Canon iP710 and related printers

[lavardera]

did your research include the cost of the print heads and ink tanks?

[MikeCharek]

[pbacot]

Yes, Fred, see if you can figure out the costs. I found that it's hard to make comparisons with everyone using different terms.

I don't think it's so bad after all with the Canon iPF 610. I got what I wanted, fast, trouble free printing, as long as I plug in the cable.

The ink cartridges cost about twice what they cost for my former HP but they go at least twice as long, and there's two black tanks so you just aren't switching out cartridges so often. Actually the plotter is a bit of extravagance for me. I could get by using the print service, but often I want prints better than they can do or I want one right away. Since the print service now makes better prints from a file than copying from a hard copy (they can really mess that up), the plotter serves more for in-office use, or presentations when I want someone to see just exactly how I meant it to look. And color that so far has been great.

[lavardera]

You have to look at the ink on a ml basis, assuming the plotters will use ink at a similar rate (may be erroneous)

The print heads are a bit of a wild card - you have to look at the recommended replacement interval, but performance may be longer or shorter. On the face of it 3x67=201 sounds less than 550, but if they need to be replaced twice as often then it is closer than it appears.

[John Cruet]

In the past year I replaced 10 ink tanks at the cost of $65 each. = $650

20 36 x 150 rolls @ $15 = $300

12- 24" x 150 rolls @ $12 = $144

About $1200, including taxes- for:

1500 2 x 3 sheets

1200 18 x 24 sheets

Farm out to printer would cost me $4,200 per year.

The printer has almost paid for itself right now- a 1 1/2 year payback.

Now you know why all except our biggest orders get printed in house.

[pbacot]

John,

So you even produce full sets for distribution at your office? I hardly ever do that. Hmmm.

This is also reimbursable so... the money stays with you if you charge the same. If you also have the time to do the printing. I do charge for in-house "plots" at a higher rate than the blueprinters, but I keep that down to specific plots, not every one.

One of my main client owns the print shop. Can't go anywhere with that one.

Peter

[Rob C]

I would guess $700 was parts + labor + markup.

Since my 650C/PS died, I haven't had enough volume to justify a replacement plotter. (Every time I go to Service Point, though, I'm sick of the lack of parking. That alone has made me consider Merritt instead.) The HP Z3200 is what I want, but that's because of my photography output. Right now the Epson SP2200 is still hanging in there although it's limit is 13"x19". For everything larger, I cut out color and stick to B&W print service.

[John Cruet]