Printer Recommendation for Stationery?

[langlang]

Hello,

I wanted to see if anyone could give me advice on selecting a printer?
I'm pretty sure, for what I need right now... is a pigment-based inkjet printer.

I currently use a really old Canon Pixma MG3220. I have been using this for printing out simple art prints, but now that I have been getting more into stationery creation... I've been having some issues.

For the past 2 weeks, I've just been obsessively looking for a printer that fits my needs under my budget.
I've come to realize I can't get EVERYTHING I want in one printer, but I'd like to get as close to it as possible!

My main concerns when buying a printer are:
1] Is the ink smudge-proof or water-resistant?
2] Can I use heavier weights of paper with it? (at least 80-85 lb bond or 216 GSM; so maybe a rear/straight feed printer?)
3] Is the print speed too slow for color prints? (It doesn't have to print 20+ pages a minute, but around 5-10 pages would be great for just general text/image combo prints).
4] Is it going to cost me more than $200? (I would like something just for the short term until I can upgrade along the way, even if it's 6-12 months)
5] Is it an extreme ink-guzzler? (in comparison to my MG3220, because I already got used to that lol).
6] Can it print borderless? (this would be AMAZING, but if I can't have this... I'd at least like to be able to print something at least 12+ inches wide)

I had been reading that a lot of home-based stationers print on Epsons... but after a week, I realized that almost all of them use older models of Epson... you know... like the ones going for 10x what I'm trying to spend, in online marketplaces.


If anyone could help me try to figure something out, I'd really appreciate it.
If you need more information, I can try to add that too!


also, if it's a printer I can find locally or within 30-some miles of me, I would like to try to get something like this today!

 

[The Hat]

@langlang, To be perfectly honest, what you want in a printer is everyone’s wish too, so if there is such a printer out there then get in the big queue for it.

To start with, expecting all of that for $200 is a bit of a joke so forget it, unless you want to get a Pro 100 at huge discount in one of the online stores for $90 but the inks on this model are not water proof.

Most of the Canon Pro printers can easily take heavy cart stock, but I don’t know anything about Epson printers, and as for speed, if you really want true quality then time is of little importance.

All inkjet printers are ink guzzlers of sorts, that’s their nature, and the other alternative to avoiding huge costs is to use good quality 3rd party inks, and for a few pence more you can even get a Pro pigment printer that will do the same job for you.

All the best second printers are been guarded jealously by their owners, and getting one on Craig’s List will not be easy or cheap, but EBay has hundreds of new still in the box Pro printers for sale everyday so you wont even have to leave your armchair..

 

[langlang]

Thanks for your input, The Hat.

And yes, I understand I'm not going to get all of that, plus some, with the quality and efficiency I'd want without a commercial printer.
I probably forgot to mention that I realize I'll need to get a printer for probably every project type just starting out.
I just wanted something that could handle most of my projects decently for the time being.

Canon Pro printers are a little out of my budget at the moment, but they were something I was looking at.

I'm not sure about 3rd party inks, but I'll look to see if there are threads about that. I've heard people say something about Epsons being picky about those, or maybe it's just 3rd party cartridges?


I will add that I did purchase some Epson Workforce Printer (I think the 3640? I'll edit this later if this is incorrect) about an hour ago because I was running out of time to shop before the weekend hit (I lack patience, oops).
I'll update after I set it up and tinker with it if I can get results with it that are tolerable lol.

 

[The Hat]

Canon Pro printers are a little out of my budget at the moment, but they were something I was looking at.

The Canon Pro 100 and Pro 10 are going for a song in your neck of the woods and would do all the things you wanted to do and more, on this side of the pond they are 5 to 6 times the price so think yourself lucky to have such discounts.

3rd party ink for these printers are nearly a must to use, because you would have difficulty seeing the difference:- http://www.precisioncolors.com/

 

[langlang]

Is it possible to use Pigment Inks with the Pro 100? I saw it came with the CLI inks, so I wasn't sure.

 

[The Hat]

Is it possible to use Pigment Inks with the Pro 100? I saw it came with the CLI inks, so I wasn't sure.

Nope, that’s why we have the Pro 10..

 

[jtoolman]

And what a great printer it is!
Joe

 

[annel]

As stated above - at least in the US you can find Pro 100's for $150.00 - $200.00. People get them free with their cameras and have no interest in them so they sell them on craigslist or E-bay new/unopened. I see three or four right now under $200.00 in Indy area.

If you bought the 4630 Leonard John has pigment refills for that. Looks like 3640 is dye-based. Here is his link. I've been using his dye inks with my Epson's for years and am very pleased. I'm sure his pigment ink is top quality.

http://ljhent.com/epson/epson.html