Printers....dye sublimation or color laser?

[marvin2k1]

i know that the magazines and whatnot use dye sublimation to achieve the look of true photographs on their covers and pages, BUT....is there a color laser printer that can achieve similar results without some add-on dye sub kit? or are such kits only made for ink jets? where would i find a good dye sub printer that doesnt cost an arm and a leg?..that is, IF i even need to get one.

[juan-sanchez]

What exactly are you considering using the printer for?
Dye sublimation is only really used in the print industry for finl proofing, as it gives the best replication of lithographic print possible with regards colour, trapping, & screen settings....
as both laser printers & inkjets are now highly acurate & configurable they're being used more in this type of scenario nowdays, apart from maybe v. high cost jobs as they are almost as good as dye sublimation in many respects & cost many times less.

As for add-on dye-sub kits, I've never heard of them....

If you're looking for good colour matching for litho set-up I'd recommend you look at a nice Epson inkjet, with a RIP kit, several are available that offer great matching for a fraction the cost of dye sub....if you've got a fw quid extra to spend, buy a new Macintosh...STILL the best for accurate colour reproduction.

[marvin2k1]

alps printers...the alps 5000 has a dye sub kit ..but i had an alps and they print extermely slowly. Whats the typical dpi of stuff you see in print on a large scale--like cd covers, 600, 1200, more? I'd buy a color laser printer but i dont want to be stuck with 600dpi if its substandard. the 1200dpi version of the same thing costs 3 times more. So let me know.

[juan-sanchez]

In that case you may be suprised to hear that lithographic CMYK print is generally at only 300 DPI,...the artwork may be scanned & worked-up at 400-600 DPI, but that's simply to prevent introducing artifacts.
Dye sub, as I understand it IS a very slow method of printing, but as I said it's more for it's ability to 'approximate' actual litho print than it's speed or cost that it's used.

If it's for 'general' use & 'almost' colour-correct proofs, then a 600 DPI colour laser would do the job, but unless it's in for quite heavy use it may be overkill.

Ask for samples of prints from the machines you're interested in, then ask the supplier for a print using something like the workflow you intend to use with it, on an image you're familiar with,...even a 'test-card' that'll show up any weaknesses in colour or tonal reproduction.

[marvin2k1]

if anybody HAS a laserjet---could they please print something at both 600 and 1200 dpi and scan it and post it so i can see if 600 dpi would be suitable for the artwork i am about to print?

danke

[1000101-]

If your sending something off to print; you'll want a CMYK dye printer anyway; to proof there. Laser jets don't do the color matching thing well. Being a printing systems integrator; we've come to love the hp 20ps. Its a good quality printer and doesn't look grainy at all

That Ole Russell

[marvin2k1]

actually we are doing our OWN printing...we don't have the $ to have hundreds or thousands of CD covers printed (sales projections well into the multi thousands within 4-6 months). Sure, once those numbers come in, we'll have the $ for it, but for right now this is going to be done in an office and i need to know the best printer for such a job. Also, glossy or semi-gloss matte paper for the cd covers/labels?

[amber147]

Any of the higher end ($600-$900) Epson 6 color inkjet printers will do the job. My last comapny sent out dozens of printed pages that then went for commercial production and they all came out great. These new inkjets are fast, have ink that the company claims last like 75 years and look 99% like a real photo. In fact commercial printing does not have near the resolution unless you are getting museum catalogues made. Dye subs are pretty much dead for most shops today and I never found them to be as reliable as they claimed anyway.

[juan-sanchez]

Well, if it's for mass-prduction in-house, there's no real competition with a colour laser.
--You can get your set-up to print exactly as you wish, without the worries of how a printer will interpret your colour profile.
--The high volume aspect will be handled by the laser much easier than even even a high speed ink-jet.
--Buying a re-conditioned model & re-selling after your start-up period would help recover the initial expense.

One thing that may be worth looking at though is digital pinting, you can get very good prices on small runs as the shops that do this are in stiff competition. Look around locally for someone, of even do an internet search for someone nationally, as many offer 48 hour turn around on e-mailed artwork,...the 48 hrs including overnight delivery,...
I think you may find it makes better sense for this short-term high volume type of projcet due to it removing the initial outlay for the printer & constant replacement of consumables.

[juan-sanchez]

Well, if it's for mass-prduction in-house, there's no real competition with a colour laser.
--You can get your set-up to print exactly as you wish, without the worries of how a printer will interpret your colour profile.
--The high volume aspect will be handled by the laser much easier than even even a high speed ink-jet.
--Buying a re-conditioned model & re-selling after your start-up period would help recover the initial expense.

One thing that may be worth looking at though is digital pinting, you can get very good prices on small runs as the shops that do this are in stiff competition. Look around locally for someone, of even do an internet search for someone nationally, as many offer 48 hour turn around on e-mailed artwork,...the 48 hrs including overnight delivery,...
I think you may find it makes better sense for this short-term high volume type of project due to it removing the initial outlay for the printer & constant replacement of consumables.

[kiwi]

-it's probably worth a trip to your local COMPUSA or Office Depot to try out the "under $1200" laser and InkJet printers...................

Be sure to ask to see a sample print on glossy photo paper -or take your own..............

kiwi

[wolfinger]

is speed of essence (are you really planning on doing mass-production work)?

If not, you could get an Oki printer with the dye sub kit. It produces excellent quality for the price, but it's quite slow. Not that more expensive dye subs are that much faster, maybe twice as fast at most.