Air Purifier for Print Studio

[HartmanPrints]

Hey all,

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, not sure where else to put it.

I have a 300 square foot studio that I run 3 epson printers for fine art (p5000, p7000, p7570). I'm looking to reduce dust in the space, and was wondering if anyone has experience using an air purifier for that purpose in a similar manner. Any advice would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance!
-Justin

[mearussi]

It helps to a point (gets rid of larger dust particles). But unless you plan on maintaining a "clean room" environment you still need to take regular precautions.

[Rand47]

I do two things.  I have a Honeywell HEPA air cleaner that also has a carbon impregnated, cleanable/replaceable pre-filter.  It runs on low speed 24/7 in the little studio.  I think it helps significantly.  There’s rarely ever any visible dust on equipment.

The second thing I do is take a hand held Dyson 11 vacuum w/ HEPA filter and hand vacuum the feed mechanisms on my printers.  And I hand vacuum-dust the entire small studio.  Everything, thoroughly, at least once per week: computers, monitors, UPS, all horizontal spaces, shelves, etc.  While I’m doing this manual cleaning, I have the Honeywell running in “Turbo” mode that really moves large volumes of air.  Afterward, I clean the pre-filter on the Honeywell.

I’ve never had issues with dust/dirt contamination in printing, using this routine.

I also have a battery operated “blower” and each and every sheet (and roll prior to loading) gets thoroughly blown off to get rid of any possible clinging dust particles.

Rand

[PeterAit]

I keep a sheet of clear plastic over my 7900 at all times (except for loading paper etc.). I can see thru it and press the printer buttons. The plastic sheet is labeled so the dusty side is always up.

[Les Sparks]

Before I retired from EPA I was involved in major research to determine the effectiveness of indoor air cleaners. Air cleaners using HEPA filters are very effective in removing dust from the indoor environment. The trade organization for air cleaners, AHAM, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, has a test program for air cleaners and provides useful ratings to help determine what size would meet your needs.
Les

[HarveyM43]

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp's Marketplace did a test of a few this past week.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/portable-air-purifier-tests-marketplace-1.5900782

They suggested a box fan/furnace filter was pretty effective for a inexpensive hack.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1855128131520