Buying a printer in Sydney, Australia

[Jeff-Grant]

As part of my problem with printing, I thought that I would look at smaller printers. I discovered the Epson Artisan 1430, a Canon and an HP that look OK. A quick visit to the Epson website gave me a list of local retailers. I then called a few of them who either didn't have one in stock, or had one in a box. Not one of them actually has a printer that you can try. I rang Epson, and was told that they didn't have any showroom and that it was my problem to find a dealer who had one.

Given that I have a specific problem that I am trying to solve, I'm not willing to pay out $300 for a printer that may not work. I'm hoping that someone in Sydney might know where one of these exists connected to a PC that I can try.

[David Anderson]

Hi Jeff,

I deal with Kayell in Sydney for most things photographic including my Epson.
They're a very good bunch.

I'm not sure of the model you mention, but I will say when I bought my 3880 they helped me no end in getting set-up and sorted with the right profiles and paper.

http://www.kayellaustralia.com.au

[Jeff Grant]

Hi David,

Kayell only sell pro printers unfortunately. I checked them out before posting. My problem is that I want to see a consumer printer. I'm trying to print 5x7 cards and the 3880 pushes the paper around too much.

[BobShaw]

Kayell sell a range of Epson printers including desktop and business.
see http://www.kayellaustralia.com.au/printers-accessories-c-200.html
If you are not buying a pro printer (even one of the low end ones called "pro") then you may as well buy them anywhere, as the variable results will be the same. Try Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, Kmart etc.
You will pay a lot more for ink with 13ml cartridges than you will with say 80mL cartridges so what you save in printers (essentially free) you will spend in cartridges.
If the 3880 pushes the paper around too much then something is wrong. Check the guides or the paper detection menus. for really accurate printing you need Mirage Print.

[Jeff-Grant]

Thanks Bob. I'm using Mirage for this stuff. It's great for getting images just right. I don't think that there is an issue with the printer per se. I don't think that it's designed to work with smaller sheets of paper and it normally doesn't matter if its a bit off. The problem is that I need very precise print on 5x7 cards.

I've tried many of the retailers. None of them have demos that you can try. Camera shops used to have stuff on display but I guess that they got sick of tyre kickers who tried and then went and bought online.

If I could find someone who could cut and score small jobs for me, I would just print on A2 and let them do it. Please don't suggest Officeworks. I've tried them and found their precision disappointing.

[luxborealis]

If the 3880 pushes the paper around too much then something is wrong. Check the guides or the paper detection menus. for really accurate printing you need Mirage Print.

Agreed! There is something wrong with your 3880. I print cards on MOAB Entradolopes (7x10", pre-scored for folding to 5x7") and have no problem with alignment.

[Jeff-Grant]

I'm struggling to think that my 3880 has a problem. I had the same problem on a 3800. I'm more inclined to say that it is humidity or some other factor. I am getting the problem on a 315GSM paper currently. Would those of you who say that they have no issues mid telling me how you load the sheet feeder - 1 at a time, 5 10 or whatever?

[luxborealis]

I'm struggling to think that my 3880 has a problem. I had the same problem on a 3800. I'm more inclined to say that it is humidity or some other factor. I am getting the problem on a 315GSM paper currently. Would those of you who say that they have no issues mid telling me how you load the sheet feeder - 1 at a time, 5 10 or whatever?

I put a "handful" (sometimes 1, sometimes 4 or 5, other times 15 or anything in between) in the rear sheet feeder then slide the left guide across so that the paper is flush to the right. When I send a job over, the printer goes through the motions of aligning the paper left to right and in the first sheet goes.

I can't say I've ever thought of measuring the consistency until now as I've never noticed a difference, but I've just printed a few dozen cards from 6 different files and they are all printed precisely down to less than 0.5mm. In fact I could find no measurable difference.

[Jeff-Grant]

Thanks Terry. 'No noticeable difference' sounds good, 0.5mm is bad. I'll try with a stack of about 10 and report back.

[digitaldog]

I deal with Kayell in Sydney for most things photographic including my Epson.
They're a very good bunch.

+1, these guys are golden.

[Jeff-Grant]

I agree about Kayell. They are great and are one of the few places where you can talk to someone who has a clue.

It's a long way for you to go to buy a box of paper Andrew?