Which printer would you recommend?

I need a new printer, current A3 HP 1220c is feeling poorly.( it is getting old now)

Most of my printed output is A3, though I would like to print to A2 for some sectional drawings (currently done on two layouts at A3).

The type of drawings I do are for Joinery projects that I, or someone I sub-contract to, will make. There is a need for full size sections on occasion which is why the A2 size would be useful.

So the question is which printer to go for, what have you used and been happy with ( in cost per page, ease of set up and usage) in an ACAD enviroment.

Thanks, Rob.

I do 99% of my printing on an HP Laser, 8 1/2" x 11" paper.

For documents, I can also print in duplex, both sides if I feel like saving paper.

Black print.

I also have an HP Inkjet for occasional use, color, seldom used.

If I need large prints, I email the *.dwg to a drafting supply down the road a bit, they print 'em cheap and call for pickup. Easy enough.

Of course, I make major use of Adobe Acrobat Pro, plotting to and emailing to clients.

I had access to a plotter years ago, buried it in storage someplace. Why bother?

I use 11x17 for probably about half of my plots, the other half on 18x24.

Mylars we print as-builts on for the government have to be either 18x24 or 24x36.

You probably aren't looking for something like we use.

11x17's are usually pretty cheap to print at Kinko's or something. That's what I usually do for the company I run from home.

A good 11x17 plotter from officemax or something would probably be in the $2-300 range. (3-4 hundred for me since I'm in Alaska).

I went shopping last year or so for a decent roll-feed plotter for the company I work for. I compared alot of different brands, thought about dye-based vs. pigmented ink, and what price range we were looking for. We ended up with an HP 610 that just rocks. We can buy the large capacity ink too. That way we don't have to swap out cartridges but maybe a couple times a year. Black and photo black maybe 3 times or so in a year. And we print alot of stuff... Also, when they get a little wet in the rain or something they don't run like the dye-based plots would.

Alot of the 11x17 plotters that HP provides are pretty decent. But what the HP guy told me was that they only use a dye-based ink. I'm not sure if that's completely true or not. But the problem with dye-based ink is that it has to be diluted. When the ink prints on the paper, everything is usually ok. But if a contractor has a rainy day or something and the sheets get a little wet, it will turn into a smeary mess. Pigmented ink is hard to beat but it is also a little bit more expensive.

Another thing to consider is whether or not you want ink cartridges that can be cheaply refilled. Some stores only refill specific types of ink cartridges. So that's something to think about too. For example, my HP 610 can't really be refilled because the computer chip in the ink cartridges wear out pretty easily. Thus, the company that refills cartridges in my town don't even carry the ink necessary to fill them. But you CAN save alot of money by refilling your ink so it's something to consider.

-ChriS