View Full Version : Brother printers for sublimation use.
Following a recent thread in which I questioned why Brother printers are not used for dye-sublimation, I thought it might be of interest to others to experiment/review one such Brother printer used for dye-sub purposes.
What are the advantages of using Brother printers over Epson and/or Ricoh?
The main advantage is in comparison to the Epson printers. There's less advantage over the Ricoh other than printer cost.
The problem with Epson printers is that we have only two options for dye-sub use. The most widely used option is to use a CISS with tubes flapping about all over the place, for which you have to remove parts of the printer to fit. No foresight is put into the supported options to support more than one printer per CISS even if there are readily available cartridges that will fit into several printers. The second option is to use refillable cartridges but, because these are mounted on the print delivery mechanism, it's difficult to refill them in situ (frequent removing/replacing leads to air trapped in the print head) and that they only hold about 9ml of ink - which runs out way too quickly.
Another problem with using Epson printers is the chips on the cartridges. Although we have convenient auto-reset chips these days, that in itself is costly. Each time a chip "auto-resets" it tricks the printer into thinking that you've changed the cartridge. This initiates the "charging" process in which all of the inks are drained of a little ink. If that happens to all four or six cartridges one after the other, your cartridges will be empty before you know it.
The reasons for looking at Brother printers was to make up for the shortcomings of the Epson printers - to do away with the CISS, to eliminate the "auto-reset chip" business, and to overcome the thimble-sized cartridge restrictions. Brother printers (like the Ricoh) use remote-mounted inks which, as we shall see, overcomes all of these issues.
Which Brother printer to use, and why?
The printer chosen needed to be (i) as cheap as possible - cheaper than the current supported Epson model B40W, and (ii) practical.
I chose the Brother DCP-195C (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002XDZOIK?ie=UTF8&tag=80stv-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002XDZOIK) which is available for under £60 from Amazon.co.uk. There are cheaper Brother printers around but the reason for going for this model will be explained shortly.
The cartridges to be used came from www.printercartridges.net (https://www.printercartridges.net/printercartridgesstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=116&products_id=1187). These are high-capacity cartridges that hold 65-70ml of ink in each colour cartridge and 100ml of ink in the black cartridge. Those capacities are higher than some CISS bottles.
The cartridges chosen can be used in any Brother printer that's compatible with LC980 or LC1100 cartridges. There are several printers, both A4 and A3, that fall into this category. The DCP-195C chosen for this experiment normally takes LC980 cartridges and that's why it was picked over the cheaper models.
There are other advantages to using a Brother printer over an Epson. For the same (or lower) cost, you get more for your money. The DCP-195C is £40 cheaper than the Epson B40W yet it comes with a scanner and card reader/USB-stick functions. The Brother printer also uses an internal paper tray - which protects unused paper from dust and avoids the need to have flimsy paper support trays. The paper tray supports A4, Letter, and Legal (8.5"x14") paper - and, of course, smaller sizes.
Due to the internal paper tray, the printer can be handily placed under a shelf if you don't intend to use the scanner much.
The Brother printer has a single line LCD screen to show status and to allow you to perform many standalone functions much easier than you would with an Epson printer (such as printing nozzle patterns, performing a headclean, or scanning to an SD card).
If network printing is important to you, you will need to look at a more expensive printer because this one is USB-only.
Printer build quality and reliabilty
This is the issue behind Sawgrass not supporting Brother printers. Initial comparisons with Epson printers are quite favourable. The DCP-195C is no worse than the Epson B40W as far as build quality is concerned. In some areas it's actually better because there are no extended paper support trays sticking out all over the place waiting to be caught or broken. The expanding paper tray is a little less substantial than I would have liked, but it's an improvement over older Brother printers.
Reliability is something that can only be determined over time. The printhead is less accessible than it is on an Epson printer which may prove to be an issue if you have dried ink clogging a printhead. That said the £60 cost of the printer is in the same ballpark as replacing printheads on a printer that has replaceable printheads anyway.
Set-up
Here is the printer set up with the new inks in the refillable cartridges -
http://www.mugsandgifts.co.uk/offsite/inks.jpg
You can see the cartridges sticking out of the printer. Unlike with the thimble-sized refillable cartridges in an Epson printer, you can easily see how low the inks are getting. On the black and the magenta cartridges, you can see the side of them. For the two in the middle, you can just make out the ink level at the edge of the cartridge.
Noticeable are the coloured bungs that are in free air - making them easy to remove to allow for topping-up of the cartridges while still in the printer. I've no idea how Brother monitors the ink levels because, as mentioned, the cartridges do not have chips. However, I intend to top up the cartridges as convenient - not just when they run out.
I should stress here that for the purposes of this experiment I did not use Artanium ink. I'm normally a strong advocate of "supported ink" and would not wish for anyone to think that I'm recommending that you should switch. However, four colours of Artanium ink would have cost £240 and that's a little bit steep for a simple experiment that may not have worked (I didn't particularly want £240 of ink to leak out over my floor if it didn't work).
Results
Due to the fact that I'm using an unsupported printer with unsupported ink there is the issue of a colour correction profile. This is simply not available and so I used Paul's helpful profiling gadget to profile the printer with the inks.
My first test mug came out as follows -
http://www.mugsandgifts.co.uk/offsite/mug_compare.jpg
The mug on the left is the one I printed from my B40W using Artanium inks after profiling it with Paul's gadget. The one on the right is the DCP-195C using alternative inks after profiling it with the same device. (Photos were taken 11pm at night with a flash and one of those useless economy bulbs overhead, so they're not as good as they might be.)
Next to each other they look very similar. If I was to be hypercritical I would say that the mug from the Brother printer has a minor red bias - this may be due to a different colour gamut in the inkset or just my inexperience with creating profiles. Quality wise there is no difference. There's no banding, no visible dots or dithering.
The Epson printer, after profiling, require their images to be lightened quite a bit before printing (+10 on the "Brightness" setting in Qimage will do the job) - suggesting that reprofiling may be in order. However, the Brother print required no further adjustment. The mug shown is a direct print via Qimage using the profile and then pressed to a mug.
Set-up issues
The only issue when setting up the printer was due to no readily available instructions. For some moments I had a concern that the printer couldn't recognise the ink cartridges. This came down to which order you insert the cartridges. These cartridges are larger than normal which means that you can't close the cartridge door. The Magenta cartridge has a special tab on it to fool the printer into thinking the door is shut. If you insert the Magenta cartridge before the others, the printer can't detect the cartridges because it thinks the door is shut. All you need to do is to insert the cartridges from left-to-right (Black, Yellow, Cyan, and finally Magenta) to avoid this issue.
Running issues
I am experiencing a recurring issue with the cyan ink. While printing a page there is no problem, but after the printer is left idle for a few minutes, the nozzle line is missing some blocks. I believe this is a vacuum issue with the cyan cartridge. Everything is fine while the printer is sucking ink out of the cartridge but as soon as the printing stops, the vacuum effect pulls the ink back into the cartridge leaving a poor ink nozzle check print. The issue is much reduced by removing the bung on the cartridge to allow air into the cartridge more easily when printing - which suggests the issue is with the cartridge, not the printer (I actually have the same issue with the cyan ink on my supported Easyflow system with my Epson 1400 printer, so it's not unique). The other cartridges do not suffer this problem so it may just be a one-off.
Disadvantages
1. The paper tray isn't very capacious (it'd probably only hold about 100 sheets or so) so it's only really suitable for the low-volume user.
