Wide Format Printers 60+"

[reckless]

I got my first wide format printer recently, been wanting one for a decade but had a hard time researching models/issues/etc. By some stroke of dumb genius I bought a HP designjet 800 42" for $175 with extra toners/heads. I love this model as ink is $3/cartridge and prints non-stop with no headaches. I feel bad I didn't buy this a long time ago at full price. I have started printing posters and it feels really good handing out digital art people love. My new problem I want to print even bigger with same no hassle technology and super dirt cheap ink/parts. Is there an equivalent designjet 800 but 60"+? Should i look for HP, epson or some other brand for no hassle poster printing? It would be nice if same hp 11 cartridge system was used but not necessary. Any feedback from wide format veterans appreciated. Ultra cheap printing is my motto.

Another dumb question is there any way to automatically tie/rubber band posters as it comes off printer to save hassle?

[D Hook]

Congrats on the 800. They seem to run forever, are inexpensive to use and easy/cheap to repair. But after the 800, ink and parts get a bit more pricey. I don't know if you'll ever find a printer that works as well as the 800 and is as inexpensive to maintain.

Don't know about the rubber band thing.

You might want to look for a Designjet 5500PS 60". These do beautiful photo work and are, I think, reasonable to operate. They came in both UV and dye ink. To switch from dye to UV ink you need to replace all the printheads, ink tubes and ink cartridges. Gets expensive. HP used to supply a change-over kit but no longer. But you can still buy them on Ebay. There's a company in CA that I've used several times for complete ink replacement kits. (Tubes only, no ink or printheads,) Runs around $300 with trade. You can start checking Ebay for ink prices (hp 81 dye, HP 83 UV). The ink tanks are quite large (680 ml) compared to the 800 but they last for a very long time.

Where you might run into expenses is on the printheads since they're beginning to get harder to find brand new. Uses 6 total, one per color.

I've used Designjet 5000 and 5500PS models for years. Have repaired quite a few. Easy to work on, easy to find parts and full service manual is available for download PDF. And used models are pretty easy to find, depending on where you live.

But be aware these are very large machines. Almost 7' long if I remember correctly. Weighs around 275#'s.

I see quite a few Desingjet Z6XXX 60" printers for sale also on Craigslist and Ebay. I think the last one I worked on was a Z6100PS 60" that did very nice prints (better than the 800). Only available in the Dye ink though. Need a total of 8 printheads because it uses the wide swath printing feature so that can be expensive.

Be sure you're looking at a PS model since it does photo work better than a non-PS and interfaces with Mac machines. If you are using a Mac you will want to check the HP website for compatibility of operating systems. HP doesn't support newer Mac OS. But these printers will run on Win 11 and all they way down to Win XP, possibly even Win 95.

Here's a link to a sample on Ebay of the 5500PS 60". Needs to be fixed but comes with both ink systems. (If they were closer I'd consider buying them and fixing for resale myself.) 2- HP Designjet 5500PS Large Format Inkjet Printer 60" UV Inks | eBay

If you're in CA, here's a pretty good deal on a pair of Z6100PS models:
HP Designjet Z6100ps, working condition, needs supplies. BONUS second printer! | eBay

They probably both need work but are not hard to service. Parts are available but printheads are pricey and you need 8.

I think other techs will want to chime in as to repair costs/procedures. I see quite a few of these getting trashed because no one wants to work on them because the owners don't want to pay repair costs but for a few hours of your time and a fistful of dollars, you can get one of the working and enjoy printing some beautiful photos. These shouldn't be hard to find used in your area. Check Ebay and Craigslist.

BTW, thanks for the link to the coated paper on the HP forum.

[Kiran Otter]

I just want to note, the Z-series is a good choice if you can find one, and uses HP's Vivera inks which are a quasi-UV pigmant ink with fade resistance up to 100 years, on the right media (HP Premium Plus Photo Paper.. what a mouthful.) I'm sure other medias work. https://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/p.../bg_vivera.pdf

And while a 5000/5500 60" might be obtainable, the cost of the supplies is extremely high. One printhead is about $335, and there's six of them. And the inks, especially UV, are drying up on ebay. STS Large Format Printer Inks | Wide Format Printer Inks - STS Inks makes inks for them still... I have a customer that uses them. It's no problem repairing and getting parts but the cost of the supplies is a killer.

Beyond HP, there's some 60" Canon models. I don't know anything about them.

Kiran

[D Hook]

You're right Kiran, the prices are getting up there so you have to shop carefully.

