Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
HI ALL,
As I may be purchasing a new laser printer soon I am wondering which would be best for transfers overall? Budget is a concern (didn't anticipate a new printer this soon but the old one is fast departing the world).
I see several new papers out from iron all to trans jet to dura cotton and other and each seems to have their strength.
But... which printer seems to handle the best range of the papers with least trouble?
Lvoe to hear all the experiences-- thoug COMPUSA going out of business here may get me a decent deal.
thanks
djl
I got a Samsung CLP550N. It was a cheap printer (about $100, with $100 shipping) that could print in color, was networkable, and had a duplexer (not really important for just transfers). As soon as I got it, things started to go wrong. The waster toner cartridge was being read as full when it was actually empty, toner cartridge levels were read right, and the prints were smeared.
After reading a lot of bad reviews that I could only find after buying the stupid thing, there were a lot of hacks that could get the printer working cheap. Cleaning the inside with a wet paper towel fixed the smearing problem. Soldering various wires and fuses together made the waster tone thing shut up and the toner errors go away.
The cost per print is now pretty cheap, but there are some things I still don't like. First, it "jams" on certain paper. By jams, I mean the error light comes on despite the fact no paper was ever sucked in. I just have to open the tray and close it, and then hope it works. On some types of paper, it will always get the error. The only have to fix it is to have just one sheet in the tray. When I have to print 50 transfers, this is very, very irritating.
Another problem, which isn't a big deal, is the images don't get printing in the same spot. The top margin changes for each print. Most of the time this doesn't affect anything, but if you wanted to use your printer for something else, this could get in the way, especially for 2 sided prints where you have to cut out the image.
The quality is good and it's cheap to operate (it draws a lot of power when it comes out of sleep mode, though). After the initial problems are taken care of, it's not a bad printer. I will keep using mine, but if someone comes here and recommends something else, I will consider replacing it with someone that can handle multiple sheets of paper.
the printer I currently have is the samsung 500.
Love it, but they did discontinue it. that waste toner thing is a known problem with the sensor and they fixed it free for me when it happened.
Other than that it has been a good printer, but some papers aren't compatable with it transfer-wise.
SOO, I am open to suggestions. I like the sound of the oki 5800 but at 800US, a bit steep. Others seems cheaper, then again they aren't transfer compatable either...
maybe just plain inkjet is the way to go but I like the fastness (both print speed and wash) of the laser.
djl
But... which printer seems to handle the best range of the papers with least trouble?
djl
It will be pricey, I think, but a laser printer using silicon fixing fuser oil seems to handle the beast range of the papers with least trouble. They tend to be the most "forgiving" since they operate at lower fuser temperatures. But this type of laser printers are mostly the bigger & pricier CLCs.
Is there a SOHO type laser printer using fuser oil?
I'm wondering what specific brand and model of this type is the least expensive?
Been using an Oki c5800 for a few months now. highly recommended. OK yes they are a bit pricey, but in my opinion, you get what you pay for, here in the U.K they are just over £500 ($1000), but well worth it.
Or the cheaper C5400 or C5600 are good also.......
I personally have moved from Inkjet transfers because of blocked heads etc..... not worth the hassle
ok i got a brother and duratrans brand paper... what would happen if id attempt to pass it thru? i bought it on ebay and no mention of compatibility issues, will it like glue my printer or make it bad?
best laser printer for transfers 
Re: best laser printer for transfers 
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