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Which large format printer?


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I use VW8.5.2 on a Mac G3. Currently own a HP250C and would like to upgrade to a roll feed, much faster large format color printer. Is anything made especially for the Mac. I print to my HP Laserjet 4MV for B&W 11x17 output. It does a perfect job with grays and resolution. Can any large format printer [plotter] even come close to laser quality and speed.

I don't want to experiment with this and am hoping someone or VW can recommend the best plotter for the job. I only plot about 10 size D per day - but desire speed and color quality. It now takes about 12 minutes to do a color or grayscale 24 x 36. I use Microspot Graphics Ultrapac for a driver.

Thanks anyone for the help.

Steve Whaley

Whaleyco

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Search archive @:

VECTORWORKS-L@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

It's a big topic, continually changing. I'm a PC user of VW; currently use an HP 430 and an HP 4M, also considering some kind of color output. Epson (I think) 1520 and 3000 are usual suspects. User opinion of HP varies widely (My experience has been great). I'll be interested to hear what you choose.

Carl

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quote:

Originally posted by Carl Burns:

Search archive @:

VECTORWORKS-L@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

It's a big topic, continually changing. I'm a PC user of VW; currently use an HP 430 and an HP 4M, also considering some kind of color output. Epson (I think) 1520 and 3000 are usual suspects. User opinion of HP varies widely (My experience has been great). I'll be interested to hear what you choose.

Carl

I have an Epson 1520 an I'll give it a 7 out of 10. It has a margin of over 2.5" on one side of the 22" x 17" paper that seems like a lot of wasted space. Sometimes the paper doesn't feed right if you don't have it sitting in the tray just right

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I too have a 250C. HP tech support/service has been outstanding. Just spent about 650 to have it overhauled by HP and it works great.

Also have an Epson 3000. What a turkey. Paper handling of heavier papers (essential for top quality color output) is lousy. Think sheet feed only. Epson does, in my opinion, a lousey job of keeping their drivers current. Current version of Photoshop requires a later version of colorsynch than Epson supports. Never again. Back to Hp for me.

Donald

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  • 3 weeks later...

I use a fleet of Macs and have a couple Windows machines. Basically, all my peripheral purchases include parameters that they are not only Mac-savvy, but cross-platform compliant.

Currently, I am using an HP 1055CM in my home office along with a Minolta Color Pageworks with the Postscript module. Upstairs, I have an HP OfficeJet G85xi with a JetDirect 300x to allow it to be accessible via ethernet (rather than just USB).

All in all, everything works great and all are connected via Ethernet using either Laserwriter drivers and/or Postscript 3 drivers.

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C M Harada

Perspectives Design

Group, ink

Denver, CO

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I see from this note that you have posted on the VW discussion group that you use both macs and pcs I have posted a query re: a sharing / security violtaion that occurs when using files from a mac server. Seeing as you too use both macs and pcs i would apprciate any guidance that you can give

Many thanks

Lydia

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Lydia Mynott

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am reasonably happy with HP455CA although it's not fast. But it prints 36" sheets. I can't use my Epson1520 for big prints but it is much faster. Both fairly reliable but I have the feeling both Epson and HP are writing PC software and then modifying for Mac. The HP software is especially clumsy.

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I also use a HP 455CA. It is 300dpi. The printing is a bit slow, but with the auto cutter you can spool a dozen drawings and go for lunch. It definitely seems to be a Windows item, modified for a MAC. I use it for architectural drawings, and have not tried full color renderings, but coloring elevations is fine, given the limited color choices in Vectorworks

Software quirks are always a bit of a problem between VW, where they won't discuss printer driver problems and HP that doesn't talk MAC. There can be good exceptions though. one minor problem is that the VectorWorks drawing size does not quite line up with the printer, so there is a lot of fine tuning to get the boarders and title blocks on the edge.

BenJArch

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