Salespeople who sell large format ink jets have been known to degrade thermal printing as “too expensive per-square-foot.” They always quote some square foot number like 30 cents, that’s pretty vague. Of course that number is only relative to the actual cost of the ink deposited on the media. It certainly doesn’t account for all the other factors such as floor space required, how many prints you have to throw away, or all that ink that is used in the maintenance routine.
What about warranties?
Always check the prices of the extended warranty or service contract. Gerber has service contracts that are about 5% of the price, in comparison to 20%-30% on most ink jets. This should tell you something about how well a machine is built.
Is there waste?
Of course there is waste. When the color isn’t right, or ink jet head strikes the material, or the heat isn’t drying the ink in time, or the material slips in the cutter, you get the idea of all the waste… yes, waste..
Thermal is consistent. It isn’t that expensive so why are people intent on comparing apples to oranges anyway? Thermal produces a wider variety of more durable products. In my opinion, it is much more suited to niche markets. When you are competing over pennies, you know you are in a low profit commodity market. Do you know anyone else with an ink jet? Everyone has one? Need we say more?
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