Dye Sublimation Printers

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kully

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Hi All

Does anyone of anything about dye sub printers???? :bang:

I'm looking for one that produces professional results printing standard photo size to potentially A4 (a4 not essential though, the closer to it the better however)

cant seem to find any info on the web which is surprising !!

thanks all

:thumbs:
 
yeah, they're about 1200 quid, systems insight sell them, they are fixed to one size by the media and generally are 9x6 and smaller (6" wide) or 10x8/12x8 (8"wide). For what purpose do you need one?
 
There are generally 2 types of dye subs. The more popular models print from 6x4 through to 9x6 (a change of media is required for the different sizes. These are 6" roller printers.

Prices start at around £700+vat for a roll fed printers.

Printers that produce 12x8 (or 10x8) are 8" printers and start at around £1,400.

We use Mitsubishi printers who I believe are the market leaders.

Major suppliers are Photomart and System Insight.

Here's a link to the Mitsubishi range..

http://vis.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/products/printers/events
 
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I have several Mitsubishi Dye sub printers and apart from the weight, They have been great printers..I understand that there are newer models coming out but you can get hold of a second hand one for around £250-£800 depending on the model and the age.....be careful if purchasing second hand as the print head in time will need replacing. They can be very expensive ! With the Mitsubishi range, you cannot find out how many prints have been through the unit with out it going back to the manufacturers. So 'Buyer Beware' should be adhered to ! !
 
wedding photos - generally speaking i will set up a quick studio at the reception party and guests that want their photo taken can walk up get it done and take away the print with a minimum amount of fuss

still looking into all the equipment that is needed

also whats better d5000 d90 (nikon)

thanks
 
THANKS FOR THAT

I WILL LOOK INTO MITSU PRINTERS... I DINT THINK THEY WERE THAT COSTLY THOUGH??

THANKS AGAIN
 
kully said:
wedding photos - generally speaking i will set up a quick studio at the reception party and guests that want their photo taken can walk up get it done and take away the print with a minimum amount of fuss

still looking into all the equipment that is needed

also whats better d5000 d90 (nikon)

thanks
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a d90 is better then a d5000.

We had a long discussion about on site printing at weddings not long ago. edit save you searching http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=263559. I do wonder about the success of just offering that service as a business, and think if thats the only thing you'll offer then it wouldn't be that viable
 
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also HiTi make dye sub printers, they tend to be lighter than mitsubushi printers (which is why I bought mine)

This is not the best kind of photography to start in as if you have printing there you need to nail it out of camera and you need to concentrate on the subject not the camera, also they often have difficult lighting scenarios
 
I think, if a print service at a wedding is all you offer your market is going to be so small that you'll not get enough work to be viable. Bear in mind most people will have already shelled out alot on their photography, so would need to see why they should supply this as extra and you ahve to either persuade an established wedding photographer to offer your services, or persuade someone to take you on top. It's a tiny market if thats all you offer
 
With the Mitsubishi range, you cannot find out how many prints have been through the unit with out it going back to the manufacturers.
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Not true - you can print a diagnostic page on 9550 upwards.

But... I'm not in my office this week, so I can't tell you which keys to pres at the same time !
 
Anybody had any experience with the Olmec OP800?


Kev.
 
out of HiTi and mitsu , whats best suited for upto 10 inch prints for event photgraphy under studio conditions?
 
out of HiTi and mitsu , whats best suited for upto 10 inch prints for event photgraphy under studio conditions?
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I may be wrong, but I don't think HiTi make an 8" roller printer.

6" roller printers can produce up to 9"x6" prints, 8" rollers can produce 10" or 12"x 8" prints.
 
Just to clear a few things up.

Dye Sublimation photo printers- two main categories. Printers that do 6x4, 7x5 and 6x9" prints, and Printers that wil do 8x10 and 8x12" prints. Both roll fed.

There are several manufacturers out there, including Mitsubishi, DNP, Sony, Fuji , HiTi, and Kodak.
 
kully said:
out of HiTi and mitsu , whats best suited for upto 10 inch prints for event photgraphy under studio conditions?
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depends what you want from the printer, I only really looked into 6" roll printers because I wanted 6x9s as they're easy to shoot and sell and a good size (I think)

I reckon the Mitsu printers are more bombproof and the HiTi more portable/usable
 
Well as HiTi don't have a 10" printer that I am aware of , it would leave you with Mitsubishi's CP3800 , DNP's DS40, Fuji's ASK4000, and Kodak's 9810.

