AS2-42 Sublimation Printer

Speed

This criteria is often the most mis-represented by printer distributors to entice you to purchase a printer from them.

 

A lot of companies when quoting you print speeds will always quote you the top speed of the printer which is not always accurate. Your print speeds are based on the resolution at which you are printing and the print speeds recommended for sublmation will vary depending on which substrate you are transfering to. You will generally be printing at the printers mid-range print resolution and not at a 360 dpi which is generally quoted to gain that high speed output.

 

Don't be mislead by claims of higher print speeds, it's false! Another misconception is that the faster you print, the cheaper the per square foot print costs will be. This is also false. No matter which type of printer you buy - Mutoh, Epson, Roland, or Mimaki - your per square foot print costs will be the same. Granted, a faster print will produce more print for you to sell but, the amount of ink laid down on the paper with a good ICC profile will be the same no matter what speed you are running at. Faster print speeds do not mean cheaper per square foot print costs.

 

Reliability and Warranty

Most of the printers that are available today are reliable. The parts that are of most concern on printers are the print heads. No matter which inks you use in your printer as soon as you put a non OEM ink in it, the printer manufacturer will void your warranty on the print head and ink delivery only, your warranty on the printer remains in tack.

 

At Advanced Color Solutions we guarantee that if the inks we recommend are found to damage your print heads we will replace your print heads free of charge as long as you continue using our recommended ink!

 

Price

Price is generally related to width times print speed. The faster and wider you go the more expensive your printer. There are really 3 price categories. The Mutohs and the Epson printers range around $9,000 to $15,000 including RIP software. The Roland printers range anywhere from $18,000 to $25,000 including take up reel for a mid-production solution. The high production printers range from around $22,000 up to approximately $75,000 depending on the printers width and speed.