We’ve nothing local for getting original laserprints from CAD files. I need to drive an hour to get to the nearest source, a Staples store.
They want about $28 plus tax for a 24 x 36 print. Sounds a little outrageous to me.
I can “clip” my files into smaller pieces, by putting small gray targets in an 8″ w x 10″ h grid on my drawing, then print the clips to letter-sized paper, and then index the whole quilt together, but that is tedious, and the lines show when I get prints made of my quilts.
I don’t want to buy a 24-wide inkjet, because I don’t do enough largescale stuff to justify it.
What do you pay for your plots?
Replies
Surely there must be an engineer or archi in town that you can work something out with...................
[email protected]
I have tried and been rebuffed by the ones I have asked. They frankly tell me that I am in competition with them, and won't help.
Wait! I haven't asked my surveyor, who used to plot my CAD files when I was working in another package. Maybe he can print the .pdfs I am generating with Sketchup.
Well I got ya thinking anyway................or maybe he knows someone.
Send'em the Mike Smith, he'll print 'em and send 'em to you for that much green. Save ya the drive![email protected]
Maybe he can print the .pdfs I am generating with Sketchup.
If they have 6.0 Adobe, then it ought not be too much grief. Note, though, you (they) may need a "custom paper size" set up under their acrobat settings to print 36x24 (been to this game before). It's a tiny bit wonky, but not beyond the ability of a person who can read & follow instructions. But, it is an extra step for the people with the large-format printer. Might be worth buying lunch for the office people there in recompense.
Cool part, though, in pdf, with a color printer, you can use all the color you see, if that's what you want. Or not, about the same "overhead" either way.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
About $6, last time - their printer is down now; may go up with a new roll printer.
Forrest
Have you looked into a used large format printer? There are lots of older HP plotters around and they might be just what you need - at a reasonable price.
I used one (I've forgotten the model #) at my last engineering job and if IIRC, the only hassle was getting the right driver. The ink cartridges and paper rolls were kinda pricey, but that old plotter was a real workhorse once I got it running.
There are lots of older HP plotters around and they might be just what you need - at a reasonable price.
Depending on how you define reasonable, of course.
24" wide HP inkjets on ebay are about $4-500, often another $100 mmore with shipping. Refurbs & Remans run about $8-900, and a near-certain c-note to ship. The refurbs will generally work every time, right out of the box.
The "industry" has changed a tad, too; no body builds a 36" machine any more. They build either a 24" or a 42" machine nowadays. This can be a pain, as printing a 36x24 "long ways" takes a bit longer. (Almost as much "fun" as using a roll adapter to run 36" paper on that 42" spindle, too . . . )Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
That's crazy Gene. I get 24x36 printed for $3.80 a sheet for a few sheets, with discounts up to $1.70 for 50 or more sheets. I'm not positive they're laser printed but the quality is great.
At the prices your paying I can't imagine it would take long to justify a $2000 large format inkjet. One big advantage is that you can print out one page before commiting to a whole run. I don't know about you but I always find stuff on my first draft that could be better. Sucks to spend a couple hundred dollars on prints and find a typo.
"This is a process, not an event."--Sphere
And I'm a legitimate certifiable Tool Whore.--Dieselpig
i pay a lot....but today i needed 3 sets of 10 sheets each.. so i printed them out on my HP500-24"
my 500 is about 3 years old ($2500 when i bought it )
paper is about $25 for a 24" x 150' roll... ink lasts about a year
a lot of small offices use the hp500... the color is fantastic..... b&w is grand
i would think you could turn it into a side business for others if you bought your own...
i couldn't conceive of doing design work without a wide format roll feed color printer
I only do up to 13x21 size
That is one of my weak spots.I did get a quote on some large format prints once that was astoundingly high to my thinking. I think it was like $12 a pop six years ago
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I did a kitchen remodel a bit over a year ago.
I was printed on 13"x21" paper. I was thinking how odd the size was not knowing any better.
I loved it. My job now everything is on big blue print sheets.
I liked the individual pages, I thought they were a good size.
Where do you see lilitations specifically in that size paper?[email protected]
i can do 24x36... but my personal favorite is 18 x 24...
with borders it finishes to 17 x 22
i usually roll it, but if i trim to the borders, it folds to 8 1/2 x 11.... perfect !
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 4/3/2007 8:59 pm ET by MikeSmith
Wonder who figured this all out once upon a time.
