LilFirecracker
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Posts posted by LilFirecracker
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On 5/18/2022 at 9:55 AM, GailC said:
I made some Rose Jam Lush type candles last night and I can hardly stand the smell. Ewww.
I knew there was a thread somewhere about scents we hate and at first I couldn't find it. Then I searched the word 'nauseous' and there it was.
Yes, Rose Jam almost makes me nauseous, but customers have asked for a rose scent. I like to smell real roses and that's it.
The one that immediately comes to mind for me is Candles & Supplies version of Dragon's Blood. It's a sickly sweet, powdery smelling mess 🤢 They had a really good one 20 years ago when I first started making candles.
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I'm sorry @NightLight and @TallTayl for just now responding! I haven't been by here in a while - busy thinking, researching, doing my thing! 😃 My plans have come to a screeching halt for a while, but I'll be back at it soon. I did decide to do it right and get the EcoTank soon. I'll just be kicking myself if I don't so - crisis averted!
Hope all of you beautiful people have been doing great! Hoping to be around more now so I'm off to see what all I've missed while I was away... 🤯
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On 5/7/2022 at 6:56 AM, NightLight said:
Yes two printers. Thermal for shipping labels if you plan on being direct to consumer/Etsy or elsewhere. Then label printer if you plan on printing your own labels. I started with just a laser printer, but its too costly with toner to print shipping labels. Thermal printers are great no toner or cartridges to replace and you can get the labels cheap Amazon, EBay, UPS.
I did notice the price of the thermal shipping labels when I was looking at other labels. That's definitely gonna be on the agenda later once I have things under control and have more room to work with. No ink to buy for it...ever! Yes please!!!
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On 5/6/2022 at 11:53 PM, BusyBee said:
One printer can cover all different types of printing needs. But in order to get the best result, you will need more than one.
Black laser printer: Invoices, shipping labels, contracts, and best for black & white labels.
Color laser printer: Best for less graphic color labels where letters & logo need to stand out.
*I do warning labels with color laser printer, but color inkjet will do the job also.
Color ink jet printer: Best for full graphic color labels where pictures need to standout more than the letters.
Very nice label! I understand what you mean about the different printers for different jobs. Not great for someone in my position right now, but when I'm a little more established and have a bigger space to work in I could definitely see the upside to having more than one.
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On 5/6/2022 at 11:22 PM, BusyBee said:
I use one that has chip for my WF-7110 which needs chip bypassing trick. But the one for WF-2860 are all chipless system, and they needs chipless firmware to be installed on your printer. It should work, but I don't recommend doing this unless you have some computer software knowledge. But FYI, these are the web links that sells them.
This is the one for WF2860. It is around $90($50 for the system & $40 for the Pigment inks) with "Pigment Ink" which will last for very long time.
*If you go down little bit of their web page, then it will explain how the chipless thing works.
https://www.inkxpro.com/INKXPRO-Chipless-CISS-for-Epson-WF2860-p/ciss-chipless-202.htm
They also have "Refillable Refill Ink Cartridge" which cost a lot less.
Inkjet printer's heads will clog up easily if not used in certain period of time. It need to print something at least once a week to avoid clog up. Also, these inks have shelf life of 2 years. So, inks should be used within 2 years.
Printer type should be decided upon your label needs. I use all three inkjet, color laser & black laser printers for my labels because I need all three printers for my different labels. One printer could do the job, but quality is totally different. When I need black & white labels, black laser printer will provide true black result than color laser printer.
My estimated ink costs for recharged after market ink cartridges was about 11 cents for letter size blank labels. With factory cartridge, that would be close to 20 cents per page. But using these continuous ink system, the cost would be less than 1 cent per page. I am guessing it would cost 2 cents per page for the Eco Tank printer. When you do 3,000 pages of labels with Eco Tank printer, then that would be $270 saving(or $540 saving comparing to the original). Try to find refurbished Eco Tank printer even though you might have to spend little bit more than your original budget. With these printers, spending more on hardware could be spending less in total costs.
*I have full graphics when I use inkjet printer which use a lot of inks.
One more thing! I laminate the labels which would cost 25 cents per page. Labels become water proof, and it provides professional look.
Good luck on finding your printer that works for your need!
That's a lot of information to think about! Thank you so much @BusyBee for taking the time to give me all of that. I used to be up to date with everything in the tech world, but then my world got flipped upside down years ago and in all of that bs I lost touch with everything and now I feel like I'm 15 years behind in time. I'd rather go the "easier for my brain" route - at least until I get back into the swing of things and feel more comfortable re-learning everything.
