Which Printer

[Mikie711]

Second post and first question :D
I am looking to do dye sub mugs. The logo design is as per my avatar so a reasonably simple logo to begin with. Quantities will not be large and probably quite sporadic rather than a steady stream. From what I have read here and else where I figure I have 2 choices of printer, the Epson B40W or the Ricoh GX-e3300. I did read somewhere that the epson didn't like not being used and was more prone to clogging. Not sure if that is true or not, I guess some on here may ba able to answer that.
At the moment I like the idea and simplicity of the Ricoh but am concerned about the small size of the cartridges (29ml). I don't need the capacity offered by the easyflow system for the Epson. I also don't want a A3 printer, small format is fine. Is there any other options available for a budget of about £400?

[JSR]

It's possible that the amount of ink in a Ricoh cartridge is a little bit misrepresentative of how much you can print compared to an Epson.

I asked the question recently, see: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1370 (http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1370)

It seems that, despite having less mls of ink, the Ricoh can produce the same number of prints as the Epson with a filled CISS. I don't use a Ricoh so I can't back that up that claim, but it is likely that you get more prints for your ml with a Ricoh.

That may sway your thinking.

[thespringonion]

For occasional use you don't really have a choice but to go for the Ricoh. Lack of use will clog any Epson with CISS, and many would tell you it's a pain to sort out (Never had the experience as I went for the Ricoh straight away, and even left standing for weeks it would have no problem whatsoever)

[Mikie711]

Patrick,
which Ricoh is it you use and how do you find it?. Also which transfer paper do you use?.

Thanks

[thespringonion]

It is the GX7000 which is essentially the same as GX-e3300 only it prints up to A3 size. It was a second hand buy but still works a treat. It's not working at full wack but when it comes to start after a brief break (week or two) it'll perform it's maintainence checks (head clean/flush) automatically and prints always come out top notch. Epson + CISS might save on initial outlay but the horror of block heads after periods of standing didn't suit my need, I was after a printer that works when it's called up upon and the Ricoh ticked all the boxes.

There're many different transfer papers about but I'm sticking to Truepix so far. Depends on subtrates you might need to switch to others but Truepix has worked great on mugs. Personally I wouldn't save on cheap eBay papers as you could potentially lose more than you bargain for with some dodgy sellers.

[Mikie711]

Thanks Patrick :thumbsup

[Mikie711]

Does anyone know the differences between the Ricoh 5050 and the 3300 other than the size of the ink cartridges. Does either have an advantage over the other print wise or is it simply a case of more ink in the 5050?.

[bms]

Ricoh GX5050 is now discontinued and the GXe3300 is the replacement A4 printer. The GXe3300 does take smaller cartridges but they are also cheaper than the GX5050. There were a number of support calls with the GX5050 when it was first supported but these have reduced significantly with the GXe3300.

[Mikie711]

Cheers Martin, thanks for clearing that up. Will be in touch about a 3300 in the next couple of days.

[PhilDavies]

I recently purchased a Richoh GXe3300 printer and definately would not go back to using 'wet' inks again. I would be continually unblocking the print heads- even after a day of inactivity