FREE HP Design Jet 6100 Large Format 62" Printer (Nutley, New Jersey)

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RandyT:
No such thing as a "free" wide-format inkjet.

I've had quite a bit of experience with these beasts over the years, and for all of the combined experience and intelligence of mankind, they have seemingly been unable to make one which doesn't have high maintenance and costs associated with them.

But if anyone is crazy enough to get one (or just can't get by without one) the main thing to understand is that they are designed with the expectation that they will be used many times a day, every day. Some even have a timed cycle to push ink through the heads (and usually a fair amount) when left unused, which means that the often costly ink is basically flushed down the drain if you aren't printing something. While this isn't ideal, the alternative is costly on-site maintenance calls, and replacement of expensive print heads, sometimes on the order of $1200 each or more. And in the case of the ones which produce really nice prints, there can be up to 8 of them. "Free" or cheap printers are usually those which have had the heads dry up and the cost to fix the issue outweighs their value.

They also have long timing belts with small rubber teeth. As the belts age, or in the case of solvent printers, are exposed to vapors from the inks, they tend to harden and become brittle. It's not uncommon to fire up an older printer and suddenly find pieces of these teeth being deposited onto your print. The belts aren't too costly compared to the heads, but it's usually a 2 hour job to replace one and recalibrate.

That doesn't even begin to address the cost of the consumables. While 3rd party inks have become a lot more available, few possess the temerity to risk the heads to such unknowns. But some do, and with constant and proper use, can make them work. Then there's the special papers and such, which can really only be considered economical when purchased in bulk quantities. Nothing stings worse than being 85% into a large print on fancy material and running into a print issue, which causes it to end up in the trash can.

In short, if you don't want to spend a bunch of money and begin a new occupation as a printer technician, farm out your large format printing to someone who does it for a living.

You're welcome. :cheers:

lilshawn:

--- Quote from: RandyT on May 06, 2023, 07:05:25 am ---they have seemingly been unable to make one which doesn't have high maintenance and costs associated with them.

--- End quote ---

this is absolutely intentional. people who buy these, do it to make money with them...and they manufacturers know this... and bake extra costs into it because of it.

its like arcade... sure the video games themselves are 60 bucks for a nearly identical console version but with "insert coin" instead of "press start" at the title screen...and with 1500 worth of hardware...somehow costs 10k.

it's the "be able to make money with it tax"

RandyT:

--- Quote from: lilshawn on May 09, 2023, 12:06:36 pm ---this is absolutely intentional. people who buy these, do it to make money with them...and they manufacturers know this... and bake extra costs into it because of it.

its like arcade... sure the video games themselves are 60 bucks for a nearly identical console version but with "insert coin" instead of "press start" at the title screen...and with 1500 worth of hardware...somehow costs 10k.

it's the "be able to make money with it tax"

--- End quote ---

I don't fully buy into this idea. Where OEM ink and print head costs are concerned, sure. These are usually $20k+ machines which have to run reliably for days on end, which means pretty high quality and durable parts, so some of it is understandable. But really, the technology is the limiting factor. Even commercial shops deal with clogging, belt wear, fouled encoder strips, head wear/misfires, and the need for constant cleaning/maintenance. And unlike a typical home inkjet, you can't just chuck a machine of that size and cost into the bin and get another when it starts giving you fits.

I suppose it's a technological miracle that these machines work as well as they do, but just like 3D printers, the foundational method of operation has significant limitations.

In other words, a different technology, like that of laser printers, can be considerably more reliable and simple to maintain. Unfortunately, the size of the output to cost ratio doesn't scale nearly as economically, the color quality isn't as good and they aren't nearly as versatile.

A new technology is needed, but right now, inkjet is the best solution we have. When something better comes along, it will be relegated to the past as something we had to deal with, not something which we necessarily wanted to use. Fortunately, the industry is always looking for better solutions. Whether or not they will be able to come up with one, is anyone's guess.

SNAAKE:
^ Do you know anything about eco-solvent printers? Are they really...."eco"?

ive seen one at a local printshop here they were loading it up with like a gallon of ink or something lol

RandyT:

--- Quote from: SNAAKE on May 13, 2023, 02:08:10 pm ---^ Do you know anything about eco-solvent printers? Are they really...."eco"?

ive seen one at a local printshop here they were loading it up with like a gallon of ink or something lol

--- End quote ---

They are only "eco" in a relative sense. Regular solvent printers are very nasty and absolutely require good ventilation and or fume extraction. The "Eco" variety are a bit less toxic, but can still give you a nasty headache if you try using them in a closed room. The prints are also a bit less durable and the inks may be somewhat less environmentally destructive. But proper disposal of the waste ink is still important.

*Edit*
But maybe to better answer your question, the "eco" is from "ecological", not "economy", unless you count the expense of needing a very good ventilation system for the alternative. :)

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