2. Printing using the settings I've chosen (Paper set to "inkjet paper" and quality set to "photo") is incredibly slow compared to a modern Epson printer. However, at this price, it may be feasible to buy in multiple set-ups to (i) increase speed, and (ii) to have backup printer options. I haven't tried using the faster print settings (normally on an Epson printer we set to "plain paper" for faster printing) but I may do if I get the time.
3. You need to create your own colour correction profile or have someone create one for you. I haven't used this set-up with Artanium ink yet, so unless anyone wants to donate £240 of Artanium ink so that I can do so, there's no point asking me for my ICC profile.
Conclusions
This first experience with using a Brother printer for dye-sublimation has, I feel, been a positive one. It has been proven that Brother printers can be used in place of Epson/Ricoh printers and that the quality of output is more than acceptable. Long-term use still needs to be analysed.
It's only really the print-speed that should give anyone reservations. More expensive Brother printers are likely to be a little faster (my A3 MFC-5890CN seems faster when printing photos although I haven't tried using that for dye-sub).
On the whole, this has been a rewarding experiment that proved what it set out to prove. I can only hope that, sometime in the future, Sawgrass revisits Brother printers that use these large ink cartridges as, besides the print-speed, the ease of set-up, quality of print, and price makes Brother an inexpensive and more convenient alternative to Epson printers for dye-sub use.
I hope this review has been of interest to someone and I hope that I've been fair in weighing up the pros/cons of using this printer. If you have any questions, post them here and I'll do my best to reply to them. Please do not ask where I got my alternative ink from because I won't tell you in this thread.
Excellent review and very interesting reading. If someone wanted to go down this route with a Brother printer using Artainium inks then presumably you could supply them with a Profile (assuming you have the inks to profile the system). Is that all you need and would a different Brother printer require a different profile? Ideally it would then be useful to find A4 and A3 Brother printers using the same cartridge style.
Justin
05-12-2010, 02:56 PM
Brilliant work :) Always interesting to see alternative products and ideas being tested.
Excellent review and very interesting reading. If someone wanted to go down this route with a Brother printer using Artainium inks then presumably you could supply them with a Profile (assuming you have the inks to profile the system). Is that all you need and would a different Brother printer require a different profile? Ideally it would then be useful to find A4 and A3 Brother printers using the same cartridge style.
That's pretty much right on all counts.
A profile is specific to the ink-set and printer, so Artanium inks would be required to create an Artanium profile for this printer. Historically, different printers do require different profiles, but I'm not sure of the differences between the Brother printers to say for absolutely certainty that this is the case here. I would expect it is.
I do have an A3 Brother printer - the MFC-5890CN - which will take the same cartridges as the DCP-195C. In truth, the A3 printer takes LC1100 cartridges which are larger than the LC980 cartridges used in the A4 printer but, in practice, the same cartridges will do for both because there are no chips to worry about. However, my A3 printer cost £150, and so I didn't want to risk it for this experiment when a £58 printer would do the same job.
I would have liked to use Artanium inks for my experiment but I knew that the cartridges would take almost a full dose of each of the four inks which, at £60 each, is a job for the future. (The snow and the recession has pretty much killed my "christmas rush", leaving me with little in the way of spare funds!)
For the moment, I'm using Paul's profiling gadget to create the profiles. I will be returning the gadget to Paul in the near future, so long as the postal service starts working again, because I've already deprived him of it for far too long! However, I'm fully intending on buying one for myself over the next few months if the post-Christmas lull isn't too devastating.
what a exelent review jonathan! I am gob smacked :) so I can easy say this would be fantastic set up for starters and VERY low volume sublimators. or hobbyst like myself ;)
great job again J!
AdamB
05-12-2010, 05:06 PM
cracking review mate - thank you for taking the time to do this.
:-)
so I can easy say this would be fantastic set up for starters
Possibly in the future, but unless JSR wants all the support queries then I think new comers might be better of sticking with the supported printers, but I'd be interested to see how this develops. I asked Sawgrass about the Brother printers a couple of weeks ago and they weren't forthcoming with any enthusiasm on the Brother range.
I asked Sawgrass about the Brother printers a couple of weeks ago and they weren't forthcoming with any enthusiasm on the Brother range.
I do wonder if Sawgrass' experience is from some time ago. I used to have a Brother all-in-one (MFC-640CW) which was fine until I let the ink run out and it dried up.
There are differences between that model and the ones I have now - most notable is the ink cartridge positions. The older printer required the cartridges to be fitted inside the printer - you had to lift the whole top half of the printer away to slot in the stationary cartridges. It would have been impossible to use larger cartridges and a real PITA to use a CISS. These newer printers with their cartridges slotted in the front are far more convenient.
Likewise the paper tray. This continues to be a bit of a bugbear on Brother printers, but they have improved it over the older machine. It used to be a two-piece affair with paper guide rails quite difficult to adjust. Now they are a hinged single-piece affair with easier to move paper guides. Still far from being perfect, but it is a step up.
It might be worth Sawgrass looking at Brother printers again, particularly for the entry-level end of the market. The convenience factor is its biggest plus point (with speed being its biggest negative point), and the cost for the printer makes any potential printhead issues easier to swallow.
One additional advantage over Epson printers that I didn't mention earlier was in the head-cleaning. On an Epson printer, a head-clean is a global thing that does all the cartridges at the same time even if just one colour (say, the black) needs doing. The Brother printer has the option of cleaning the black, or the three colours, or all four together - that's got to be a cost-saving in the long-run, too.
Does the A3 model take the larger A3+ papers or is A3 the max? The Ricoh will only take A3
Ian M
05-12-2010, 08:12 PM
what a exelent review jonathan! I am gob smacked :) so I can easy say this would be fantastic set up for starters and VERY low volume sublimators. or hobbyst like myself ;)
great job again J!
Brilliant review Jonathan & also brilliant work too. I have to say I now feel vindicated in my previous posts that a Brother printer should be able to print using sublimation inks. I really do second what Paul has said above & everyone else's comments.
It's things like this that makes this forum worth every penny if we had to pay a membership fee.
I think it is time that Sawgrass did have another look at Brother's as I think this really is a way forward.
Ian :D
Does the A3 model take the larger A3+ papers or is A3 the max? The Ricoh will only take A3
I've just checked and it seems to be limited in width to A3 paper, so if A3+ is important then my MFC-5890CN would not be a good option.
Is there much that requires A3+ these days? I used to use A3+ when I did the 300mm diameter glass clocks, but suppliers stopped selling them. We've seen this gradual drift away from 13" wide paper when the 1400 came along to replace the 1290S yet didn't support roll paper which the 1290S did.
The maximum paper size for the A3 model is 11.3" x 17.0" (user-defined), or "double-Letter" (or Ledger/Tabloid) size paper of 11"x17" (pre-defined) which, I imagine, is the same as the Ricoh.
I've just noticed that the Ricoh GX7000 sells for ~£600. What does it do to justify that price? Cook the dinner?
Excellent review and very interesting reading.
Brilliant work :) Always interesting to see alternative products and ideas being tested.
what a exelent review jonathan!
cracking review mate - thank you for taking the time to do this.
Brilliant review Jonathan & also brilliant work too.
Thanks to everyone for your positive feedback. It's reassuring to know that I'm not alone in my curiosity of exploring other printer options outside of those offered to us at the moment.
I have to say I now feel vindicated in my previous posts that a Brother printer should be able to print using sublimation inks.
I recall you mentioning it in another thread, Ian. Great minds think alike!
The starting point of all of this came when Brother replied to my question regarding which type of printhead they use in their printers. Without that, I probably wouldn't have experimented. So kudos to them for taking the time to answer what must have been a bit of an obscure question.
