Does a colour printer help?

[epsilonGreedy]

I have been reviewing the various threads on computer printers for SelfBuild and have concluded the following:

 

1. On site communication with trades is simplified if printed diagrams can be handed out.
2. Some of the key diagrams should be laminated.
3. Online postal printing services are fast and cost effective for prints over A3 in size.
4. A printed spiral bound collection of plans and diagrams on A3 paper is useful.

 

General IT advice offered through this forum on printers matches mine e.g. avoid InkJets like the plague and colour lasers are good for non photo prints.

 

Which brings me to my question. For £200 to £300 I can buy either an A3 capable B&W laser printer or an A4 colour laser. I can see the benefit of splashing out for A3 but where is the benefit of colour beyond a few landscaping plans that could be coloured in manually?

[newhome]

No A3 colour laser that you could use at work for the odd occasion they are useful? I have BW and colour laser printers here but don't use the colour one all that much TBH. I would go for the A3 BW laser personally. 

[JohnW]

Our local library let you print A3 B&W for 30p/page...you could print a lot of pages for £200 - £300.

[Ferdinand]

If you want to submit eg Planning Documents on paper, then they may insist on colour. The Planning Inspectorate do, for example.

 

Unless you really know what you are doing or precision is not critical, or you only use the *printed* thing to look at (therefore having a local standard in your own environment), it is probably not worth using them to specify precise colour - since camera, screen etc will all be different in appearance for the "same colour". Calibrating it all to work through the process is a pain.

 

The A3 may be an advantage for plans, as may duplex (which is available at all price levels and can be a basic requirement) given the length of planning documents.

 

I do have a big colour laser (A3 duplex, to about 300gsm card, 25k page toner cartridges that *hurt* to replace), but it came secondhand via Ebay from a print-shop that discovered more demand than expected so was about the price of the toner that was still in it. I also have a little sub-£100 mono laser.

 

If you can handle moving and maintaining it (mine weighs about 75kg), a big secondhand one is relatively very cheap (mine: ~20% of new at 6 months) and will last a long time. If you need one.

 

Ferdinand

Edited March 20, 2018 by Ferdinand

[epsilonGreedy]

On 3/19/2018 at 22:23, JohnW said:

Our local library let you print A3 B&W for 30p/page...you could print a lot of pages for £200 - £300.

 

 

A top tip, I now have some A3 plans printed at my local library for 20p a page.  Hope the rest of my build also costs 30% below prevailing rates.