Wide Format Printer

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The Makerspace art room has a 24" wide Epson Stylus Pro 7880 printer for printing photos, posters, and other high quality, large format prints.

Using the Printer

Please use the following form to log print jobs and report any maintenance issues.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RGVSDCoYsFxxEzmIxpZGM826x8s5CnMxuR6xMjdRbxA/viewform

Prints can be made with assistance from the trained users listed below.

• Haley Moore
• Doug Emes
• Steve Reeves

Costs

Standard photo printing with 24" roll paper (Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper (260)) - $2.00 per linear foot (2 square feet.) The minimum charge is $1.00 for 1 foot of paper. Round the length to the nearest 6" - $1.00 increment.

Please try to reserve using PayPal for charges $5.00 or higher.

Rates for other papers and media, canvas and user supplied paper (ink only usage) - TBD

Printing with Roll Paper

Printing on roll media is a little more complicated than standard sized sheet paper. Moreover, mistakes made while printing roll paper can have potentially expensive and wasteful results. Therefore it is important to pay close attention to the various settings when printing. A good approach is to treat it like launching a rocket. Stick to a standard checklist and resist the urge to rush.

Useful Information

Note: The following links are provided for the convenience of DMS members and should not be considered as an endorsement by DMS for any company, organization or product.

Print Driver and User Manual: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=94509&infoType=Overview

Recommended book for getting higher quality prints specific to Epson printers like the 7880 - "The Art of Printing Photos on Your Epson Printer" by Michael Freeman & John Beardsworth: http://www.amazon.com/Printing-Photos-Your-Epson-Printer/dp/0240811690

Highly regarded Yahoo group for Epson wide format printers. Excellent resource for trouble shooting and other technical discussions regarding Epson printers: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/EPSON_Printers/info

Wikipedia Article on the technology behind Epson printers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Piezo

Wikipedia Article on Resolution (helpful in understanding the difference between printer resolution, screen resolution and pixel size of an image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dots_per_inch#DPI_measurement_in_printing

Red River Paper - Local supplier of compatible printable media (Dallas): http://www.redrivercatalog.com/

Imaging Spectrum - Supplier for Epson printers and printable media (Plano): http://www.imagingspectrum.com/

Competitive Camera - Professional Camera store that sells various brands of printable media including Epson, Red River and others (Dallas): http://www.competitivecameras.com/

Frame Destination - Local supplier for canvas stretcher bars, framing materials and other print storage materials: http://www.framedestination.com/

Dallas Camera Club - Social and Educational camera club associated with the Photographic Society of America with a long history of promoting the craft of photographic printing. http://www.dallascameraclub.org/

Links, Hints and Tips

Below are some links specific to the printer we have (Standard Printer: SP7880K3 / Maximum Printer Width: 24" Wide / Ink Technology: Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta)

NOTE: When selecting media (paper, canvas, etc...), it's really important to make sure whatever media you select to print on will work with the particular type of ink we use.

BANDING: Nozzle clogs happen frequently, especially if the printer has been sitting idle for a while. Banding is the result of a clogged nozzle and is usually cleared with a simple cleaning cycle. Press the MENU button and arrow down to TEST PRINT and select NOZZLE CHECK. This will print a stair-step pattern and any missing steps represent clogged nozzles. If you do have some of those then hold down the MENU button for 3 seconds and it will run a cleaning cycle. You can then repeat the test print to see if it's cleared. DO NOT RUN A POWER CLEANING ROUTINE FROM THE MENU! This wastes a LOT of ink.

Epson Stylus Pro 7880 | 9880 (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Pro/SeriesStylusPro78809880/Overview.do)
Some of the tabs on this page include: "Overview", "Detailed Specs", etc... Some of the links off to the right include links to information about: "Professional Media", "ICC Profiles", etc...

Media for Epson Professional Imaging Printers (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Pro/all-epson-professional-imaging-media.do#t_fineart)
This is a direct link to Exhibition Canvas options, as well as many other media options...

EPSON Exhibition Canvas Printing and Finishing Guidelines (http://www.epson.com/_alfresco/proimaging/media/EPSON_Exhibition_Canvas_Printing_and_Finishing_Guidelines.pdf)

Home › Video Library › Professional Imaging › Video Library › Epson Canvas Wrap Demonstration
(http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/Video-Library/video/Professional-Imaging/Epson-Canvas-Wrap-Demonstration/1450345356001)

Training Syllabus

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TDtWhjJCrWKzfxqL6SSBmyrVe7xHivVCm_hGVNo312w/edit