Printer for proofing

albertomalossialbertomalossi Posts: 1
edited March 2020 in Type Design Software
Hi everyone, I'm a type design student that's looking into buying his first printer for proofs.
At school we print on a quite sharp Xerox Phaser 5550, but since I'll be working from home for the foreseeable future I would like to be able to make quick tests here as well.
What should I look for in a printer for this specific job? What tech specs are more important than others?
Cheers
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Comments

  • Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,457
    there is a thread on this here somewhere, try a search?
  • The above thread is outdated in some regards. I was scoping for a good printer myself and found some of the models listed in that thread no longer available or being superseded. Therefore it may be worth some users listing their printers if they were purchased more recently. 
  • James PuckettJames Puckett Posts: 1,956
    I’m currently using a Lexmakr MS510dn. The printing is great but for some reason it often defaults to printing on both sides using the duplexer and there’s no way to stop it. What’s really annoying is that it happens with some Indesign files and not others. So I would not recommend buying one.
  • The most important thing to consider is the resolution of the printer (highest resolution as possible comparing the price). Second one is choosing a laser printer to be able to test the smallest sizes. Third one is pick a B/W printer, IMHO you don't need a color printer to test typfaces. Finally you can buy a tabloïd paper size if you can afford it, but that's not obligatory the 8,5 x 11 size it's good enough. Hope this will help you. My laserprinter is a HPlaserjetP2055dn
  • Alex KaczunAlex Kaczun Posts: 163
    FYI—This has good resolution & true Adobe PS 3— good price.

    https://www.office.xerox.com/en-us/printers/versalink-b400




  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Does anyone have any new recommendations that are reasonable priced, and currently still available? 
    I just check both Xerox and Lexmakr websites and it seems like anything with 1200x1200 resolution doesn't use postscript, but the 600x600 printers use PostScript® 3 (is that an emulator?).
    And what does 2400 IQ (2400 x 600 dpi), 600 x 600 dpi mean ?



  • Just get a Xerox Phaser 5550. I have one and it is wonderful
  • Recently bought a Xerox Versalink B405. So far I am very pleased.
  • Thomas PhinneyThomas Phinney Posts: 2,634
    Michael, the VersaLink B405 linked just above is 1200 dpi and has both real Adobe PostScript and real HP PCL.

    However, it is a pretty high-end printer in terms of speed and expected print volume. Yet still with a mediocre user rating, like almost all printers these days. Printer reliability sucks compared to the 80s to mid-90s, though.  :(
  • Thomas PhinneyThomas Phinney Posts: 2,634
    Note: If it is labeled an “emulation” or “simulation” it is a third-party work-alike language. But if it is just shown with the trademarks in a list of “printer languages” then it should be the real thing.
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