So, You Want a Large Format Printer?

[Canon Rumors Guy]

<div name="googleone_share_1" style="position:relative;z-index:5;float: right; /*margin: 70px 0 0 0;*/ top:70px; right:120px; width:0;"><g:plusone size="tall" count="1" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/?p=15950"></g:plusone></div><div style="float: right; margin:0 0 70px 70px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="vertical" data-url="http://www.canonrumors.com/?p=15950">Tweet</a></div>
<p>Keith Cooper over at Northlight images has written an excellent article on large format printing. From time to time, I get asked whether or not you should buy one of these printers. There are lots of things to consider if you want to produce your own large images.</p>
<p>The article below nails all the question I get, and may answer all your questions, Other than “Canon or Epson?” You’ll have to let the salesman make up your mind on that one.</p>
<p><strong>Says Keith

</strong><em>“There is undoubtedly an attraction to seeing giant prints of your work on walls, and when you look at some of the deals available for large format printers, they look very attractive, compared to a high end DSLR and a few good lenses. I love having the ability to make my huge prints here, but you do need to think through some of the practicalities.</em></p>
<p><em>I’ve had a large format printer here at Northlight, since 2004. We started with an Epson 9600 (44″ width), adding a 24″ Epson 7880 [<a title="Epson 7880 review" href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/epson_sp_7880.html">review]</a> in 2007, and replacing both with a Canon iPF8300 [<a title="review and usage notes for iPF8300" href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/canon_ipf8300.html">review</a>] in November 2010.  I’ve also had numerous other printers here on loan for a month or so in order to do testing and write all the reviews on this site.</em></p>
<p><em>With this experience I’m often asked about buying large printers. I’m not going to recommend any make or model in particular here, but I do have a number of questions that I feel should be asked, and a number of tips for ensuring that you get the best from such printers.”</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/stuff2/?p=2533" target="_blank">Read the full article</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
<p><em><strong> </strong></em></p>

 

[Harry Muff]

That's not Large Format, this is Large Format...

I worked on these things for years, and it always raises at least one of my eyebrows when I see those office printers referred to as Large Format.




(No, that's not me. I just grabbed the image off Google).

 

[dickgrafixstop]

That's not Large Format, this is Large Format...

I worked on these things for years, and it always raises at least one of my eyebrows when I see those office printers referred to as Large Format.






Technically speaking that's not large format either - those printers are marketed as "grand format" which includes anything over 62". Large format is generally defined as 17-62 inches - at least by most rip providers
(who charge extra for larger sizes).

 

[ahab1372]

That's not Large Format, this is Large Format...

I worked on these things for years, and it always raises at least one of my eyebrows when I see those office printers referred to as Large Format.




(No, that's not me. I just grabbed the image off Google).

and there is this:

http://www.bigimagesystems.com/services/infinitus

12m x 50m

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I had a chance to buy a used 44 inch epson that the seller claimed was unused and came with new inks for $300. When I read the setup instructions that said use 4 able bodies persons to carry it in and put it in place, I passed it up.

However, I had the bug, and picked up a 24 inch printer a week later for $100. After cleaning the heads and replacing the light cyan cartridge, its fine. I'll probably sell it after playing with it for a while.

 

[lion rock]

Mt Spokane,
Our office bought a 44 inch 8 cartridge plus 2 waste carrier printer, I think it was the 9880 model. I was able to set the unit up by myself until the printing unit had to be put onto the carriage, which I recruited a coworker to help lift the printing unit onto the wheeled carriage.
The overall unit, while in its original shipping box may need a number of people to move around, but the assembled unit is not that bad.

I got the Canon ProPixma 1, and the shipping box said it was 70 pounds. It is still not put together, as my home camera "office" is upstairs in the bonus room. Just can't take it up the stairs. Been maybe over 8 months sitting in a spare bedroom in the main level at home.

Also, I remember when we got out first home in mid-December in 1987, we wanted to get a Christmas tree, and being a "conscientious" family, we wanted to get a live tree. The guy, a burly person, said he had to get his associate to help lift the tree/rootball up our car trunk! I looked at my wife in shock. How the hell were we, 5'4" + 5', get the tree out of the car? And after the season was over, we wanted to put the tree outside in the ground, but the ground was frozen! Sat in the basement (walk out) until the weather warmed up. The tree was used to replace a dead one in the backyard lining the roadside and in less than 10 years, it grew to as high as the rest of the trees in the neighborhood.
-r