Tips, help, and answers to your questions via PDF reports, what large format inkjet printer is best for specific needs, banners, signs, posters, fine art giclee prints, CAD, GIS, maps, printing on textiles, longevity, outside, inside, lenticular?

"I have been told that some wide format printers dry out and clog if you don't use them every day? How can I avoid those printers and select a better printer that won't clog?""The glossy ads claim 100 years or 200 years of longevity without fading? Does this claim include hanging the prints in a sunny living room or only in a darkened museum?""The ads tell me the output from this wide format printer will be as good as a photographic print from a darkroom? Is this really true, I mean would a professional photographer who has printed Cibachromes all his life accept the new inkjet prints?""I realize that most inkjet print images are washed away by water, so is there really a kind of paper that you can put outside in the rain and the image stays fixed?""I am so confused? Help me with comparative information about the more popular large format printers!""Which RIP should I use to get the best quality out of my large format printer?""What inks are recommended for longevity so my colors will stay bright?"

"How can I make a sign last outdoors without any lamination? Yes, there are several ways to do this. All the answers to all the FAQs on this page are contained in the 20 different FLAAR reports, available at no cost via [email protected].

If you wish information on what large format printer is best for you just send us an e-mail. We have additional information to send you based on our tests, evaluations, and our general experience with large format printers in our own photo studio, digital imaging studio, and offices. Allow a few days for us to respond because we get lots of requests. There is no charge for the information (FLAAR is non-profit). When you inquire about the various kinds of large format printers for your particular needs we can obtain additional information for you by forwarding your e-mail to the best company that makes the specific printer which is most appropriate for your needs.This makes it easier for you to receive additional information (of course we answer you personally as well). FLAAR has plenty of experience with printers of all kinds and we select only companies that have a good reputation for service and quality large format printer output. We inspect the wide format printers at trade shows in the USA and Germany. When possible we obtain the printer hardware and software and test them in our own office. Often the incoming e-mails contain helpful information on end-user needs (that is, the specific kinds of needs you have). Your needs help the large format printer companies to recognize what features they need to add to their next new models. Thus to encourage the color plotter hardware and software companies to pay attention to your needs, we will forward your e-mail to the companies that we have found are receptive to learning what people really want in a printer, RIP, media, and accessories. In some cases the incoming e-mails are helpful for our own program of research on large format printers, in which case we may quote portions of your discussion or observations in our web sites or in articles or the book we would like to publish on digital imaging. In return you receive the report of our senior revew editor which summarizes the best tips plus our evaluations on which large format printers are ideal for a wide variety of specific needs. Once you have a large format printer you will need to figure out how best to scan your images. Thus we are working out a means to understand what scanner is best for your situation and contact the scanner company to provide you with pertinent information. The next item of equipment you will need is storage for your digital images. Buying a Zip drive is the first mistake most people make (we made this mistake as well). To help you out on storage we recommend the same place where we buy our hard drives, DVD-RAM, RAID, CD-R and CD-RW burners. We will eventually forward your e-mail to the companies that can best help you on storage. FLAAR is non-profit and we are rather slow because our no-cost consulting services are popular internationally, and hence our staff is rather backed up with answering requests. For this reason we need to enlist the assistance of the various companies that make the better products so that they also can respond to your request for assistance. We feel that the more information a person has, the better they can decide what is the optimal make and model to obtain to provide a good solution at a reasonable price.

Most recently updated August 02, 2001.