Did you get the email I sent you re: the exterior window casings?[email protected]
yes.... but i haven't followed the link yet
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
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View ImageView ImageATW WindowTRIMâ„¢ will fit any brand, make or style window unit. Precisely manufactured from cellular PVC, ATW WindowTRIMâ„¢ will not rot, shrink, expand or cup like wood. It is paintable and has outstanding paint adhesion.
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• Select from 16 surrounds precisely crafted to any window size and style...and any designer shape• Square edge in 1" & 5/4" stock (nominal)• Standard casing widths 4", 5", 6" (nominal) – custom widths available• J channel in 5/4" stock only• Arrives at job site polybagged, ready to install
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... got a big job comming up we were going to do in Azek ( window trim, rakes, fascia, corner boards ) ...
do you know how the ATW compares in price ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I didn't discuss pricing with the rep.
He told me it is distributed by Brosco or one of the well known distributors. It should be easy to get info from your lumber yard.[email protected]
what are lilitations?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
what are lilitations?
A typo sir!
Limitations.
Of all people you should be good at interpreting nonsense typo's. ;)[email protected]
I figured that out after asking and then thrying to google the word for context
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Kinkos is $4.50 for a B&W 24X36. You can email them a PDF file and they'll have it ready when you get there.
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. [Sir Winston Churchill]
Boss, my nearest Kinko's is a 2-1/2 hour trip, which includes 25 minutes of ferryboat (round trip fare $16.50).
That's what I get for living in the pristine wilderness!
We charge $1/SF for what we print in-house and I know that's more expensive than charrette or air graphics. If you have or can get electronic files (.plt, .pdf, etc) lots of print companies have on-line 'print rooms' where you can submit your order and they will ship it to you.
Gene, like CH said, do you convert your drawings to .pdf's? http://www.pdf995.com/ is a free program I use that convert dwg's to pdf's; I bet it will do your Sketchup drawings too.
Mike, I have pdf995, but I got tired of the way it makes me click off the ads each time I print.
I then got cute-pdf (Google and ye shall find) and suffer no more.
Yes, .pdf is what I use for printing when in Sketchup.
So you're being charged $25 a page to print b&w pdf files?
Yep, $28 and change, plus 7.75 percent for the guv, and I just rechecked with them by phoning and trying the "it's only B&W" wail.
Didn't affect the quote one bit.
Gene, $28 a sheet, figure $1.00 a sheet for paper and ink if you bought your own, that's $27 a sheet--print off 100 sheets and you've bought yourself an inkjet.
Woodguy99 has a point.Thanks to John Lazarro here on BT, I found a used HP wide format printer for $300. It's worked great for me.
I'm Not Crazy - I'm Eccentric
I used this link: http://tinyurl.com/22b4wyPicked a close one. They take files via email and quoted $340 (or something like that) for 8 copies of 8 pages. About $5/page. Heck, it'd pay you to email them to the Albuquerque shop my client used and Fed Ex them to yourself compared to what you're paying, plus your travel time, etc.
Edited 4/4/2007 2:22 pm ET by CloudHidden
I think I found a solution. Speaking live with a guy at FedexKinkos in Burlington, VT, he walked me through the online file upload they have for customers to use in submitting print jobs.
I had to call him and do the live walkthrough because their upload site had no way, other than to key it in by "special instruction text," for me to specify a paper size other than 8.5 x 11.
So it looks as if for $4.50 a page I can get all the B&W 24x36 prints I need, printed quick, and Fedexed to my door.
We'll be trying it out next week.
Are they printing on mylar or paper?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Plain bond. As I said in an earlier post of mine on this thread, they confirmed their ridiculous quote of over $30 per sheet, plain bond, black and white, when I called them back today. This was Staples.
But now I've got Fedex Kinkos at the real market number, and am ready to roll. Upload the .pdfs to their site, and wait for the white truck with the blue lettering, driven by Nancy.
Assuming you can get the correct drivers, I'd second (or eigth) the buy it used idea but specifically I'd look for a slightly older "non-photo" quality printer like and older HP. They don't seem to be worth spit. I just saw a listing on Ebay for 500 bucks for a nice one. When I closed my lab, I sold a 60" (yes 60") late model Kodak printer for $400. Everyone's looking for 8 color hi res printers, if you don't need that (and you don't) they're giving em away.PaulB
>But now I've got Fedex Kinkos at the real market numberFWIW, whenever we've looked, we've found Kinkos to be about twice the price we could find (with a little searching) from an independent local Reprographics/Blueprint shop. $4/page vs $2-$2.50/page in Asheville, for example.Heck, you can send them through that shop in Asheville and they'll FedEx them and you'll save at least a buck or two a page with the same turnaround!But you're on the right track to save money regardless. Hope it works well for you.
