Which large format printer

[Mikejax]

Hi
My name is Mike and I am new to the forum.
I would like to start printing photos on to canvas at home and I have tried to research on which printers to look at.
It looks lik this can get really technical so I decided to post the question : can anyone advise what would be a good printer to start with (for some reason I have a preference for Canon)
I live in South Africa and my budget would be around R10 000 ($1400).
Would appreciate any advice on printers and training material (books, websites etc)
Thanks.

[Vuurtoren]

Hi Mike, I know it can be quite daunting knowing what is and is not a good printer.  Especially when you want to know that you are buyig the best for 1400 dollars, I had to convert that to euros for me and it is €1000.  Look, I can only share with you my technique for sampling through the information.

Prioritise your needs.  I bought a printer based mainly upon its ability to handle different media, in your case Canvas.  Search in google for terms such as Canvas printing and epson printer or canon or HP.  Reviews on Canon printer and canvas printing.  Get reviews from Google.

My personal opinion?  I started with canon and when that went wonky moved straight to Epson.  Why, simply because of Media and more importantly I have noticed that practically all paper manufacturers and special media suppliers provide ICC profiles and specs for their particular paper with Epson printers.  I have sometimes noticed Canon missing or more frequently even HP missing in the ICC profile lists and manufacturers support of their own branded media.

I am in no position to offer pointers, my experience is that Epson is a good and reliable brand, all the important third party papers are supported and even Black and White profiles for the advanced black and white mode has ICC profiles for it.  And the ink costs from the 3800 upwards are good, not desirable , still a rip off, but in comparison to specs I have read with other printers they are good.  Epson's support in Europe is, from the few times that I have contacted them, less than knowledgeable - I get all my info from users, the technical support is quite irritating from untrained staff.  But is it any different from canon or HP?

For a quick and very reliable overview about the Epson 3800 (you really do not want to go lower if you are going to print fairly regularly and canvas is an ink eater, so deffinately not below a 3800) go to http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/

Hope this helps you.  I also hope that people with canons might give you feedback as well.

regards
Chris.

[Mikejax]

Thanks for the advise Chris.
It is a pity no other responses.

[Vuurtoren]

I know, I've been on the other end of this before.  The psychological problem with forums is that you see how many people are viewing your post and tend to get rather disturbed because not one has even said Hi.  Unfortunately this is still the internet and not a public place of gathering, peole browse our posts as if for curiosity and only a few browse to see whether or not they can help.  I expect that there may well be not one professional canon user on this forum who has seen your post.

Just keep typing in search word terms involving canvas paper/printing on inkjet canon, then change the word to Epson but keep the same consisitency in your other search terms.  place the words in inverted commas that you want to group together.  For Example "Canvas printing" and "Canon reviews" use this tactic in the search box for greater accuracy, include the 'and' parameter for example, use words like reviews tested experimented.  You usually will find many peoples' experiences this way than on a forum and you will get much more information by which you will be able to arrive at a happy desicion.

regards
Chris

[Don Libby]

Mike

Just noticed this and will add my 2¢ from a slightly different perspective.

I've been printing on canvas now for several years all on the Epson line of printers, first with the 4000 and currently with a 9800.  No matter the printer make first decide what width you'll likely print and if the budget is there go larger.  A good friend of mine brought a Epson 24" and only had it less than a month before selling it and getting a 9800 (44").

The other aspect to canvas printing the protecting the canvas once its been printed.

I've very impressed with Epson printers and inks and have sold images at over $3000 with no complaints from the clients.

Don

[mburke]

I recently purchased a Canon ipf 6300. With rebates and free inks the price was about 1,700 us dollars. If you shop around they have some great prices on the ipf 6100 now. I have printed several different types of papers including canvas and am very, very happy with the results. Search for a Canon wiki. It has all kinds of support and data on the Canon printers. I used this extensively when I was researching 24" printers. One of the main reasons I like Canon was no ink changing for matt or fine art papers. The roll handling is superb. If you take your time and ask questions on the wiki it works great. I use Qimage for printing software and the fact you don't have to upsize or sharpen your files along with the ease of layout makes printing a breeze.

Good luck - hope your search was as good as mine.

Mike

[ehackett]

Hi, Mike,

About your frustration at so little response to your question:  if you look at the "printers, papers, and ink" segment of the LL forum you will find extensive discussions of printers.  You are facing a daunting choice, because it will always seem that for just a little more money you can get a printer that offers some really nifty additional feature or capability.  There are some very good deals on printers available right now, and what seems to make them very good is the amount of ink included in the deal.  You'l find lots of discussion of that on the PPI segment.

I've used a Canon i9900 ($500 new) for the past 6 years and just replaced the printhead.  I have been very happy with results, but have noticed that my printer has become something of an orphan in terms of profiles for new papers.  I would also like to move from dye to pigment inks (though the blacks concern me). 

Anyway, what you'll quickly learn from the discussions of printers is that there is no perfect solution but some set of compromises (size, cost, weight, availability) and some matters of taste or intuition that will drive your final decision.  Epson or Canon printers is a bit like Nikon or Canon SLR cameras--either choice will work extremely well, just think through the experiences others have had in light of your personal preferences/tolerances.  (For example, nozzle clogs caused by not using the printer for a couple of weeks would trouble me because photography is a hobby and I print episodically.  For a pro who prints almost daily/surely weekly this would not matter.)

I'll be interested to see what you choose, since I'm thinking about upgrading to something about the same price.  I still lean toward Canon, based on my recent years' experience. but all said above about Epson (3880 or 4880 are great choices for your prince point (considering inks, too), and maybe a 3900 so something about to announce) is valid.

"Shades of Paper" may be a good source of advice for you.

Best wishes,

Ed

[sniper]

I recently purchased a Canon ipf 6300. With rebates and free inks the price was about 1,700 us dollars. If you shop around they have some great prices on the ipf 6100 now. I have printed several different types of papers including canvas and am very, very happy with the results. Search for a Canon wiki. It has all kinds of support and data on the Canon printers. I used this extensively when I was researching 24" printers. One of the main reasons I like Canon was no ink changing for matt or fine art papers. The roll handling is superb. If you take your time and ask questions on the wiki it works great. I use Qimage for printing software and the fact you don't have to upsize or sharpen your files along with the ease of layout makes printing a breeze.

Good luck - hope your search was as good as mine.

Mike

Another vote for canon 6100, ours has worked faultlessy and produces stunning results.