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On 5/6/2022 at 11:24 PM, Wade said:
Probably a little closer to 4630 but i find it MUCH better to work with. 4630 is like sticky and hard-ish. MP-117 is more soft but super easy to work with.
Its not like 4627 or anything. Lol
Soooo.....not sure if you mess with melts or ever have. But since this is a very soft low MP wax and what seems to be a killer HT, mixing this with 4625 could probably make a really kick-ass wax melt!
I really need to stop finding out about new waxes that interest me. Here I am still fine-tuning my blend and thinking about other blends. I always feel like I might be missing out on something if I don't try it. I just wish all places offered sample sized wax. My regular supplier only had 10lb slabs on up.
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4 hours ago, NightLight said:
Laser is excellent and water proof that’s why I use it. Also looks more professional.
Here’s a mistake I learned early on. I designed labels and then realized they were all custom sizes.
FIND LABELS SIZES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FIRST! This is a biggie and will make you life much easier if you go with standard sizes, but go maximalist design. It will save you money and time.
and yes, black and white design is cheaper to produce. I have both those and color.
I will say I use Avery print online for circle labels because they are a pain to do on my laser printer and get accurately centered.
Others I use my laser.
And speaking of printers then you need to get a thermal for labels
which will save you a fortune, there are tons of good ones now to buy. I got mine on Amazon I forget the brand but has amazing customer support in setting up.
Ok, I have noticed that a lot of sellers have 2 printers they work with. One for shipping labels and one for product labels/everything else. So what is the advantage of having 2 different printers, having to pretty much keep them both connected, & having to buy 2 different types of labels vs. Doing everything on ONE laser or inkjet printer & ONE type of label? I've always wanted opinions on this so now's the perfect time to find out!
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8 hours ago, TallTayl said:
No matter which printer (my hp laser jet, or primera label printer) labels are always a pain in the butt. Every time.
I wish I had stuck with monochrome type styling - it would have made this all so much easier.
in the past when printers got messed up, I had office max do the printing. Any waste was on them. I sent the print job via their web site and picked up at my convenience later. I’ve also brought a thumb drive to the store and printed on site.
online label sellers, like my local labelsbythesheet.com used to offer professionally printed labels from your graphic upload. Many Etsy sellers still do.
the nice thing about places like zazzle and other custom print services is you can totally customize short runs and change at will later without the upfront label and printer costs. Initially the cost per label appears higher, but once you factor in the cost of the labels, and shipping for the labels, and the ink and the printer, and the waste, the overall cost is a wash.
if I had to choose between my two label printers now - one laser the other primera (ink) - I would go laser. Ink cartridges dry out unless used frequently. They get those uneven lines when you need a pretty label the most. I have spent too many hours fighting with printers to count.
Sounds like the kind of luck I'll probably run into with bad printing at the worst possible time! 🤣 I really might need to revisit the option of online printers again just in case. I'll look at some prices, plus I'll keep checking online for another surprise price drop or maybe the printer fairy will leave the one I want under my desk! 🥰
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8 hours ago, ShelleyF said:
I have an Epson 4700 Ecotank. I use it a lot but haven't to replace ink yet. I print a lot of color too. I am going to buy the original tanks though because you can get it for like $30 for all the colors which shipping included. There's a trick to it you just look on eBay and put it in your cart and then they'll send you a discount. I get discounts all the time because of that. I thought that was weird but my daughter said nope they usually will send you a deal.
I thought they just sold the ink to refill the tanks.... Didn't know they sold the whole tank with the ink for half the price. And it's original Epson tank & ink?
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5 hours ago, NightLight said:
I use a laser printer because not crazy with inkjet smears. I did use generic toner for awhile, but it wasn’t great for my printer. Some of the cartridges powder broke loose and then printer was a mess.
You can get printed labels cheap these days. Avery is one place you might find useful. You can design and print and they ship quickly.
They do not have all sizes but for melts I believe you would easily find labels.
I would look on Amazon, they have all kinds of printers small ones that could be useful for you.
To start you could have one design label printed and the use a small printer for scent names.
