We get asked all the time whether RIP software should be used for color management. In this episode of #AskBC, we provide answers.

Some tips on how to buy a used printer – what to look for when shopping for a printer in person, what tests to run on a printer, and more.

We interview Ron Ardito, who has been installing and servicing Epson printers since they started printing color, and ask him about best practices for buying a used printer.

Is it safe to hit up eBay? What are some warning signs that a used printer has been poorly serviced? Find out on this episode of #AskBC.

* Ron’s preferred methods for finding the right used printer

* Buying new vs. used: benefits, drawbacks

* What to look for when shopping for a printer in person

* Used purchase horror stories

* What tests to run on your newly purchased unit to ensure it’s in fully working order

Listen in to learn about how to find and purchase a high quality used printer

Show Notes

* For more information about Ron you can visit Arditos.com

* Love the show? Have some feedback for us? Leave us a review on iTunes.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION

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[Music]

Woman: You are listening to the Ask BC Podcast. Your print-making questions answered by the experts.

Justin: Hey you guys. This is your host Justin, and today’s episode is a special tools-of-the-trade edition. And we have a special guest here, Ron Ardito is joining us from Arditos.com. And on this episode we’re going to discuss buying a used printer and what to look out for, what to do, and what not to do.

Ron, how’s it going?

Ron: It’s going very well Justin, and how are you?

Justin: I’m doing great, thank you. Let’s give our listeners some contacts since they have never heard your name before or been to your website. Why don’t you tell us just a little be about what you do every day?

Ron: Every day I repair Epson printers and [00:00:38] service Long Island and Manhattan and Brooklyn and Queens. I personally from my company do the Epson wide-format pro graphic models. The full spectrum up to the 11880, and that’s what I do. I’ve been doing it for about 15 years. I’m pretty good at it. People like us, and it’s a great job.

Justin: Perfect. Well, it sounds like you guys have a lot of experience in this field, so I’m sure you have a lot of valuable insight for us on this topic. So, why do people consider buying used printers, whether it be Epson, Cannon, etcetera, to save a little bit of money or whatever the reason might be. [00:01:06] So, we’re just going to talk about what to look for, where to look, what to avoid, and different things like that. So let’s jump into where would you recommend starting to look for a used printer? Would you just go to Ebay?

Ron: No! That would be the last place I’d go.

What I would do is I would try to find people within the immediate area who are advertising printers for sale. Needless to say, you’re not going to go out looking for a lower-end machine. You’re going to be looking for a pro graphic model of sorts, a larger Epson because you need the ability to print wide. You need output quality.

This week Epson technician Ron Ardito focuses on some common issues and maintenance tips for the Epson Stylus Pro 9890 & 7890.

We interview Ron Ardito, who has been installing and servicing Epson printers for over 20 years. In this episode we talk about the Epson 9900 & 7900. How to troubleshoot, what breaks most often, Ron's thoughts on the machines, and much much more.

Learn how to display photo prints without the glass – types of brands that will work for this, how to apply them, and more.

Did you know you can varnish a photo paper print and display it without the glass?

* what kind of varnish can you use

* types of brands that will work for this and where you can pick them up

* how to apply them

* challenges for varnishing these photo prints; dust and debris and how to stay consistent

Listen in to learn about how to display photo prints without the glass

CLICK HERE to download the FREE laquer based varnish guide!

Show Notes

Create Your Own HVLP Spray Booth for only $125 Remember for this particular application you do not need the spray gun as you will be using aresol cans.

Read the transcribe for this episode

To See The Transcript:

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You are listening to the ask BC podcast. Your print making questions answered by the experts.

Justin: Hey guys it’s your host Justin welcome to the second episode of the Ask BC Podcast. I’m super excited about today’s episode cause we are going to answer a question we get a lot here at Breathing Color. Have you ever wanted to display your photo paper prints without the glass? You’re not alone, stick around and we’ll talk about what to do and what not to do and everything in between.

Allen: Can I use timeless varnish to coat a print done on vibrance metallic photo paper.

Justin: That’s a fantastic question Allen thanks so much for taking the time to submit. For you listeners out there let me just explain exactly what Allen’s trying to do so we’re all in the same page. So Allen’s printing on Breathing Colors vibrant metallic photo paper, and he wants to know if he can use Breathitsing Colors timeless water based print varnish to print. So as I mentioned Timeless is a water based print varnish is usually preferred for when you’re printing on Canvas because water based varnish tends to hold up better against cracking and stuff like that. Unfortunately the way ink sits on a photo paper surface it makes water based varnishes incompatible. So you won’t be able to use the timeless with the vibrance metallic photo paper. lacquerBut don’t worry we are gonna talk about how you can varnish a photo paper print that way you can display it without the glass.

So I mentioned timeless being a water based varnish. And you’re probably wondering what the heck makes any other varnish any different and why use it and not timeless. So what you should be looking for when you’re trying to varnish a photo paper print is a varnish that is lacquer based or sometimes referred to as solvent based. This kind of lacquer based varnish kind of etches itself to the surface of the paper allowing it to work with the inks just kind of sitting on the surface as I mentioned before. There are a few from brands that work this way and what I’ll do is I’ll link them to the show notes. Some of the brands I would recommend, their pricing, and where you can pick them up. So be sure to grab those show notes.

So since these sprays come in an aerosol can it makes it nice that you don’t have to mix the different varnishes or do much clean up since you just spray it right out of the can and you’re done. This of course comes with its own challenges though. Two of the main ones that I’ve run into are, finding a way to eliminate the debris that are constantly floating around in the air from landing on your print before the varnish is dry or during spraying. And secondly it’s getting that perfect even finish across the print before its dry.

We are gonna talk about printing with matte black and photo black ink when your printer can only accept one or the other. Why you should care and how you can even save a little bit of money.