Is going from printing A3+ to A2 really a big jump?

[Michael D Beckwith]

Happy new year all! Last year I got an A3+ printer love it to bits. I could see that there is a difference from A3 to A2, but not such a huge difference going from A3+ to A2 and was wondering is it worth actually going for A2 when you are already printing at A3+?

 

[viewfromthenorth]

Different in what respect? Cost of running (ink, paper), physical size of the printer, size of print, etc?

 

[ecoleman]

Well A3+ is only a bit bigger that A3.
A2 is twice the size of A3

 

[gerry s]

A2 is obviously twice A3 but A3+ was designed for graphic design/brochure/double page flyers where you couldn't fit on 2x A4 edge to edge prints so manufacturers came up with a slightly larger paper size.
You would certainly notice the difference if you had an A2 printer...

 

[chris malcolm]

Why not get one of your photos printed to A2 and stick it up on the wall beside some of your A3 & A3+ prints? That way you can find out what you think of the difference, which is much more important to you than what I think of it.

 

[Willid1]

A2 prints from Photobox are regularly £5 each or thereabouts. Highly recommended if you just fancy a look see. D

 

[Harlequin565]

I'd get an A2 print done just to see - like wot @chris malcolm said. There are just too many variables to determine what works best for you. I have a 17" roll printer and a Lake District pano that's about 16" by 54" which is 2 A2s end to end plus a bit. It looks awesome, but it takes up the whole wall. The other wall of my office has about 15 A4s and 2 A3+ blue tacked down. It looks haphazard but I like it and prefer lots of photos to one or two which would be the case with large prints.

I don't print because it makes financial sense. I print because I love it and because I see it as a principal part of my photography. If you can afford it - I say go for it, but if there are financial limitations, "worth" has a totally different meaning.

 

[Kiwi Paul]

I have the Epson P800 A2 printer and lurve printing A2, there is a clear difference between A2 and A3+, the advantage of the P800 with the roll feed I can print 17" wide and as long as I want too, great for panos or photos that have been cropped long.
The advantage of the A2 printer is you have the option to print what ever size you like, I have no regrets upgrading to the P800.

 

[LASTOLITE]

I have the Epson P800 A2 printer and lurve printing A2, there is a clear difference between A2 and A3+, the advantage of the P800 with the roll feed I can print 17" wide and as long as I want too, great for panos or photos that have been cropped long.
The advantage of the A2 printer is you have the option to print what ever size you like, I have no regrets upgrading to the P800.

Looking at this myself this year.....As more clients are asking for larger sizes in prints and the ease of fulfilling them myself is very attractive, I am using DNP dyesubs for smaller prints and they have been very successful this last year.

Could I ask Paul where you buy your inks and papers from for the P800? Have you looked into a bulk ink system?

 

[Kiwi Paul]

Looking at this myself this year.....As more clients are asking for larger sizes in prints and the ease of fulfilling them myself is very attractive, I am using DNP dyesubs for smaller prints and they have been very successful this last year.

Could I ask Paul where you buy your inks and papers from for the P800? Have you looked into a bulk ink system?

I just search online and choose the best price for the Epson inks, same with paper.
However I have bought a tubeless inkflow kit from Fotospeed. The kit costs £250 and includes everything needed plus a full set of 125ml inks, these are not Epson inks but made in the USA. I've not actually installed the kit yet, I'm using up the Epson inks I have. It's a bit of a gamble as I don't know what the new inks will be like. The inks are significantly cheaper then Epson inks, £26 for 125ml refill bottles compared to about £45 for 80ml Epson cartridge.
I also use paper from Fotospeed and had good results, they sell many types in all sizes including roll feed for reasonable prices.

Here's a link Fotospeed

 

[mho]

Having used both Epson and HP 24" and 44" for commercial printing in my print & framing shop, I would keep well clear of Epson as they just waste so much ink, the HP on the other hand is fantastic in 3 years of heavy use ( in my printing & framing shop ) its never had a blocked nozzle or had any ink related issues, it also uses about 1/3rd of the ink the epson uses.

If your looking at buying an A2 printer, I would look at buying an A1 printer, this opens up a whole extra capabilities, as on A2 you cannot print an A2 canvas as you dont have the extra capacity to print the 4" wrap on each side. You will also find that your printer will require less maintenance than consumer products as they are designed to handle the extra capacity.

I only run OEM ink in my printer, I buy it from the USA in full sets at about 1/4 the cost of the UK. At that price i doesnt warrant the use of third party ink, but if i was looking for a UK 3rd party ink supplier I would look at http://advancedinkjetsystems.com/ a friend of mine has been using them for a few years with no issues.

Oh yes i use a HP Z3200 44" printer with a built in i1 spectrometer and print using Shiraz Rip.

If i can answer any questions feel free to ask.

By the way this is my opinion based on printing photographic exhibition, fine art prints and canvas prints for approx 10 years commercially.

 

[LASTOLITE]

Having used both Epson and HP 24" and 44" for commercial printing in my print & framing shop, I would keep well clear of Epson as they just waste so much ink, the HP on the other hand is fantastic in 3 years of heavy use ( in my printing & framing shop ) its never had a blocked nozzle or had any ink related issues, it also uses about 1/3rd of the ink the epson uses.

If your looking at buying an A2 printer, I would look at buying an A1 printer, this opens up a whole extra capabilities, as on A2 you cannot print an A2 canvas as you dont have the extra capacity to print the 4" wrap on each side. You will also find that your printer will require less maintenance than consumer products as they are designed to handle the extra capacity.

I only run OEM ink in my printer, I buy it from the USA in full sets at about 1/4 the cost of the UK. At that price i doesnt warrant the use of third party ink, but if i was looking for a UK 3rd party ink supplier I would look at http://advancedinkjetsystems.com/ a friend of mine has been using them for a few years with no issues.

Oh yes i use a HP Z3200 44" printer with a built in i1 spectrometer and print using Shiraz Rip.

If i can answer any questions feel free to ask.

By the way this is my opinion based on printing photographic exhibition, fine art prints and canvas prints for approx 10 years commercially.

Got to say Marks print work is stunning.....forgot you printed in house Mark!

 

[mho]

Got to say Marks print work is stunning.....forgot you printed in house Mark!

How you doing will ?. keeping busy i hope.
if anyone wants to see the HP in action they are more than welcome.

 

[LASTOLITE]

How you doing will ?. keeping busy i hope.
if anyone wants to see the HP in action they are more than welcome.

Hi Mark, well thanks, been mad this last year, Trying to find out what people want, buy? I am none the wiser in that respect, as a picture I love doesn't sell and one I was unsure I should add to the gallery for sale - sells?

Hope you are well!, Just looking into printing my own posters and more so panoramic prints. Looking at an affordable solution,what would you recommend? I am after a roll feeder, but if I did larger prints I am sure they would sell, but then I have been sure in the past..and its not gone as I thought.

 

[mho]

Glad your busy, I wouldn't recommend Epsom but other will it's down to what you like an used to using the 24" HP z3200 can be had cheap second hand lots of company's offer referb units with warranty , great black and white printing as well as colour if you get one with the built in spectrometer you can chuck a paper on and in 20 mins have it fully profiled and ready to go at the touch of a button 11 inks and a gloss optimiser give fantastic results 3rd party ink available as well, if it's defiantly a2 you want Epsom do / did a roll printer I think it was the 4990 or some thing like that.