Anyone Use Rite-In-The-Rain “DuraCopy” for Laser Printers

I use that stuff all the time in my job (field data collection in marine biology) and for my trip maps. It's totally brilliant stuff. Maps print nicely, it's tear proof, waterproof (not just resistant: it is literally plastic and absorbs zero water), and the printing tends to adhere quite well so even at folds the image stays in pretty good shape. Highly recommended. The inkjet version is pretty good too.

Philip,
The laser version is 4 mil, the inkjet 8 mil, supposedly. I haven't found an actual specification for either.

Do you find a significant difference between the two, or negligible?

Have you printed "both sides"?

I need 21 maps.

Wow, it's not cheap either….$129 for 100 sheets of 11×17.

Yes, you can print both sides (for both the inkjet and laser papers), and I always do. It's not like the photo inkjet paper only coated on one side. The inkjet has a slight satin finish and the surface is a little softer, presumably to absorb the ink, and is indeed a thicker stock. The laser is slick and smooth and really feels like plastic. The base material for both must be very similar though, because despite the inkjet being physically thicker, a sheet of each really feels the same in your hand, and both fold similarly, and on my scale both are 8-9g per sheet (8.5 x 11).

Philip –

Thanks for the info.

I'm going with the 4 mil laser stock. It sounds like it will work for me.

I have National Geographic WP paper, which works well — but it is heavy.

Since I keep maps in a ZipLoc, I no longer use water proof paper. Plain ol' copy paper is lighter and cheaper. Sometimes I take a USGS pdf map (free from USGS) and have Staples print it. I like the larger format much, much better.

I used to use that Nikwax waterproofing stuff on my paper maps, and would spread lots of cut up USGS quads all over the floor and go at them with the foam brush. It worked okay, but any real exposure to moisture left you with a soft rag that glued itself together if it dried in a folded state. Moving to real waterproof, tear-proof, durable and reproducible maps has been a true pleasure. Note that I'm talking about hiking and sea kayaking in coastal Alaska here, not Arizona, so other people's needs might be a little different. There is no way I'd go back to a ziploc, but that's my local conditions dictating my gear selection. The plastic maps are so durable I use them on multiple trips and loan them out to other people. I gave my whole series of coastline from Kodiak to Homer to a fellow sea kayaker for the summer. In Photoshop I will add elevation profiles, mileage, and good identified camping beaches (sea kayaking) and so forth. On separate sheets I will make small cards with tide tables, ferry schedules, and whatever other cheat sheets I need. All stuff I can stick in a PFD pocket and soak for 2 weeks with no fear of damage. For tide tables that really get abused, I might even laminate the card so the writing doesn't get scratched off.

Note that Rite in the Rain also makes water-resistant paper. It's okay but will eventually wet-out, and if you are going through the bother, definitely get the Dura Copy (waterproof) stuff.

Does anyone know what the 11×17 weighs per sheet?

I don't have a laser printer that will do color (or 11×17) but work does. Perhaps they will let me print a few maps after hours.

I don't have an inkjet that can print 11×17 either but they can be purchased more reasonably. In my experience ink jets are fuzzy compared to laser and I could see that be a problem with contour lines etc. Also ink jets run terribly when wet. Does this ink jet paper really work?

+1 on Staples and regular paper and Ziplocks. I take a credit card and flash drive with .pdf maps to my local Staples and print 11 x 17, 2-sided color copies on their do-it-yourself laser printer for a buck a side. Regular nice quality paper. One sheet weighs 13 gm on my scale.

"Does this ink jet paper really work?"

I just ordered some, I'll let you know when I get it and print a test sheet.

In my experience the inkjet paper does work well. Normal inkjet on regular paper bleeds and runs when it gets wet, but somehow R in the R figured out how to stop this. At least with my Canon inkjet. It may come down to the printer ink technology, but I've had good luck so far.

Can you write on it with a pencil? Does it handle like other waterproof maps?

Yes, you can write on in with pencil.

The inkjet version is nothing short of Amazing. Not only waterproof but also extremely resistant to scuffing and fiber separation in the folds.

As was mentioned above, you can do a lot with photoshop to modify the maps and add notes etc. One very useful trick if you're using Caltopo is to use PS to lighten or darken and then adjust contrast/color to even out those areas where adjacent quads are vastly different when printed.

Save as a 600dpi pdf and you're good to go.

I'll never go back to ziplocs!

We use this stuff for our field data sheets, so we constantly write on it with pencil.

The stock is a little heavier than the commercial plastic maps like the Latitude 40 ones.