Gel ink printers.

[Kumagoro]

While browsing Ebuyer I came across this, which I have never heard mention before.

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/cat/Printer...t/Gel-Printers

Anyone know anything about them, like print quality cost etc?

[Kumagoro]

I found this at the ricoh website.

http://www.ricoh.co.uk/Proddemos/Gelsprinter/index.html

Makes it sound reasonably good but of course they would.

It quotes 1500 pages @ 5 % for the black and 1000 for the colours.

Having a closer look at carts this is how much they cost.

High yield

Black *3000 £40 = 1.3p a sheet
Cyan, Magenta or yellow *2300 prints £50 = 2.1p

Regular yield 1500, 1000 sheets @ 5%,

black £22 = 1.4p
Magenta, yellow, cyan £25 = 2.5p

Reasonably cheap especially for colour the machines look bloody awful too.

For one of their lasers the cart gots £70 for 15000 prints for black = 0.45p, colour = 1.1p

[this_is_gav]

Without knowing anything at all about the technology (I too haven't heard of them) I wouldn't look at them quite yet. I remember when OKI were really pushing the LED technology in laser printers - the initial results were poor, but as it matured it became a very attractable option - the C7200 was probably the first OKI laser to really nail it.

Like I said, don't take my advice on the basis of what I've said above - it might well be fantastic - just personally I'd hang around for a while, see what others think of it and let the technology mature a little.

[Kumagoro]

I'm not looking out to buy any printer at the moment. I came across it and thought it was strange I had never heard of it before. They have some discontinued models so its been out for a little while at least.

[dave87]

I think they are a similar option to the Xerox Phaser, just developed by a different company...

[this_is_gav]

I think they are a similar option to the Xerox Phaser, just developed by a different company...

Depends on the Phaser, but there's plenty difference between that and the Phaser we have at work (6250 DT)

[TheAnimus]

Phaser is wax, so it will in theory, settle on top of the paper more, ink leaks into the paper (and therefore bleeds more)

one of the reason i used my phaser soo much was because it worked on the cheapest paper known to man, with very good results. Also black text was VERY black, because no impurity in the paper would cause the ink to settle either side, leaving a white streak.

I really do like phasers, but they have a warm up, as the wax takes a while to heat, can't do duplex enless your printer supports it, because it gets so hot the wax melts and gunks stuff up.

If this gell is a viable alternative, then it could lead to rather nice prints on cheap paper, thats suiteable for home use!

[Kumagoro]

Ive just realised that they (Ricoh) quote 5% coverage for colour and not 20% like they most companies seem to so its 8.4p high yield and 10p low. Still ok but after thinking it was only 2p somewhat disappointed hahaha.

I like the sound of these gel ones, from the presentation it seems simple and not much to go wrong and replace.

[TheAnimus]

knowing nothing about the technology, i'd say not so.

Phaser is far more likely to break than ink, because there can be dirt, and non-phaser wax stuff getting in.

If there is any inpurity in the gel, this would die swiftly too. Technology wise its very similar in pitfalls to the idea of most bubble jets, i think, not seen one yet i couldn't say!