A Guide To How To Select The Best Large Format Printer

Specialty jobs such as large format printing are usually sent to copy shops. However, if you often print banners, blueprints or other documents over two feet wide, investing in a wide-format printer or plotter can be a good choice. Such machines are capable of printing in color, or black and white. It can handle a wide range of materials, in widths of 24" to 60" or more. This article presents some of the things that must be considered when deciding on the best kind of large format printer that will work for you and the task at hand.


QUALITY

The first thing any user must consider is the quality of the output. This goes hand-in-hand with the performance of the printer. One good advice is to find a name that you can trust. Don't buy used printers from companies that no longer exist. You will later realize that you can't get service, parts, or anyone who knows how to get them running again. Also, no new drivers or Raster Image Processors (RIP) are made for them.

The brand that you select can have a big impact on your overall satisfaction with your wide-format printer. Before making a decision there are several important considerations to be made. Service and support are among the most important. Whether you need a service technician to come out and repair a mechanical problem, or just have a question you need answered, the support offered by your chosen brand becomes valuable.

HP DesignJet printers are specifically designed to be plug-and-play devices in order to make them a logical choice for first-time users as well as professional graphics design or repro shops. You won't find better technical support for your HP Designjet Printer than that offered by the HP Customer Care services. Just as printers themselves are designed to meet your printing needs, so are these support services designed to identify, anticipate and meet your support needs


SPEED

All printers slow down to achieve higher quality prints. The corollary is that high-speed throughput occurs only when you lower the quality substantially. In other words, if you buy a printer for its photo-realistic capability, you do not get this quality at the faster production speeds. Most printers have banding at high speeds (one pass and two pass printing does not allow the printhead to interweave and cover the printhead path lines). To do photo-quality printing you need at least 4 passes while 6 and 8 passes are preferable.

MAINTENANCE

To ensure the efficient operation of your printer, most companies offer a wide range services from onsite support to participation in online user forums. With these services you can maintain the high productivity of your printing operation. Three basic services that you must look for are:

Warranty Services
These services are designed to cover your basic service and support needs, ensuring your printers' reliability and productivity.
Repair Services
These services offer a variety of enhanced support options that help to ensure the high performance of your printers and the high quality of their output.
Installation and Maintenance Services
These services offer a variety of ways to help you with the initial setup and ongoing maintenance of your printer.