Printing of  Large Format (A0, A1 & A2 and bigger) full colour output is becoming a growing requirement for many businesses & individuals who wish to reproduce Artwork or Photographic work along with Graphics for marketing purposes or message delivery. There are many plotting devices which will reproduce high quality output, but choosing the correct one is often a minefield that without professional advice can lead to costly mistakes. We often see second user machines on eBay with the words canvas printer in the description line and "yes" often they will print on to canvas, however, there can be downfalls, as such here are some key points to assist you in making an informed decision as to the right machine for you.

Can all color machines print on to canvas? Many can, however, the online cutter may not be suited to cutting thicker media stock such as canvas or vinyl and therefore the blade drags, often causing additional repair cost. Furthermore if you require longevity of the printed image then you need to ask if the system uses dye or pigment based inks (alternatively solvent) if the answer is dye then you will initially get a decent print quality but the image will fade, as such if you plan on retailing canvas printing as a service then you should bare in mind the consequences of providing an image that may only keep it's integrity for 3 months. Pigment based inks are generally UV curable and as such don't fade when used with the correct medias. Many manufacturers will state the life expectancy of prints and on a pigment based system you should anticipate 200 years.

What about photographic printing? The same issues with longevity (as above) exist with this process, most machines including Technical plotters (designed for the CAD market) will print on to high quality Photographic Gloss, Satin or Matt medias and the cutter will be fine coping with this media however images will fade, so if your looking to frame a photo then you should expect the image to fade (unless you have UV glass or have laminated the image-which isn't always guaranteed against fading) , conversely though some people only require very short term life of high quality photo's / poster work as such a technical product such as HP T series or Oce CS product will do the job with great results.

Producing pop up displays and Banners, this process nearly always requires higher grade and thicker medias, therefore it is best to look at a pigment based system that will deliver high quality and longevity.

Producing work for outdoors, the only real answer for this is a solvent based printer such as the Xerox 8254E, don't be put off by the fact that this machine appears to have a lower resolution than pigment based machines, the point with outdoor work is that it generally needs to be further away and the image quality is based on the viewers perspective. Solvent is ideal for anything that even needs to be remotely weather resistant.

This is a very short guide designed to deliver some important key points, it is a much wider topic but hopefully it will give you a more informed position when deciding which printer to purchase.