Help! What printer would you suggest?

Larry,

Here's a Great resource that reads Consumer reports and other magazines for me without the membership...

And of course, there are all kinds of business ideas & possibilities in Reviews and Summaries...

Good Quick reviews & summaries...
http://www.consumersearch.com/
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/computers/index.html

Phil

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.
James, the reason I can't use USPS.com is the client wants the postcard livestamped. Not sure why.
Sandy, is the Brother you're using an inkjet? I always liked my Brother MFC which was 2 printers back.
What I ended up getting was an Epson R260 Photo printer. But it's an ink hog.
Staples gives a 14 day trial, so I may get an opportunity to try a few more.
Phil, I'll be checking the resources you gave.
Thanks again.
Larry

The Brother MFC is a model 420CN inkjet. Office Depot runs catalog specials on the ink rather frequently so you could save some money by subscribing to their free catalog and updates. Staples also runs specials occasionally on the inks.

Sandi Bowman

Thanks Sandy.
I think my problem is specifically related to card stock because or rigidity.
I really enjoyed my Brother (as much as you can enjoy a printer).
I'll definitely check it out.
After posting, I did a little surfing and it seems that serious desktop publishers have several printers for differnt jobs.
I've had my eyes on a large format for some time because I've been kicking around a print weekly. Print on 11X17 stock and fold in half.
Larry

Larry,

The card needs to stay flat when printing. If it bends when heated, it will stay that way.

You're going to run into that bending with whatever printer you try unless you get a postcard printer that is specifically designed for just that purpose.

I bought a postcard printer around 7 years ago that worked really slick but I haven't seen them advertised anywhere for quite awhile.

But why even bother with doing them yourself when it's so cheap to order high quality cards online.

http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/ns/spla...9%3A06%3A25+PM

Jim

Hi, James.
One reason to do them in house was the turn around time. I got this list on Wednesday and if I didn't have so many printer problems, should have mailed Friday.
They will mail tomorrow.
I only got final approval for the copy on Thursday
I did a search for "post card printer" on Staples and came up empty.
What brand do you have?

[Ankesh]

Larry:

Check out sendoutcards.com

* Can merge names and addresses on postcards.
* They have live stamps.
* You can schedule when the postcards go out.

Could get a bit expensive if you have to mail a lot of post cards out. But they do have bulk discounts. Well worth checking them out and outsourcing the mailing to someone else.

Thanks, Steve and Ankesh.
Ankesh, I'm a little familiar with sendoutcards but never checked them out.
Steve, I looked at an Oki but didn't try it.
Cost of ink is a concern and a laser would help. Both for cost and speed.
I think I'll take some paper over and ask them to demo it.

Hi Larry,

I've been using Send Out Cards for a while now myself and think their service is incredible, but I have heard that since they're printed digitally and not finished with a protective coating like most postcards, theirs get beat up in the postal system a bit and don't look quite as good as their greeting cards that are protected by an envelope.

Another thing to consider there is the lead time too - as all cards are mailed from Salt Lake City and may take a few days to get where they're going. Cards I've received in PA typically take 3 - 4 days to arrive which isn't terrible, but something to consider if you need them delivered pronto.

All in all it's a great service, but as with anything you should test it out and see how it meets your needs.

Cheers,

Stev

Originally Posted by Larry Foster

What brand do you have?

Larry,

I don't have mine anymore and I don't recall what brand it was.

I looked online and couldn't find any dedicated postcard printers so I'm assuming that some of the new printers out there are capable of doing this.

But I would still say that ordering and sending them through the USPS website would be your best option if this is something you want to do in the future.

What's the reason for the live stamp? Is that something your customer would reconsider?

Jim