Wide Format Printers Buying Guide
Buying a wide format printer can be tricky. It may seem like an easy straightforward purchase, but the reality is a way to different. However, this doesn't need to be a daunting task if you understand your goals and the type of printer you are looking for. Generally speaking, your choice will depend on the number of people using the printer, as well as from the type of copy, print and scan jobs. In order to help you, we have decided to round up a guide that will help you find the right one among the many available online wide format printers.
Before doing anything, you need to find a reliable store that offers high-quality wide format printers and after that choose the one that will meet both your need and budget. When choosing the one among the many large format printers, you need to consider whether you want to buy a printer that can print in black & white, or in colour. The choice between these two is driven by how you expect to use the printer. It also depends on what you expect your output to be, and what type of print robustness and print speed you need. But don't forget about the cost-effectiveness which you can determine by analysing the type of print job you need.
The first thing that comes to our mind when buying a wide format printer is the cost. Even though normal, it is not recommended to made the purchase decision based only on the price. For example, a cheap printer may look tempting, but it can turn into an expensive investment because of the pricey toner. Even if you have evaluated the running cost, have you ever thought about some other problems coming with cheaper printers? For instance, if the printer breaks down frequently, this means that you can’t keep up with the customer’s copy demand, so you will end up paying to much in the long run. There is no secret that cost is an obvious and important factor, but so does the printer. To determine the return on this investment you must take into account any related costs like the initial investment, running cost (the costs of media, consumables and service contract), hidden costs (printing a wrong media size or type for example), as well as lease or buy.
When talking about the performance of a wide format printer, many of us immediately look at the printer’s speed listed in the technical specifications. But somehow this is wrong, as the needed time for sending a print job to the printer and holding the print paper in your hand is quite a bit different.
Therefore, when considering the speed and performance of a precise large format printer, you need to look at how you will use the current system. For instance, if you have a lot of documents that need to be printed, the most important thing you need to consider will be the throughput speed. In case of an occasional use, you need to look for a first print out short time.
When buying a wide printer, you need to take into consideration the image quality as well. Besides the resolution, you need to take into account the data (when working with fine/dotted lines and more detailed prints). Don’t forget about the scan technology, as there are differences in quality by different manufacturers.
It is a fact that there is more ease of use than the user interface of a large format printer. When buying a new wide printer you need to consider the ease of adding toner or ink, the ease of loading paper rolls, the expected type of print jobs, consumable loading, ergonomics and the number of users(will the printer be used by many users or by several specialized users?)
Security it is not only associated with up-to-date virus scanners on computers. In fact, large format printers are an integral part of the IT infrastructure, especially when it comes to printers with USB ports. Protecting your printer is crucial, but you also need to protect the intellectual property like the literary and artistic works, inventions, images, names, designs and so on.
It is really difficult to predict the future of the printer, so it is crucial for you to consider how the printer can be updated . This means that if you buy a feature now just in case you need it next year, you might be throwing your money away for nothing. Why? Because your needs might change in the future, so you will need a new printer. Simply said, make sure your printer is adaptable to any changes if and when needed.
Last, but not least, evaluate your floor space and look at the physical dimensions of the printer.
Colour or Black & White
Before doing anything, you need to find a reliable store that offers high-quality wide format printers and after that choose the one that will meet both your need and budget. When choosing the one among the many large format printers, you need to consider whether you want to buy a printer that can print in black & white, or in colour. The choice between these two is driven by how you expect to use the printer. It also depends on what you expect your output to be, and what type of print robustness and print speed you need. But don't forget about the cost-effectiveness which you can determine by analysing the type of print job you need.
Cost
The first thing that comes to our mind when buying a wide format printer is the cost. Even though normal, it is not recommended to made the purchase decision based only on the price. For example, a cheap printer may look tempting, but it can turn into an expensive investment because of the pricey toner. Even if you have evaluated the running cost, have you ever thought about some other problems coming with cheaper printers? For instance, if the printer breaks down frequently, this means that you can’t keep up with the customer’s copy demand, so you will end up paying to much in the long run. There is no secret that cost is an obvious and important factor, but so does the printer. To determine the return on this investment you must take into account any related costs like the initial investment, running cost (the costs of media, consumables and service contract), hidden costs (printing a wrong media size or type for example), as well as lease or buy.
Performance And Speed
When talking about the performance of a wide format printer, many of us immediately look at the printer’s speed listed in the technical specifications. But somehow this is wrong, as the needed time for sending a print job to the printer and holding the print paper in your hand is quite a bit different.
Therefore, when considering the speed and performance of a precise large format printer, you need to look at how you will use the current system. For instance, if you have a lot of documents that need to be printed, the most important thing you need to consider will be the throughput speed. In case of an occasional use, you need to look for a first print out short time.
Image Quality
When buying a wide printer, you need to take into consideration the image quality as well. Besides the resolution, you need to take into account the data (when working with fine/dotted lines and more detailed prints). Don’t forget about the scan technology, as there are differences in quality by different manufacturers.
Ease Of Use
It is a fact that there is more ease of use than the user interface of a large format printer. When buying a new wide printer you need to consider the ease of adding toner or ink, the ease of loading paper rolls, the expected type of print jobs, consumable loading, ergonomics and the number of users(will the printer be used by many users or by several specialized users?)
IT Infrastructure Security
Security it is not only associated with up-to-date virus scanners on computers. In fact, large format printers are an integral part of the IT infrastructure, especially when it comes to printers with USB ports. Protecting your printer is crucial, but you also need to protect the intellectual property like the literary and artistic works, inventions, images, names, designs and so on.
Product Options
It is really difficult to predict the future of the printer, so it is crucial for you to consider how the printer can be updated . This means that if you buy a feature now just in case you need it next year, you might be throwing your money away for nothing. Why? Because your needs might change in the future, so you will need a new printer. Simply said, make sure your printer is adaptable to any changes if and when needed.
Floor Space
Last, but not least, evaluate your floor space and look at the physical dimensions of the printer.
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