Printers are crucial pieces of office equipment, but they have their limitations, especially when it comes to size. The majority can only print as large as A4 or possibly A3 size documents, and that’s just not sufficient if you need to print bigger, wider items, like large posters, store signs, trade show banners, etc. For those kinds of prints, a wide format printer is the only feasible solution, and it often makes more sense to invest in one of these printers for your office, rather than rely on third-party printing providers to handle your larger print jobs. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive buyer’s guide to wide format printers.
A Quick Intro to Wide Format Printing
Before we dig into what to look for and how to separate the best wide format printers from the rest, here’s a quick intro to these devices.
A large or wide format printer is one that can print things in bigger, broader sizes than the average standard printer. While office and home printers can handle the likes of letters, envelopes, and office docs, you need a wide format printer if you want to print bigger items.
There are different types of wide format printers, like inkjet models which spray the ink onto the page, and laser models which use laser beams and static electricity to produce their prints. A lot of them fall into the “plotter printer” category, too, which means they have plotter pens inside that draw the image.
The Benefits
- Can print much larger than standard
- Produce remarkably precise output – crucial for the likes of blueprints
- Opens up new printing opportunities – posters, vinyl signage, banners, etc.
- Often cheaper to own and use your own than pay for printing services
- Crucial for certain industries, like architecture, engineering, retail, etc.
- Can print onto more materials than just paper (such as wood, metal, glass, and vinyl)
The Uses
Usage-wise, wide format printers are great for a lot of users in different businesses and industries. They’re commonplace in architecture and design spheres, for example, as they’re needed to print large-scale plans and blueprints of upcoming projects. Lots of ad and marketing agencies rely on them too, to help make billboards, posters, and other large-scale promo materials.
Retail stores use wide format printers as well for their in-store displays, and educators in grade schools and colleges often rely on them to make large educational materials (wall maps, etc.). But their uses extend much further than that, and many businesses – big and small – can benefit from purchasing a wide format printer.
How to Pick the Perfect Wide Format Printer
If you do a lot of wide format printing or feel that your business would get value from a wide format printer, here’s how to pick the right one.
What to Look For
Focus on these aspects in your search:
Speed
You shouldn’t expect a wide format printer to print off as many sheets per hour as a standard high-speed office printer. Because of the larger output size, these machines usually operate a little slower than average and need more time to finish a job. But there are still some models that print faster than the rest. So if you need to do a lot of printing in a short amount of time, you’ll need one that can keep up.
Cost
Cost-wise, wide format printers tend to have higher price tags than standard models. They’re bigger and more complex, with more moving parts under the hood than your average home or office model. But, again, prices vary. You’ll find some that cost half the price of others and do more or less the same things, which is why it’s worth shopping around to find models within your budget for the best value buy.
Ease
A typical wide format printer works more or less like a regular printer, in terms of the fundamentals. But these machines are sometimes a bit trickier to set up or demand more space, intensive care, and preparation, because of their added features and complexities. You’ll have to train workers to use your new printer, and it helps if you can find one that’s intuitively designed for easy, quick adoption.
Features
Just like home and office printers, wide format printers can offer varying feature sets. Some of them are quite basic and barebones, while others are way more advanced with high-end touchscreen interfaces and various kinds of connectivity. You’ll have to think about which features you need and which are less necessary to ensure you don’t buy an inadequate device or overspend on one that’s too high-end.
Print Media
Earlier, we mentioned how a wide format printer isn’t just for paper. Some of these machines give you tons of options in terms of what material you can print on like metal, glass, vinyl, and even wood. You might not need to print on any of those, but you still need to make sure that whatever printer you buy is capable of printing on the materials you intend to use.
Top Tips for Buyers
To finish up, a few more expert tips to guide you in the right direction:
- Assess your own printing needs so you can make a data-driven decision in terms of which printer to get.
- Consider working with an office tech specialist who can make recommendations and introduce you to the different types of wide format printer.
- Don’t rush – finding a printer that meets all your needs, matches your budget, and offers long-term value will take time.
Find the Right Wide Format Printer With Expert Assistance
If you’re in architecture, retail, marketing, education, or any of the other sectors where wide format printing is essential, owning a wide format printer is obviously a smart move. It’ll let you do all the large-scale print jobs you need, day in and day out.
Buckmaster can help you pick the right model. We have years of experience in office tech and have helped countless Sacramento businesses find printers that suit their needs. We’d be happy to help you, too. Contact our team today to learn more and get the ball rolling.