This was touched on in my other post, but I wanted to develop the ideas/questions fully, so a new thread was in order...
It seems that printing directly onto rigid posterboard is possible (for the amateur). And so far as I can tell, only Epson advertises this ability.
The Epson 4000 spec states that it can print on 1.5mm posterboard. However, the all of the posterboard media that Epson makes are too large to fit into this printer.
Q: Can you cut Epson brand posterboard down to size and use it in the 4000?
The Epson 2200 spec states that it can print on 1.2mm "media". But it does not say that it can print on "posterboard" specifically. I wonder if it can??
Q: Does the 2200 print on "posterboard"?
Personal Notes:
The 4000 printer looks great, but it's also very large, and I don't think that I would make enough prints to justify the expense.
Check out just how large this thing is!!!
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/printers/epson-4000-update.shtml
The 2200 looks like the perfect size/price, but does it print on rigid posterboard!?
Finally, I have sent these questions to Epson support. If nobody here has any answers, I will post their reply.
Wow! 1.5mm is approximately equal to 59pt board stock! It may be a little tight with 2-ply chipboard (which runs closer to 79pts). If you're looking to print directly onto the board stock itself, then you must be using a white board or at least one that is white faced.
What you want to look for is something called mount board. It comes in white and is sold like chipboard (in single ply or multi-ply). It is much cheaper that matboard and, unlike matboard, is available in thicker stocks that are closer to actual board game weight.
For reference, heavy weight board game tiles are roughly equal to 2-ply chip- or mount board. Single ply would work, but would be much thinner. I'm not sure the type of game pieces you want, depending on the application, single ply could work well.
As for poster board, that is a term that is used (generally) to describe a large format card stock. The poster board I have used is roughly equivalent to 110# card stock (only slightly heavier) and has one coated side (which will make a mess of most printer inks) and an uncoated side that works well in ink-jet printers. If you need something only slightly thicker than card stock, then this would be perfect for you.
According to the Epson Stylus Pro 2200 specs, it will handle up to 1.3mm (or 51pt) thick, which is more than enough for posterboard, and will handle single-ply mountboard.
As for the Epson brand posterboard, according to the spec page and the reference sheet, the board is 1.2mm (47pt) thick board stock. I would classify this as more of a mountboard. If you went to an art supply store and asked for posterboard, you would get the card stock I mentioned earlier.
Being that it is roughly equivalent to mountboard (you can get mountboard in a 48pt caliper), I would suggest that you buy some mount board and give that a try first. Mount board at an art store won't cost more than $1.50-2 for a sheet that is roughly 20x30 or so. Compare that to the Epson board that costs $10-20 per board depending on size.
Oh, and yes, you can cut any media to any size you want. If your art supply store has a picture framing section, they may agree to cut the mountboard to a custom size for little to no money.