HP Designjet T830 MFP vs Canon iPF770MFP or iPF771MFP

If you are looking for a entry level A0 size large format multi-functions printer, you will probably ended up with 2 choice, the HP Designjet T830MFP and Canon iPF770MFP (iPF770 with add-on L36 add-on A0 scanner).

 

The below video will show you printing, scanning and copying function in action. However, before you make your choice, you shall evaluate other factors like below:

 

1. Warranty period

2. Running cost (printhead and ink cost per ml)

3. Upgradability (Can your MFP separate into 2 devices to suite your future operations needs, can you upgrade your scanner to higher end model if your copying and scanning job increase.)

 

 

 

A guide to choose the right large format MFP

It has been awhile, since the debut of affordable large format multifunction printer, namely HP Designjet T830 and follow with Canon iPF770MFP (iPF771MFP in certain Asia regions) and Canon iPF670MFP (iPF671MFP in certain Asia regions), the criteria of selection has diverted from the printer true performance and user friendliness assessment to specifications comparisons. 

The potential buyers these days seldom evaluate good quality printers like HP Design T930, T790, or Canon iPF831, iPF780 (iPF781) and iPF785 (iPF786) because the focus has shifted to the add-on large format scanner or the integrated scanner.

Users need to understand their requirements before starting to shop for plotters or large format MFPs.

Are you looking for a plotter or technical document scanner or large format MFP?

This can be determined by needs evaluations.
1. Printing volume  (light, medium, heavy)
2. Scanning and copying requirement (not required, optional, rare, mandatory)

Some guideline for users looking for large format MFPs as below

1. HP Designjet T830
for light printing volume with optional or rare scanning requirements.

2. Canon iPF670+L24 or iPF770+L36 MFP
for light to medium print volume with optional and rare scanning requirements

3. Hp Designjet T2530 MFP or Hp Designjet T3500 MFP or Canon iPF771+M40 MFP
for medium print volume with optional or rare scanning requirements

4. Hp Designjet T1200 MFP Canon iPF781+M40 MFP or Canon iPF786+M40 MFP
for medium print volume with mandatory scanning requirements

5. Canon iPF831+M40 MFP or Canon iPF841+M40 MFP
for heavy print volume with mandatory scanning requirements

In short, the selection criteria is very much depends on the users operating requirements.
Hope the above article is helpful in guiding the readers on large format MFPs selection.

HP Designjet T830 eMFP vs Canon iPF771MFP L36 Comprehensive Review & Comparisons

HP Designjet T830 eMFP or Canon iPF671 A1 MFP or 771 A0 MFP are entry level wide format multi-functions system. If scanning and copying jobs are critical for your operation, you shall opt for true wide format MFP system such as Canon iPF M40 series or Oce Plotwave 345 or 365.

However, if you require minimal scanning and copying functions but printing volume is reasonable high, Canon iPF671 A1 MFP or 771 A0 MFP shall fit into your consideration.

If scanning, copying and printing functions are also very minimal to your operation, you may include HP Designjet T830 eMFP as one of the option. The reason the T830 print engine is built from T520 platform but with much higher running cost.

Please watch below video for very professional and details analysis of the HP Designjet T830 eMFP and Canon iPF771 MFP.

Canon iPF771 vs HP Designjet T520 Comparisons & Reviews for Purchasers

Printing and scanning of technical CAD drawings has become very affordable. Unlike in the past, most of the drawings were outsource to fast print shops.

It is common for Architecture, Engineering and Construction companies to have multiple large format printers or even multi-functions large format printers for in-house printing and scanning requirements.

These AEC or manufacturing companies are designing, constructing or manufacturing projects or products that worth multi-millions to multi-billions dollars. But when comes to selecting a right printer to purchase, which cost as low as USD2000, most of the purchasers are comparing the price instead of the productivity of the printer that has great impact to the project team.

