Printers for artists - any suggestions?

[Tony]

Art
To tell the truth I have never wondered how it is done. The fact is they are
extremely reliable and therefore I have not had the need.
Good question though.
Tony

 

[Tony]

I just did a bit more research on the Oki color printers, and heck is
they can't print banners up to 47+ inches. That's quite something. Now
I'm gonna need to research how much memory is required to do that, and
the technology behind it.

Learn something new every day... thanks Tony!

Art

Art
I talked to the local OKI importer and they say that it is just memory and
banner software that handles the paper setup issues.
Obviously the amount of detail in any one banner may affect the maximum length
depending on the amount of memory installed.
Tony

 

[me]

I talked to the local OKI importer and they say that it is just memory and
banner software that handles the paper setup issues.
Obviously the amount of detail in any one banner may affect the maximum length
depending on the amount of memory installed.

Presumably it pauses whilst it loads information back onto the drum, as
I presume it doesn't have a drum with a four foot circumference.

 

[Tony]

Presumably it pauses whilst it loads information back onto the drum, as
I presume it doesn't have a drum with a four foot circumference.

Good question, I don't think it can pause because of the inertia of the paper
transport. But I have to say I have never printed a banner on one of these.
Unlike inkjets, lasers can't stop and restart the transport that quickly and if
they did I am sure there would be a resulting blemish on the paper, so I guess
the drums (4 of them in this case because it is a single pass process unlike
carousel colour lasers) are being refreshed in flight.
I expect that is a function of the LED array to drum transfer which uses prisms
and/or mirrors and of the transfer belt which is a continuous belt that
services all of the drums instead of a transfer roller for each drum. The drums
are quite small, I would guess about 1" in diameter.
The LED array has the added advantage of producing a higher quality image due
to the absence of a rotating laser mirror. That is why we know of several
photographers who believe the quality is high enough for them with the added
advantage of better longevity than some inkjets.
It is worth noting that OKI has never made inkjet printers but instead
concentrated on LED array "lasers", their early monochrome printers were not
too flash but I think they have really done it well with the colour range of
LED printers.
Tony

 

[me]

The LED array has the added advantage of producing a higher quality image due
to the absence of a rotating laser mirror. That is why we know of several
photographers who believe the quality is high enough for them with the added
advantage of better longevity than some inkjets.

Do they find that? When I bought my solid ink Xerox (two years ago)
reviews I saw suggested that the LED of the OKI was a bit washed out in
comparison with the solid ink. I think similar comments were made when
I was looking for a new machine earlier this year. I had decided on
getting a Kyocera colour machine - the samples I've seen are very good
for them and they seem to have low running costs, in the end I bought an
old Canon CLC as I needed photocopier and printer, which has even better
quality.

 

[Tony]

Do they find that? When I bought my solid ink Xerox (two years ago)
reviews I saw suggested that the LED of the OKI was a bit washed out in
comparison with the solid ink. I think similar comments were made when
I was looking for a new machine earlier this year. I had decided on
getting a Kyocera colour machine - the samples I've seen are very good
for them and they seem to have low running costs, in the end I bought an
old Canon CLC as I needed photocopier and printer, which has even better
quality.

Well I'm not a professional photographer and I guess those folk come in various
flavours, there is a difference between studio quality and commercial quality
for advertising and similar needs. The ones I know that like the OKI colour
printers are in the advertising business (brochures and the like) rather than
portraits and weddings etc. Also, I am not suggesting that the OKI's are better
than all others, just that they seem to have done it well and have their niche.
Tony