Which Printer Should You Buy for InkJet Stencils®?
Josh JensenSo you’re ready to save time and print stencils directly from your printer - now you need to decide which printer.
If you just want the quick answer - we recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-M1170. It’s very affordable at only $299.99 (USA MSRP) and has all the features you need.
If you (or others in your shop) frequently hand draw your designs, we recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-M2170, which includes a flatbed scanner.
Epson changes their portfolio from time to time and may have different availability by country, so read below to find out why we choose our recommended printer, and how to select a printer if the need arises.
What makes a printer good for InkJet Stencils®
First - you need a new Epson tank printer:
It has to be a tank system, not a cartridge printer. InkJet Stencils® ink is filled directly into refillable tanks. Cartridge printers can't take it.
Epson brand is tried and true. Epson uses “piezo” printheads, which are more reliable for a range of different inks. HP and Canon use thermal inkjet, which can be more constrained with non-OEM ink formulations.
It has to be a new printer. It’s very challenging to clean ink from a printer, and we don’t recommend it. If the shop printer ran a different brand’s stencil ink, that ink is still in the ink lines and may clog the printer if you continue to use it.
Beyond that, we recommend the following:
Monochrome printers - a single ink tank means simpler filling, and more reliable results out of the box. If you just want stencils and don't want to think about it, mono is the easier path.
Prefer a bottom/front-cassette feed over a rear single-sheet feed. Cassette-fed EcoTanks handle thin single-ply stencil paper more reliably and jam less.
If you or artists in your shop do a lot of hand-drawn art, get a model with a flat bed scanner to save you time.
Our recommended printer above includes all of these features. (If you want a scanner, upgrade to the Epson EcoTank ET-M2170). Many artists purchase the EcoTank ET-2800 (or similar) which is Epson’s value offering for home users. While it is very affordable, we don’t recommend it, because it lacks a bottom paper feed. Many artists do use it with great results - it just takes a little more hand-holding to reduce clogs (see tips here).
Why it’s a great investment
Many artists see cheap Bluetooth thermal printers and wonder if an inkjet printer is worth the price.
The printer is a one-time purchase. What you're really budgeting for is the cost per stencil over hundreds or thousands of prints - and that's a function of the ink and paper.
A 4 oz bottle of InkJet Stencils® ink prints roughly 3,000 pages of stencils. Our paper costs 1/10th the cost of popular thermal paper brands. If you look at the total cost of ink plus paper, our prints cost just one-third the cost of a thermal printer- while delivering much more details, an easier workflow, and no overheating. This means you can print single stencils in multiple sizes, without the stress of wasting expensive paper.
Don’t forget the value of your time. Many of our artists report saving hours of time they used to spend designing, printing and applying stencils. With InkJet Stencils®, you can print directly from you iPad, with no need to fuss with paper, or wait for a thermal printer to warm up or cool down.
InkJet Stencils® for large pieces
Do you do a lot of back pieces, or other large work, and spend hours taping together sheets of paper? InkJet Stencils® also works on large format printers! These printers use 24” wide paper rolls, which allows you to print your largest work on a single sheet. Contact our partner, Peter, at Plotter Pros, who can get you set up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What printer do I need for InkJet Stencils®? An Epson EcoTank - a refillable-tank model, never a cartridge printer. The recommended model is the Epson EcoTank ET-M1170.
Can I use the printer I already have? Only if it's a tank-based EcoTank that has never run standard ink. Cartridge printers won't work, and a printer that's run other ink first will print faint.
Should I get monochrome or color? Monochrome is simpler and the easier default. A color EcoTank works too - fill all four tanks with stencil ink and print in Color mode.
Can I use an HP or Canon printer? Our ink is designed to work with Canon and HP printheads, and we have artists who use them, but we have not qualified specific printers yet.
Is it cheaper to buy a used EcoTank? Not in practice. Contamination from prior ink is one of the most common causes of faint or failed prints, and it's very hard to clean printers.
How many stencils does a bottle of ink make? Roughly 3,000 per 4 oz bottle, which works out to a lower cost per stencil than thermal paper.
Questions about your setup? Call 408-891-8181 or email support@inkjetstencils.com.