When the purchasers sounded very cost conscious, for example the requirement is A0 size CAD printing, the suppliers will normally quote the most affordable models from 2 very reputable brand, which is Canon imagePROGRAF iPF771 (labelled as iPF770 in some other regions) and HP Designjet T520.

Below is the comparisons for readers reference.

HP Designet T830 MFP, Canon iPF771M MFP & Canon iPF671M MFP

The multi-functions wide format printer is getting more popular recently. Both major manufacturers of wide format printers are introducing their new range of multi-functions wide format printers in the beginning 2016.

HP introduced the low end multi-functions printer, HP T830 where the scanning unit is built in with the printer.

HP Designjet T830 MFP

Canon introduced the medium end multi-functions printer, Canon iPF771M (A0 size) and Canon iPF671M (A1 size) multi-functions printers where the printer and scanner are separated as 2 devices. In some other regions, they are known as Canon iPF770M and Canon iPF670M.

Canon iPF671M MFP & iPF771M MFP

Now, the users are having multiple choice of large format MFPs. Below is the summary for easy reference:

High End 
1. HP Designjet SD stand alone scanner
2. Canon M40 scanner
Both high end MFP are adding scanner unit to the printers for HP and Canon.

Medium End
1. HP Designjet T2530 MFP (Built-in Scanner)
2. Canon iPF771M MFP (separate unit like Canon M40 or HP Designjet SD scanner)
3. Canon iPF671M MFP (separate unit like Canon M40 or HP Designjet SD scanner)

Low End
1. HP Designjet T830 (Built-in Scanner)


Personally I recommend users to opt for wide format MFP systems that are made up of printer and scanner instead of those built in scanning unit system. It is due to the clear differences in term of scanning  and post scanning editing performance as well as the total cost of ownership.

Land Surveyor Board Malaysia - Subsidize On Plan Printer Purchase

Land Surveyor Board Malaysia - Subsidize On Plan Printer Purchase 
(Lembaga Jurukur Tanah Malaysia Pemberian Insentif Bagi Pembelian Plotter)

Land Surveyor Board Malaysia is providing subsidy amounting to RM5000 on purchase of large format printer to all the member in Peninsular Malaysia effective 10th October 2014 while the fund last.

The intention of the Land Surveyor Board is to assist its member in improving work productivity as well as to ensure the plan produce by land surveyors are printed nicely.

However, the question now is what model of plotter shall the land surveyors invest in?

In general, the price of plotter or plan printer is ranging from RM5,000 to RM20,000 depending on technology and class (disposable, SOHO or workgroup).

Below is the general specifications & comments of the common models for selection, starting from the lowest end to highest end.

1. HP Designjet T120 ( A1 size, inkjet, disposable, built on desktop printer platform)

For students or when mobility is key. Slow print speed, especially on full color printing and extreme high printing cost due to very small cartridge size, 29ml for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, 38/80ml for Black.

HP Designjet T120

2. HP Designjet T520 (A1 or A0 size, inkjet, SOHO, built on desktop printer platform)

Slightly better than HP Designjet T520. Suitable for very light usage, slow in speed, high printing cost due to the size of the ink cartridge, 29ml for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, 38/80ml for Black.

HP Designjet T520

3. Canon iPF605 (A1 size, inkjet, workgroup printer, built on plotter platform)

Recommend for small corporate environment, fast in printing & file processing speed, low printing cost with large ink cartridge size. 130ml for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Black & Matte Black.

Canon iPF605

4. HP Designjet T920 (A0 size, inkjet, workgroup printer, built on plotter platform)

Recommend for small to medium size corporate environment, fast in printing speed but slow in processing speed, low printing cost with optional big ink cartridge size. 40/130ml for Photo Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Gray & 69/300ml for Matte Black.

HP Designjet T920

5. Canon iPF750 (A0 size, inkjet, workgroup printer, built on plotter platform)

Recommend for small to medium size corporate environment, fast in printing & file processing speed, low printing cost with large ink cartridge size. 130ml for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Black & Matte Black.

