Large format printers are the most commonly used commercial printers in the signage industry. Before purchasing a large format printer, it’s important to know which type of printer is the best for the type of job you need to do. The three main types of large format printers are:
- Eco-Solvent Inkjet Printers are perfect for the indoor and outdoor graphics printing market. The solvent inks used are versatile and have a very high durability, making them a hit in the signage printing industry. Eco-Solvent based inks are also very inexpensive and use less expensive substrates. They allow for printing on flexible substrates as well. A lamination is recommended for graphics that will be displayed outdoor.
- Aqueous Inkjet Printers are the most common inkjet printers used today. As the name suggests, water is the primary component of the ink used in these printers. Aqueous Inkjet printers produce the fastest output while producing great colour resolution compared to other printers. Aqueous Inkjet printers are suitable for indoor printing as they have high indoor durability. A lamination is often required and this helps to increase the longevity, sustainability and image quality of the print.
- UV-based Inkjet Printers are quite cost-effective and offers many features found in solvent inkjet printers. However, they use a drying mechanism that is completely different from that of solvent inkjet printers. UV rays hit the curable liquid ink which then turns it from a liquid to a solid on the chosen substrate. They also offer outdoor durability without the need of using a laminate. They are often configured as flatbed which opens up the possibility of being able to print on many different rigid substrates such as wood, glass, ceramic and much more.