Need A3 printer !!!!!!!!!!!

[fileepfilop]

Hi,

I'm at uni studying design and need an A3 printer to print out images and renderings. Can anyone recommend a good performer which is reliable and give me some idea on how much ink it uses and the cost of replacing the cartridges. Being a student I'm kinda on a tight budget too!!!

[chrestomanci]

Last time I checked, both cannon and HP made A3 printers. They use the same ink and print head technology as their A4 versions so reliability and ink consumption should be about the same.

The downside is that they aremuch more expensive than their equvalent A4 models.

Perhaps you should ask yourself how often you will need to do an A3 printout. If it is only ocasonaly, you might be better of taking your file to a local copy shop, and pay them to do it.

[Funkstar]

we've got a HP 1220 (i think thats the one) at work. It's ok, not brilliant though. Costs one heck of a lot more to buy than an A4 and the print tech isn't exactly photo quality or anything.

I would agree with chrestomanci, get yourself a good A4 printer and go to a copy shop for final outputs.

[Zad]

You must be doing something wrong then Funkstar. I have a HP1220c and on glossy the output is very much photo quality, absolutely storming. Good skintones, good gamut and really useful for printing good old black and white at A3 on plain paper too. The colour cartridges do cost an absolute fortune mind you, it's about time the UK or US government took a good look at the price of ink for all the inkjet manufacturers.

Muke

[Funkstar]

to be honest, i've not *actually* printed photos on it, just plans and drawings and stuff just doesn't look the best <shrug>

anyway, we got a new colour copier with printer function in the office which also does A3, works out much cheaper than the inkjet per output and looks nicer too.

[nev_payne]

That 1220C is old skool technology - surprised HP hasn't looked into getting that replaced yet

Epson also have a C1160 up for A3 printing:

http://uk.bizrate.com/marketplace/se...107481675.html

[ed^chigliak]

I have a canon S6300 and S6500 and print about 1200 A3 per month with print-rite inks very cheaply at about £1.20 per cartridge. The print head is a user replacable part clips in the caddy. The ink is just ink with no electronics hence cheap and individual tanks of each colour clip in the print head. I replace the printhead every 12-18 months because cleaning isn't worth the time and hassle. I import the print heads from the US due to the good old $=£ ripoff in the UK. Paper feed is still reliable after 2yrs. Best multi purpose inkjet paper is 90g communique which is a premium bright wite coated can be had for about £9 per 500 sheets but some places you see it listed at £20+ which is crazy. I don't do photo papers so I can't recommend one.

I hated my Epson 1200 Photo A3. If they havn't improved since then they are god awful unreliable pieces of junk.

EDIT: I tried another cheap brand of ink and it clogged the nozzles and cost me 3 printheads since it killed my A4 also but print-rite has been OK so now I am brand loyal. The only canon ink I ever run through them was what came with the printer. Twice they stopped printing completely ... absolutely nothing ... you assume it's seriously broken ... BUT ... each time it's just the printhead and then perfect for another 12 months or more.

[csi_grissom]

IVE got a epson 1290 and after 6 months the nozzles seem to be blocked or summit the prints have gone down hill quickly, epson says its cause i dont buy &#163;20 a throw carts for it, im tempted to bin it and get the new model but is it worth it all the price, the carts, the paper, when u can send your pics now online and done for a few quid, unless u do tons of a3 prints i wouldnt bother m8.

[fileepfilop]

Well, on my uni course I'm constantly printing out a3 pictures for underlays and rendering and sketching over. Plus I'm often printing out last minute - doing all nighters the night before a deadline to get work ready to present. So I think an a3 printer is fairly essential. I'll take a look at what you guys have advised and get back to you for more advise. Cheers for the help and keep posting on your experience. Thanks guys. FileepFilop

[Twigman]

Surely if this is for your course there must be the facility at uni?
If not tell them you need it. Its a fiar request.
We can print up to A1 at uni I think...costs 50p I think, but yeah probably better for you to get your own if you are going to be doing it a lot.