Canon iPF750

6. Canon iPF815 (>A0size (44"), inkjet, production printer,  built on plotter platform)

Recommend for medium to large size corporate environment, fast in printing & file processing speed, very low printing cost with 700ml ink cartridge size.

Canon iPF815

The land surveyors shall take this opportunity to upgrade their plotter for better work efficiency.

For A1 size printer, the right choice shall be Canon iPF605

For A0 size printer, the buyer shall choose either HP Designjet T920 or Canon iPF750.

If you are one of the member of Land Surveyor Board of Malaysia, please refer to all the plotter reviews in this website for your decision making.

Invest in wide format technical documents plotter or outsource printing?

Large format plan printer used to be a luxury equipment for Architecture, Engineering or Constructions companies in Malaysia. 10 years ago, a HP Designjet 1020 can cost more than USD10,000 per unit. At the time, most of the drawings were out sourced to commercial printers. 

Canon iPF765

The cost of a large format printer (LFP) has become very affordable these days. A decent A0 large format printer like Canon iPF750 or HP Designjet T920 will cost you less than USD4,000. Hence, most of AEC firms are installed with at least one unit of large format printer. More established AEC companies with high print volume are upgrading to LED based multi-function wide format printer such as Oce Plotwave 340 or Oce TDS 750.

The benefits of investing in wide format printer:

1. On demand printing
Just click a print button, the drawing will be ready for pick up in less than 1 minute*.

2. Higher productivity 
Imagine the indirect cost like getting a dispatch staff to travel to and fro not forgetting the waiting time.

3. Secure Print
Confidential document is well control if printed in house instead of outsourcing printing.


The benefits of outsource printing:

1. Pay per print
No cost incurred to buy or lease a wide format printing device.

2. Piece of Mind
This applicable to AEC companies that have inconsistency high volume printing demand. The commercial printers will take care of the problem**.

 
* Benchmark based on Canon iPF605 & iPF650 performance in A1 CAD printing at normal mode.

** As the wide format plotters price has become so affordable, most of the AEC firms have their own large format printers, when volume surges, they will pass on the excess volume to the commercial printers.

Related Posts:
1. Large format printers for copy centres
2. Large Format Printer - Size Does Matter?
3. What large format printer consumables items should be stocked for maximum printer productivity and piece of mind?
4. Accounting Functions of Canon imagePROGRAF Large Format Printer
5. HP Designjet T920 vs Canon iPF750 Review

HP Designjet T920 vs Canon iPF750 Review

This is a head on comparison between the A0 size large format inkjet printer.

HP Designjet has bring the gap closer in term of productivity as compared with Canon iPF, but it was compromised with print quality (see video for details).

The new HP Designjet T920 has copy the media output mechanism from toner based multifunction wide format printer, i.e.Oce Plotwave. It is a good idea indeed, but in practical, due to the inkjet printing mechanism and low cost built-up, the functionality and reliability of the HP Designjet T920 top out-put tray is questionable.

As of now, I still think HP Designjet T790 is a better LFP as compare to HP Designjet T920.

HP Designjet eT2300 MFP vs Canon iPF M40 MFP Review & Comparison

HP Designjet T520 vs Canon iPF750 Comprehensive Review & Comparison

HP Designjet T520 vs Canon iPF750 is not an apple to apple comparison.

In fact, HP Designjet T520 is a lower end inkjet wide format printer if compared with the HP Designjet 510 or 500 series.

If you have read my previous post on HP Designjet T520 vs Canon iPF605, and convinced that Canon iPF605 is a much superior LFP as compared with the HP Designjet T520, you may just want to skip this video because Canon iPF750 (A0) and Canon iPF650 (A1) is as higher grade LFP as compared with Canon iPF605 (A1).

Many IT retailers and computer shops are proposing the HP Designjet T120 and T520 series to their customers because of the price. If you are looking for a A1 size printer, they will propose to you a HP Designjet T520 or T120 or Canon iPF605. If you are asking for a A0 size printer, the option given will be only HP Designjet T520.