There's still quite a few new printheads for the 5XXX series printers that are less than $100 but they all have expired warranty dates. The printheads work fine though. I've used some that are as old as 10 years out of warranty but they were brand new, never opened, never used and I've never had a problem with them. (But I have to admit, I hold my breath whenever I insert one.) Same for the ink tanks. But the prices vary greatly, from less than $50 to over $300! Same for printheads. So choosing an older model printer can present supply problems. You have to choose carefully which model and then, if you buy one, start laying in some stock of ink and printheads because they'll store okay. I still have about 20 packages of ink/printheads for the 5XXX series and I don't own one anymore but I keep them in case I come across one that I can't refuse the price on (free). Fix it up, clean it, change the belt and replace any ink/printheads and they're ready to go.

Note that an older printer will probably need a belt change. And cleaning and lubrication, especially the carriage rails.

Hard drives are still easily available, as are power supply boards and main boards, all on Ebay.

My experience with the Z series that use the Vivera ink is that there are just too many ink cartridges (12) to make them economical to operate but you can't beat them for photo printers. But the largest they made was a 44", IIRC. The Z6100 I mentioned earlier does a good job but still takes 8 colors and 8 printheads. Just no such thing as a cheap photo-quality printer, IMO. (Some of the photo printers by HP take as many as 12 colors and 6 printheads, two colors per printhead.)

Some of the owners of Epson printers that I've talked to complain that when the date on the ink expires, the printers stops working until you replace the ink, no matter how full/empty it is. That's why I've never tried Epsons.

[reckless]

BTW, thanks for the link to the coated paper on the HP forum.

Here is the other paper I am looking at that looks even better but not sure if it works with aqueous inks:
Universal Premium Photo Paper Roll Instant-Dry Printing Paper ...

[reckless]

I think the last one I worked on was a Z6100PS 60" that did very nice prints (better than the 800). Only available in the Dye ink though. Need a total of 8 printheads because it uses the wide swath printing feature so that can be expensive.

How much nicer? Are we talking 10% better? My love for my 800 has alot to do with $3 ink cartridges. Has china started making ink cartridges/print head knock offs for any other HP model? The beauty is you get HP reliability with china ink costs - thats my favorite combination especially when handing out 10,000 posters for free.

[Kiran Otter]

Where are you finding $3 inks for the 800? I'd make sure it's not just water with some food coloring added.

And D Hook, you're right. I've also used 10+ year expired inks and printheads with the 1050/5x00s with no problem.. other than the ink in the yellow printheads turning darker, which goes away once the ink is replaced from the cartridge. But I wanted to also note about printheads on ebay from China that are 'reconditioned'; don't waste your money. I watched a customer of mine go through literally dozens of them, all of which crapped out in a week or less. All because he didn't want to pay for a new one. I told him that if considered the time and money wasted, he could have saved money buying a new one, even if they're $265 (for the 1050 at the time.)

The moral of the story is, you get what you pay for. And it's sad because these printers are still totally viable. If we could only get good supplies.

Kiran

[D Hook]

Absolutely right Kiran. The rebuilt, re manufactured printheads are crap. I've never tried one but after studying up on how the printhead works and hearing the same comments you just made, I don't think they can be successfully rebuilt. I've only bought HP printheads/ink tanks that are sealed because I'm sure they haven't been messed with. Ebay has some for the 5xxx series right now for pretty cheap. Except black. Hard time finding black printheads unopened for the 1XXX, 5XXX series that aren't in the $150 - 300 range. I have a stash of the 1xxx printheads also. Found them on Craigslist, guy was selling 25 of the 1xxx model printheads for $50 plus shipping. Snapped those up! I still own a 1055CM that I need to fix so I'll use them there. Plus my BIL has one that he uses at a high school where he teaches a construction class so I'll give him some as he needs them.

I too would be cautious of $3 ink for the 800. I've never found refilled inks to be that good but I've used them in Officejet printers with satisfactory results. "Satisfactory" means that when I put them in the machine, it recognizes them and they put out ink. Don't care too much about color quality.

[reckless]

I'm sorry ink is $2 not $3 (still too much!), it has a few 5 star reviews on both ebay/amazon:
20-PK ink cartridges For HP 10 HP 82 C4844 C4911 C4912 C4913 Designjet 800 735548988281 | eBay

I wish to find something like this but in bigger model if such a thing existed? Not sure if they make chinese machines?

For printheads, can't you do the place printhead in water technique to clean them?

[D Hook]

Water treatment on the printheads sometimes works, sometimes not. I've had success in a limited amount of cases, maybe two or three out of the dozens of printheads I've used over the years. Not something I'd rely on.

That's a great price on ink. I've purchased those kind before for 800's and they usually work ok. Colors aren't quite as good as the HP but I used the 800 for mostly line drawings and an occasional picture. But nothing I'd put in a frame and hang on the wall. Too much banding on the 800 for my liking.