There is also Mitsubishi's sheet feed machine, the CP3020 DAE
 
david1701 said:
depends what you want from the printer, I only really looked into 6" roll printers because I wanted 6x9s as they're easy to shoot and sell and a good size (I think)

I reckon the Mitsu printers are more bombproof and the HiTi more portable/usable
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9x6 is the standard size im looking to offer but want to give another option which will be a larger size print few 'a few dollars more' also do you know a good supplier for frames, as in the one you used to get your school photo in?
 
MARK AMIES said:
Well as HiTi don't have a 10" printer that I am aware of , it would leave you with Mitsubishi's CP3800 , DNP's DS40, Fuji's ASK4000, and Kodak's 9810.

There is also Mitsubishi's sheet feed machine, the CP3020 DAE
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thank you mark... i will look into those models, which in your opinion is best for what im looking to do?
 
Tugster said:
I have several Mitsubishi Dye sub printers and apart from the weight, They have been great printers..I understand that there are newer models coming out but you can get hold of a second hand one for around £250-£800 depending on the model and the age.....be careful if purchasing second hand as the print head in time will need replacing. They can be very expensive ! With the Mitsubishi range, you cannot find out how many prints have been through the unit with out it going back to the manufacturers. So 'Buyer Beware' should be adhered to ! !
Click to expand...

i seem to be drawn to the DNP but mitsu are considered to be the best in the business... whats your opinion?
 
TBH both supply quality prints but I switched purely on the basis of space and weight. My two DNP's (DN40 & DN80) occupy the same space as my old Mits 9550. I can now offer 6x4-9x6 with the DN40 (needs media change unless I tile the prints) and 10x7, 10x8 & 12x8 with the DN80 (no media change). Also should the DN40 break down I could back it up by tiling prints with DN80.

It may be worth looking at the new range of Mits printers which are about to be released but if working on a budget look at the Hi Touch range. Cheaper to buy but media more expensive and print speed slower.
 
kully said:
i seem to be drawn to the DNP but mitsu are considered to be the best in the business... whats your opinion?
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Yes, Mitsubishi have a great many fans , but to say that they are the 'best in the business' , would be unkind on all the other manufacturers. All of the brands that exist on the market produce very good results. It is down to the specifications and prices that in the end makes peple decide on which printer they go for.

I am not in a position to say what is 'best', sorry.
 
I have used an OP 1000 and was very impressed, I have seen the fujitsu ask 2000 run and again very impressive, we now own a mitsubishi 9550 and again very good, I don;t think you will be disapointed with which ever printer you buy.

On a side note, I have only been asked for an 8x10 print once so far but they were happy to buy a 9x6.

The whole thing is about getting it right in the camera, mess that up and you will spend time you don't really have doing more than just cropping for print.
 
Worth pointing out to anyone viewing this that the OP1000 ( Olmec) is no longer available. Fuji ASK200 has been replaced bythe ASK2500, but may be available where stocks last. Mitsubishi's 9550 is still available, and compliments the faster 9810, and the soon to be available CP-D70.
 
kully said:
i seem to be drawn to the DNP but mitsu are considered to be the best in the business... whats your opinion?
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Kully

I have not tried the other manufacturers....other people have and may be able to give you a more informed opinion,

I tend to stick with what works for me and what I have experience of... I notice sometimes that people offer advice when they dont really have experience of the equipment they are advising on.

There are some very experienced people on this thread who have a wider experience than I when it comes to other brands.... from my point of view and the type of work I do...the kit is excellent....saying that I have considered buying a fast dedicated 10x8/12x8 model .... dust and speed were my considering factors when I thought about changing....I considered the cost to be too much and stuck with what I already had....
 
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Tugster said:
Kully

I have not tried the other manufacturers....other people have and may be able to give you a more informed opinion,

I tend to stick with what works for me and what I have experience of... I notice sometimes that people offer advice when they dont really have experience of the equipment they are advising on.