Why? Because they only consider the face value of a products like specifications and price. 

The actual fact is there are more than price and specifications when come to technical documents printing. Just to name a few:

Print Quality

Durability

Printing Cost

Productivity on continuous printings especially under workgroup environment.

Ergonomics & User Friendliness

After sales service & warranty period

Etc.

If technical documents (CAD) printing is important to you, insists a Canon iPF750 or a HP Designjet T790 and above.

HP Designjet T520 A1 vs Canon iPF605 Review

HP Designjet T520 A1 vs Canon iPF605 is definitely not an apple to apple comparison.

The Canon iPF605 is a medium end printer like iPF610. Canon Inc has enhance the iPF605 features and reliability but price it lower for entry level professional users like Architects, Engineers or Designers.

HP Designjet T520 is designed for consumers market and intend to market via computer shops. It is meant for students, consumers or office users that print very minimal drawings, i.e. less than 20 pages a month.

Well, if you insists to compare the Apple with Orange, please view video below.

 

Video by Velmex Distribution

HP Designjet T520 series vs HP Designjet 510 series

I was so excited when I got to know that HP is introducing the new series of large format inkjet printer, the Designjet T120 and T520 series in quarter 3 of 2012.

HP Designjet 510

I have very high expectations on the DJ T520 series. It is because the DJ 510 series has been the classic models among the HP Designjet series. I suppose its successors, T520 series will be superb in term of productivity, reliability and cost effectiveness.

But the reality is at opposite side. The HP Designjet T120 and T520 series are merely a "Disposable" wide format printer. It is more appropriate be named as HP Deskjet T120 or HP Deskjet T520 series.

HP Designjet T520 series

The physical outlook of the HP Designjet T520 series is just a enlarged version of HP Deskjet or Canon Pixma printer. The common specifications of this DJ T520 as compared to the HP Deskjet and Canon Pixma printer is as below:

1. Built by short life span materials (not expected to last long, consumer or household IT products)
2. WiFi connectivity
3. Not much improvement in file processing and printing speed as especially at quality mode.
4. Very high ink consumption
5. Small ink cartridge volume that comes in 29ml for color and 38 or 80ml for black ink (cost per ml is very high)

According to a veteran wide format printing consultant, the HP Designjet T520 series is suitable for users that print 30 pages or less A1 drawing per month.

In short, if you are a HP Designjet 510 series users, forget to replace the existing unit with the DJ520, just live with the DJ510 or consider the DJ T790 series or Canon iPF series.

HP Designjet 111 & HP Designjet 510 series (End of Life)

HP Desinjet 111

HP Designjet 111 and HP Designjet 510 series has come to end-of-life stage. The replacement models namely HP Designjet T120 and T520 series are not just another face lift models with minor improvements. The HP Designjet T120 and T520 series has adopted the strengths of HP Designjet T790 series as well as its rival, Canon iPF.

HP Designjet 510 series



The debut of HP Designjet T120 (24") and HP Designjet T520 series (24"/36") is indeed a good news for new users where these new models are definately much productive as compared to the previous generation. But from another angle, the spare parts availability of the existing users of HP Designjet 110, HP Designjet 111, HP Designjet 500 series, HP Designjet 500(Mono) and HP Designjet 510 series is the major concern from the large customer base worldwide especially for users that did not purchase service pack.

Carriage belt



The end of life of the HP Designjet 111 and HP Designjet 510 series is a milestone that indicates that large format printers for technical market have evolved to another level where productivity and connectivity is essential.

HP Designjet T790, T1300, T2300 eMFP vs Canon iPF750, iPF760, iPF765 MFP - Print Processing Speed Review

Productivity on demand is always a key concern of the plotter users in AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction) industries. This is because shared wide format printer within a work group or among work groups are common, and most important is the technical documents print volume could surge multiple times when there are project deadlines to be met.

