# Which printer to use for con badges/stickers?



## MorgueBuddy (Apr 29, 2020)

does anyone have any rec's for printers, my budget is under 200 and i'll only be using it for stickers and furry badges to then laminate, rather i don't think i'll be doing print selling 

also any other newbie advice would be welcome !


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## Keefur (May 10, 2020)

Find someone with a printer and pay them for the ink or find a local printer.  You can gang print images and if they are color intense, you might save money if that's all you are going to use the printer for.  Also, if the printer breaks or runs out of ink/toner, it isn't your problem.  I would go with 11 inch by 17 inch paper and allow at least a quarter of an inch for margin when you do your layout.  The type of printer doesn't matter if you are laminating them.  You would have to make a lot of prints to use up $200.


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## BlackDog (May 11, 2020)

I join Keefur. Inkjet printer has a lot of problem (toner may dry)


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## rekcerW (May 26, 2020)

BlackDog said:


> I join Keefur. Inkjet printer has a lot of problem (toner may dry)


Umm.....


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## Ashwolves5 (Jun 4, 2020)

All I know is I've had an Epson and an HP and I had nothing but troubles.


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## vicky55 (Jun 17, 2020)

had epson for 2 years but wasn't happy with it. I needed a good color printer for printing my merch such as stickers and postcards. My friend from University recommended this website mrdepot.ca where I could buy a quality printer for a good price. These guys offer a bunch of office supplies like toner cartridge and printer products. Their website is pretty comfy, and it is easy to order products at a reasonable price. I would highly recommend this site to my friends and definitely use it again. If you still have questions about printers, try to look over this site for more info!


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## Faustus (Jun 19, 2020)

I usually get my images printed at photography shops these days. You get better quality and I think it might even be cheaper than buying the paper and inks for a decent bubblejet. Pretty much all of them can print from floppy drives and some of them have self-service machines so you don't even have to show them the images you're printing.

I'd recommend getting oyster paper if you can - some places call it lustre or half-gloss - I find it gives much more attractive results than glossy or high quality matte papers.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Jun 25, 2020)

I have had all of the major brands of  printers over the years so I've become jaded over HP printers. The print head is on the cartridge so if you have print troubles such as a non-cleanable nozzle, just change the cartridge. Sometimes wiping the head with alcohol on a cotton swab can fix it. Epson has great print quality but the heads are really not serviceable. If the head on an Epson goes bad outside of the warranty, you throw it away. If you're going to buy, a photo-grade HP that does 11" X 17"paper.

Semi-gloss photo paper gives great images and looks good under lamination. High gloss is good, but more expensive. Remember, type of paper influences how the ink lays down. Cheap paper = craptastic prints.

I would also go with having a print shop do the images for you. In the long run, it could be cheaper and as was suggested by Keefur, you don't have upkeep to deal with. One thing to stay away from is Lazerjet printers. Toner is outrageous not to mention the fuser bar needing to be replaced at intervals and the attendant mess when changing toner cartridges.


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## rekcerW (Jun 26, 2020)

Faustus said:


> I usually get my images printed at photography shops these days. You get better quality and I think it might even be cheaper than buying the paper and inks for a decent bubblejet. Pretty much all of them can print from floppy drives and some of them have self-service machines so you don't even have to show them the images you're printing.
> 
> I'd recommend getting oyster paper if you can - some places call it lustre or half-gloss - I find it gives much more attractive results than glossy or high quality matte papers.


Wait, wut, floppy drives? Like actual floppies? Who even has photos that they want to print under 1.44mb these days? 


Kellan Meig'h said:


> I would also go with having a print shop do the images for you. In the long run, it could be cheaper and as was suggested by Keefur, you don't have upkeep to deal with. One thing to stay away from is Lazerjet printers. Toner is outrageous not to mention the fuser bar needing to be replaced at intervals and the attendant mess when changing toner cartridges.


IDK, I love laser for the print speed and huge output between having to replace cartridges/add toner. Never found it overly messy at all.


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## Water Draco (Jun 26, 2020)

For printing up to A3 in size I currently use Canon Pixma series printers and PermaJet Oyster paper if I am laminating the finished print.


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## Faustus (Jun 26, 2020)

rekcerW said:


> Wait, wut, floppy drives? Like actual floppies? Who even has photos that they want to print under 1.44mb these days?


Heh, man, I was tired that day! Obviously I meant thumb drives.


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## rekcerW (Jun 26, 2020)

Faustus said:


> Heh, man, I was tired that day! Obviously I meant thumb drives.


Oh hahaha, I was totally picturing a place where you could print from floppies x.x


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## Faustus (Jun 26, 2020)

rekcerW said:


> IDK, I love laser for the print speed and huge output between having to replace cartridges/add toner. Never found it overly messy at all.


I used to work in a print shop that used laser jets, and there are other things to watch out for. One is that you must be sure to get the right kind of paper. For example, some glossy photo paper uses China clay to create the shiny surface effect, but if you hit that with a laser on a heated roller, the clay melts, clumps up and crystallises into nasty great scabs that flake and fall off, taking your picture with it.

Let's also not forget the expense of colour lasers, and the fact that you have to periodically replace not just the toner, but also the print drum. They can be very pricy indeed to keep, and not all of them are particularly great quality results, regardless of the DPI and speed. I also often found that lasers gave more washed-out colours, but that is likely to have improved since, as I'm going back 20 years or so. Nevertheless most fine artists still boast loudly about 'Giclee prints', which basically means inkjet.


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## Water Draco (Jun 26, 2020)

This is one of my badges printed with the canon printer on the permajet paper and laminated.


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