Purchasing a large format printer.

[benhasajeep]

I read a couple reviews. Supposedly better blacks, better yellows. But most reviews said it was hard to tell difference between the 9900 and new 9000. I read one review complaining the 9000 no longer had ink levels on the front monitor. These were all over a year old. If the big ones are anything like the mid-sized ones. The printer stops when ink is too low. You refill it. It does it's ink replenishment checks. And starts printing again. In a busy store that might be a hassle not noticing the printer stopped, waiting on ink refill. But for a small run shop, probably not such a big deal.

 

[kleinheinz]

My local film lab here is using a big fat canon printer for about 8k €. They are professionals and so called "Handwerksmeister". If they dont know what quality printing is, no one does.
I hope i could help you at least a little bit.

 

[photowilly]

A update! Just purchased the Epson P8000, it should be delivered next week. Does anyone own one?

 

[benhasajeep]

That's a big printer.

Use it at least every couple days. Even if you just do a 4x6 in it. You want to keep it from doing an automatic cleaning every couple days, or when you start it up after several days of idle.
Careful about switching between blacks. It uses the same switching system as the smaller printers. It pumps the one color your switching too the clean the line out. Since it's a 44" I am sure it's a bit more ink than my 17" wide printer. So to keep costs down, keep printing gloss etc, until you have a good run a matt to do. Keep the wasted ink down.

It may be time for me to get a new unit. Ours is throwing clogged nozzle warnings more often. Guess that model has a history of it. Think we have kept ours longer than most others though. Been looking at the P800 (eight hundred) as a replacement.

 

[photowilly]

That's a big printer.

Use it at least every couple days. Even if you just do a 4x6 in it. You want to keep it from doing an automatic cleaning every couple days, or when you start it up after several days of idle.
Careful about switching between blacks. It uses the same switching system as the smaller printers. It pumps the one color your switching too the clean the line out. Since it's a 44" I am sure it's a bit more ink than my 17" wide printer. So to keep costs down, keep printing gloss etc, until you have a good run a matt to do. Keep the wasted ink down.

It may be time for me to get a new unit. Ours is throwing clogged nozzle warnings more often. Guess that model has a history of it. Think we have kept ours longer than most others though. Been looking at the P800 (eight hundred) as a replacement.

that is one thing that worries me, that I will not print enough. The way it goes with me is I may not really need to print anything for a couple weeks and then need to print thirty or forty. But after spending $18000 on printing, from 1-1-16 to current date this year, I decided to take the jump an buy one. So I am better off to print a small image than to use the self cleaning option? I have never done any printing, so any tips are greatly appreciated!

 

[benhasajeep]

that is one thing that worries me, that I will not print enough. The way it goes with me is I may not really need to print anything for a couple weeks and then need to print thirty or forty. But after spending $18000 on printing, from 1-1-16 to current date this year, I decided to take the jump an buy one. So I am better off to print a small image than to use the self cleaning option? I have never done any printing, so any tips are greatly appreciated!

Well my 4880 and I guess 4900 series is known for clogging issues if they are not used enough. I don't know if your printer will have an automatic cleaning if it's idle for 60-84 hours. But I suspect it does. The cleaning cycles on the models I know can use 1 to 2mil a color for a cleaning cycle. It would use less ink up if you made sure a print was done every now and then to prevent it. I would also check and see if it's better to leave the printer on or off. As some does a quick cleaning on start up. I would look for some good specific printer forums and follow your new printer there. You will also want to get information on keeping it calibrated and settings for different papers and such. For me I figured each cleaning cycle cost me $.50 $1 a color. I have 80ml cartridges. Roughly $40 each. So each would provide me with 40 - 80 or so cleanings. Any maybe the average is 60 for $.75 a color per cleaning.

 

[photowilly]

I understand that I can set it to clean the heads on a regular basis. I think up to 60 hours

 

[benhasajeep]

I understand that I can set it to clean the heads on a regular basis. I think up to 60 hours

The thing is you don't want to clean the heads every 60 hours. Your sending up to 2 mils of ink for each color into the ink pads (waste). If you print often the nozzles do not clog. And need less cleaning. So, the reasoning of at least printing a 4x6 every couple days is to keep the ink moving through the nozzles. And then you will not have to waste ink on a cleaning cycle.

 

[photowilly]

So from a lot of the reading I have been doing, I can see that low humidity/dry air plays a big part in the heads getting clogged, that being said, I have a basement, would putting the printer down there be a good idea? cooler temps, and damp air?

 

[benhasajeep]

So from a lot of the reading I have been doing, I can see that low humidity/dry air plays a big part in the heads getting clogged, that being said, I have a basement, would putting the printer down there be a good idea? cooler temps, and damp air?

Not for your paper!

 

[photowilly]

So from a lot of the reading I have been doing, I can see that low humidity/dry air plays a big part in the heads getting clogged, that being said, I have a basement, would putting the printer down there be a good idea? cooler temps, and damp air?

Not for your paper!

What effect would that have on the paper? I didnt say this before but it is a completely finished, heated an cooled basement, i just thought the air may not be as dry down there.

 

[benhasajeep]

So from a lot of the reading I have been doing, I can see that low humidity/dry air plays a big part in the heads getting clogged, that being said, I have a basement, would putting the printer down there be a good idea? cooler temps, and damp air?

Not for your paper!

What effect would that have on the paper? I didnt say this before but it is a completely finished, heated an cooled basement, i just thought the air may not be as dry down there.

Paper will absorb moisture. But if it's on your hvac system and they are kept in packages. Then it will probably be all right. I was just guessing was not heated and cooled.