What's that Asheville printer's name? Maybe I should be giving them a call.
http://tinyurl.com/2qrq8r My contact there was Ed Greene. Been two years since we've talked. They were good, but with a few phone calls, we've found someone just like them in every place a client has lived. That's the only reason I've persisted so much in this thread. I've yet to find an area--even in remote regions out west--without readily available reprographics services.
Gene, I didn't even think of it yesterday, but if you're going through someone in Burlington anyway, give Reprographics of New England a call, they're in Winooski. That's where I send specialty stuff I can't print in-house.
Gene,
Don't know if this has been addressed yet but you could send the files to Kinko's, have them printed and then mailed back to you for far less than what you are paying, especially if you are copying more than one page.
The Kinko's near me charges $4 and change per copy... I want to say it is $4.10 maybe the last ime I went in, per page 24X36.
Most recently it seems everyone has just been sending me full-sized prints for free, to bid off of. Others send digital files that I can see on my PC. Then there are a few that have them available at places like BX or City Blue or even at Dodge Reports... Anyhow, these places all provide prints for a couple dollars per page.
If you're ever in a real pinch, send the files to my Kinko's and I'll pick them up and mail them for you if you can't get them to do it.... they're open 24 hours here.
http://www.petedraganic.com/
That one point may be the stronmgest one I am taking away from this conversation. Thanks for bringing it in. I'm marking it down - ask for B&W not colour!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for the tip--I've had to click that pdf995 box about 20 times already today....
I thought lilitations were the songs they sing at Lilith Fair...not that I know what Lilith Fair is... Oracle Sir...
nevermind...PaulB
It does sound like aword pertaining to Irish melodial language.Must be Gaelic
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Or at least (to paraphrase Gunner)... gayPaulB
I have a large format inkjet printer for ya.
HP650C Will do up to 24" wide (D-size)
Low mileage.
It's basically an inkjet printer, 600 dpi. In addition to CAD drawings, you can print Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Gannt Charts from MS Project, pictures, anything. You can even use it to print on 8-1/2X11 sheets if your regular printer goes down. (not recommended, since you have to load each sheet individually!)
I bought it when I was doing CAD design (high precision die casting and other stuff). It was nice to use for check plots, so I didn't have to email a drawing file, wait for the prints, find the mistakes, correct the mistakes, re-email, replot....
It was nice to be able to get a print in the middle of the night (assuming you have enough INK!)
I want to keep it, wife wants me to sell it. I haven't had it hooked up in years. Guess I should cave, for the right price.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
$.25/SF for up to 500 SF
$.195/SF for over 500 up to 4,680 SF.
I've never printed more than 4,680 SF (780 24"x36" sheets) so I don't know if you get a break over 5k.
I would definitely look at a wide format printer. You could probably go 24" for around a grand, or maybe get an 11x17 for the smaller stuff like I did for about $150.
*edit- I complained about the cost of printing (I thought I was paying alot, now I know differently) over at JLC and Bob Kovacs told me they paid something like $.06/SF. Of course they probably print a few acres a year (literally) so I'm sure the discount if pretty heavy.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com
Fredericksburg, VA
Edited 4/3/2007 9:32 pm ET by JonBlakemore
I prepare the Arch D format, 36x24, B&W, and email them to clients all over the country. They print them locally. They've paid between $0.60 a page (Albuquerque) to $4 a page (some Kinkos). Usually $2-$3. Color would be about $20-$25.
You sure they aren't charging you the color price for a b/w drawing? You specifically request b/w?
I have a hard time believing that the closest print shop is an hour away. You're NY, right? Is it really THAT remote? Had a client in NM claim that there were no local blueprint shops who'd accept email drawings. I did a web search and found 4 within 5 min. Called them and found the $0.60/page about 15 min from his office. Dunno...there are blueprint shops all over the place, and most now accept email pdf files. Maybe that's it...you mention CAD files. Are you producing PDF's for them to print?