And, of course, a whole heap of thanks (again) to Paul for the loan of his profiling device - without which, this experiment would definitely not have happened for some time to come (unless he did it himself ;) ).
I've just noticed that the Ricoh GX7000 sells for ~£600. What does it do to justify that price? Cook the dinner?
And bloody good diner too ;) for this price :D
I've just noticed that the Ricoh GX7000 sells for ~£600. What does it do to justify that price? Cook the dinner?
And bloody good diner too ;) for this price :D
Especially when you consider that, for around £900, you can get the Epson 3880 - which is a 17" wide printer (unsupported, of course). If you can justify £600, then you can justify £900.
is 3880 can print on canvas too? this may be on my christmas list :idea:
is 3880 can print on canvas too? this may be on my christmas list :idea:
I've no idea. Ever since the 38xx first came out (the first 17" Epson below £1000), I've always wanted one but there's no way I could ever justify it.
Incidentally, if you're serious about getting one, you might like to figure out if you can get it via the US for cheaper.
On Amazon.co.uk, the cheapest price for the 3880 is about £920 (the Amazon price is £1,000); yet the price on Amazon.com is $1,175 - which is just £750. It's one of those examples where the exchange rate is pretty much ignored and Amazon just change the $ sign to a £ sign.
Some speed test results -
Using the settings for Plain Paper and quality set to Normal :
DCP-195C : 1min 6sec (via USB)
MFC-5890CN : 51sec (via Ethernet)
Using the settings for Inkjet Paper and quality set to Photo :
DCP-195C : 4min 21sec (via USB)
I'm printing on this latter (slower) setting to achieve the quality shown before. The Plain Paper/Normal settings are, in comparison, not good enough for what we want. For putting a photo in a document/letter, the quality's okay - but not for anything else. The computer used is a netbook running an Intel Atom 1.60GHz processor, 2GB RAM, and Qimage for printing.
The test document was a sheet of Letter paper with six images on (suitable for three mugs). It's not a full sheet, as you'd use for a mousemat. The printer sped up and slowed down depending upon where it was on the page - I think it slowed down between the end of one image and the start of the next, as though it required more thinking time to analyse what it was printing. I guess we should use "5mins per page" as a rule of thumb.
As I said before, that's pretty slow but I don't think anyone printing frequent bulk orders is going to be looking at this printer anyway. If you had a lot to do, you'd have to print on one day and press the next. ;) Or buy a second printer...
Following on from the review, I've compared the current range of Brother printers.
http://www.mugsandgifts.co.uk/offsite/Printer-comparison.jpg
Those that use the LC980/LC1100 should work fine with the set-up mentioned in the review. I don't know what the LC985 cartridges are, so it might be best to avoid those printers.
For anyone who's ever wanted an A3 scanner, the MFC-6490CW is a very good price at the moment. Normal price of A3 scanners on their own is usually much higher than this MFC. For those who are after a cheap A3 printing option, the MFC-5890CN is down to £135 - which compares favourably with the Epson B1100 that currently goes for £165-£175 without the scanner on top.
All prices shown are from Misco.co.uk (you will need to add a little for postage) except for the DCP-195C which is the Amazon.co.uk price. Some of the other printers are available from Amazon.co.uk but only via third-parties and for wildly differing (and some incredulous) prices.
The DCP-197C looks pretty much identical to the DCP-195C. I haven't yet found a difference between them (even the RRP is the same).
All models are likely to suffer from the slow printing issue.
but how is the print quality compared to an epson
but how is the print quality compared to an epson
Hi Nash
When comparing the two mugs side by side, you cannot tell which was printed by the Brother and which was printed by the Epson.
http://www.mugsandgifts.co.uk/offsite/mug_compare.jpg
I am, quite frankly, stunned by the quality of the Brother print because I truly hadn't expected it.
The main point of note, however, is that you can get a decent quality out of the Epsons at a faster print speed (using the "Plain Paper" settings - I use "Matte", but that's just me). For the Brother, the "Plain Paper" setting is really only suitable for pictures in documents. For the purposes of sublimation, using the slower "Inkjet Paper" setting produces the same quality as the Epson.
(Either that or my eyes are worse than I thought!) ;)
i`m thinking about printing onto canvas though. Do you think it will good enough for that
i`m thinking about printing onto canvas though. Do you think it will good enough for that
If you mean feeding canvas through the printer, I don't think I would recommend it.
I have sent coated canvas sheets through my MFC-5890CN and it did the job, quality was fine, but I think if you did too many it would affect the paper feed system. I don't think it's rugged enough for doing too much of this.
Thanks for that bit of info
Update for the MFC-5890CN:
Today I decided to use the large cartridges in my MFC-5890CN - just with regular dye ink (I don't have enough dye-sublimation ink yet).
Unlike with the A4 printer, the cartridges are not quite as compatible. Not only does the tag on the magenta cartridge not reach far enough into the printer to trick it into thinking the cartridge door is shut but the slot for the tag is over the cyan cartridge, not the magenta cartridge on this printer.
The cartridges can still be used - by poking something into the slot - but it's worth bearing in mind that there is this extra step involved.
GoldRapt
24-04-2011, 05:04 PM
Bump
Very interesting but what is this profile gadget of Pauls please?
Is it some mega $$ gadget for the rich ?
Justin
24-04-2011, 08:21 PM
No need to write 'bump', responding to the thread bumps it anyway :-) The profile machine is a ColorMunki and costs around £350.
GoldRapt
24-04-2011, 08:26 PM
ok, but Bump is "ettiquette" apparently fer posting on ole threads. :)
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 09:05 AM
JSR. What DPI did you have on printing these two images please?
I normally aim for 300dpi but, to be honest, I let Qimage handle the printing.
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 10:17 AM
Do youhVE PHOTO ZOOM PRO?
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 11:01 AM
http://www.benvista.com/photozoompro
lol. Blody good marketing people and brilliant wording. Did you bought it mate??? ;)
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 11:50 AM
It comes free with corel x5
right. Personaly i am not fan of software like this as i can not see use for it. Who the hell want enlargmant of 30000x30000?
John G
27-04-2011, 12:36 PM
Does seem excessive - might be for banners and large scale outdoor advertising boards.
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 12:36 PM
someone printing a very large photo?
The point is you can increase the dpi of a very small photo.
with respect but if somone wants a outdoor bilboard or whatever they called iam sure they can afford descent size photograph.
The point is you can increase the dpi of a very small photo.
Yes. But you can do that in photoshop or even in irfanview ;) my point is who would like to enlarrge useless pic lets say from 640x480 to let say 20000 on long side? And what kind of quality it would be???
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 01:05 PM
Paul, the quality is professional, used by professionals. If it's not for you then it's not for you. :-)
tony. Professionals use hasselblad ;) to get this effect. Not a software ;)
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 01:23 PM
Sorrry Paul, you have lost me . I was originally asking Jonathan what DPI he had used for his review. Maybe using a higher resolution for his image would have given him a better result in his print resolution. :)
it propobly would. But if you dont have beter resolution picture then you cant do it no matter what ;) hyperdippersuperdupersoftware.
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 01:50 PM
Sorry, dont agree.
http://www.benvista.com/photozoompro
I haven't used that one (looks a bit expensive to me). I'm always hesitant about software that claims to be able to increase resolution because if the detail isn't there then it isn't there. All software can do is to use various interpolation algorithms to try and fill in the blanks to create an image that isn't as terrible as just doubling it up yourself. The only way to really increase the resolution of an image is to improve the hardware that took the image in the first place (i.e., the camera).