Oh no!! Ugh.. I can just about imagine how much of a mess that busted cartridge made! 😭 Unfortunately, planning my designs way ahead of time kinda backfired on me. I'd have to redesign everything if I would need to go with another company to print my labels in order to have a basic label with the ability to attach a separate scent label to it. I'd actually prefer to wait a little longer if I have to in order to be able to do what I really want to. Now my business cards on the other hand - I was originally going to print my own, but I think right now that's something I'll definitely leave to a print company! Thanks for the advice. I'll still keep that in mind for my labels if all else fails 😃
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23 hours ago, BusyBee said:
You might pay more upfront for Epson Eco Tank or HP Smart Tank printers, but you will save tons of money on ink costs. So, actually one of those will cost less in the long run, and you are on right track about thinking of getting one.
The ink cartridges now days have chips which to stop us to do refills, but there are after market ink tank system similar to Eco Tank. I use Epson WF-7110 printer with one of "Continuous Ink System", and it is saving me tons of money. The print quality is little bit inferior to original Epson ink, but it does the job nicely.
Below picture is one of those system for the Epson WF-2860.
*These are not easy to install, and it requires occasional reinstalling and resetting because of the chip recognition function of the printer. Sometimes, the printer will automatically assume that I am out of inks after certain amount of prints which would require resetting. It needs to bypass chip recognition when it is installed, and it would require several(or up to 30 or 40 times) installations to get this done. They have "Chipless Continuous Ink System" also which I haven't tried. You might also want to check out on those too.
Interesting... I didn't know these even existed! I was wondering if the 2860 was one that could be refilled or not. That would've been my plan if I would get that one. I don't think I could handle the frustration of one of these conversions if it takes that much bypassing and tricking the system. I'm running in a very short fuse these days with all the pressure to get my little show on the road. Any idea how much one of these conversions cost? Just curious if it would be worth it to me 😃 Thanks so much for the heads up on everything!
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15 hours ago, asr said:
Just another thought to add since you had mentioned you are running out of time. Do you have any local printers that can print labels for you? It may be most costly than printing yourself, but if it gives you time to make a decision on a printer that is a good thing! Some of the local shops where I live offer better pricing and smaller minimums than online.
But if not I can second TallTayl's suggestion of Zazzle. I used to use them for business cards and postcards and was always happy with the product.
Unfortunately I live in the middle of nowhere, so my options are pretty much non-existent around here. The closest place I have is either 45 miles north or about 60 miles south of me. I'm lucky to even have a Wal-Mart nearby 🤣
It seems like quite a few have HPs and seem to be happy for the most part so I'll start looking around at some of those too.
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On 5/3/2022 at 9:32 PM, TallTayl said:
Zazzle was an online Print source used by beloved member Trappeur. There was always a coupon code somewhere 😊
Awww... She was gone before I got here, but after reading probably close to half the posts that were ever made on this forum since 2005 - I felt like I still got to know her. Her personality, spirit, and willingness to always help someone was truly one of a kind 🥰. I wish I had been here back then. There's quite a few that I feel like I already knew here.
About Zazzle...I did think about checking them out because of her posts about them - she should've been paid for her promotions! 🤣 But I'm really looking to print my own. I want the freedom to be able to change them up when I need/want to. I also like the freedom of being able to print 1 or 100 if needed, especially the labels with the scent names.
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Hi everyone! Long time, no post! 😃
I'd love to hear from as many as possible! What kind printer do you use for your product labels? Quality compared to the cost of it - are you happy with it? Also, one more thing, have any of you ever refilled your own cartridges? I read up a little on a couple of models and it seemed like something I could pull off, and in turn save lots of money!
I still haven't bought a good work printer yet. I had finally decided I was gonna go with one from the Epson EcoTank series, but because of the cost I would have to wait a while and find a cheap (but still good) alternative until then. I had finally decided on an Epson Workforce WF-2860. It had every feature I could want and then some - minus the cost efficient ink tank. I went back the other day to order it, only to find out they raised the price $40. I was crushed because I barely was able to hang on to the money I had saved for it and now I have to wait longer. I'm running out of time. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to settle for something much cheaper than I was already. My main concern is quality because it'll mostly be for my product labels.
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On 4/9/2022 at 6:46 PM, moonshine said:
Love the sea witch ….that’s a great oil
I wonder if PFO realizes people are willing to pay more of need to be to keep their oils accessible- such a weird world we are in now
They know that nobody wants anything about the formulas to change, myself included! When it comes down to it, especially with everything else going up, they know that those who are serious buyers would be willing to pay more to a certain extent. But the good news is they finally reached a negotiation, and we should start seeing them back in stock sometime next month!!! 🎉
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UPDATE: I spoke to Camilla at PFO yesterday (Monday) about the latest on the Moonworks fragrance oils. She said they'e finally worked out the pricing with the manufacturer, and they should have them back in stock towards the middle or end of next month! They will be trying to get together a "pre-order wait list" so that those who have been waiting for certain ones to be back in stock will be given priority to receive their stock.
