Color Laser Printer Recommendations? 39
philipborlin asks: "We are a small publishing company that publishes medical reference books. We are currently doing in office proofs on an injet printer, but have noticed that sometimes the images we send to our print shop have artifacts that don't show up on our cheap setup. We are looking to buy a color laser printer that will hopefully alert us to the fact that these artifacts exist and allow us time to clean up the image before sending it to the print shop. We have googled the Internet, but have not found comprehensive details on print quality (besides the quantifiables like DPI, etc). Any ideas where we should start? What price range should we be looking at?"
Cheaper to get a printer? (Score:1)
Perhaps it would be better to get a better scanner and monitors in the first place.
Re:Cheaper to get a printer? (Score:2)
But, if you're serious about doing printing work, Laser printing proofs is the only way to go! even the best inkjest pale in comparison to Lasers...that's the standard for printwork. but your problem is most likely software and not hardware. [unless you have REALLY crappy stuff!]
Take a look at the HP Laserjet 1500L (Score:2)
Re:Take a look at the HP Laserjet 1500L (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Take a look at the HP Laserjet 1500L (Score:1)
To sum up, the company was in the same position, we were using inkj
Complete troubleshooting may be the answer. (Score:2)
There's never a substitute for troubleshooting the problem. What artifacts? Why? Once you solve those problems, it may be irrelevant what printer you use for proofing.
Issues with your print company? (Score:2)
Buy a photo printer (Score:3, Informative)
In any case, I would strongly recomend against a color laser printer for proofs: they just don't have the resolution that a high-end inkjet printer gives you on good paper (not costco $.50/ream shit). My recomendation would be either a tabloid printer [epson.com] (if you need the size), or a photo printer [epson.com] of some sort. My epson bias is based on some very very poor experiances with HP, whereas Epson's printershave been rock solid for me. Xerox [xerox.com] has some nice looking equipment too, though I have never used it.
Buy a postscript printer (Score:2)
I'm guessing they're currently seeing artifacts when their layout goes through the printer's RIP, but they're hidden by the raster-only low-end inkjet devices they have now.
Of course, printing to PDF would also be a decent way to proof - this is all fundamentally built in to Mac OS X (just click the 'Preview' button on Print), so if they're using Windows, that would be another
Take the Pepsi challenge. (Score:1, Insightful)
Take this CD, with hopefully more or less common graphics formats to Office Depot, Compusa, Staple (I would imagine), maybe even costco.
Tell a person standing around, you've got samples and a need to see how some of them look on their color laser printers.
You might have to buy a ream of paper.
Print them out. Maybe try some inkjets too.
Deci
Re:Take the Pepsi challenge. (Score:2)
Canon ImageRunner 3200 (Score:1)
We don't have to go to Kinko's anymore, since we bought this. Fine piece of equipment. FYI, we replaced one of those 'Xerox/Tektronix [xerox.com]' machines with it.
Xerox (Score:1)
How much do you want to spend?
Xerox [xerox.com] has a suite of printers that range in price and keep getting very good ratings. They range from small office printers, copier/printers, to full digital production printers.
The Phaser 6250 [xerox.com] prints 26ppm (bw or color) and has a resolution of 2400dpi.
Xerox or Epson (Score:1)
Lexmark (Score:2)
Don't support organizations that hurt you. (Score:2)
I'd rather not support the companies that hurt me [eff.org]. From other posts in this thread, there are plenty of alternatives from other organizations.
Minolta QMS Magicolor 2350 (Score:2)
Re:Minolta QMS Magicolor 2350 (Score:1)
They go through ink like no other. Consumables = $$$
Return it if you still can.
The problem isn't fixing it, it is detection! (Score:2)
Many posters seem to mistake the problem here. They already know that sometimes there is a problem. They have no way of detecting it currently. They are looking for a cheap way to tell if there will be a problem. If the colors are off a little they don't care, the finial printer will get them right. If there are artifacts from some step, they need to know that.
The problem might be caused by a scanner, a bad algorithm in their programs, or using the wrong filters. (Just to name a few that a non-artis
Xerox Loves You. (Score:1)
Its only weakness that comes to mind is the solid and continuous tone color distribution on non-glossy cardstock. The cardstock absorbs the toner/color goop unevenly causing blotches, making difficult
Artifacts? (Score:2)
I have trouble believing that even a consumer "photo quality" inkject printer wouldn't show that there is a problem.
That and you could zoom in on the electronic image before you print it.
If the final prints have artifacts and you can't see them anywhere else, it is probaly the final printer.
Check back issues of MacWorld (Score:2)
GCC Printers (Score:2)
Of interest to you is their new color model the Elite Color 16 DN [gccprinters.com]
Try a wax printer (Score:2)
It takes a little while to warm up when turned on (this is solved by not turning it off), during which time you can't print from it, because there's no wax melted, but once it's going it's stunning.
We can do full page, full colour photos in less time than it takes to walk across the room and pick up the piece of paper.
Lasers won't cut it (Score:4, Insightful)
What you really need is a system designed specifically for digital proofing, like the 3M Rainbow or an Iris. It's going to cost you big bucks, but just think of the money you'll save on botched print runs. Rainbow and Iris prints are widely considered "contract proof" quality, although nothing's going to come close to a real Matchprint made from film seps.
Funny, my laser printers do 200 screen and (Score:1)
Re:Funny, my laser printers do 200 screen and (Score:2)
And FYI, there is no such thing as Pantone color on a CMYK printer. Pantone colors are made from up to 11 colors of ink, many of those colors are so intense they are beyond the CMYK gamut, and even beyond the RGB gamut. Why do you think people USE Pantone inks? It's because t
Take it up with Pantone (Score:1)
Re:Take it up with Pantone (Score:2)
The 6060 uses the EFI rip, which if it's like every EFI RIP/laser printer system I ever used, doesn't use halftone screens at all, it just uses variable toner density to produce flat colors. So you
Get the right advice (Score:2)
So instead of making blind recommendations ('cause I'm not in the printing field any longer and am not up to date on the v
why ask slashdot for price ? (Score:2)
What is the occurance ?
Now multiply the two together and that is the cost to your business of failure
Now, getting a new printing environment - should lower the occurance of the failure, and therefor you have how much it is worth it to your company to buy a new printing environment. I guess the interesting analysis would be - which printing environment lowers the occurance by how much (and how much does that setup cost)
Notice
Color Laser (Score:2)
It costs around 2300-2500 (Page Computers had the best price, and very fast delivery). Figure about 100 for delivery. It uses 4 carts, at $120 for black, and $180 each for C, M, Y. 9000 sheets at 5%, but figure about 14 cents for light coverage, 25 for medium, 50 cents for very heavy.
It leaves a 1/4" or
artifacts are not what they seem (Score:1)
None of the colour lasers are true pre-press proofing devices. Either send the files out to a service bureau (- hire a competent graphic designer that knows what the hell they are doing!) or have your printer provide you with a Matchprint colour proof.
There is a difference between an Iri