Hence, productivity of a wide format printer has become one of the most important criteria. Most of the users relate fast printing speed as high productivity. There is nothing wrong on such assumption, but what has been overlooked is the file processing time or print processing time.

Printing speed is the speed measure based on how fast a printer produce a technical drawing or printout. It is measure from the printer head start moving until it stop printing.

File processing speed or print processing speed is measure from the moment a file is sent to the printer for printing until the print head start moving.

The video below best define the file processing speed and printing speed.

HP Designjet T2300 eMFP vs Canon iPF750 MFP Review & Comparison

Multi-function large format printer has become a hot topic these days. CAD users in AEC or M&E industry are exploring the viability in investing in a large format scanner or multi-function large format printer.

From the total cost of ownership point of view, it is not viable to invest in HP Designjet T2300 eMFP as the large format scanner is integrated into the printer. The life span of the scanner could easily last for more than 10 year, but the printer may just last approximately 5-6 years before it need a lot of maintenance due to life span of the wear and tear parts in the inkjet wide format printer.

It means if you invest in a integrated multi-function large format printer like HP Designjet T2300 eMFP, very likely you will need to replace the whole system (integarted scanner and printer) every 5-year.

If you opt for a seperate system like HP Designjet T790 + large format scanner or Canon iPF750 MFP where the systems are basically made up by two separate devices (scanner + printer), you can keep the scanner as long as it is still funtioning (easily last more than 10 year) while with the flexibility to upgrade the wide format printer in every 5 to 6-year based on the print volumes.

*Note: A large format A0+ (40") scanner price is approximate 2 times the A0 size large format printer.

For functionality of both types of systems, please refer to video below:

Sub tanks ink delivery system for large format printer

The sub tanks ink delivery system is a very useful feature that is neglected when comes to printer reviews. Very often the users see the sub tanks ink delivery system is to enable replacement of ink cartridges while the printer is printing. But, this is not the only feature that the sub ink tanks are meant for. The truth is a large format printer that built in with sub ink tanks in its ink delivery system will deliver better ink efficiently and it is much economical as compared to another wide format printer that does not comes with sub tanks.

If you are existing users of HP Designjet 111, HP Designjet 510, Canon iPF605, Canon iPF710 or any other inkjet wide format printer that does not built in with sub ink tanks, you will found that the empty ink cartridges that were ejected from your plotters is not really empty. In fact, there is still remaining of a few milliliters of precious ink in the so-called empty cartridges. Why?

An ordinary inkjet system consists of ink cartridges (inlet), tubing and printhead. To ensure smooth ink delivery within the system, air bubble is the culprit that the designer trying to avoid. To ensure no air bubble is captured in the ink system, the designers of the printer will not allow the ink cartridges to be fully drain because once it is done, air bubble will be created in the ink delivery system, and the printer will need to purge the ink till the air bubble is out. Hence, with a inkjet printer that does not comes with sub ink tanks, the ink cartridges will not be allowed to fully drain. In short, the users are actually throwing out a few milliliters of ink every time a cartridge in change.

With the built in of sub tanks, no bubble will be able to smuggle in the ink tubes because the ink is supplied by the sub ink tanks instead of directly from the ink cartridges. Hence, it enables full use of ink tank contents, eliminating waste ink.

A part from more economical ink consumption, the sub ink tanks system is constantly reserving a preset ink level in the sub tanks which allows users replace ink tanks without having to stop printing. Even when ink runs out unexpectedly, users can continue printing using just the sub tanks. (Example: equivalent to approximately 80 sheets of A1 plain paper for monochrome drawings).

Large Format Printers that built-in with sub ink tanks design:

Canon iPF650

Canon iPF655

Canon iPF750

Canon iPF755

Canon iPF760

Canon iPF765
Canon iPF815
Canon iPF825

Canon iPF8000S

Canon iPF8300S

Canon iPF8300

Canon iPF9000S

Canon iPF9100

Large Format Printers that DO NOT comes with sub ink tanks design:

Canon iPF510

Canon iPF605

Canon iPF710

Canon iPF5100

Canon iPF6300

Canon iPF6300S

HP Designjet 111

HP Designjet 500 (Mono)

HP Designjet 510

HP Designjet T790
HP Designjet T1200

HP Designjet T1300

HP Designjet T2300 eMFP

Printer Stand & Basket Unit for Wide Format Printers

The ergonomics factor of the plotter stand and basket unit (media bin) is normally neglected by the users during evaluation stage prior to purchase decision making.

I have also neglected the importance of the large format printer stand & basket unit until I received many comments on the media bin of the HP Designjet T2300 eMFP under one of my blog post entitled HP Designjet T2300 eMFP – Preliminary Review.

A well designed large format printer stand allows users to pick up the print outs easily without having to stretch the body. This is even more critical for middle age users or female users who wear high heels.

Read below post to view the printer stand with media bin that is designed for ergonomic operation.
Canon iPF760 and iPF765 Printer Stand and Basket Unit

HP Designjet T790 (A1) vs Canon iPF650 (A1) vs Canon iPF605 (A1) Review - Which LFP model best fit corporate offices with limited space

The end user is a multinational company dealing in solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings. The head quarter of its operation in Malaysia is located at The Garden South Tower, Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur.

The Garden South Tower, Mid Valley City, KL

The company has decided to acquire a A1 size wide format printer. In the past, all the technical drawings were printed at fast print shops. Although the print volume is not that high, but the operation manager of the said company believes that it is more appropriate to own a plotter with the following benefits:

1. Cost effective- Fast print shop is charging A1 color CAD drawing at MYR4.00 per piece. It will only costs user about MYR1.00 per A1 print (paper and ink) by printing in-house.
2. On-demand printing 
3. Better control of confidentiality
4. Improve productivity

Epson Stylus Pro 7700

As usual, Several vendors representing 3 major brands of large format printer namely Canon imagePROGRAF, HP Designjet and Epson Stylus Pro were invited to bid for the deal.

User requirements:

1. A1 size
2. High speed CAD printing
3. Network- Work group environment (5 users)
4. Ergonomics

A total of 5 models were proposed by the vendors as below:

1. Canon iPF605
2. Canon iPF650
3. Epson Stylus Pro 7700
4. HP Designjet 510 (24-inch)
5. HP Designjet T790 (24-inch)

Canon iPF605

Epson Stylus Pro 7700 and HP Designjet 510 were filtered out at the first evaluation due to the slow printing speed. The user tested all the 5 printers with a complicated vectors file and commented as below:

"HP Designjet 510 is the slowest in term of file processing. The DJ510 started print about 15 minutes after the "Enter" key is hit."

"Epson Stylus Pro 7700 printing speed is ridiculously slow. I lost my patience seeing the print head moving left and right like never ending. The printer is also very bulky as compared to the Canon iPF and HP Designjet" 

HP Designjet T790 (24-inch) e-Printer

"Canon iPF605 and Canon iPF650 are very impressive on the printing speed and ease of use. The HP Designjet T790 is also not bad in term of productivity; and it comes with sophisticated  feature like connecting to the cloud. But our technical documents are classified as confidential; furthermore the IT department does not like the idea of getting an printer that is able to connects to the web."

Canon iPF650

The vendors were requested to perform an on-site demo with shortlisted A1 Plotter as below:

1. Canon iPF605
2. Canon iPF650
3. HP Designjet T790

 Again, below are the comments from the users.

"It is very difficult to load the paper from the front for HP Designjet T790. And with limited space, we are unable to access from behind."





 

"It is easy to load paper from the front for Canon iPF605 and Canon iPF650. Canon iPF650 is even better than Canon iPF605 because users can just drop the roll holder as soon as it is on track and the paper roll will be seated automatically."

Finally, the Canon iPF650 was chosen. Look at below pictures and you will understand why size does matter and front accessibility is important for corporate office with limited space.

