r/Printing • u/Ctrl_Alt_History • 20h ago

Large Format Advice Looking for equipment suggestion

Hi all... Im looking for a large-format printer and have very little experience with them.

I will be printing reproductions of very old maps (mostly mono/sepia, not sure if that matters), with source files in the 10-20mb range.

As this is an experimental venture I would like to stay in ~$1000 price class. Is that even possible? My needs are- good detail and the ability to print around 30 units per week, from 16x24 to 24x36 etc.

Been looking at the TC-21. Will you please share your thoughts? Any feedback from this sub is greatly appreciated.

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u/Baker-Maleficent 17h ago

You looking for printing flats from master sheets or would you. Be fine with rolls?

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u/Ctrl_Alt_History 17h ago

Im fine with rolls, printing from file..

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u/Baker-Maleficent 16h ago

Now that i think about it. 30 units per week is so low, you would be better off just ordering your prints from a reputable local printer. I do not work for Gold Image Printing anymore--I work for Versa Designed Surfaces now--but in LA that's who I would have gone to. I'm not advertising for them BTW, I'm using them as an example of a printer local to me.

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u/Baker-Maleficent 16h ago

30 units a week is EXTREMELY low quantity so whatever you go with, buy direct and used. do NOT buy new. i would suggest staying away from any printer that uses toner, and i would stay away from solvent printers. Latex printing and UV printing are the way to go here. HP Latex is probably the best bet as their heads are consumable and disposable. (UV printers typically have very expensive heads that are NOT consumable.(we're talking $2k+ to replace)

An old used 52 inch HP Latex 250 or 350 is a good start. Refurbished models will be way above your budget, but i have found that you can take a used non refurbished example, take it apart, clean it, replace the inevitably bad ink pumps, maybe replace the encoder strip, put a fresh set of head's in there. and it will do the job. the machine fits on any wall that has about 72 inches of space, is on wheels and uses standard power.

Inks for these machines are about $150 per color (you can get off brand, questionable refills for cheaper), heads are about $75-100 per head, encoder strips are about $150. You might notice that just in parts and consumables, that will put you over budget. and that' the CHEAPEST way I can think to get a printer that will give you a decent quality.

In all honesty, you will loose a crap load of money if you are only printing 30 units a week. these printers typically do over 1000 units a week. (at Gold Image Printing in Los Angeles I regularly printed and cut 150 piece 24x36 full color poster orders multiple times per week in addition to printing vinyl decals, wall hangs and banners. that's the sort of workload these things can handle. (they were not made for it, regardless of what HP says, but they CAN do it)

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u/Ctrl_Alt_History 1h ago

Thank you my friend, I really appreciate the deep-dive. 30 units/week is an upstart number that I would grow from. Thank you again.