Personally, I don't worry too much about the print resolution because I let Qimage (from http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/qimage.html) handle it. Doing any conversion prior to printing defeats the object of using such software. Qimage will print at the printer's optimal resolution (720dpi or 600dpi, depending on printer).
Qimage will tell you what dpi your image is at the size you're trying to print and I would normally aim for 300/360dpi or so but experience has proven that you can get a "good enough" print from an image that's only 100dpi at the size you want to print. Lower than that and you're on questionable ground because, obviously, the lower the resolution the more work is required by the interpolation algorithm and the more work the algorithm has to do, the less detailed your image will be (and that applies to all software).
Sorry, dont agree.
fairenough.
I haven't used that one (looks a bit expensive to me). I'm always hesitant about software that claims to be able to increase resolution because if the detail isn't there then it isn't there. All software can do is to use various interpolation algorithms to try and fill in the blanks to create an image that isn't as terrible as just doubling it up yourself. The only way to really increase the resolution of an image is to improve the hardware that took the image in the first place (i.e., the camera).
Personally, I don't worry too much about the print resolution because I let Qimage (from http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/qimage.html) handle it. Doing any conversion prior to printing defeats the object of using such software. Qimage will print at the printer's optimal resolution (720dpi or 600dpi, depending on printer).
Qimage will tell you what dpi your image is at the size you're trying to print and I would normally aim for 300/360dpi or so but experience has proven that you can get a "good enough" print from an image that's only 100dpi at the size you want to print. Lower than that and you're on questionable ground because, obviously, the lower the resolution the more work is required by the interpolation algorithm and the more work the algorithm has to do, the less detailed your image will be (and that applies to all software).
Thank you Jonathan for explaining that I could't do.
GoldRapt
27-04-2011, 06:51 PM
I haven't used that one (looks a bit expensive to me). I'm always hesitant about software that claims to be able to increase resolution because if the detail isn't there then it isn't there. All software can do is to use various interpolation algorithms to try and fill in the blanks to create an image that isn't as terrible as just doubling it up yourself. The only way to really increase the resolution of an image is to improve the hardware that took the image in the first place (i.e., the camera).
Personally, I don't worry too much about the print resolution because I let Qimage (from http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage/qimage.html) handle it. Doing any conversion prior to printing defeats the object of using such software. Qimage will print at the printer's optimal resolution (720dpi or 600dpi, depending on printer).
Qimage will tell you what dpi your image is at the size you're trying to print and I would normally aim for 300/360dpi or so but experience has proven that you can get a "good enough" print from an image that's only 100dpi at the size you want to print. Lower than that and you're on questionable ground because, obviously, the lower the resolution the more work is required by the interpolation algorithm and the more work the algorithm has to do, the less detailed your image will be (and that applies to all software).
Individual choices aside over the use of resoltion software, I think it would be interesting to run the experiment again, time allowing, with the photo printed with the file LPI output size set at 1/3 of the individual printers recomended DPI resolution. (Epsons own recommendations) I reckon you could possiblt improve the end result of the brother.
Individual choices aside over the use of resoltion software, I think it would be interesting to run the experiment again, time allowing, with the photo printed with the file LPI output size set at 1/3 of the individual printers recomended DPI resolution. (Epsons own recommendations) I reckon you could possiblt improve the end result of the brother.
I'm not sure that I see the advantage. The actual quality and detail was as good as I got before - as can be seen by the photo of the two mugs that look virtually identical.
And Qimage already outputs at 600dpi for the Brother which is its optimum resolution in the same way 720dpi is the optimum resolution of Epson printers.
If you can explain why there should be any advantage to doing other fiddling with the image then I'll give it a go when I get the time. As it is, I see no such advantage.
GoldRapt
28-04-2011, 08:38 AM
And Qimage already outputs at 600dpi for the Brother which is its optimum resolution in the same way 720dpi is the optimum resolution of Epson printers.
I think I need to get myself a brother and replicate your review using the software I have Jonathan. :-)
DS Designs
28-04-2011, 12:55 PM
I've used Photo zoom pro, to be honest i didn't find it that good.. along with a few others that claim to do that sort of job, all pretty crap imho. Might be ok for mug size prints, but not for garment sized prints
Dave
I think I need to get myself a brother and replicate your review using the software I have Jonathan. :-)
As mentioned in my PM, I'm using my Brother printer alongside an Epson. Being a 4-colour printer, the Brother sometimes has difficulties with light coloured gradients (because a 4-colour printer has no "light" inks). It's something that might be solved with image-specific profiles, but I won't know that until I try. In the meantime, I use an Epson (with refillables) for "difficult" images.
I wonder why Brother don't do 6-colour printers? Now that'd be something worth trying if they ever did one.
any news about your brother mate??? :) I think it would be worth to update us all how old, good bro doing after few months of testing ;)
GoldRapt
19-08-2011, 12:25 PM
No not yet paul, Once the current printer breaks and I need to replace it I will have a go.
Still using the same Brother DCP-195C here.
The only ongoing issue is what I believe is a pressure issue in using the giant-sized cartridges. I have some of the regular size cartridges here (which still hold more ink than a refillable in an Epson printer), which I intend to use once the giant cartridges next run out - just to see if the issue is lessened.
To clarify the issue:
While printing, there is no issue. When standing idle, there is no issue.
The issue is after printing. As the printer settles down to idle, it appears that there's a little back-pull from the ink. If you do a nozzle check it appears that there's a nozzle blockage - but it's not a blockage, it's just that the ink isn't at the printhead rightaway.
If you do a headclean before printing, then it'll print non-stop. If you do a headclean and leave the printer idle, it'll be ready to print next time. The only time you see it is when you pause between printing. If you start printing again without doing the headclean, the first print will have lines until the ink catches up with the printhead.
It's not a deal-breaker because it's not a permanent problem and it's 100% predictable. At the moment, the advantage of having large ink reservoirs without using a CISS is a bigger positive than the issue I've described.
I am also using standard cheapo dye inks in my A3 Brother printer (MFC-5890CN) and that does not exhibit the same problem - even though I'm using the giant cartridges in it. I can only imagine that the issue in the smaller printer is down to using heavier/thicker dye-sub ink. Further investigation (using the smaller cartridges) may help to prove/disprove this.
But how about head blockages? This is the bigest issue with epsons. I wonder if brother is this same?iam askig as i may go fo a4 prinetr. a last time i was printing biger then a4 was last year. Now my large press packed up so i cant press biger then a4 any way. So may go for this little brother...
But how about head blockages? This is the bigest issue with epsons. I wonder if brotjer is this same?iam askig as i may go fo a4 prinetr. a last time i was printing biger then a4 was last year. Now my laege press packed up so i cant press biger then a4 any way. So may go fr this little brother...
Absolutely zero blockages beyond the situation described above. It's been 100% reliable in that regard and I have full confidence than any future printer I use (when I next need to buy a printer in) will be a Brother. The larger printer using the regular dye ink hasn't had any trouble whatsoever. For office printing, I'm definitely sticking with Brother and the giant cartridges.
I think the primary advantage the Brother has over the Epsons is that the ink cartridges are remote from the printhead, so there is always going to be ink in the line between the cartridge and the printhead. With the Epsons, the cartridges are on top of the printhead so there's very little gap between the cartridge and the printhead - that makes it much easier to get an airblock in the printhead (it's the reason why OEM cartridges never "run dry", but a cartridge in a CISS or a refillable may run dry and introduce the airblock).
The only thing I don't know for sure about the Brother is what happens when the waste pad is full. The Epsons can normally be reset with the SSC, but not so with Brother printers. I've not been as busy as I would have liked over the past 6 months, so I don't yet know where I stand with my A4 Brother in that regard.
