Many people in the design or service industries may outsourse their printing, but today, an increasing number are bringing at least some of their printing in-house. This allows them to control their costs and schedules for those inevitable rush jobs whose turnarounds are extremely tight.
If you’re trying to decide what printing equipment might be right for you, there is quite an array out there for you to consider — from $20 desktop inkjet printers to $650,000 top-of-the-line digital presses — and everything in between.
We’ve put together a virtual primer on printing equipment here to help you make an informed decision. Once you assess your particular needs you’ll be able to determine what type of printer would be the best fit for you (also, see Printer Options Questionnaire).
Inkjet printers – deposit droplets of ink onto paper. Available as desktop units and floor models. Letter-size up to wide-format. CMYK. Equipment cost is low but cost-per-copy is high. Absorbent, uncoated papers are best.
Laser printers – this is an electrostatic process where a laser charges the drum in the shape of the image. The charged area of the drum then picks up toner which is then melted onto the surface of the paper by the fuser. Available as monochrome or color. Letter-size up to ledger (11×17). Can print a wide array of papers and many models have straight paper path allowing heavier stocks. There are even coated papers and laid and linen finish papers specially formulated for laser printers.
All-in-one – multifunction desktop machine. Scan, email, print, fax.
LED printers – similar to laser printers. LED array images the drum which then picks up the toner. LEDs are more efficient and reliable than conventional laser printers, faster printing, cheaper to produce, CMYK. White toner is available to print on dark papers. Can print a wide array of papers and many models have straight paper path allowing heavier stocks.
Copiers/network printers – heavy duty, many options available, best for greater volumes. Essentially an integrated high-quality scanner and laser printer. Monochrome or CMYK. Can print a wide array of papers and many models have straight paper path allowing heavier stocks.
Multifunction copiers – most common type of floor standing copier. Scan, email, print, fax.
Production printers – high volume with advanced document-finishing capabilities. Can print a wide array of papers.
Digital presses – high volume; high quality. These run the gamut from powerful production printers to large floor models. Can rival conventional printing. Some require specially coated paper but most can run any laserable paper. Limited Papers carries many papers in digital size.
Specialty equipment – there is some desktop equipment which can foil stamp, plotter print and cut.
Here is a list of some of the manufacturers and their websites. You may also wish to check with local office equipment suppliers who distribute and service these machines and may also have used equipment available:
