Printer choice

[razerphotographic]

We've been using P800 for over 6 months and although it isn't perfect it is certainly the best below 24".

What things have you experienced with it Uk Printed Mugs?

Alex - thats great about the roll papers!
I shall add a 17" to my list along with some other bits from you aswell. Also going to be adding a set of inks and carts for ehe Ricoh Sg3110 printer. Long story but have option of buying one along with a load of stock from a friend of a friend. So stupid to turn it down really! but its low on inks but until i've got the printer here I dont know how low it actually is.......

I shall speak to you in due course about ordering P800 bits and pieces

Thanks

[pisquee]

We started with Epson Stylus Pro 4000 and 4400 (after giving up on a CISS fed 1400) and moving to roll fed papers was an amazing transition we haven't looked back on ...

it wasn't long before we realised 17" wasn't enough, and traded up to 24", then 44" which I thought was big enough to not need anything more, but now we're on 64"!

[UK Printed Mugs]

P800 - Excellent but issues are:
1) Feeding paper roll is a pain. Only 1 in 10 happens first time. This morning it took over 40 mins and about 15 tries to get the printer to not reject the feed in.
2) Odd black marks on print-outs. If even using less ink on paper (can reduce by 10%, 20%) and no solid black in artwork then that Epson paper wheel track mark still happens (same as on P600)

Our next step is VJ628 (24") but apparently anything bigger we have been told is more for textiles as print head not for fine detail and we mainly do fine art prints onto coasters, placemats e.t.c

[pisquee]

Our next step is VJ628 (24") but apparently anything bigger we have been told is more for textiles as print head not for fine detail and we mainly do fine art prints onto coasters, placemats e.t.c

Who told you that?

[pw66]

Who told you that?

Isn't the resolution a lot less than a photo printer?
I'm asking because I am weighing up the pros and cons of going from multiple desktops to one wide format sub printer.

[pisquee]

Wide format printers we are currently running:
Epson Stylus Pro 9600 (44")
max resolution: 2880 x 1440 dpi
min droplet size 4pl
96 nozzles x 7 colors

Epson Stylus Pro 11880 (64")
max resolution: 2880 x 1440dpi
min droplet size 3.5pl
360 nozzles x 9 colors

comparing to the Virtuoso VJ 628 (24")
max resolution: 720 x 1440dpi (if using the print driver, 1440 x 1400 if using a RIP)
min droplet size 5pl
180 nozzles x 8 colours

[pw66]

How does that compare to an Epson desktop photo printer such as the 1500w?
max resolution 5760 x 1440
min droplet size 1.5pl
90 nozzles x 6 colours

[pisquee]

Not sure - I'm wondering how the nozzles relate to the resolution - does the 1500W use less nozzles but pass over the print area at slower vertical advances to achieve the 5760 (double the 2880) and so then you also need to look at the print speeds at the different resolutions.

Certainly, comparing the 11880 and the 9600, the 11880 is quicker and better/finer print quality.

[pw66]

Not sure - I'm wondering how the nozzles relate to the resolution - does the 1500W use less nozzles but pass over the print area at slower vertical advances to achieve the 5760 (double the 2880) and so then you also need to look at the print speeds at the different resolutions.

Certainly, comparing the 11880 and the 9600, the 11880 is quicker and better/finer print quality.

The 1500 advances very slowly at higher res/best quality. I assume it makes multiple passes to achieve the resolution. Droplet size also plays a part in a crisper image.
It would seem to me that ultimate print quality is the main criteria you really need a photo printer, of whatever size. Having said that, how much of that print quality is visable after undergoing the sublimation process?

[pisquee]

I realise the print speed and aulity are linked ... what I meant was are the printers achieving the higher res with less nozzles because they're printing slower to achieve this ... I guess they are, and that would make sense.
If this is true, then looking at the max quality at slowest speed is not necessarily the most real work comparison for a production environment.
We print the hard substrates at a slower speed/higher quality than the textiles we print, where we've never had complaints on print quality for using a less quality setting, or that we aren't achieving a print quality of that of a desktop printer.