A3 inkjet recommendations

[jc55]

Well, after three weeks sifting through the hoards of printers on the infinity that is the internet, I've finally conceded defeat and I'm in desperate need of help. This is the criteria:

- A3 printer
- Separate colour cartridges and if possible, cartridges that have the ink heads (nozzles) built into them, rather than the nozzles being integrated into the printer itself. Last thing I need is to mess about with blocked nozzles. At least with this option, I get new ink heads every time I replace the cartridges.
- Colour DPI should be 4800 x 2400 minimum
- Reasonably priced (£300 ish)
- For use in a home office (may be used for posters, but mainly presentations and general signage)
- Generally a well rated.

Any ideas folks? Thanks in advance.

[jc55]

Thanks for all the support guys! :rolleyes:

Well, if it is of any help to anyone who finds themselves in the same situation I was in, I decided for the Epson Stylus 1400. Probably the best choice, though it didn't quite match my criteria. It does possess the main attributes though, which is good enough for me: separate colours; very well priced at less than £200 including VAT(!) and the purchase follows many good reviews. I was deluded in thinking that I'd fork out around £300 for a printer. Also colour DPI is 4600 x 1200 which is very reasonable for an A3 printer.

There are however a few drawbacks. One is that the ink nozzles are integrated into the printer rather than the ink cartridges themselves, meaning there is a risk of nozzle blockage and may require cleaning, but I'll have to wait and see on that front. Also worth mentioning is that the ink cartridge capacity is slightly on the small side (only 13mls for both colours and black), but given all the colours are separate it might not fare quite as expensive. I have been considering a Continuous Ink System (CIS (http://www.echostore.com/continuous-ink-1400.html)), but I am weary as it may well be more hassle than it is worth.

Oh, and there is no USB cable provided with the printer - quite pathetic when you think about it as the printer itself is worth £200+. A USB A-B cable should be available for £5 - £10 I should imagine.

Other than that, I think I have made the right choice. The printer offers a very competitive spec at an even more competitive price tag. The closest alternative was the Canon Pixma iX4000. The main drawback is that it uses an all in one colour cartridge which is a big no no for small office and/or home use. Also, the iX4500 is slightly outdated and no great compliments can be paid to it's aesthetics.

I will try to remember to post again once I am all set up.

[contink]

Thanks for all the support guys! :rolleyes:
Well would you rather someone had guessed and you'd gotten something cr*p ;)


Well, if it is of any help to anyone who finds themselves in the same situation I was in, I decided for the Epson Stylus 1400. Probably the best choice, though it didn't quite match my criteria. It does possess the main attributes though, which is good enough for me: separate colours; very well priced at less than £200 including VAT(!) and the purchase follows many good reviews. I was deluded in thinking that I'd fork out around £300 for a printer. Also colour DPI is 4600 x 1200 which is very reasonable for an A3 printer.
I'd be interested to hear how that 1400 works out over time as I'm back to looking at Epsons again after an 18 month break playing with Canons and HP officejets..



There are however a few drawbacks. One is that the ink nozzles are integrated into the printer rather than the ink cartridges themselves, meaning there is a risk of nozzle blockage and may require cleaning, but I'll have to wait and see on that front.
True but Epson printheads have a lifetime that far, far exceeds any of the bubblejet tech that Canon and HP have. I have C84's that are still going after 5 years thanks to external waste ink tank modifications, SSC util to reset the waste ink counter and an inkjet cleaning solution from my ink supplier.

All you need to do is put together some refillable cartridges for your printer fill them with cleaning solution and have to them hand if the clogging gets REALLY bad. Normally though you really only need to soak a pad in the solution and then move the printhead manually over the pad and let the solution wick up into the printhead and disolve and cloggage. Patience is the key throughout and it take some experimentation but once you have it, you realise how easy it is. Canons and HP's on the other hand are more prone to burning themselves out.



Also worth mentioning is that the ink cartridge capacity is slightly on the small side (only 13mls for both colours and black), but given all the colours are separate it might not fare quite as expensive. I have been considering a Continuous Ink System (CIS (http://www.echostore.com/continuous-ink-1400.html)), but I am weary as it may well be more hassle than it is worth.
echostore aren't bad but you might want to think about getting a Lyson system. They tend to be better quality and you'll definitely get good inks.. Failing that, drop Robert at refillink.nl (Gemini Colours) a line and ask his advice...


Oh, and there is no USB cable provided with the printer - quite pathetic when you think about it as the printer itself is worth £200+. A USB A-B cable should be available for £5 - £10 I should imagine.
Nobody supplies USB cables with their printers so really it's nothing specific to Epson.


Other than that, I think I have made the right choice. The printer offers a very competitive spec at an even more competitive price tag. The closest alternative was the Canon Pixma iX4000. The main drawback is that it uses an all in one colour cartridge which is a big no no for small office and/or home use. Also, the iX4500 is slightly outdated and no great compliments can be paid to it's aesthetics.
I had an iX4000 that did ok but it wouldn't work with a home grown CIS (my thing) so I sold it recently on eBay. It did alright but I wouldn't necessarily have recommended it for the price it was.

What I'm considering getting in the future is an HP K8600 which is the follow on from the K850. It uses HP88 printheads and I've already developed my own CIS for that type of unit so I'm positively laughing. Unless you know what you're doing though you can get seriously messed up with air getting into the printheads, especially with 3rd party cartridges and CIS kits (Learned this the hard way - looks meaningfully at the pile of 6 printheads @ £30 a piece!)


I will try to remember to post again once I am all set up.
Based on what I've heard about the 1400 I'd say you've done alright... I'd take your time re: the CIS and not jump in with both feet and like I said, report back... I'll be interested to see how you get on.

Cheers
:)

[MichaelTech]

I thought I read you did NOT want built-in p-head nozzels?
Consider HP Deskjet 9600 series, or the BIJ 9000 series.
You get the paper size, and separate ink, p-heads.

[contink]

I thought I read you did NOT want built-in p-head nozzels?
Consider HP Deskjet 9600 series, or the BIJ 9000 series.
You get the paper size, and separate ink, p-heads.

You're right... my mistake.. I missed that... Forget the Epsons then... The iX4000 is a cheaper (non-photo) version of the BIJ 9000 (also from Canon) and as Michael said, they have seperate printheads and cartridges.


I'll have more intel on the HP K8600 soon as I'm waiting for one to arrive.