What to Know Before Buying a Wide-Format Printer

Which Wide-Format Model Is Right For My Business?

Have you been considering purchasing a wide-format printer, but wonder if you are getting the right product? Novatech has been in the industry for several decades, working with everything from office printers to wide-format production devices.

In this article, we will cover some basics that you should know before deciding on your wide-format printer.

Understanding Why Ink Matters

What makes a difference between most printers are the inks. There are short-term and long-term inks. Typically, Canon wide-format printers are usually made for inside materials. However, they can go outside for a short period, but eventually the ink and the material will break down.

True outdoor signage, like what is produced by Colorado or Arizona flatbeds, is made with a different type of ink. This ink is UV-resistant, which stands up to the elements for a lot longer. This means they will last a couple of years outside, whereas indoor ink will not. Understanding this difference is very important when considering the type of projects you desire to do with your printer.

Can I Just Switch Out Ink Like Other Printers?

The formulation is totally different, so you can’t run UV ink inside a pigment ink type of machine. The pigment ink types are going to have different nozzles and print heads, so they will not work with UV ink. They also take different paper types from other systems. Not only will the ink break down, but the paper itself will break down because it’s not made to withstand the elements.

When you have an outside type of printer, you have a totally different kind of media. There are two totally different types of media as well. The type of ink and the type of media need to be appropriate for the printing being done.

Are There Sheet-Fed Wide-Format Devices?

In general, no. 99.9% are roll-fed, though some of the Canons will allow you to do a sheet. In reality, nobody really utilizes sheets, unless it’s a very specific photographer that wants something like a 22″ by 24″ framed photograph. They might do one sheet at a time, but these are typically all roll-fed machines.

How Does Novatech Handle Maintenance Plans?

With Canon, we offer a managed ink agreement on lower-end models, which is similar to the managed cartridge program. It is where you buy your ink from us, and we’ll give you free-labor service calls. If there’s a part that needs to be fixed, you just buy the part.

It’s a not a break-fix type situation on some of the higher end units, like the flatbeds and the Colorados. Canon offers different types of warranties for those. Usually it’s by square foot and dependent on what specifics you want to cover.

Everything is measured by square foot. That’s how they actually measure their meters. Linear foot is very rare. If you ask any manufacturer, whether Canon,HP, or Epson, “How fast is your printer?” It’s all going to be measured by square foot.

What Models Do You Sell The Most?

The lower end Canon models are probably the ones we sell the most. In the technical market, it’s the Canon TM-305, TX-3100, or TZ-3000.  For schools and universities or businesses needing POP signage, it’s the Pro 4100, or Pro 4100S. There’s also the new GP-2000 and GP-4000 out right now that do very well.

Novatech is a proud provider of wide-format devices. We seek to educate the client so they can make an informed decision about our product lines, ensuring total satisfaction and business continuity. If you would like to learn more about our wide-format printers, give us a call.