Canon iPF9300 & iPF9300S to make debut by mid-2012



Canon iPF8300 & iPF6300

Canon iPF6300 & iPF8300 were introduced to the market since quarter 3, 2010. Subsequently the 8-color line-up of Canon iPF S series has upgraded the Canon iPF6000S & iPF8000S to Canon iPF6300S & iPF8300S in quarter 2, 2011.



Canon iPF9100

 What happens to the iPF5100, iPF9100 and iPF9000S? 

In the market, many of the 17" and 60" wide format printers buyers are holding on in acquiring a new printer until the iPF5300, iPF9300 and iPF9300S are made available to the market by Canon Inc.



HP Designjet Z6200

Professional Photography & Graphic Design users have already recognized the improvement of the Lucia EX pigmented ink technologies that provides high color consistency and stability with much wider color gamut as compared to the previous version of Lucia pigmented ink technology.



Epson Stylus Pro 11880

The users wanted to own a 17" and 60" large format printer that deliver finest print quality as per the Canon iPF6300 and iPF8300. They are not willing to compromise in the printing quality by taking up the Canon iPF5100, iPF9100, HP Designjet Z6200, Z5200, Z3200, Z2100 and Epson Stylus Pro 4900, 7900, 9900 & 11880.

According to the reliable source,  the long wait of Canon iPF9300 & iPF9300S will be over in 2012.

Effective Inventory Control Method for Large Format Printer Users

Recently, I have received some emails inquiries from large format printers users on stock availability of certain large format printer consumable items at their location. For example, there is an email inquiry from a Canon iPF6300 user who urgently needed a PFI-105GY (grey color ink cartridge) on Saturday. Two days later, another user of Canon iPF9100 is looking for immediate supply of PFI-701R (Red color ink cartridge).

Canon iPF8300 (12-color) 44" Large Format Printer

These phenomenons have signaled both good and bad news. The good news is none of these inquiries (not limited to the above 2 examples) are looking for consumables for CAD plotting applications. One of the objectives for me to create this blog is to make known to large format printers users on where to buy large format printers' consumables such as ink cartridges, maintenance cartridges, print heads and papers. As compared to the past (year 2008 and before), most of the users have started to keep some buffer stock and know where to locate the nearest resellers.

The bad news is the large format users in graphic arts industry (mostly uses 12-color LFP such as Canon  iPF6300, iPF8300, iPF9100, HP Designjet Z3200, Epson Stylus Pro 4885) are still facing challenges in effective inventory control on the large format printer consumable items.

Effective Inventory Control Method for Large Format Printer Users

First of all, the users must identify the consumable items that are needed to be in the monitoring list of the inventory control system. For example, if you are a Canon iPF6300, you need to keep the followings:

PFI-105 ink cartridges

1. Ink Cartridge (12 color PFI-105 ink tanks)

2. Maintenance Cartridge (MC-16)

3. Printhead (PF-05)

4. Paper rolls (Satin, Glossy, Fine Arts, Canvas, etc)

Read below post for details.

What large format printer consumables items should be stocked for maximum printer productivity and piece of mind?

Impelenting The 1+1 Inventory Control System

The is a very simple and easy system to follow.

1+1 => 1set of consumables installed at the printer + 1set of spare consumables at store

For example, when the red color ink cartridge at the printer is empty, the user is going to replace a new ink cartridge. Thus, the red ink cartridge at the store is utilized. When such event taken place, user shall immediately place an order with the vendor. This will allows approximately 2 weeks lead time until the same color is running out again.

Bear in mind that the printer needs all the 12-color ink tanks to operate, any color running out will cause unwanted operation downtime. If the users face challenge in keeping track the inventory level of these 12-color ink cartridges, similar challenges will be faced by the vendors in fulfilling the market demand.

Effective inventory control will not only help the users to boost up the productivity, but cut down unnecessary cost like adhoc ordering, and urgent delivery cost.