Large Format Laser Printer - Advice Needed

[VanMac]

Hello.
We are producing a newsletter for our ranch.

I would like it to be printed on 11 x 17 paper. We will then fold it and mail it out. It will be mono, on a heavier bond paper. It will be low volume for the next while.

So, I'm looking at getting a printer that will do this, as opposed to sending it out for print. Nice to be able to do things in house, and we need a new printer anyway

I will need:
- 11 x 17
- duplex
- network

Any advice would be appreciated. Not looking to break the bank, but some of these large format lasers are looking kinda pricey....

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tomorrow]

Pricey they definitely are.

I work in an engineering office and the 11x17 format is popular. We've always had good luck with HP printers, and I have some experience with a Ricoh copier that could print 11x17, but the duplexing was a nightmare - it would almost always jam.

If cost becomes too much of an issue, is outsourcing an option?

 

[jeremy h]

I've just bought a Konica Minolta A3+ Magicolor here in the UK. Probably not the best choice for you as it's colour and possibly a tad small in terms of output. (I think A3+ is half to an inch or so too small for you.) It's a great printer though. (Boy - am I glad to say goodbye to inkjets!)

My advice is if you're going to buy a decent printer - shop around now and haggle, as I was amazed at the deal I got (warranty extension to 3 years + 15% discount + a further 15% cash back and a free Wii games console - that was Xmas for the kids sorted!). Sales must have dropped off a cliff! (I think you might find similar deals as I suspect things are as bad in the US as here in the UK.)

 

[MisterMe]

Hello.
We are producing a newsletter for our ranch.

I would like it to be printed on 11 x 17 paper. We will then fold it and mail it out. It will be mono, on a heavier bond paper. It will be low volume for the next while.

...

I will need:
- 11 x 17
- duplex
- network

...

You can't do better than a Xerox Phaser 5550.

 

[bobbydaz]

I've just bought a Konica Minolta A3+ Magicolor here in the UK. Probably not the best choice for you as it's colour and possibly a tad small in terms of output. (I think A3+ is half to an inch or so too small for you.) It's a great printer though. (Boy - am I glad to say goodbye to inkjets!)

My advice is if you're going to buy a decent printer - shop around now and haggle, as I was amazed at the deal I got (warranty extension to 3 years + 15% discount + a further 15% cash back and a free Wii games console - that was Xmas for the kids sorted!). Sales must have dropped off a cliff! (I think you might find similar deals as I suspect things are as bad in the US as here in the UK.)

Hi there. I have been looking at getting one of these for our small design studio. Which model did you get? I'm comparing the 7450 and 8650. Can I ask where you ordered from?

 

[bntz313]

I've been looking for a good printer also, I have like 1300 for one. Has anyone used the solid ink printers or are laser best. I would need it for printing band flyers and such.

 

[jeremy h]

Bobbydaz - I got mine from a company called Printerland.
(http://www.printerland.co.uk/) It's a 7450.

They seemed pretty OK to deal with. I think in the end the deal was something like £1500 for the printer + a £200 cash back + 3 year warranty + a Wii games console. The cashback and warranty came direct from Konica and took about a month to arrive / confirm. The games console came from Printerland and again took about a month. I think if you don't take it they'd give you a further £80 off. (The cheapest I'd found earlier in the year was about £1800)

I guess in real terms I therefore paid about £1300. (+VAT) I'm pleased with the printer. It's quick and the output is pretty good. Having the 3 year warranty is reassuring. From what I could see the difference between this one and the 8650 was printer trays and speed. If there's a small group of you I'd be tempted by the 8650. Leaving the A4 in the manual feed if fine for me but probably not for a small work group.

The only issue is that it comes with those wretched 'starter' cartridges. I've just had to order up a full new set within 2 months of use.

 

[bobbydaz]

Bobbydaz - I got mine from a company called Printerland.
(http://www.printerland.co.uk/) It's a 7450.

They seemed pretty OK to deal with. I think in the end the deal was something like £1500 for the printer + a £200 cash back + 3 year warranty + a Wii games console. The cashback and warranty came direct from Konica and took about a month to arrive / confirm. The games console came from Printerland and again took about a month. I think if you don't take it they'd give you a further £80 off. (The cheapest I'd found earlier in the year was about £1800)

I guess in real terms I therefore paid about £1300. (+VAT) I'm pleased with the printer. It's quick and the output is pretty good. Having the 3 year warranty is reassuring. From what I could see the difference between this one and the 8650 was printer trays and speed. If there's a small group of you I'd be tempted by the 8650. Leaving the A4 in the manual feed if fine for me but probably not for a small work group.

The only issue is that it comes with those wretched 'starter' cartridges. I've just had to order up a full new set within 2 months of use.

Thanks for the info. Funny enough I found a link for Printerland over the weekend. There are 3 people in our workgroup and I would say we are not printing out all day every day so would a 7450 do for us? Are you using it in a graphic design environment? How accurate is the colour output on this printer? Our screens are fairly accurate, but our current laser printer is way off hence the need for a replacement.

 

[jeremy h]

I'm a graphic designer and I'm quite happy with it's output. If though, you've already got a laser and want to improve the quality of the output then I'd suggest get a test print done and compare. If you want you could send me a pdf to test. (Send me a pm if interested). If you want proper proofing then I suppose an decent inkjet with a proper software rip is the answer...

 

[PixelFactory]

We have 2 Ricohs here at my office. A CL7000 and a MP-C3000. Both have been excellent printers. Great color, easy duplexing. Just make sure it will allow the paper weight you want to use through the printer path. The other thing I would pay attention to is cost per page. If you opt for a color printer it could be anywhere from 10 to 50 cents (US) per page (one sided letter sized). So even at 10 cents, a two sided 11x17 would be about 40¢ to $2 a copy not including your time to fold them down. Anytime we have to print over 50 copies we send it out, especially if there is folding involved.

 

[Sdashiki]

Always consider the cost per page over the base cost of the machine.

Youll spend a couple of thousand on a decent 11x17 duplex capable printer, but alot more than that on the toner replacements.