Bump! (lol to previous comments)
I have joined the Brother Fellowship.
PM sent to JSR explaining in full...
In short, I have obtained a freebie Brother MFC-6490 that uses the same LC1100 hi capacity cartridges as the aforementioned MFC-5890 JSR used.
This is an A3 printer/scanner combi, and as it cost nothing, I intend to run some wild experiments in the quest for knowledge.
If the printer is useless, I will purchase the same MFC-5890 that JSR uses. I can then use the same cartridges (as they fit - phew!) and can comment on any identical issues we may both have RE: the stoppage when printing etc.
PM has been sent, and so I eagerly await a reply!
:)
bigj2552
18-04-2012, 03:38 PM
Bump! (lol to previous comments)
I have joined the Brother Fellowship.
PM sent to JSR explaining in full...
In short, I have obtained a freebie Brother MFC-6490 that uses the same LC1100 hi capacity cartridges as the aforementioned MFC-5890 JSR used.
This is an A3 printer/scanner combi, and as it cost nothing, I intend to run some wild experiments in the quest for knowledge.
If the printer is useless, I will purchase the same MFC-5890 that JSR uses. I can then use the same cartridges (as they fit - phew!) and can comment on any identical issues we may both have RE: the stoppage when printing etc.
PM has been sent, and so I eagerly await a reply!
:)
if yer going for a new brother printer - get the 5910dw on sale @ pc world for £99 down from £199....i have snapped up 2 of the buggers over the last wk or so....great machine, fast....yet to try it with the sub ink yet tho..but dont see much probs TBH...
Got rid of my epson b1100 for these babys !..money well spent imho
if yer going for a new brother printer - get the 5910dw on sale @ pc world for £99 down from £199....i have snapped up 2 of the buggers over the last wk or so....great machine, fast....yet to try it with the sub ink yet tho..but dont see much probs TBH...
Got rid of my epson b1100 for these babys !..money well spent imho
I already mentioned that in my reply to Dan's PM. :wink:
bigj2552
18-04-2012, 03:53 PM
I already mentioned that in my reply to Dan's PM. :wink:
mind tell him to add the £22 for the 3yr warranty....worth its weight in gold that one ! :wink:
mind tell him to add the £22 for the 3yr warranty....worth its weight in gold that one ! :wink:
I didn't mention that but I'm sure he'll read this thread.
The most recent printer I bought for dye-subbing only cost me £22 anyway... :wink: When it's done all it can, the skip is welcome to it! :biggrin:
Thanks guys, about to leave work and head home to collect it from the lady.
I am tempted to buy the 5910dw - the only worry being that it uses LC-1240 cartridges. I'd need to spend another £40 on an empty set.
That said, if I get it to work, I could always sell it with the empties and use the profit towards the 5910dw.
Do you know how long the PC World offer is on until? And is it the square trade warranty?
John Lewis has it for £99.95 until 31st May - somewhere I have more faith in returning to than PC World. So that's good to know I have some time to decide.
Right time to pack up. Fingers crossed!
:)
bigj2552
18-04-2012, 09:35 PM
Thanks guys, about to leave work and head home to collect it from the lady.
I am tempted to buy the 5910dw - the only worry being that it uses LC-1240 cartridges. I'd need to spend another £40 on an empty set.
That said, if I get it to work, I could always sell it with the empties and use the profit towards the 5910dw.
Do you know how long the PC World offer is on until? And is it the square trade warranty?
John Lewis has it for £99.95 until 31st May - somewhere I have more faith in returning to than PC World. So that's good to know I have some time to decide.
Right time to pack up. Fingers crossed!
:)
£19.99 gets you -
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-LARGE-EMPTY-REFILLABLE-CISS-INK-CARTRIDGES-BROTHER-MFC-J5910DW-J6510DW-J6710DW-/220929218637?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_Printing_PrinterIn kCatridges_JN&hash=item337068584d
for this printer on ebay....inks sold seperate.....i bought one yesterday...should arrive tomorrow...If any good...will be buying another for the new printer that should be here fri/sat..
Inks from same seller are cheap to ( not sublimation inks )....this can be used for your sub inks when you get em m8 ( seperate ones for sub & ordinary printing obviously ! )....what i,m gonna be using for sub & non sub work :tongue:..works out way, way cheaper either using sub ink or ordinary inks !
AND...
what the hell is a "square trade warranty".....
and i wouldnt think this deal will be there after april.....has been going for a while now !
Johnny...
Printer has landed, as has the freebie Epson dx3800.
Didn't do anything with either as I decided to go see battleship at the cinema (good movie, think transformers on steroids with fake cheese on top...always with the cheese!)
I'm told the owners husband tried various ways to fix the non colour printing issue, didn't say exactly what, but is bet it was only one or two clean cycles before they gave in.
The plus is that they bought the same model again as they said it was such a great unit.
The guy passing on his Epson preached only for ciss and Epsons, saying never buy a brother. Fanboys will be fanboys! He is a photographer slash photoshop imagery whizz, so meh.
I guess if I buy the pc world deal and don't touch it until the oldie works, I have a few weeks to return it if the old model surpasses expectations. But ill end up with both, I just know it haha.
Time to order hi capacity cartridges - any recommended sellers in particular? For a few pounds difference between several I've seen across the bay, are there any types to avoid?
Time to order hi capacity cartridges - any recommended sellers in particular? For a few pounds difference between several I've seen across the bay, are there any types to avoid?
I've always got mine from this company: http://www.printercartridges.net/printercartridgesstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=116
You should be able to use the code "rc1" to save £2 on any order over £15 (as stated here: http://www.ink-girl.co.uk/ ). They're on eBay, too.
Thanks JSR - I am going to order a set of cartridges in the next hour for the older model first.I am a little uncertain on how to approach the whole cleaning process too. I presume most guides for epsons can be followed, with the generic Brother equivalent clean cycles etc.
I also need to buy some sub ink - but as sub ink is more expensive, would it be silly to purchase regular ink during the whole unclogging/cleaning process to see if it works to start with, rather than waste expensive resources using sub from the start? The reason being that is is a hell of a lot cheaper to try it this way should the clean cycles use up shitloads of matter (I've read that 10 cycles should clear it).
I'm not sure how messy it is to get it running with regular inks and tidy that up for sub inks after. Is it worth the risk? Bear in mind it has had old inks previously, so ill have to flush it regardless.
The isoproply alcohol pen arrived this morning, nice bonus.
So should I get it running a set of cheap ink first? Or jump the gun and straight into subs and cleaning?
I've read a bit into the Ricoh system of 'sucking out' almost a full cartridge into the system for those models - do Brothers' do anything similar? I apologise if these are novice questions, but info on the Brother is relatively scare.
I've read a bit into the Ricoh system of 'sucking out' almost a full cartridge into the system for those models - do Brothers' do anything similar? I apologise if these are novice questions, but info on the Brother is relatively scare.
There's a lot of FUD going around about how Ricoh printers "waste" loads of expensive ink if you've first put normal ink in and you want to flush it out to get the new dye-sub ink flowing through it.
Logic dictates, however, that the only ink being "wasted" is that ink that's already in the lines between the cartridge and the printhead. As soon as the ink is at the printhead, you can start using the ink so you're not really "wasting" it at all. It only appears to be wasted because the ink levels go down to indicate how much ink is in the lines - not because it's been wasted.
The Brother printers are no different, except that there are no chips on the cartridges so you're not held to ransom by software dictating that you're out of ink when you're not.
The last printer I bought off eBay had regular dye ink in. To change the ink,all I did was to get a set of regular size Brother cartridges and fill them with 100ml of cleaning fluid (bought off ebay for a couple of quid) - 100ml will fill all four of the regular size cartridges. Then I printed pages of colour to clear out the unwanted dye ink until no colours were printing (indicating that the clear cleaning fluid was coming through). Then I swapped the cartridges out for ones that had dye-sub ink in and did the same "print pages of colour" to clear out the cleaning fluid. Once all four colours are coming through fine, you know you're ready to print. How much dye-sub ink was wasted? Hardly any at all.
If you're trying to get a blocked printer unblocked, then I would suggest a similar tactic. Either use cleaning fluid or buy regular dye ink (a tenner will get you 100ml of all four colours), and use that while doing all your unblocking. Once you're unblocked, flush out with cleaning fluid and then feed through with dye-sub in new cartridges.
That's what I was thinking RE: using the regular dye ink for checking it works after the clean.
Thanks again JSR - I'll add the cleaning fluid to my list probably from the same ebay seller if they have it.
Did you have a spare set of empty cartridges just for the cleaning fluid use? Or did you obtain a set of generic Brother cleaning cartridges with cleaning fluid?
The lack of chips is definitely a positive - but what happens when the ink does indeed run out? Does it go on and on until nothing comes out? Is it merely a case of keeping an obvious eye on it (anyone who can't see ink levels dropping must have a potato for brains).
I can't get over what a fat pie this machine is - it's the size of a flipping microwave!
Edit - the ink woman has them - £13 for four cleaning cartridges. Think I will go with these!
Did you have a spare set of empty cartridges just for the cleaning fluid use?
I did do that, yes. As my printers all take the same cartridges, I figured it was better just to leave the excess cleaning fluid in a set of cartridges in case I ever needed them in the future. I find it useful to have plenty of spare cartridges around because of trying out different inks and using the different printers. The last thing I want to be doing is accidentally mixing inks/cleaning fluid in the same cartridge. But there's no reason you can't just clean them out, let them dry, and refill them, I suppose.
The lack of chips is definitely a positive - but what happens when the ink does indeed run out? Does it go on and on until nothing comes out? Is it merely a case of keeping an obvious eye on it (anyone who can't see ink levels dropping must have a potato for brains).
It's a combination of memory and a physical sensor, from what I can tell.
When you replace the cartridges, the printer asks if they are new ones or not. If they are new ones, it resets its own counter. It then seems to estimate how much you're using. However, this "estimation" doesn't appear to have any effect on how you use the printer - it's purely to give the status monitor something to go on.
On the physical side of things, the cartridge has a black plastic "floatation" marker that sticks out on the far side of the cartridge. While there's plenty of ink in the cartridge, the plastic pivots up which forces the "sticky out side" down. When the cartridge is nearing empty, the plastic pivots down which forces the "stick out bit" up. This moving black plastic is what triggers the sensor so the printer can tell you that you're running out.
If you're using the giant 80/100ml cartridges, though, you can just top the ink up while the cartridges are still sitting in the printer. You'll never run out of ink this way. By example, my 5890CN uses the 80/100ml cartridges with regular dye ink in them. The "status monitor" indicates that all four cartridges are running on dregs of ink, but they're all almost 50% full. The printer doesn't care because the black device is telling it that there's still plenty of ink there. Until that moves, the printer won't complain that it's running on empty (even if the status monitor says it is).
I'm using the smaller cartridges in my 295CN so I can't see the ink levels without removing them from the printer. They started running out recently and the printer does stop you from draining it dry. I took the opportunity to top up all four cartridges, told the printer that they were new ones, and all were good to go.
Before refillable cartridges were available, the easy way to refill these cartridges was to refill a "used" cartridge and then cover the sensor area with black tape. It's much better with refillable cartridges.
Excellent!
I am bunching up my order now - I almost want to go for the smaller cartridges for aesthetic value and the fact I can close the lid and not have them stick out. Petty, but it bothers me as the machine is big enough as it is. Refilling isn't an issue for me - I do wonder if there is any variation on how quickly the larger/smaller cartridges dry up. I guess as long as they are sealed/cleaned if not used for a while, all will be ok. That, or run a print once a week to keep them alive.
JSR - I think I will try the economy chinese inks I have seen to try this out - but perhaps go for a slightly better quality of sub paper. This purely based on my experience of photo printing - the ink can be as cheap as chips, but if the paper is poor, results will always be poor.
Correct me if I am wrong though! Which papers are you using with the Brother?
Excellent!
I am bunching up my order now - I almost want to go for the smaller cartridges for aesthetic value and the fact I can close the lid and not have them stick out. Petty, but it bothers me as the machine is big enough as it is. Refilling isn't an issue for me - I do wonder if there is any variation on how quickly the larger/smaller cartridges dry up. I guess as long as they are sealed/cleaned if not used for a while, all will be ok. That, or run a print once a week to keep them alive.
I did use the giant ones at first, but work has a bit slow and dye-sub ink tends to "settle/separate" when left to stagnate. So I switched to the smaller ones for the time being (the bottle on the shelf is more airtight than the cartridges).
The smaller cartridges contain about 20ml (colour) and 30ml (black) while the larger ones contain about 80ml (colour) and 100ml (black). This compares to the Epsons which typically hold no more than 7-9ml of useable ink per cartridge. If business is up, the giant cartridges are ideal, but if business is sporadic then the smaller ones are still better than what you'd have with an Epson.
JSR - I think I will try the economy chinese inks I have seen to try this out - but perhaps go for a slightly better quality of sub paper. This purely based on my experience of photo printing - the ink can be as cheap as chips, but if the paper is poor, results will always be poor.
Correct me if I am wrong though! Which papers are you using with the Brother?
We're not allowed to discuss non-Sawgrass ink on this forum but do bear in mind that any mention of a non-Sawgrass supplier is likely to draw Sawgrass's attention to them and get them shut down.
Whatever ink you go for, you will need to get a custom profile made. I recommend you talk to Paul (forum member) who has done several for me. You may find that you'll need to have further profiles done as the months progress if your inks are getting a bit old but a correct profile from Paul will stop you from pulling out your hair.
Of the paper, I have used TruPix, TexPrint, Xpress (from BMS) and the stuff that Coralgraph sells. Coralgraph's paper is "okay if you really need to save a couple of pennies". Xpres paper is a better "economy" paper - ideal for the middle ground. However, I've currently switched back to TruPix and TexPrint papers for best results. I'm saving enough on printer costs and less printer hassles now that the few extra pence for the better paper is justifiable.
Thanks again! :) Your time and effort to help me out is truly appreciated.
I will drop Paul a message with my intentions, and hopefully if I can get the old printer running I can get a profile from him for that; and if not that, then I will get the newer model from PC World as you suggested and sort that out.
I've gone for the small cartridges - the door thing was bugging me too much. Unless things take off, which I don't think or intend them to, I can always upgrade as per demand. I also believe this will be sporadic on a come and go basis. Start small and go from there...
I've yet to buy my heat presses. I am contemplating the second hand market from users here, and am after a single mug and a swing tshirt press.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for a bargain!
Looks like Saturday will be judgement day.... dun dun dunnnn!
Ok, last nights progress was positive.
The printer fired up. It installed without fuss on Windows 7 32bit.
No driver or software issues.
At first attempt, it scanned straight into photoshop. Was a little slow, but I chose one of the more optimum settings. A nice and quiet machine, I must say. The old Epson scanner I use to have made a right racket when processing.
LCD screen is telling me that there is no ink. Of course, because there aren't any cartridges yet haha.
