Epson SureColor T3170x

This is the machine that ends the trips to the print shop. Site plans, permit drawings, posters and proofs come off a 24 inch roll at full CAD accuracy, and the auto sheet feeder handles letter and tabloid without touching the roll. It sits on a desk or credenza, or on its own optional stand.

The cartridge free design is what makes the running cost work. Instead of small cartridges you fill tanks from 140 mL bottles with auto stop filling, and the two full sets included in the box add up to 1,120 mL of ink, enough to print a substantial number of drawings before you buy your first bottle.

It is a great machine for a small business or project office that prints drawings, plans and posters through the week: sized for a desk, priced as the entry point, and inexpensive to run, exactly the duty the specifications describe. Warranty service is next business day whole unit exchange, a replacement machine rather than a wait for parts, which keeps a small office printing. If you need 36 inch width or higher daily volume, the SureColor T5170 and T5475 are the steps up. One planning note: busy offices do well to keep an extra ink set on the shelf so the printing never has to wait.