Check it Out: Nine Considerations When Buying a Large Format Printer

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

You know that icky feeling when it’s time for a new major office system and you realize you haven’t a clue about modern technology to replace the technology you’ve burnt out? Your first reaction might be “I’m geeky; I can figure this out.” But soon, you’re drowning in colorful brochures with pages of perky, utterly uninformative tripe and floundering in a goo of websites with lots of guys spouting arcane specs only they know. What you need is a straightforward buyer’s guide written for the geek who happens to know nothing about a given technology but can learn. I’ve got just such the paper for you today.

“Nine Considerations When Buying a Large Format Printer” was written anonymously for Océ,  a Canon Group company. And that’s the first thing that recommends this well-done paper. See, almost never in this 16-page PDF would you have any idea that Océ  had a hand in it. Océ  has simply gathered their expertise and presented it to you so that you have a firm foundation for making informed decisions.

What you have here are quick, eminently readable chapters. The paper is parted into two sections plus a glossary, the latter always a plus for clarity. Covered are the four big considerations: Color and/or black & white; costs, performance and speed, and, finally, image quality. The second half looks at ease of use, security,  product options, floor space, and environmental concerns—none of which strike me as less important in the long run. Make sure to read the floor space chapter. It’s the cream of the second half, he says wincing in recalling past oversights.

Each of the nine chapters follows the same format—intro, why the topic is important, things to consider, and a summation. All data is presented in a manner that should make it easy for IT to build a checklist as it scopes out a large format printer for your needs. The tone is even and non-hyped.

The things to consider sections are, in my opinion, the strongest component of this thoroughly strong paper. What makes them important is that they teem with reminders of the little things you are likely to forget while focusing on the cooler aspects of a machine. For example, “if users start printing … color prints because a color printer is at their disposal, managing print costs will be difficult”  or “make sure that the printer can process new files while printing previous ones” and “check to see if the printer can hold different media sizes to avoid unnecessary trimming.”

The nub of it is that this paper provides a great wealth of common sense information on what you need to be mindful of as you begin researching and ultimately purchasing a large-format printer. And it does so well. Hit the link and download it.

Thanks, Pal. — Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood
Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering