Newbie Here ~ What printer do i buy !!

[personalizedtouch]

I have purchased my 5in 1 machine and will arrive next week, im soooo confused as to what printer to go for .. My husband works for a printer company and can get me a printer with discount but what do i go for!! Also where do i get refilable cartridges and sub inks from!!! Please help the more i look the more confused i seem to get

[Andrew]

Hi there. It all depends on budget and the size of print you need to achieve. The supported printers from Sawgrass are updated regularly so you need one of these to get the correct software to print the inks correctly. There is the choice now beyond Epson but I have little experince of them and there are mixed reviews. Best way is to phone one of the main suppliers of the blanks and printer set-ups. You can still buy the printer with your other half so just be upfront on what you are doing. You might need a bulk feed system etc and they will talk you thorugh it. Artainium tends to be the most wide spread and popular of the inks. For a newbie you tend to get good support from the likes of BMS/ Transferpress/ Xpres. These are just personal observations and I am not sure how some of the other suppliers are on set-up. I am sure some other members might reccomend alternatives. My current preference on printers and ink is still Epsons and artainium so if you need A4 or A3 just find out what the latest supported version are.

[bms]

find out what the latest supported version are

Currently supported versions are:
A4 : Epson B40W or Ricoh GXe3300
A3: Epson B1100, Epson Photo 1400 or Ricoh GX7000

[personalizedtouch]

thanks guys, what ink/unit would i use with those martin?

[Justin]

Hi Nikkie, the Ricoh use cartridges and the Epsons use a CIS system, you can get all of these from BMS or several of the other suppliers on our list.

[bms]

what ink/unit would i use with those

All the Epsons use what's called the EasyFlow system - a bulk feed ink system pre-filled with Artainium inks. Given they're already filled with ink you haven't got to prime them yourself. Personally I don't see the need to go down the route of re-fillable cartridges as you'll spend more money initially on buying the ink and the refillable cartridges compared to buying the EasyFlow system which is fully ready to go.

The Ricoh's use SubliJetR cartridges. Refillable cartridges aren't an option with the Ricohs so you're left with the cartridge based system.

All the Epson and Ricohs are fully supported printers from the distributors of Sawgrass inks and they come with the relevant ICC profiles or PowerDriver Software (Ricoh only for PowerDriver) and help files! We usually have all the printers and associated EasyFlow systems/ cartridges in stock.

[personalizedtouch]

sorry me again!!

so if i buy the bw40 ( think thats what its called ) via epson. Do i then just buy the easy flow system from BMS (martin) and what do i have to do to install the easy flow system and is that all i need to do , then buy the ink to refill it from the same place?

I may eventually get this right, i was just going to buy the s21 set up of ebay for £70 but i seem to be being told to avoid that

[Justin]

Yes, you can buy the printer and bulk inks seperate, either way you'll have to fit the CIS yourself. It's pretty straightforward as long as you follow the instructions.

You may be able to get the set-up cheaper by buying printer and CIS seperate but my personal advice would be to buy both from the same place if it doesn't cost much more. It make future support so much easier.

Don't buy an unsupported printer, as we keep finding they're a nightmare and you'll just be throwing your money aware.

[VSW]

Hi Martin - do you have the Epson printer and ink available on your website to view please?

Justin - am I right in saying if I buy a second hand printer there would be no back up or guarantee and thats why I should avoid this?

Personally, I want to be able to buy everything I need to get me going for under £200 (mug printing wise!) so if anyone can point me in the right direction....

Sorry - not meaning to hijack the thread!

Thanks

Lee

[Justin]

Justin - am I right in saying if I buy a second hand printer there would be no back up or guarantee and thats why I should avoid this?

You'll still get your warranty on the CIS but if the problem relates to the printer you may end up having to buy another....cheaper to get a new one in the long run. I use Epson 1400's which are great printers but I've had a few now, they're far from perfect.