Printer recommendations for proofing?

24

Comments

  • James Puckett
    James Puckett Posts: 1,998
    The black text output on the old Xante color lasers was even better than the black and white output. But they started at something like $26,000 IIRC.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Alex Kaczun
    Alex Kaczun Posts: 163
    I'm looking to buy a new Monochrome Postscript printer. I did a little online research and came across the Xerox Phaser 3250DN. $279. price point with hi-capacity toner cartridge $114.95 and this seems perfect for my needs. It says it's using Postscript 3.

    Is anyone currently using this model and care to comment. Thanks.

    http://www.shop.xerox.com/shop/office-equipment/printers/phaser-3250
  • George Thomas
    George Thomas Posts: 649
    Alex, consider doing a test drive on the printer(s) you are considering buying because many times you will be surprised. I used printershowcase.com when I was researching my Ricoh color laser. On their site they call it the "Color Laser Test Drive" but I'll bet they would do one for B/W also. It costs $19.95 for comparison prints on up to three printers using a file you supply. I have to say, after seeing the results of the three printers I tested, I was shocked at the poor quality some big-name laser printers produce when it comes to printing type.
  • Alex Kaczun
    Alex Kaczun Posts: 163
    Thanks George. I agree, always best to compare output samples. I will do this test.

    I really like the price on Xerox Phaser 3250DN, and was hoping that someone could provide feedback on this particular model. Thanks again.
  • Jeff Kellem
    Jeff Kellem Posts: 65
    Alex: From looking at the specs, a couple things to note about the Xerox Phaser 3250/DN:

    - It looks like the printer may be a 600 dpi printer with interpolation or some other enhancement to produce 1200 dpi, in case that's a consideration.
    - The specs say "PostScript 3 compatibility" instead of "Adobe PostScript 3." This probably indicates use of a non-Adobe PostScript 3 implementation.

    If you do decide to get it, check out prices at Amazon and Newegg. They're around $240, right now.
  • Alex Kaczun
    Alex Kaczun Posts: 163
    George, I went on printershowcase.com (as you suggested) and noticed the specs on the Ricoh SP 4310N. Real Postscript 3.

    Also, seems like a great little printer for $649.

    http://www.printershowcase.com/ricohsp4310n.aspx

    I ordered sample printouts on the 3 machines I'm interested in. Looking forward to seeing the test results. Thanks again.
  • George Thomas
    George Thomas Posts: 649
    I forgot to mention one thing about printershowcase.com: buying their comparison service does not obligate one to buy the printer from them. That's a good thing too.
  • Ramiro Espinoza
    Ramiro Espinoza Posts: 839
    edited December 2013
    I am happy with my refurnished Nashua/Ricoh P7026N. Real Postscript / A4-A3.
  • Giuseppe Salerno
    Giuseppe Salerno Posts: 2
    I was intrigued by this one  Colorqube-8580 .
    True Adobe PostScript 3™ and up to Xerox 2400 FinePoint
    Never used solid ink before. What do you think?
    Thank you.





  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,431
    @Alex Kaczun what were the results of reviewing the 3 samples? :)
  • Wei Huang
    Wei Huang Posts: 98
    edited January 2016
    Here's my storify of recent Twitter threads aboutthis https://storify.com/wwhh/1200
  • Michiel Drost
    Michiel Drost Posts: 42
    I always ask the printer who is going to print my books for a testprint of my typefaces to see how they look on his equipment.
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,901
    I wanted a good tabloid (A3), duplexing color printer. But I have not had much luck identifying one at a reasonable price.

    The Phaser 7100DN has a great price, but the reviews are pretty awful in terms of reliability and toner consumption. I have not had good luck with mechanical reliability on my old Phaser 7300DN, so that part is not surprising.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Michael Jarboe
    Michael Jarboe Posts: 265
    I've seen quite a few recommendations for HP printers, but the models (if not all) in question use Postscript emulation.

    I can't recall the HP model I owned years ago, the print quality was great, but the suppression of glyph overshoots really bothered me. This was really noticeable at display sizes, and I don't remember if it was the same at text sizes.
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,901
    For those who aren’t aware, despite similar model numbering, James’ 5500DN printer is not a Xerox Phaser, but an HP Color LaserJet. The 5500DN got generally very good reviews and is considered a reliable workhorse.

    The bug Michael describes is is a well-known bug in HPs PostScript emulation. OK, well-known among type designers, anyway. Overshoot suppression for PS fonts (OTF and Type 1) takes effect at all sizes, or at least much larger sizes than it should. Not sure if or when HP ever fixed this.
  • Chris Lozos
    Chris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    edited February 2016
    The 5550DN is a 1200 ppi B/W Laser printer from Xerox, Thomas.
  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,244
    Chris,
    The 5550DN is a 1200 ppi B/W Laser printer from Xerox
    Both Xerox and HP have printer series named 5550 and, even more confusingly, both series have N and DN models. As I recall, the D stands for duplex, i.e. two-sided printing.
  • James Puckett
    James Puckett Posts: 1,998
    Lexmark has a Pro5500 model, too. And apparently an engineering department with no internet access.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited February 2016
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Jackson Showalter-Cavanaugh
    Jackson Showalter-Cavanaugh Posts: 539
    I run a 5550DN Xerox here too. 
  • Ori Ben-Dor
    Ori Ben-Dor Posts: 386
    Can anyone please help me figure out a bottom line here?
    What printer should I buy if my budget is, say, a few hundred dollars?
    I don't want to start ordering test printouts and so on; it seems unnecessary given that other people have already conducted the same research...
  • Ramiro Espinoza
    Ramiro Espinoza Posts: 839
    I recently purchased a refurbished HP Laserjet 5200 TN for about 600 Euros. It's an excellent machine for proofing type.
  • Michael Jarboe
    Michael Jarboe Posts: 265
    Interesting that the Laserjet 5200 is often recommended even though it uses Postscript 3 emulation.
  • Ramiro Espinoza
    Ramiro Espinoza Posts: 839
    I used a Ricoh Aficio 7026N with real Postcript for about 8 years. I can't spot differences in the letters I am printing with the HP Laserjet 5200 TN and I must say the HP is more solidly built.
  • Ori Ben-Dor
    Ori Ben-Dor Posts: 386
    I've just got Xerox VersaLink B400. 1200x1200 dpi and original PS. Sold for around $370 in the US. First impression: looking good.
  • Henrique Beier
    Henrique Beier Posts: 11
    edited March 2018
    @Ori Ben-Dor, would you mind sharing your experience with the Xerox VersaLink B400 after a few months of usage? How accurate is it regarding font weight?

    I’ve recently purchased a Kyocera Ecosys M2040dn/L but I’m not very happy about it. It has a tendency to print text way too dark from Adobe apps. Printing from Drawbot is better, but at this point I’m pretty unsure whether I can trust it. 

    I’m also considering a Xerox Phaser 6510 or Xerox WorkCentre 6515, as the latter seems to be the same Phaser printer with a scanner on top. These are color lasers. If anyone has any opinions on that, I’d love to hear as well.
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 2,901
    Henrique, those models include actual Adobe PostScript 3; I expect you would be happy with the text output weight if you use the PS driver.
  • Ori Ben-Dor
    Ori Ben-Dor Posts: 386
    @Henrique Beier, hmmm, I'm not sure, actually. Until you've brought up this question I just assumed it was accurate, given that it's genuine PS. I didn't try other printers to compare against.

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