Which A3 inkjet writer?

[Mats_Knutsson]

...would you recommend for the small 1-person business?
Purpose...print A3 pdf's...
/Mats

[Anonymous]

I have an Epson 1800 which I like. I would actually prefer the color of the 2400 but it wasn't worth the extra cost at the time. I have an HP 1220c (in storage). It's reliable but the color is mediocre and it's paper handling is not so good.

[Dwight]

I assume that you need color. Inkjets still make the best color, but only on special media.

Consider a cheap color laser printer instead. The additional cost is soon made up with cheaper per sheet costs.

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/computers/color-laser-printers/index.html

For inkjet, the six color Epson products have always done me well, but I hate the fact that it wastes so much ink cleaning itself when used infrequently and that for the highest quality color, expensive plastic film is necessary. But they are great prints!

To economize, I have added an HP 1012 consumer printer to the office for inexpensive toner-based black and white on plain paper. This printer cost US$150. and is fast and quiet for day-to-day stuff. Totally problem-free.

I feel that even a small office needs two or three printers to economically address the range of printing challenges.

[Thomas Holm]

I agree with Dwight. Although, I haven't yet found a cheap color laser for larger formats than A4. If you need A3, try to estimate how much you'll print. A good printer may pay for itself in speed and in supply costs, even if it's not cheap to buy. And I think a laser should have a built-in "true" Postscript interpreter. NOT "emulated" (read some HP color lasers). True PS gives you less problems and better color.

If you go for inkjet, I've found Canon's to be both faster in printing and cheaper to supply with ink than others. YMMV.

[Aussie John]

Look for one with cartridges for each colour. Saves a lot of ink when replacing and empty colour. I think the cannons do.

[Mats_Knutsson]

Aussie wrote:
Look for one with cartridges for each colour. Saves a lot of ink when replacing and empty colour. I think the cannons do.

Matthew wrote:
I have an Epson 1800 which I like. I would actually prefer the color of the 2400 but it wasn't worth the extra cost at the time. I have an HP 1220c (in storage). It's reliable but the color is mediocre and it's paper handling is not so good.

Thanks guys, I did some searching and there was a test in a Swedish mag where the Epson 1800 and Canon Bubblejet i6500 got beaten by HP Photosmart 8750. The HP doesn't have a dedicated cartridge for every colour. I think it won the test as a photo printer. The bulk work for this user will be b/w drawing so I may recommend the Canon or Epson.

Btw...are there laser printers that print without margins? I dunno the word for it in english, in swedish it's "out-falling"...😉

[Petros Ioannou]

I just came back from my vacation so I hope I am not too late
I bought an HP Deskjet 9800 two months ago and all I can say is that I am very pleased with the quality and speed.
It has a borderless print option and the ability to print up to 1200mmX300mm.
On the other hand it has only 2 cartridges and I 'll have to wait for at least a year to see what haappens with the paper feed "issue" that is very common with hp printers.

Petros

[Anonymous]

Petros:

I have looked into the 9800 on the web and have read very mixed reviews to say the least. I am curious what kind of prints you are making. I am hoping to do check prints of drawings saved as pdf. files and the occasional larger color prints of cad models.

Are you Windows or Mac? I am using Mac OS 10.4.7.

The Canon i9900 gets better reviews, but costs considerably more.

Thanks,

Don Lee

[Jacek]

Hello everybody,
my trusty Epson 1520 is finally giving up the ghost. Still works but the slowness and the noise is beginning to wear me down.
I have replaced the rollers and the heads at least once each.
Based on this discussion and my own research I have identified the following printers to choose from:
HP 2800 - $499.
HP 9800 - $270.
Epson 1800 - $440.
Epson 2400 - $750.
Canon i9900 - $450.

I spoke with my printer and office machine repair guy - Fadi, and he said:
First forget the HP - a pain in the butt, and poor service.
Epson is good but ink is expensive and chip controlled (in ink cartridge), get Canon; good service, cheaper ink and very good print quality.
That confirms my experience, dealing with both companies. I think I will get the Canon.
Shame that I will be using it for mainly black and white printing and general office use.
Any thoughts?

[Brad Elliott]

I have had a 9800 for over a year now and have been happy with it. The output quality is not as high as the more expensive printers but it is hard to tell unless the sheets are side by side. The machine however does not get a tremendous amount of use and I am only on my 3rd or 4th set of cartridges. That is good for a couple hundred or more 11x17 sheets mixed color and black and white prints.

Gave up on Epson a couple of years ago when I knew of four or five people with relatively new Epsons (a couple of them bought on my recommendation) all had them go bad by the fourth or fifth cartridge replacement and no one had success getting them repaired or replaced.