP printer that is offering the deal, and register it within 7 days there is a free option which gives you 15 pages a month. Much more than I need. I don't know about down under. Jim
But this is Gormo's layout thread and he does live in Oz. If your happy with the HP deal that's fine, but it isn't going to help Gormo who has appeared to find a solution which suits him. Just saying Ed
The thread will be read across the world and the information may be of value to other people in a similar situation.
Well folks, Thank you for your input, but no matter how the ink deals work out.....we will forever be needing ink, so let`s just forget about it and deal with the most serious issue on this thread........Gormo`s model railway..... I was out in the shed last night starting the greening of the area above, that I`ve been working on. I don`t have any pics yet, but I`m about a third of the way along the section, making artistic decisions on the trot. I mean, you have to have some idea of the final scene, but when you are actually putting scenic material onto the section, quite often the master plan is altered slightly along the way. I`ll be going out to the shed shortly to see if my grass is still standing up, but we have commitments today which means no more scenery until tonight. This always seems to happen when I`m getting a roll on......but there you are......it`s a lifetime hobby isn`t it ?????.....no rush.....well that`s what I keep telling myself. Gormo
Gormo I just saw your most recent youtube clip. I like factory wrapped around the pillar. The static grass on the bank is close to 1:1 when compared to parts of my back yard. Glad the lawn mower man is coming soon. Regarding the airfield, i can see a tunnel portal over the back, will the scenery extend to cover that. I look forward to seeing that completed.
G`day cmcan, You beat me to the punch there mate.........I am updating the topic now. I am still revising my options regarding the tunnel portal and I`m not sure at this stage which way I will jump.? Yes the grass is long ,but I feel it should be, instead of some beautifully manicured field. Anyway on with the update. I have started greening the area above the tunnel. The trees are those mentioned before, the smaller ones being made from grape stalks and the larger ones, modified cheap Chinese imports. The large clump / bush in front of the trees is made from Lichen which was sprayed with spray adhesive and then flocking added. I am not that keen on the look of Lichen anymore, however it makes a good base for bushes etc. Here`s my little " context" man. He has been the scale representation in a lot of my videos and photographs for a long time. The grass is quite long in this shot but it varies all over the hillside. More bushes and assorted foliage still required. Looking back towards the doorway The bottom of the hill where it meets the flatter area, is the join for the lift off section. It`s covered pretty well but I might add some more bulk once this lot dries properly. Up close in the undergrowth. I`m trying to merge the model scenery to the backscene ......I think it works here.?? This shows the link to what has been done before, so gradually it`s all being tied together I also have a video update........cmcan`s already seen it.... Well folks, the airfield is next, but I may have to source some static grass of the right colour before I jump in there. I`m looking forward to that but I will remove the section to do this area. It`s just a little bit too far out of reach. More as it happens Gormo
That looks great fantastic Gormo , the path is incredibly realistic. I am now definitely in the paint it brown camp. I am also gonna have to select a figure as my scene setter for future builds .
Thanks Timbersurf and Ed, Well folks it`s just hit 41 celsius outside........not good shed weather.....my little aircon struggles with that sort of temp, however more has been done today in the cooler part of the day. The airfield is grassed now and I`ve also continued the backscene over what was originally a tunnel opening in the wall on the far left. The opening will also be further disguised with trees strategically placed to hide the entry of a train. Hopefully it will work out OK.?? I`ve also installed a group of standing stones on top of the hill. They were a gift from my daughters family a few years ago and I just needed the right spot for them. They are not to scale, somewhat under actually, however I quite like them. I will dry brush some additional tones onto them to make them look more realistic Another view of this historic site And my little buddy seems quite interested in the stones As always there is more detail to be added. I think the standing stones should be fenced off and maybe should be also considered as part of a farmers field.?? I am nearing the point now where additional items have to be carefully considered.........sometime less is more, as they say........time to step back and reflect on how best to proceed. More as it happens Gormo
Beautifully done Gormo. Really lush landscaping. Your wee mate is taking everything in. Nosey little blighter ain't he.
In your second photo, it looks like the standing stones are in the distance. The photo really fools the eye ! Great work Gormo ! Cheers, Gary.