So far, so good.
Oh lord, my little basement is running out of space.
I bought the 5910DW with the warranty this lunchtime. A bargain at £121. They even threw in two packs of HP paper too (I laughed). It's the small things! Lol. That warranty is epic really, chances are in 3 years if it does go kaput on me, they wont know it has been used on sublimation and according to the print they offer an on the spot replacement.
Who knows how good future models will be, I very much doubt they will replace with this one as it is already labelled as clearance. Incredible.
bigj2552
22-04-2012, 02:14 AM
Oh lord, my little basement is running out of space.
I bought the 5910DW with the warranty this lunchtime. A bargain at £121. They even threw in two packs of HP paper too (I laughed). It's the small things! Lol. That warranty is epic really, chances are in 3 years if it does go kaput on me, they wont know it has been used on sublimation and according to the print they offer an on the spot replacement.
Who knows how good future models will be, I very much doubt they will replace with this one as it is already labelled as clearance. Incredible.
great to see someone else going down the brother route .....i just bought 2 of the 5910dw's...one for normal printing...and the other for sub printing...while they were on sale .....
but can always convert the normal to sub use with clean/flush out if needed....but the £22 - 3yr warranty is bloody superb....why i bought 2 of em while they were half price :biggrin:.
superb printer, really fast print & extremly fast scanning !
John G
22-04-2012, 08:36 AM
.i just bought 2 of the 5910dw's...one for normal printing...and the other for sub printing
Have you used it for sub printing yet and whats the result like, colour wise.
Cheers John
smitch6
22-04-2012, 09:05 AM
i presume you needed a profile for it as well?
bigj2552
22-04-2012, 01:16 PM
@john - i cant make my bloody mind up what sub inks to get....i,m still thinking of going for the cheaper ones to do a number of wks practice on, rather than spend £200+ on quality inks, just to get wasted....
@smitch6 - Hi steve, yes, will need to ask paul for profile set up when i make up my dam mind what inks to use lol....:wink:
as for ordinary printing, this thing is really good.....i find skin tones good, and colour depth is really good as well....coming from having epsons all my days - i would say this IS a step up in printing quaility for me...
just got another CISS system/ or large refill system....or whatever you want to call it lol - through post yesterday.....hooked the non sub one up....this non sub ink is gonna last me ages with these large tanks lol
947948
still waiting on the other printer i ordered 5/6 days ago from pc world online....the local store ran out, so had to buy online......:mad:
if yer buying a wireless brother printer - to set up the wireless side - you MUST have a usb cable to plug in first :rolleyes:......had to wait 4 days for that to arrive last wk before i could set up the dam printer....so bought 2x extra long ones while i was on ebuyer + 2x extensions for em
outta all the cables i have in house...not 1 usb cable...really odd lol
if yer buying a wireless brother printer - to set up the wireless side - you MUST have a usb cable to plug in first :rolleyes:
Got to admit that I prefer using Ethernet for my printers. Much more reliable. I honestly don't see the point of wireless in a printer. Wireless in the laptop, in the tablet, in the smartphone, yes - but the printer doesn't go walkabout so it may as well be wired into the network.
I've tried wireless on my Epson B40W and it's always a nightmare. I've used Ethernet with my HP 550DTN, but that seems to drop its connection and change its IP address every time the wind changes direction. But Ethernet with my Brother MFC-5890CN and MFC-295CN has been as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.
smitch6
22-04-2012, 02:25 PM
what are these like for swapping between inks?
like on my B1100 i can swap the carts and do a quick clean and i'm good to go :)
always handy to have a normal A3 as well
bigj2552
22-04-2012, 02:31 PM
what are these like for swapping between inks?
like on my B1100 i can swap the carts and do a quick clean and i'm good to go :)
always handy to have a normal A3 as well
that why i bought 2 of the 5910dw's....just in case one has to go back to the shop for replacement and it takes a while....i can always clean out the regular printer and use it for sub printing mean time....
that reminds me....off to buy another large blank refill set of carts for back up....that way i dont waste the normal ink by thowing it away to replace with sub inks...all money bud..more saved the better !. :wink:
what are these like for swapping between inks?
like on my B1100 i can swap the carts and do a quick clean and i'm good to go :)
always handy to have a normal A3 as well
It's like the Ricoh and other printers in which the cartridges are distant from the printhead. There's ink in the tubes between the cartridge station and the printhead, so if it's your intent to change types of ink then you'd need to flush out the lines first.
That said, printers are cheap enough these days that you can buy more than one and use them each for one ink type (that way you'll always have a backup printer in the event that your main one goes down). I have three Brothers here - one for dye ink, two for two different brands of dye-sub ink. The advantage you get with the larger ink cartridges is that you don't need to keep swapping out cartridges.
They even threw in two packs of HP paper too (I laughed).
How silly is that? Brother printers are designed to run using a matched ink/paper combination - called "Innobella" by Brother. Using the two together produces absolutely superb results - a huge improvement from the previous Brother printers that didn't have a matched combination.
Supplying HP paper with a Brother printer is about as useful as supplying HP ink cartridges for a Brother printer... :biggrin:
I've sent Paul a message asking about an ICC profile.
Cartridges are here. Just a waiting game now!
:-) thanks. Iam sure you will.enjoy collors once you have correct icc :-)
plugy
03-06-2012, 05:51 PM
these look amazing for your experiment as you say what ink were you using on the brother machine and what cost as you say for the other type £240 too much for me .
these look amazing for your experiment as you say what ink were you using on the brother machine and what cost as you say for the other type £240 too much for me .
Ink costs £60 inc vat per 125ml bottle of each colour so £240 is what you'll expect to pay for the ink.
There's always a debate about the costs of setting up, but if these costs weren't there then everybody would be printing mugs for £2 - £3 each and then the debate would move on to how can anyone make a living. As Michael Porter says these are barriers to entry and these are needed to stop anyone and everyone entering the market and driving returns down for everyone.
what ink were you using on the brother machine and what cost as you say for the other type £240 too much for me .
I ref you to the original post, re:
Please do not ask where I got my alternative ink from because I won't tell you in this thread.
bigj2552
03-06-2012, 10:25 PM
Ink costs £60 inc vat per 125ml bottle of each colour so £240 is what you'll expect to pay for the ink.
There's always a debate about the costs of setting up, but if these costs weren't there then everybody would be printing mugs for £2 - £3 each and then the debate would move on to how can anyone make a living. As Michael Porter says these are barriers to entry and these are needed to stop anyone and everyone entering the market and driving returns down for everyone.
thats half the problem martin - there still are people printing mugs and selling them for that price !:rolleyes:
the get rich quick ( so they think ) brigade
My apologies for the delay guys, had a bit of a real life moment (involves a girl, dont they all lol) and had to pause all progress with the printing experiments.
But I should be progressing in the next few weeks once I am back from my holidays.
Winterbits
06-07-2012, 05:01 PM
Hi all, new to the forum and sublimation.
I am wondering will I get a better print quality with one of the a3 printers or the one you reviewed on here? The cost is only £50 extra and the capability of doing a3, although I can't see myself printing a3 very often?
Infact what do people print in a3?
The printer will probably be used with a laptop on a market stall with the power coming from an invertor off a car/leisure battery. If needs be I could run the car to charge it back up. So power consumption would be better off lower but only if quality is not undermined.
Sorry to ramble on a bit.
Kind Regards
Ian
Justin
06-07-2012, 05:31 PM
You won't get a better print quality as they're still 4 colour printers. A3 means you can print larger place mats, sun shades etc. but bear in mind you would need the larger heat press for this. 99% of most folks work is probably done on an A4.
