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Author Topic: adding a small format printer  (Read 3390 times)

mstevensphoto

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adding a small format printer
« on: March 06, 2015, 01:20:26 pm »

Hey folks, I've got and love a canon ipf8400. the amount of paper and time waste making 5x7s and 8x10s is fairly annoying and costly. I've contemplated just outsourcing the small prints to somewhere like Millers Lab, but that takes away my paper options. I'm not contemplating a desktop printer for borderless 8x10 and 5x7 prints. I've not had a desktop printer since my old epson 2880 and that was pretty much a love hate mostly hate relationship.

are there current offerings that don't constantly clog if left to sit for 1-2 weeks? how about reasonable maintenance/ink costs? I'm only interested in pigment ink solutions. not married to a brand. I want something that doesn't come with guarantee of brain damage.

what would you do/buy?
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Ken Bennett

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2015, 01:53:47 pm »

A couple of months ago I got an Epson R3000 for my studio, for quick small prints. I like it: with very little use I've not had any clogs (I keep it turned off when not in use), it makes good prints, it's not too big, and it's reasonably fast. Yes, ink costs are more than with a larger printer, but they still aren't that bad.
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Stefan Ohlsson

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2015, 10:40:26 am »

Hey folks, I've got and love a canon ipf8400. the amount of paper and time waste making 5x7s and 8x10s is fairly annoying and costly. I've contemplated just outsourcing the small prints to somewhere like Millers Lab, but that takes away my paper options. I'm not contemplating a desktop printer for borderless 8x10 and 5x7 prints. I've not had a desktop printer since my old epson 2880 and that was pretty much a love hate mostly hate relationship.

are there current offerings that don't constantly clog if left to sit for 1-2 weeks? how about reasonable maintenance/ink costs? I'm only interested in pigment ink solutions. not married to a brand. I want something that doesn't come with guarantee of brain damage.

what would you do/buy?
I should take a look on the new Epson P600 printer. They seem to have done a great job to solve the clogging problem, as I haven't more than one clog during the 4 months that I have used this printer.
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mstevensphoto

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2015, 03:15:33 pm »

interesting idea on the p600 I'd love to load a roll of 10" wide paper into it and fire away. any idea how much waste paper there is if using a roll for 8x10's? My main issue now on the ipf8400 is that I get literally 1/3 to 1/4 of the roll wasted when doing borderless 8x10's because it insists on spitting out 4" between every print.
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Stefan Ohlsson

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2015, 05:30:44 pm »

interesting idea on the p600 I'd love to load a roll of 10" wide paper into it and fire away. any idea how much waste paper there is if using a roll for 8x10's? My main issue now on the ipf8400 is that I get literally 1/3 to 1/4 of the roll wasted when doing borderless 8x10's because it insists on spitting out 4" between every print.
Haven't tried that on this printer. I haven't used roll paper in this one. But I don't believe there is a knife, so you have do the cutting yourself. I'll see if I can buy a roll of 10" wide paper and test.
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stockjock

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2015, 09:46:17 pm »

interesting idea on the p600 I'd love to load a roll of 10" wide paper into it and fire away. any idea how much waste paper there is if using a roll for 8x10's? My main issue now on the ipf8400 is that I get literally 1/3 to 1/4 of the roll wasted when doing borderless 8x10's because it insists on spitting out 4" between every print.

I have an iPF8400 also but I've never tried to print small on it.  But can't you use the layout functions in Lightroom or Qimage to layout multiple images on a roll or large sheet and then just cut them without any waste?  I even have a vague recollection of some sort of Canon supplied layout software that was part of the print driver or something?  It is probably cheaper to buy a good paper cutter than a whole new printer LOL.  That is what I did when I was printing some 8x10's on 17x22" sheets.
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mstevensphoto

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2015, 10:46:27 pm »

there is sadly a massive amount of waste and pain in the butt factor making small prints on the ipf8400

should you want to do individual sheets it is exceptionally cumbersome and time consuming (better than the 8300 though)

using a 10" roll nets you lovely 8x10 borderless prints and a 4" stirp of waste for every one. it literally wastes at least a quarter of your roll

one would think you could gang 3 8x10's across a 24" roll but you can't because to print borderless the prints are enlarged so you end up with two 7.8x10's and one 8.2x10 try to cheat and you get a border. on a 17" roll you waste less paper because you are printing 16" of it BUT they still must be cut apart. I want to eliminate the time taken slicing master sheets apart (and laying them out for that matter). I want one 8x10 when I want one I don't want to wait until there are two six or 43, and I want it to come out as an 8x10 ready to hand off.
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stockjock

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Re: adding a small format printer
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2015, 12:51:13 am »

You should be able to find a ton of new unopened Canon Pixma Pro-100 printers on Craigslist for $100-150 that might fit your needs.  The ink cost is high but the quality is supposed to be great and Canon had been running very aggressive rebates.  Heck, I have one in an unopened box that I would sell for $125 plus shipping LOL.
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