Thinking about getting a wide format ink jet printer for my photography

[chicagochris]

Hello all,

I have been a graphic designer / and hobbiest photographer since 1999. I have been working with Adobe products since 1996.

I am thinking about buying a wide format ink jet printer so that I can print my photography to at least 36"x24". I would like to sell my pieces, and also display them at local Chicago area galleries.

Does anyone have an idea what a good printer is? Keep in mind I am not the richest person ;-P However, I would like a good printer at a cost effective price. What brands are better?

If anyone can give me advice as to what brand, model, and what features to look for in a printer, please help me out with some guidance. ;-) Where could I go to purchase one? Or purchase a used one?

Thanks!

Chris

 

[tyindorset]

An Epson, 7800 would serve you well. You can get one new for about 2800 and less for a used one. It's got 24"-inch wide capabilities and prints beautiful color prints on semi-matte or gloss prints ... easy to use and the ink is 'reasonable.' Though, Epson is ridiculous when it comes to maintenance tanks? But there are always options to circumvent Epson's attempts to milk your pocket (third-party inks and chip overrides) For the money and for what you're looking to produce, it's worth the initial investment ... good luck to you

 

[Steve Werner]

Epson and HP are both products I see in many shops for high quality reproductions. Aqueous based inks seem to give some advantages in terms of quality but you lose durability. You might want to post over on Signs101, there are alot of people over there who've been doing this for 10 to 15 years now.

 

[stargate]

Any of Epson 7800, 7880, 7900, 9800, 9880, 9900, HP Z2100, Z3100 or 3200 or even Canon imagePROGRAF W6400, iPF 6300, 6350, Canon imagePROGRAF W8400, iPF 8300 will do. Whatever you can get...

 

[rich apollo]

Just be certain to allow for RIP software, a spectrophotometer, and color management software (or having some profiles built). If you just attach an inkjet printer to your computer you'll be disappointed. The lack of control (color and calibration) will likely make the investment a waste of time and money.

 

[jotterpinky]

we've had very good results and quality with our Canon iPF8000. It has fantastic print quality and we do not use a RIP. We calibrate our screens for our smaller Xerox color printers and use an RGB workflow and I have yet to be disappointed by the color from screen to print. It's a 12 color system so a full set of inks runs about $3000 for the large cartridges. I have used an Epson 4800 desktop system and it also did a pretty good job. I believe they are just a smaller version of the 7800.

 

[killer1loop]

I think that the best all-in-one solution is something new from HP. Their wideformat printers all have built-in calibration, icc color profiles, a spectrophotometer and simple accounting features.

The best for photography is absolutely the Z3200 photo. It is cheaper than Epson and inks last longer because of thermal inkjet technology that doesn't need a waste container (it does not produce any wasted ink).

If you want to spend a little less, go for the Z2100, it is still the highest quality but it uses 8 inks instead of 12.

 

[prepresscolor]

Hi Chris

Hi Chris

As a photographer myself I have been considering the Epson Stylus Pro series for the past few years but, the HP Z Series is quickly winning me over. With the on-board spectrophotometer and the ease in which you can "profile" a new meeds, you should really look into these machines. Also, another thing I like on these is the ability to replace printheads along with ink cartridges.
I really think you will like how it prints on media like stretchable canvas and watercolor papers too.

 

[Photomouse1]

Hi Chris,

We use an Epson 7880. It takes a 24" roll. We use it for photo paper and canvas. We find it fantastic. We've had it for four years. We have had it serviced one and it never let's us down. Occasionally we were getting ink blots but we figured out that we need to increase the 'platten gap' and now it runs so well. We will never switch from Epson now. We are considering buying a second hand 64" now.

If you look at the pictures on our website you can see how lovely it prints.

My Photo on Canvas

Good luck,
Angie

 

[jl1783]

Im selling a canon ipf 6350 only been use min of 10 times $2,700 or best offer [email protected] 225-806-7070