Winterbits
06-07-2012, 05:35 PM
Thanks for that, think I will be sticking to the A4 version then, helps with the power consumption too :)
WorthDoingRight
06-07-2012, 07:27 PM
Thanks for that, think I will be sticking to the A4 version then, helps with the power consumption too :)
Lol compared to the cost of the ink, power consumption in standby or whilst printing will be minimal difference between A4 or A3 printers
Hi all, new to the forum and sublimation.
I am wondering will I get a better print quality with one of the a3 printers or the one you reviewed on here? The cost is only £50 extra and the capability of doing a3, although I can't see myself printing a3 very often?
Infact what do people print in a3?
The printer will probably be used with a laptop on a market stall with the power coming from an invertor off a car/leisure battery. If needs be I could run the car to charge it back up. So power consumption would be better off lower but only if quality is not undermined.
Sorry to ramble on a bit.
Kind Regards
Ian
For the sake of the small price difference, you may as well go for the A3 so that you have the ability to do larger prints and/or more prints on the same piece of paper. In other words, more flexibility for the day you do have a larger press. If you don't see yourself doing A3 "very often", then that suggests you may see yourself doing A3 once or twice. If you already have the A3 printer, it's a simple matter of changing the paper. If you don't already have the A3 printer then you'd have to get one especially for that "once or twice" occasion. Unless you're really tight on available cash, it makes sense to go for the printer with the most options your budget will allow.
Do bear in mind though that the print width is limited to A3 (11.7") and you can't print A3+ (13") as you would with an A3 Epson. There isn't too much around these days that needs the extra couple of cms (but it was useful in the old days when there were 12" diameter glass clocks!).
As for better quality? There's nothing wrong with the quality from the A4, so I'm not sure how much better you're looking for. Your biggest concern when using an unsupported printer is colour accuracy and, for that, you'll need a custom ICC colour correction profile (speak to forum member Paul).
There are newer printers from Brother these days, and you would be best advised to go for one of them (that others have used) than going for one of the ones I originally reviewed.
daviddeer
22-07-2012, 02:37 PM
Hi JSR,
I am going to attempt this process with my dcp 330c and MFC-5890CN Printers.
To create the ICC profiles do you print the colour swatch on paper and use the profiling device on that or must you transfer it to a substrate before using the profiling device?
Hi JSR,
I am going to attempt this process with my dcp 330c and MFC-5890CN Printers.
To create the ICC profiles do you print the colour swatch on paper and use the profiling device on that or must you transfer it to a substrate before using the profiling device?
You have to transfer it to something because dye-sub inks don't reach their final colour until heat has been applied. Unfortunately you can't profile a mug because it's not flat, so you need to find something close to the substrate you're profiling. I've used everything from mousemats to t-shirts to the 10x8 sheets of metal from BMS. The metal seems to work the best.
daviddeer
22-07-2012, 05:04 PM
Thanks for that,
I'll get the printers set up and order the metal.
Happy days!!
meldean
31-07-2012, 01:45 PM
Hello Everybody
Im in the process of setting up with a brother printer for sublimation and was wondering if there is a preference on which papers to use to get best results.
Thank You
my works great with texPrint.
bigj2552
31-07-2012, 05:36 PM
mine works great with Tru-Pix :tongue:....but i haven't tryed the stuff paul has yet so.......
WorthDoingRight
31-07-2012, 07:01 PM
mine works great with the papers I have tried - both cheap items from eBay sellers but I haven't tried the expensive stuff like the others (I am happy so far with the results but one paper is definately higher release than the other)
Ok. I should say. My works with coralgraph paper. Some el cheapo ebay paper. Trupix and texprint. Texprint gives best results so far ;-)
bigj2552
31-07-2012, 09:27 PM
Ok. I should say. My works with coralgraph paper. Some el cheapo ebay paper. Trupix and texprint. Texprint gives best results so far ;-)
is that on everything paul?
think we all had this discusion on this a while back ????
yep. evrytime i use texprint, its a winer for me. have truepixloaded right now and can not fault it. but texprint relase more ink every time :)
Justin
31-07-2012, 10:25 PM
Paul, just playing devils advocate for a moment....does releasing more ink make a difference to the print?
In my cas, yes. Less pressing time and more vivid colors.
Hello Everybody
Im in the process of setting up with a brother printer for sublimation and was wondering if there is a preference on which papers to use to get best results.
Thank You
It makes no difference to any other brand of printer. Whatever paper you prefer for other dye-sub printers will apply the same for Brother printers. I prefer TexPrint and TruPix, but I've also used Xpres and Coralgraph.
bigj2552
16-09-2012, 08:28 PM
Talking about TexPrint - When's it coming back in @BMS?....i been itchin to try it after pauls comments, but the stuff has been out of stock for ages now.:rolleyes:
you will notive the difrence bud!
if you want I can post you couple of sheets to try before you buy :)
bigj2552
16-09-2012, 08:37 PM
you will notive the difrence bud!
if you want I can post you couple of sheets to try before you buy :)
thank paul, i,m gonna buy it anyhoo...its slightly cheaper than the TruPix stuff......Gonna be needing that as well soon.
just managed to get your profile prints done tonight...i know, i know....been busy with this n that...
will post em off tomorrow "next day registered", or what ever you call it.:wink:
johnny
dont do that as it wont reach me any sooner bud! save yourself some pennys and send it standard 1st class ;)
bigj2552
16-09-2012, 08:45 PM
dont do that as it wont reach me any sooner bud! save yourself some pennys and send it standard 1st class ;)
thought it was guaranteed next day delivery if i payed the £4.50 for special delivery ?? :confused:
it is. but i am not at home most of the day so no point to pay extra :) it only make me go to my local depot to pick it up lol :)
Talking about TexPrint - When's it coming back in @BMS?....i been itchin to try it after pauls comments, but the stuff has been out of stock for ages now.:rolleyes:
We have a load arrive about 2 weeks ago, went into stock and now all sold out again. We only get it occasionally and sell it a bit cheaper to clear it out. If we brought it in normally it would be more expensive than the TruPix paper! TruPix is just as good.
bigj2552
16-09-2012, 10:53 PM
@Paul....LoL....i,ll save your wee legs pal, dont you worry about it.
@Martin...bloody paul keeps buying the lot so no other bugger can get it lol.....
will need to keep an eye out for it - and the tru-pix works perfect by the way. I was just wanted to see what all the ho ha was about with tex-print :wink:
I'm back! :)
Can't believe I have been halted on this for almost a year now, damn life troubles!
I've managed to get myself a second hand Geo Knight swing press with cap attachment and box 25 mixed tshirts for £225 - thought that was a cracking deal. I'm also working with vinyl too, but early days.
Just need to buy my ink, and hopefully now life has settled can begin enterprising the Brother route.
AidAnimals
27-07-2015, 02:58 PM
What a fantastic and informative review, thank you for going to the trouble JSR!
Can I ask what ink you DID use in this experiment, and did you find it any good? I am hoping to do some low volume sublimation printing (to produce items to help raise money for animal charities and rescues) using an A3 Brother printer (MFC-J651ODW) and would like to start off with some cheap but decent dye inks.
I am trying to learn how this sublimation business all works, so please excuse my lack of knowledge when I ask, how do I implement a colour correction profile on my Brother MFC-J651ODW printer, and how do I get one to begin with?
Also, if anyone has any advice on which sublimation is cheap but decent for me to start off with, that would also be very much appreciated.
Apologies if I have not used this forum correctly (I hope I have!), I have never used a forum before so am a learner at that too!
Susan
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