She surprised me when out of 2 - 16oz bottles of Sea Witch, I only ended up with 1 - 4oz bottle. The blow to my broken heart was lessened when I discovered sitting at the bottom of the box, a 4oz bottle of my one true love - Lavender Sage!!! ❤️
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OHH NOOOOO!!!! I just got my order in. I ordered 32oz and she asked me if they happen to not have it all, do I want whatever they had? Of course I told her yes, send whatever you have. Well....I ended up with a whole 4oz 😥. I'm so disappointed!! But on the bright side, they discovered a 4oz bottle of Lavender Sage and sent that to me! That made it less of a blow to my heart.
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23 hours ago, GailC said:
Sounds like a keeper.
I've never ordered from PFO but Sea Witch from Fragrance Buddy is my favorite oceany scent.
I love it, Gail!! I have never been ever to find a good fresh rain, water, or ocean scent that didn't smell weird. PFO is the one who has those original MW fragrances. But if they can't agree on price negotations and don't replinish their stock, I'll be trying FB to see if they're long lasting for me.
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Latest scent testing on my melts - burning 24/7, Sea Witch lasted 65+ hours!!!! I turned it off at 65, but it still had fragrance left. It was starting to weaken. I ordered 2lbs of it before they end up selling out. I think it's gonna be a big seller for me! 😃
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On 3/6/2022 at 9:10 PM, Lovejoy444 said:
I am almost two years late to this party, but for anyone checking this thread from here on out, I wanted to second what lovelyscents said. Higher wattage warmers will blow through the FO faster than a lower watt warmer. My tabletop warmer that uses a round 20w bulb kills wax melts much quicker than the plug-in warmer I used to have that used a small 15w bulb. There are a million other things that affect scent, too, but consumers' individual wax warmers can have a big impact on the performance of otherwise identical melts, which may be a good reason to test your melts in both higher and lower wattage warmers. You can then offer up a range (e.g. 8-20 hrs) for the life span of the melt instead of a flat number, as well as educate consumers on the science of wax melt life span--and that poor performance isn't necessarily the fault of the creator! LOL
So true!! I'm trying to figure out right now how to word this in my Etsy store listings when I open.
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On 3/22/2022 at 7:14 PM, moonshine said:
Yes fragrance buddy has MW dupes….before PFO announced they were buying MW I sent Samples to FB for duping …..they are very very close but the originals are better from PFO
I've been keeping in touch with PFO because more and more keep going out of stock with no replinishing. She told me that they're having problems working out a price with the manufacturer. She said the prices are too high now. Hell for the scents I want, I'd be willing to pay $10 more per pound for them. I just ordered 2lbs of Sea Witch before they run out - and a few others. But I miss my Lavender Sage! I hope FB oils will last as long for me as PFO's do! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
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On 3/24/2022 at 6:08 PM, Belinda said:
I've never even opened the box mine came in. I just had to have it so it was a Christmas gift three Christmases ago! It's still leaned up against a craft table in my wax room LOL! I don't even know if it has any tools that are used with it. I really need to check it out though. I see really cute things people make with theirs all the time.
I wouldn't even know the first thing about using one lol.
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On 3/16/2022 at 3:00 AM, Gsmakinsoap said:
I believe I read somewhere that FB's Patchouli Passion smells like PFO's. Maybe someone can weigh in on this? They also have a few other dupes of Moonworks that might match those PFO has. Sea Witch and Lavender Sage, I think.
Thanks so much! I might have to go that route because I called PFO and they're having trouble with pricing from the manufacturer of the MW scents, so there's no telling when they'll get any in stock.
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4 hours ago, PINKT said:
I've tested the MP-117 against the CBL-125 from Candlewic which I'm told is basically 4630. In my opinion the MP-117 is superior in hot throw and burn quality
Nice!!!
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Mixing/Combining Waxes (How To)
in Coconut Wax Candles
Posted
Does stearic acid have the same hardening effect in coconut wax as it does others? I bought 3lbs of palm stearic thinking it would be great to harden my melts just a tad in the summer. Works great - also made my melts hard like cement to get out of the dish at 5%🤣