Wide format (A1/A2) printer options and impressions sought

rek

Ars Praetorian
471
Subscriptor
We are looking to replace our very old, very large Fuji Xerox wide format printer in the office - I've been tasked to look at and recommend a replacement. It seems the major players in this area for the field we're in (technical CAD drawings, primarily 2D linework with some pictures here and there) are HP, Canon and Epson. We are looking at primarily A2 & A1 printing, in colour, volume isn't going to be especially high at 30-40 A2 pages a week on average. MFP/scanner functionality not necessary.

HP of course aren't getting a look in (sticker price is low but holy shit the ink cost, and well, it's a modern HP printer...), and the Canon and Epson offerings look fairly similar. Does anyone have any impressions on how either of these brands' wide format printers are to live with, on a day to day basis? We will be optioning things up with a 5 year (or which ever is longest) warranty/service plan that covers everything we can get them to.

For what its worth, comparing TCO and specifications the current frontrunner is the Epson SureColour T3465. On paper at least it seems to give us the most options in terms of paper roll sizes/capacity, variety of ink tank size options, compact form factor and first-party maintenance support. The Canon is not far behind TCO/spec wise.


(which I think is being replaced with the T3200, asking an Epson rep to get back to me on this)

The equivalent Canon product on my shortlist is the TM-250. This is the "second option" in case there is a dealbreaker with the Epson.
 

kefkafloyd

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
6,154
Subscriptor
Stick with the Epson. They are a known quantity, including the issues you'll run into. Tons of users worldwide mean the problems are well known and solutions can be googled. The draft-quality printers (the T-series) have less inks and less complicated print heads which make them easier on maintenance. They generally need to be run, because they run the risk of clogging if they sit too much.

I ran epson wide-format photo printers for decades, and even with the occasional issues (some models are more prone to clogging or piezo failure than others) they're still the best choice. Their drivers also aren't completely terrible.

If you're doing wide-format stuff (e.g. always printing 24 inches wide) you'll probably be fine without a front-end (or RIP) to gang up jobs, and if you haven't run a roll-fed before you're gonna want to invest in an auxiliary cutter to cut down narrower prints.