There are some very experienced people on this thread who have a wider experience than I when it comes to other brands.... from my point of view and the type of work I do...the kit is excellent....saying that I have considered buying a fast dedicated 10x8/12x8 model .... dust and speed were my considering factors when I thought about changing....I considered the cost to be too much and stuck with what I already had....
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ok fair enough.... can i ask what you have?
 
MARK AMIES said:
Worth pointing out to anyone viewing this that the OP1000 ( Olmec) is no longer available. Fuji ASK200 has been replaced bythe ASK2500, but may be available where stocks last. Mitsubishi's 9550 is still available, and compliments the faster 9810, and the soon to be available CP-D70.
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the cp d70 isnt that the dual printer.... do you know much about the single machine... any good?
 
Little John said:
I have used an OP 1000 and was very impressed, I have seen the fujitsu ask 2000 run and again very impressive, we now own a mitsubishi 9550 and again very good, I don;t think you will be disapointed with which ever printer you buy.

On a side note, I have only been asked for an 8x10 print once so far but they were happy to buy a 9x6.

The whole thing is about getting it right in the camera, mess that up and you will spend time you don't really have doing more than just cropping for print.
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i read some where that the mitsu 9550 takes a break to 'cool down' .... have you experienced this? and if so , how long does it take?
 
snapzz said:
TBH both supply quality prints but I switched purely on the basis of space and weight. My two DNP's (DN40 & DN80) occupy the same space as my old Mits 9550. I can now offer 6x4-9x6 with the DN40 (needs media change unless I tile the prints) and 10x7, 10x8 & 12x8 with the DN80 (no media change). Also should the DN40 break down I could back it up by tiling prints with DN80.

It may be worth looking at the new range of Mits printers which are about to be released but if working on a budget look at the Hi Touch range. Cheaper to buy but media more expensive and print speed slower.
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the dnp ds-80 looks good but the price is too much of an increase on the ds-40..... how reliable has your ds-40 been ?
 
kully said:
the cp d70 isnt that the dual printer.... do you know much about the single machine... any good?
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Kully the CP D70 is the single printer,the dual stage printer is the CP D707. Both machines will be ready to go to market withing weeks, so it is way to o early to comment, but from what I va seen both machines look perfectly competant.
 
kully said:
ok fair enough.... can i ask what you have?
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Hi Kully....I have 2x 9550,2x 9800 and 2x 3020DAE's.....
They have been fantastic for me and only had one issue with one of the 9800 which was repaired under warranty...
 
i read some where that the mitsu 9550 takes a break to 'cool down' .... have you experienced this? and if so , how long does it take?
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I've had 6 9550's and I've never had a problem with any, and neither have they had to take a break to cool down.

We recently upgraded to 9810's and we have a couple of 3800's as well. Never had any of the Mitsubishi printers go wrong.

Realistically it's very rare for the printers to be churning out prints non-stop and therefore needing to cool down.

In terms of sales, we sell around 15 9"x6" prints for every 12"x8". It does of course depend entirely on what market you're in (12x8 sells better in sports, 9x6 sells better in social), but considering a 12x8 printer is about half as much again to purchase, it's really not a good investment if you're starting out.

We're looking forward to the new Mitsubishi printers arriving. I've been lucky enough to have had a play with pre release versions, and both new printers are stunning.
 
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kully said:
i read some where that the mitsu 9550 takes a break to 'cool down' .... have you experienced this? and if so , how long does it take?
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We have only done a single event with it, about 40 prints over a 3 hour period I think so I don't think it was worked hard enough to cause it to over heat. We did a run of 5 prints of the same image with no problems but I doubt that is enough to cause any problems.

Just make sure you know that your usb cable is healthy as the one we tried to use wasn't the one we tested the printer with when we got it and yep it was dodgy various errors like ribon and media incompatible and it was the printer not there that pointed me to the cable luckilly I had the one we tested with in the back of the car still. I will be getting another cable to have as a backup for the future.
 
kully said:
the dnp ds-80 looks good but the price is too much of an increase on the ds-40..... how reliable has your ds-40 been ?
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just looked at the prices and the dnp kit is up to £1'800 and the mitsu 9550DW is under £900...

i cant help but think im missing something here..:thinking:

are they really as good as each other???
 
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