Jim,You bring up a good point with the .pdf's. I used to send plot files to my local plan house (download a driver for their HP plotter and plot to file) and then I would plot to .pdf for my use on the computer. After a while I realized that I could just send them the .pdf and they would not charge the $4/page "plot fee" because all they had to do was open the .pdf and click "print".
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Yesterday had photocopies of some plat maps (18"x24") done at the Office of Maps at the County Building for $3/copy. Their GIS office said they could also take a variety of file formats. Everyone was pleasant and knew what they were talking about. The closest commercial place is 1.5 hours one way.
Kathleen
I've got an epson stylus pro 7600. $2500 2 rolls of paper 24" x 150' $20 and 7 print cartriges @ $70
My cost on first 100 prints $3030.
Your cost at $28 per print $2800.
Its real convenient to have it in the office if your tempted. You can get a decent plotter starting around $800.
Jason
Used Epson Sylus Pro 7600 on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Epson-Pro-Stylus-7600-Printer-VERY-Lightly-Used-NR_W0QQitemZ290100147319QQcategoryZ70838QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Kathleen
hot damn !, gene.. that looks like quite the printer
even the "buy it now" price looks good
check with sketchup forum for a critique... and what assessories you might want /need
( like roll feed, paper cutter, additonal on-board memory, etc)Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Staples is in business just like you. I think the price is fair - I have paid more.
What you pay is a business decision. Your time and out of pocket for Staples to do the work v. the same for a large printer.
Most small businesses would simply buy a printer.
I bought an old HP pen plotter for about a hundred bucks a year ago and had my son set it up with an aftermarket driver, got some pens on Ebay and bought some paper on ebay, it works great.
Last sheet set I did about a month ago, was ten pages. Cost me about $22 for one black and white set, with binding. Around here Staples is a little more expensive and won't print off a file, but some of the smaller print shops who service engineers and builders will print my Autocad files off a disk for a little extra, something like 4 bucks a page.
You can get an older HP inkjet plotter (like a Designjet 250) for around $1200. Ebay is a great source for that stuff like that for reasonable prices, as its a little specialized. I prefer the convenience of being able to print out rough drafts right here.
I did a seach at Blue Book and found 89 companies in New York that do Reprographics - I would think at least one of them would be better to deal with than Staples. Not sure how close they are to you.
Our office uses a Xerox 8830 that holds (3) 500 foot rolls of paper and can spit out a 24 x 36 b & w drawing every 7 seconds once it gets a large plot or pdf file spooled and printing. I want to say that our cost is 7 or 8 cents a square foot. At $25,000 to buy the printer, $250 for a toner cartridge good for about 2000 sheets and $35 a roll for paper, this is more than you need but it fits our needs perfectly and is actually too slow / small at times.
For the times when we need to have a color rendering or something outside of our capability printed, nothing beats a good local engineering supply / blue print service. We use a few that have different specialties. One does a good job at scanning / copying old paper copies of drawings. One does good high volume color work. One does an amazing job of making a glossy presentation board directly onto 1/4" foamcore.
If you can't find a local print shop that can work with / for you, I would seriously look at a HP DesignJet. Find the local HP dealer that sells to architecture / engineering firms and find out if he has units coming in on trade or lease return that he needs to get rid of. Could be a good way to get local support and a great machine. One of the sites that I'm working on now has a HP DesignJet 1050C? in the superintendent's trailer. It gets used all the time. Still using the original ink cartridges from well over a year ago. So far, the inconveniences (cost, storage, supplies) are dwarfed by the convenience of having it there and ready to go whenever you need a print.
What do you pay for your plots?
Ouch. We no longer have anyone using diazio in town, so, all prints are made on the large-format copier, typically. On inexpensive bond, that's only $2-3 the page for 24x36, and a buck for binding per set. About $4-5 the page for translucent bond; $6-7 per page for vellum.
Now, my office ciphers these things badly in my opinion. The principals are convinced that a 24x36 plot "costs" the company about $25 per page. That number doesn't "add up" to anything, to me. But, I cipher such things differently than others (I think that, in absence of a service printing company, there's a nice niche market in larg-format printing out there that could generate a nice profit).
Do the drawings have to be printed full size? I'm in the engineering biz, and on many projects we've gone to printing at half size (11x17.) It's pretty easy to find computer printers that will print on 11x17 paper these days, and most copy places have 11x17 copiers so it's easy to get more made once you have an original.
As long as there isn't too much stuff on the drawing, it's still readable and they're a lot easier to carry around - you just have to remember the drawing scale is half size as well.