Printer/scanner advice!

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Watty
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Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Watty »

One for the nerds :D . The step daughter is doing fashion design at Uni! We are looking to get her a printer/scanner! Can anyone recommend something that is value for money/reliable with ink that doesnt need a re mortgage to buy it! It doesn't need to give HD quality prints but not rubbish! Please help as she is about to throw the one she has through the window :lol:
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Wicky
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Wicky »

Doesn't the Uni have a computer lab with colour laser printers for students to use?

Laser printers are handy as they can print out vector artwork esp if she's using Adobe Illustrator for her work.

As for scanners I use an Epson 2480 which is years old but does the job with Vuescan software. Money would be best invested in creative software i.e Adobe CS suite if you hasn't already got it and can be purchased with significant student discount.
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Watty
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Watty »

Wicky wrote:Doesn't the Uni have a computer lab with colour laser printers for students to use?

Laser printers are handy as they can print out vector artwork esp if she's using Adobe Illustrator for her work.

As for scanners I use an Epson 2480 which is years old but does the job with Vuescan software. Money would be best invested in creative software i.e Adobe CS suite if you hasn't already got it and can be purchased with significant student discount.
She needs the scanner/printer for home/accommodation projects mate! She has all the software she needs :thumbup:
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Wicky
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Wicky »

So what does she need? Cheapy sub-£50 semi-disposble inkjet? or a colour or B&W laser for a couple of hundred quid?

A4 or A3? wireless or cable?

If its not for college course work then I suggest cheaper the better.

http://www.dabs.com/products/brother-dc ... 2940&src=2

http://www.dabs.com/products/brother-mf ... 2940&src=2

http://www.dabs.com/products/epson-work ... 0000&src=3
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Watty
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Watty »

Wicky wrote:So what does she need? Cheapy sub-£50 semi-disposble inkjet? or a colour or B&W laser for a couple of hundred quid?

A4 or A3? wireless or cable?

If its not for college course work then I suggest cheaper the better.

http://www.dabs.com/products/brother-dc ... 2940&src=2

http://www.dabs.com/products/brother-mf ... 2940&src=2

http://www.dabs.com/products/epson-work ... 0000&src=3
Omg its a bloody mine field! It is for course work, don't matter if its wireless or not! A4 colour! Is a laser printer the better one?
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Wicky
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Wicky »

Well I prefer to use laser for any pro jobs I want 'home' printed. Luckily I have a mate in BT management with an A3 laser in his office, or for very roughs I have an Epson Inkjet.

A lot depends on your daughter's workflow. Even as a graphic designer for print jobs I hardly print anything as its a waste of ink. Most of the stuff I work on I output as PDF and check CMYK separations using software prior to sending it to the printers directly.
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Watty
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Watty »

Wicky wrote:Well I prefer to use laser for any pro jobs I want 'home' printed. Luckily I have a mate in BT management with an A3 laser in his office, or for very roughs I have an Epson Inkjet.

A lot depends on your daughter's workflow. Even as a graphic designer for print jobs I hardly print anything as its a waste of ink. Most of the stuff I work on I output as PDF and check CMYK separations using software prior to sending it to the printers directly.
Thanks for that mate! Although some of that at the end may as well have been hebrew :lol:
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bald_pig
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by bald_pig »

Ideally, you want a colour laser printer, but that will set you back a big chunk of money!

I'd go for a decent bw laser printer for documents, a colour photo printer for prints and graphics, and a decent scanner on top of that!

At work our graphics dept. use these scanners: http://www.ebuyer.com/662469-canon-cano ... r-9623b010

I use this printer at home, we have very expensive ones at work: http://www.ebuyer.com/482949-samsung-m2 ... 2825nd-see

Something like this should do you for photo prints: http://www.ebuyer.com/618740-canon-pixm ... 8745b008aa


As for my work, we have a pair of £1000 A3 Photo printers in our photography dept. :)
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Wicky
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Wicky »

Well its tricky to know quite what to suggest as there's so many choices depending on what she ultimately needs it for. High end quality full colour printing to show to tutors /clients or printing b&w essays or whatever. A bit like if someone says they need a motorbike recommended to em. Track, commuting or popping down the shops, round the world or off road or a bit of each!
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bazzashadow
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by bazzashadow »

I like Epson printers because of the print quality and the fact that they have single colour cartridges so if one colour runs out you only replace that colour.
cartridges I buy off cartridge people(not original )
I have an Epson XP-610 wireless and love it
print from my laptop, iPhone, memory card and scan and the inks last well
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sirch345
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by sirch345 »

As I understand it the cheap ink jet printers are cheap due to manufactures hoping to gain on the sale of their ink cartridges rather than on the printer itself.

According to what I've seen/heard on TV we still get ripped off as ink cartridges are never filled up to the maximum, and in many cases even less ink is in the cartridges supplied with the purchase of a new printers.

I have no experience of Epson's EcoTank printers, but they seem like a better option if you get through a reasonable amount of ink each year. Okay initial cost is more than the cheaper ink jet printers, but the ink is going to last according to this, plus refills when required are only a top up bottle, you don't need to purchase more cartridges:-
https://www.epson.co.uk/gb/en/viewcon/c ... ndex/11409

Chris.
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Kev L
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Kev L »

Another vote here for Epson. Very good quality prints and cheap to run. Had a Hewlett Packard before this and it was very expensive in comparison.
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by KermitLeFrog »

As Wicky says, like bikes, it all depends.

Probably best to take in a few comparative reviews and see what suits most. PC Pro magazine is a good place to start as they generally seem un-biased.
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Watty
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by Watty »

Plenty to review there then! Cheers lads :D
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bazzashadow
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Re: Printer/scanner advice!

Post by bazzashadow »

Kev L wrote:Another vote here for Epson. Very good quality prints and cheap to run. Had a Hewlett Packard before this and it was very expensive in comparison.
+1 I`ve had a Hewlett Packard and a lexham and this is my second Epson and I don`t think I would buy any other make
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