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0333 090 9162
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How to Buy a Wide Format Printer

Navigating the Wide Format Minefield

We have been selling shipping wide format printers for over 20 years. Our customers buy wide format printers for many different reasons, including printing of plans, maps, menus, gallery prints, photographic albums, portfolios, end of year uni finals, designs, exhibitions and signage, across all kinds of industries, for use in-house and for ‘pay for print’.

Buying a wide format printer doesn’t have to the be a minefield, with help from our sales team at GDS.  See our Customer Testimonials to hear what our customers think of us.

6 Steps to Buying A Wide Format Printer

 


 

Step 1 – Consider your requirements

When it comes to buying a new printer we recommend you consider your requirements. Below are some areas to consider.

What type of prints do you need to print?

There are many different print types and some printers will offer more choices than others. All the printers we supply use aqueous (waterbased) inks but these inks can achieve a variety of prints.

From Technical printer models for printing plans and technical drawings for low or high volume, we also stock entry level printers that will offer vibrant posters and displays. You may however need to cross over into the Graphics Ranges where displays and banners are the main function. Following on from there you could be in the market for a Photographic Model where colour, quality and close up detail are all critical. We speciliase in supplying and maintaining wide format printers from two major manufacturers, Canon & HP.  Today’s modern hybrid machines can be a perfect solution to customers with more than one print type – these tend to be Technical Models which also have the capability to print superb long lasting posters.

We have sold and installed thousands of printers for a huge variety of customers, some with some challenging uses or tricky environments – some you would not believe, so try us for a solution!

To view the current Canon range – CLICK HERE or to view the current HP range – CLICK HERE

Which type of ink would be suitable for your prints?

If you print only plans and drawings for in-house use and indoor handling, dye based inks will be adequate, but if your prints need to last the duration without fading or you want to put them outside, we recommend you need the pigment based ink models for certain.  For longer term outdoor display you would ideally over laminate your prints, but short term there is no need with the right ink type and the right media and setting.

Dye Based Ink - What Can it Do?

Specfically developed for sharp lines, dye based inks are water soluble and have no fade resistance
so they are ideal for plans and technical drawings for indoor use

 

Pigment Based Inks - What can they do?

Pigment inks have larger molecules and are more rebust against moisture and UV fading. Modern pigment inks
offer sharp line quality & vibrant colour.

 

Want to hear more about the differences in ink types and why they work they way they do? Click for our Blog to see More info

What size prints do you need to print?

The most common sizes that customers print are A1 or A0, which narrows down the options easily into 24″ models or 36″ models.  The Technical models come in 24″, 36″ or the odd 44″ size.  The Graphics and Photographc models come in 24″ or 44″.  Each machine size is the maximum paper width it can take – they also handle smaller rolls, so for instance a 36″ (A0) size printer will handle rolls from 297mm (A4) all the way up to 36″ (A0+).

It’s worth checking if your desired model will physically fit into your office or studio.  Sometimes delivery access can cause an issue so we always check out your premises before we arrange an installation service via a simple site information form.

Are there any restrictions on your delivery location?

When we dispatch & deliver a wide format printer, we do ask you to let us know if there are any restrictions at the delivery location.  Many of our printer deliveries are ‘kerb side pallet drop’ services provided by pallet couriers using 7.5t to 18t trucks so if you have any concerns with a truck getting to you just let us know. You would be responsible for unpacking the printer and taking it indoors, so planning is key for the delivery day.  Obviously we can offer various enhanced services too, where you prefer placement of your new machine by a trained delivery crew or the full installation service with basic training.

 


 

Step 2 – View our products and, if you’re ready, checkout online

You may have used our extensive blogs and pages to do your own research or you may be buying a recommended model or even adding to your established fleet of printers.  If you know your stuff and don’t need help by all means please checkout online and we will delvier your new printer ASAP, updating your onlin order throughout the process to keep you informed.  We do ship multiple consignments where free paper, etc is supplied with the machine so watch our for our emails.

 


 

Step 3 – Contact us to let us know your requirements

There are two methods of contacting us to buy your new printer.

Email us - sales@gds.org.uk sales@gds.org.uk  Call us - 01625 613548 01625 613548

You can call us on 01625 613548 and speak with our sales team or email our team directly at sales@gds.org.uk.

We will be happy to guide you through the models and pinpoint the exact printer to give you the output and quality you need so you can absolutely sure you are buying the right model.  We know it’s quite an investment so it does make sense to buy right first time.  We often hear from customers who haven’t sought advice and then can’t print their desired quality or simply can;t load the roll of paper they’ve chosen.

 


 

Step 4 – We will provide a quotation for your enquiry

We’ll get back to you with a detailed PDF document breaking down each item so there are no surprises.  Our quotations are transparent so you know excaly what you ar paying for the hardware, the install, the warranty, etc.  We will offer our very best price and an estimated delivery date (based on your requirements). We can usually do this whilst you are on the phone, and we reply to all email enquiries as soon as we possibly can – usually immediately and certainly in most cases same day.

 


 

Step 5 – Confirm that you want to go ahead with your purchase

At this point you should have all the details and, if required, we can supply a pro forma invoice for payment.  Most customers choose to pay by bank transfer for hardware, but we also take card payments.  Once we receive cleared funds we can arrange your preferred delivery date. Next day is usually avaialble as long as the order is completed before the cut off time, stock allowing.  This is usually 3.15pm for Canon Printers and 4.15pm for HP Printers.

 


 

Step 6 – We will arrange your printer delivery / installation

Once we receive cleared funds, we can arrange your preferred delivery date. Next day is usually available in the case of pallet drops, as long as the order is completed before the cut off time, stock allowing.  This is usually 3.15pm for Canon Printers and 4.15pm for HP Printers.  Where we are sending a specialist team or performing an installation we can book this in for your preferred date and time to ensure the staff members who require training are available.

If you’ve gone for a DIY install, we recommend downloading the drivers via our site to ensure you get the most up to date ones.  They are always available by CLICKING HERE

 


 

Now all that’s left is for you to get printing!  Enjoy your new printer and wonder at the cost savings and print quality!

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