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    3 Main Considerations When Buying a Large Format Color Printer

    By on Last modified: May 3, 2016

    Implementing a large format color printer in your business portfolio can bring many benefits to your work environment. While standard printers offer the ability to produce documents, share information with employees and clients and prepare business presentation, they do not always live up to the requirements of all businesses. A large format color printer, on the other hand, provides high-quality images to business ranging from schools to home construction companies.

    When it comes to buying a large format color printer, there are no one-size-fits all models. Your choice needs to be made based on a number of factors, such as the number of people who will be using the printer, the type of print, copy and scan required. The guide below contains the main considerations to help you make an informed choice based on your needs and personal preferences.

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    1. Costs

    You should not make your decision based only on the price factor. A cheaper printer that requires expensive toner cartridges is in fact a pricey printer in disguise. And even when you evaluate the running cost of a printer, you are not done. You may think you have come across a good deal for a printer, but if the machine isn’t high quality, it will need frequent repairs and you will end up expending too much in the long run. As you can see, hidden costs can totally change the picture. Factors to consider include:

    • Initial investment – Make sure to compare different configurations and delivery conditions and keep in mind that installations of new drivers can take time and cost money.
    • Running cost – These include the cost of media, consumables, and the service contract and can be determined in advance with proper calculations. However, in order to make these calculations, you need to obtain reliable information and vendors often provide averages that may not be typical to your daily usage of the printer. You also need to estimate the additional costs for the short and long term for service contract that doesn’t cover spare parts.
    • Hidden costs – These include having to print multiple times to get optimal print quality, printing files twice because it is not readable, and printing on the wrong media size or media type.
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    2. Performance and Speed

    To find out the performance of a large format printer, many tend to look at the printer speed showed in the technical specifications. However, the time necessary for sending a print task to the printer and actually having the print in your hands are two things totally different things. So, when considering the performance of a large format printer check more than just the initial specifications. Below I have listed additional factors to consider in order to obtain a complete picture of a printer’s performance.

    • Processing time – Prints, before they start printing, they need to process the files in order to be able to print them. Processing capabilities can vary greatly and the internal memory is what indicates this, so test the prints printing a large file.
    • Warm-up time – Also, when not used for a while, a printer returns to sleep-mode. In some cases, it may take several minutes for the print to be ready to start printing again.
    • Speed vs print quality mode – In color prints, the print speed varies according to the draft mode or higher quality presentation mode and this time difference can be up to 10 minutes.
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    3. Image Quality

    When you think about the image quality that large format printers offer, the first thing that comes to mind is resolution. However, resolution does not always provide the best quality. When it comes to technical drawing prints, it is extremely important that fine, dotted lines are printed clearly. Losing a fine or dotted line can lead to catastrophic consequences as they represent electrical wiring at construction sites. Consider the following when looking at image quality.

    • Resolution versus image processing – Instead of checking the resolution of the printer, pay attention to the way it interprets the data – this is especially important when your work involves detailed and fine or dotted lines.
    • Quality and media dependency – As mentioned before, quality varies greatly when using a color print. When printing on photo paper of glossy paper, differences may occur in quality of fine and thin lines and color output.
    • Scan technologies – To make copies, the original document need to be scanned first. Different printers offer different scan technologies, so make sure the print you choose feature scan technology able to meet your needs.