Tuesday
Nov282006
Looking for a new wide format printer
Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at 07:50AM Well, I think it is time to upgrade my Epson 4000 to something newer. I have a ton of choices to look at, such as the Epson 3800, the HP Z series and the Canon IPF5000 or 9000. I love having a 17" wide carriage, as most models have better capabilities for paper cassette for cut sheets. I like to put a small stack in the printer and walk away. I would consider an Epson 7800 or 9800, but I would have to use roll paper to do more than 1 print at a time.
The new Epson 3800 is a nice little printer, but the paper handling isn't what I am wanting. The good thing is that most of the printers I am considering have excellent output, and it comes down to usability. I am moving in a direction of printing very large, so I can personally oversee my print orders for my commerical customers. More and more of my prints are being put in office spaces, including large common areas. So printing large appeals to me. One option is to keep my Epson 4000 for smaller jobs and pickup a 44" or 60" printer for my large output.
Michael Reichmann seems to enjoy his Canon IPF5000, so I might take a look at their larger offering. The HP Z3100 series looks nice, as they have a built-in profiling solution inside of the printer. I have learned, however, that building profiles is much more than just printing targets and reading them back. 75% science and 25% art.
Time to go kick some tires.
The new Epson 3800 is a nice little printer, but the paper handling isn't what I am wanting. The good thing is that most of the printers I am considering have excellent output, and it comes down to usability. I am moving in a direction of printing very large, so I can personally oversee my print orders for my commerical customers. More and more of my prints are being put in office spaces, including large common areas. So printing large appeals to me. One option is to keep my Epson 4000 for smaller jobs and pickup a 44" or 60" printer for my large output.
Michael Reichmann seems to enjoy his Canon IPF5000, so I might take a look at their larger offering. The HP Z3100 series looks nice, as they have a built-in profiling solution inside of the printer. I have learned, however, that building profiles is much more than just printing targets and reading them back. 75% science and 25% art.
Time to go kick some tires.
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