They’re both color, but not quite the same. The EPSON is a pigment based
ink printer and prints photo quality. The HP is dye based and is better
suited to draft quality work.
The HP is going to require hiring a tech and it’s going to take me a other
week or so to make that happen.
so which one is better suited to print on vinyl?
Sorry im guessing you cover this in the class 
Im guessing pigment plus an overcoat of uv protectant.
So far as I know neither print on vinyl. That requires solvent based ink
and neither of these are that.
I find having access to the wide format printers to be a great deal and I am very unhappy to hear that other users of the printers not to be paying their fair share to support the printers. Hopefully your appeal will reduce the lack of payments but I believe it is realistic to anticipate that this will not totally reduce the “slippage”.
I suggest that we change the rules for printer usage slightly to require that each user of the printer email you with the time they are on the printer and how much material they use. We then organize other DMS members who share our concern about the printer to monitor the printer when they are at DMS. If they find someone using the printer, they get the users name and send an email to you stating when they saw the printer being used, who was using it and their plans for how much printer paper they will use. We post a sign above the printer stating “Please email the time you use the printer and how much material you use to [email protected]. Printer usage is being monitored by DMS members, please provide them with your name and printing plans when asked.”
I would be happy to perform this function every time I visit DMS. This way, printer users will know they are being more closely scrutinized and more likely to pay for the materials they use. You will also have a list of emails from printer users and printer monitors which should match up. If a monitor reports a user who does not email you, you can follow up with them and ask if they paid and how much for their use of the printer.
If you are agreeable to this, I would be happy to help you implement this plan.
Instead of email lets just have a log. and maybe attach some kind of counter mechanism to the paper roller, you know, the kind that measures carpet etc as they roll it out.
i’m more inclined to recommend an electronic mechanism to at least track the usage rather than relying yet again on the “good will of others” since we know that doesn’t work otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Someday, DMS will get to a level of sophistication that paying members will have a login on the domain. this then allows them to assign permissions for users to print to certain printers. this also allows auditing of printer usage through the security policies. tie that in with an electronic measuring device that says X amount of paper was used at this date/time it is easy (theoretically) to perform some cross-checking when issues like this come up. That way you know who was on the printer when, and then how much they used if it was really sophisticated.
This same mechanism would help the laser cutters and 3d printing labs.
Steve, would emailing you when we put cash in the box help you? Seems like that extra step in accounting for cash donations would allow us to help people who are putting monies into the wrong box at a slight burden for you though you may consider it a net add.
I came in today to drop off a new roll of canvas and found that the 100’
roll of photo paper that I dropped off on 12/2 was used up. The proceeds
between 12/2 and now (12:30pm 12/8) are exactly $117. Even discounting the
remnant of the last roll of canvas and any sheet printing that might have
gone on, that’s only a 58% rate of payment for the printing that members
are doing. That means that I literally paid DMS members about $80 to make
prints.
The printer is currently out of photo paper and is also very low on one of
the inks. I will have a replacement roll of photo paper up here in a few
days as well as replacement ink.
I won’t be leaving the roll of canvas that I brought. I simply can not
afford to give it away. I will continue to supply luster photo paper and
ink through the end of December. If the situation does not improve, I will
cease to supply and maintain the printers.
I was in the process of contacting a repair tech for the HP 1055 printer.
That is also now on hold.
I apologize for having to take such drastic measures and I’m extremely
sorry to those that have been honest and fair and that have tried to help
keep the printers sustainable.
If needed, you can request access to the Creative Arts security camera. It has clear view of the wide-format printers.
If you want to proceed with this, just open a ticket 
I’ll just have to get the chair’s approval.
I was just going to suggest this to Steve, the level of non-payment here is very bad. It’s not excellent we have folks treating this valuable resource so poorly and I’m willing to put in some time helping to review the camera feed.
I just wrote a long reply to this idea under nicks topic FYI. I do have an opinion but I’m not sure I have a really good solution.
Create a login system (DMS name and password) like is on the vinyl cutter and 1 of the lasers. At least you know who’s on the computers. I’m not sure how that’s done but I think Pierce does.
“Active Directory” 
I decided to try to help out and dropped off a little xmas gift in the printer’s fund today. Merry Christmas everyone.
Steve-- In your initial post, you mention the initial cost of setting up the EPSON 7880 included a set of refillable cartridges. Now that you’re no longer supplying the ink and media for the wide format printer, I’m curious about how to go about getting the cartridges refilled when the time comes. Is there information somewhere on that? How much does it cost?
And I’ll add my voice to the others who have said it: thanks for going out on a limb to support the printer for DMS. I’m sorry the shrinkage problem got to be so outrageously bad. I haven’t used the printer much, but I paid my fair share when I did, and it saddens me to know that there are people who abused the system to such an extent.
We’re in the process of moving financial responsibility for the printer to
DMS but it hasn’t happened just yet. Also, I’ll still be filling the ink
and providing the supplies. So, operation/support shouldn’t really change.
Just the money flow. What I think may happen is a slight price increase to
accommodate paying for supplies by DMS upfront rather then me collecting
fees to cover supplies as they’re used. That hasn’t been officially
discussed yet, though. Just a prediction on my part
CA will be assuming the responsibility. The major difference is CA will buy/pay for the material from Steve upfront and he’ll replenish - vs he buys, refills and submits a bill to DMS and waits for reimbursement.
And we all do really appreciate the support he is providing DMS!
Yes we do. Glad to hear it’s up and running again! I’ll add a training class as well for different days this month and next and will totally review footage as needed. I think having an AD would be critical to stopping this if we can set one up.
I wonder how much is people getting confused with the ink not being free? The last two I helped brought their own but maybe didn’t realise they’d have to pay for ink? We can even add a PayPal shortcut to the desktop