Colour printer... At a total loss! Help me pick one!

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Colour printer... At a total loss! Help me pick one!

JayADee

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#150204 15-Jul-2014 09:18

I need a printer. I haven't owned on in decades. Now I'm working from home and need one.

I need to be able to print draft copies of books, brochures, photos etc. to proof them before they go to a printer and to show clients to give them (and me) an idea of how things will look before they get a proof copy from the printer. I'll need colour but I expect black and white and grey scale to be the bulk of it. I need it to print both sides (duplex). It needs to be able to show graphics in colour and grey scale reasonably well. It doesn't need to be fast. It doesn't need to print on special papers. It doesn't need to do photos on photo paper as I have access to a very good photo printer.

I do have an older scanner but wouldn't mind replacing it with an all in one printer/scanner if the scanner on the printer was of very good quality because I do need a very good scanner for scanning photos at high quality for printing restored photos and to use in publications.

For paper size, up to A3. Brochures go all the way to the edge but I suppose I could proof scaled down versions as I doubt printers go all the way to the edge. I can't imagine larger paper sizes would be required often enough to be worth the added expense of printers that do larger paper.

Budget: don't know yet. I'd like good quality, a workhorse. I'll look at the spend after I get a range idea.

Connectivity: wifi would be ideal. I'm not sure if I'm going to sit it in the hall next to my fritz!box 7390 router and network it that way via the router USB port or in my office next to my laptop where I suppose it will take up a USB port.

OS used with: Windows 8.1, AirPrint for the iPads would be nice but not essential.

Thanks for your suggestions!

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#1089211 15-Jul-2014 12:31

How big are these books (how many pages)?
What sort of speed do you need?
How many pages do you expect to print per month and how many in one session?

JayADee

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#1089340 15-Jul-2014 15:33

graemeh: How big are these books (how many pages)?
What sort of speed do you need?
How many pages do you expect to print per month and how many in one session?

About 150 pages, double sided A4 with photos. I print a draft copy off in one shot. I can see problems easier on paper than on screen.

I don't need fast, I can set it on print and let it do its thing.
Don't know how many a month. Hubby will use it occasionally as well for bits and pieces. He has one at work for the bulk of his work stuff.

I need colour to check out composition etc. on colour stuff like brochures. I like to print them off and stick them on the wall, compare versions etc.

I would like a really good scanner included if possible, mine is old and the driver (no updates) isn't that happy with windows 8 even in compatible mode which is slowing me down. A few hundred photos takes a long time with the scanner behaving less than optimally.

Thanks for any recommendations.

Niel

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#1089389 15-Jul-2014 17:20

Samsung CLP-775ND colour network duplex laser printer. Bought it about a year ago from Citywide Tech at a really good price, something like $260 (now it is around to $700). With the volume you print, a laser printer will save you lots. Even for me with the odd kids homework printout, at that special price the laser printer was much cheaper than the all-in-one inkjet.

The only issue I've had so far with the printer was with collated multiple copy printing it would print an indefinite number of copies, but I think it was resolved in a firmware and/or drive update (have not collated for a while to check).

Printing directly from our Samsung phones/tables also works well.

You can never have enough Volvos!

timmmay

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#1089417 15-Jul-2014 17:37

Laser has some advantages in terms of clarity, but inkjet are better at photos. If you go the inkjet way Epson Artisan with a RIHAC continuous ink system would be an economic way to do things - it reduces the cost of ink by around 90%.

JayADee

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#1089421 15-Jul-2014 17:45

Thanks for the advice, very much appreciated as it gives me a starting point as well as specific models. :) I'll do some research with those as a guide.

mattwnz

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#1089443 15-Jul-2014 18:33

I think you need to start by looking at consumable prices. I have found cheaper printers equals more expensive consumables, verse more expensive printers equals cheaper consumables.

Batman

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#1089491 15-Jul-2014 19:42

following this thread with interest ... :D

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scuwp

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#1089500 15-Jul-2014 19:47

I don't know the answer, but is it worth it?

It may be just as financially viable to get the larger print runs done at the local Warehouse Stationary or similar, or alternatively lease a commercial printer, and keep a decent home grade one for smaller runs. Just throwing a couple of alternatives out there.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Batman

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#1089501 15-Jul-2014 19:48

so quality aside, lasers are cheaper to run than inkjets?

sir1963

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#1089525 15-Jul-2014 20:14

joker97: so quality aside, lasers are cheaper to run than inkjets?

Oh yes indeed.

Inkjet ink is per litre about the most expensive liquid you can buy.

Look for something where you can get 3rd party inks if you do buy an inkjet.

timmmay

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#1089531 15-Jul-2014 20:29

With RIHAC ink systems ink costs go down by 90%.

JayADee

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#1089533 15-Jul-2014 20:31

scuwp: I don't know the answer, but is it worth it?

It may be just as financially viable to get the larger print runs done at the local Warehouse Stationary or similar, or alternatively lease a commercial printer, and keep a decent home grade one for smaller runs. Just throwing a couple of alternatives out there.

Always happy to read alternatives!

Believe it or not it's a long drive (about 40 minutes) to the nearest such facility. :) Plus the reason I'm working from home is I'm not well.

An upper end home version is basically what I'm looking for I think since for commercial end products I'm sending people off with a USB stick and the nearest commercial printer's quote or emailing the file directly there for them.

I'm wanting printing for proofs for myself and clients. So decent colour and photo images. Printing to edge would be nice. A3 would be nice.

The scanner I'll be using for scanning photos for photo retouching and photo quality reprints (not printed on this printer) and for photos which will be ending up in a book which goes to a commercial printer. So the scanner quality is very important. Surely by now flatbed scanners on multi functions are up to the task? We just finished one such project and my scanner could do with an update.

The Epson Artisan series looks interesting.

JayADee

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#1089535 15-Jul-2014 20:32

timmmay: With RIHAC ink systems ink costs go down by 90%.

I just watched a demo of that on youtube. Are you using one with an Artisan? How are you finding it?

timmmay

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#1089546 15-Jul-2014 20:48

JayADee:
timmmay: With RIHAC ink systems ink costs go down by 90%.

I just watched a demo of that on youtube. Are you using one with an Artisan? How are you finding it?

It just works. Nothing else to say really.

DaveDog

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#1089725 16-Jul-2014 08:44

It might be worth considering purchasing or leasing a printer where you pay a monthly cost per copy and toner is included. I've been through this some years back and in the end we purchased a Konika Minolta A4 multifunction (was $3k back then) on a monthly service contract for Xc per copy - it was MUCH cheaper than the cost of purchasing toner... If I recall, we recouped the purchase cost in the first 12/18 months - and I wouldn't have said our usage was anywhere near yours...

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