Vector Large Format Printer... on a budget?

whyrichard said:

Hey,

My design studio only needs a printer for line work, vector based drawings. We need a new large format printer/plotter!

We have been using an old epson r1800 but it's about to die. Ideally we would have a way to print out large (at least 13"x19" or close to these figures) vector based drawings from illustrator and rhino.

Is there a printer/plotter that is well priced that is geared to vector based printing? We don't need high res/ ink wasting technologies...

Also, on a slight budget. Would like to pay around $500 or so, but let me know what your suggestions are!

Thank you so much,

Richard

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Richard - I am a professional pre-flight/designer and printer. Any printer will print vector/line art fine. It's really up to how you pre-flight that makes the difference. Some printers work better with .tif images and some prefer PDF exports. Never print JPG. My suggestion is to find a printer that is well priced as used or refurbished, affordable ink cartridges for your company and most importantly - one that your company can replace parts to should there be problems down the road.

Pre flight is what makes the difference here. I work on HP 50"w printers and on a VuTEK direct to substrate 94" printer. I hope this helps and PM me if you have any other questions.

whyrichard said:

....

-which is the most reliable?
-which is the most future proof for mac driver stability?
-which is the lowest cost to run?

...

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Reliability. Printer/plotters are professional devices intended for professional use. Any manufacturer mentioned here will provide printer/plotters that will give gives of reliable service.

Future Proof. The most future-proof technology is PostScript. With a PostScript printer/plotter, you don't need to worry about OS support from the manufacturer. If your OS has a PostScript driver--and virtually OSs have one--then all you need is a PPD file to be set.

Lowest Cost. I am not advocating that you through money at the printer/plotter. However, your first concern should be how well it does the job. And, let us not forget that you cannot expect the bargain basement device to be as reliable and durable as the professional device that you need.