Printer Size

[Ed Richards]

I am thinking about a new printer to take advantage of the new pigment inks. There is a huge jump between the 17" and 24" printers, and I wonder if it is worth it. I have a 24" now, but mostly use sheets 18x24 or smaller. It is big enough, and I do not like to mess with roll paper. 17x22 would seem about as good. But I cannot shake the little voice that says, But What if You Wanted to Make a Big Print? At about $100 a pop for good fine art 24x30 prints from a lab, it would not take many to make up the difference in price. I am sure others of you have wrestled with this question - if you bought the 17" printer, do you regret it?

[Greg Lockrey]

I'd get the larger printer if your just talking about the difference between 17-24". Even if you don't think you need those extra inches but when you do, you'll be ready. $100 a pop for a 24x30"??? Boy am I in the wrong market... I personnally have a couple of 17" printers both roll and sheet fed which I use to make "Art Cards" and narrow banners for clients. But my workhorses are 44" because they were just a thousand or so dollars extra over the 24"

[Ed Richards]

> $100 a pop for a 24x30"???

Is that so high for a custom print that is tuned by the lab with a proof?

The extra costs keep coming - the yearly service contract is also a lot higher for the bigger printers, which does not matter if you are using them for paying work, but an extra few hundred a year adds up if you are paying to run the printer yourself. Still, that Z3100 is very tempting.:-)

[Greg Lockrey]

Depends on how it's done I suppose. I do have a client that likes to tweek his colors a lot until we have a go. So if I add up the "proofs" it does get pretty high for the first final. But most clients aren't that fussy here in this neck of the woods. Another issue for part time printing is how long in between prints. Clogged heads and the like from lack of use.

[Ed Richards]

> Another issue for part time printing is how long in between prints. Clogged heads and the like from lack of use.

Good point. You can burn a lot of ink dealing with clogs.

[Greg Lockrey]

You just need a reason to keep that printer on the hop.


"But Honey, I can't let the heads clog".

[tim atherton]

> Another issue for part time printing is how long in between prints. Clogged heads and the like from lack of use.

Good point. You can burn a lot of ink dealing with clogs.

isn't the Z3100 supposed to keep itself clean and free of clogs as long as you leave it switched on, even if it's not being used - monitors all the jets etc?

[Ed Richards]

> isn't the Z3100 supposed to keep itself clean and free of clogs as long as you leave it switched on, even if it's not being used - monitors all the jets etc?

Yep. The type heads it uses are said to be less clog prone, so it is an easier (read eats less ink) job. Too many reasons to like the Z3100. I am trying to convince myself that the prudent course is to buy a 3800, run it for a year, then see what is in the marketplace if I decide I need bigger prints. I am sure Canon will bring out something to compete with the Z3100 and the Canon printers (5100) may fix their bugs.

[Greg Lockrey]

The 3800 is a sweet machine alright. The price is very reasonable too. I like the ability to change inks from matt to glossy with no hassle. Like I said before, I use this machine primarily for my "Art Card" market and it's easy to do two sided printing with it. For the occasional glossy or semi-gloss print that photographers seem to want it's very nice. The head is different than the 4800 and seems to be a tad sharper.

[Ed Richards]

I see you sell Giclee prints on your WWW site. Pretty highfalutin for Temperance MI.:-) (Nice water colors, BTW)

What are Art Cards?