Which Colour Printer??

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Which Colour Printer??

• G.J.Fayers_at_ic.ac.uk

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Key Factors

• Capital outlay ltlt Consumables cost
• Choice of technology
• Way services are delivered for transparencies,
  paper

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Selection Criteria

• 2 trays, 2 software queues
• Speed
• Memory size
• Resolution
• PS level 2 or better
• Low cost ownership
• Duplex operation
• Non-proprietary transparencies

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Other Selection Criteria

• Simplicity of use
• Reliability
• Price
• Duty cycle
• Print cost per page
• Network readiness
• Protocols support and maximum control from
  maximum number of different types of host
• PCL capability

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Yet More Selection Criteria

• Postscript emulation quality
• Number of consumables
• Support for AutoCAD14 and AutoCAD 2000
• Good reproduction of VGA camera output (discussed
  later)
• Monochrome
• A3 capability

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Other Considerations

• Adjustable toner coverage
• Availability of supplies on campus
• Maximum memory capacity (esp. for poor
  postscript)
• Informal workgroup servicing
• Warranty

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Some Printer Truths

• Underestimation of cost per page
• 5 A4 x 12-point
• 240 high quality transparency
• Expert estimate typical HEP 25
• Costs start at 1.25p per gt 30p per
  transparency
• Duty cycle is relative

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Duty Cycles

• No absolute indication of robustness
• 40 heating cycles worse than 1 x 40 pages
• Duty cycle 5000/month gt 40 pages/month

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App. Classes vs. Costs
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Inks, Colours, Toning Resolution

• If pixel size fixed, only 8 possible colours from
  CMY
• (Usually diagonal) half-toning overlay
• More pixels per half-tone cell, more colour tones
  displayed
• But coarser apparent resolution
• Trade-off here
• Also Colour Management issue

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Colour Printer Market

• Margins low
• Independent expert resellers hard to find
• Brand leaders on low to mid-range include
• Epson
• HP
• Lexmark
• Tektronix (Xerox)
• Small set of print engines (e.g. Hitachi, Canon,
  Matsushita, Minolta)
• Why this does matter

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Options and Recommendations

• See spreadsheet
• Get handout