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Thanks to all who responded.  Here is the original request with comments following:

Your comments would be very helpful.  I have some teachers interested in purchasing 
a poster printer.  I got the general machine cost and  paper cost information,  but 
they are also asking about comparative models and whether others were satisfied 
with this equipment.  They also were curious about how to handle use such as who 
monitors the use and who decides what can be made into a poster.  Thanks for any 
info and I'll post a HIT is anyone requests it.


Our curriculum director purchased two poster machines and two cold
laminators last year to be housed in 2 of our 4 buildings.  Guess who gets
to make the posters?  The library staff!  But we do have the best places to
secure these machines and their materials and keep track of who can use and
who can't.  I created a request form and gave it to all the building
principals for their teachers and then those forms come to me or the other
library staff to fulfill.  We have restrictions on these posters as they
were purchased by some Title money and must be proven to have positive
impact on classroom instruction.  So far, the load has been within our means
to handle. 

We had a company come to our school recently and we are looking into it.  The only 
thing is that it doesn't make the image into many colors.  It will make the image 
into blue tone, red tone, grey tone,etc. 

We have a Varitronics ProImage Image Plus Poster maker.  We have had it probably 
about 5 yrs.  The machines themselves don't have many problems at all.  You can 
purchase a computer interface with them so you can use Print Shop and then make 
long banners.  The poster paper comes in 2 types.  One that can be "hot" laminated 
- $79.95 per roll and one that can be "cold" laminated (another machine to 
purchase) - $119.95 per roll.  Remember you have to purchase 2.  This is the 
expensive part.  We tell teachers that the cold laminator is only to be used with 
the poster maker, not anything they want to laminate just be cause it is fast.  We 
don't limit it or decide what gets made into a poster.  A number of teachers use it 
for rules, schedules, etc..  Things that are displayed`all year.
   I wish there was another company (3M) who would make the cold laminating film.  
Who ever makes it seems to have a monopoly on this item.  Hence the high price. 
The paper is available in a variety of colors, some that are a color with white, 
and some that is a color with black.  Pretty neat.  
The poster maker is 30 1/2" wide.  The cold laminator is a little less, but has a 
feed tray which sticks out, and the whole thing is HEAVY.  They will take up space 
in a workroom.
     The paper and laminating film come out of the school general budget.  Our high 
school makes the various department purchase the rolls of poster paper out of their 
individual budgets and each box is labeled in the library, or they bring it with 
them.

In my middle school library we have a ProImage Plus 3000 by Varitronics.
Only 2 people are allowed to use it - me and the library assistant.  It
would be our call if we thought something was inappropriate use of
school property.  I ask teachers to submit what they want a poster of on
an eight and a half by eleven sheet of paper.  We haven't even tried
using the designing software.  


We are looking in to purchasing a poster printer for our high school and middle 
school too (we're in Hanover County near Richmond).  Anyway, the rep came out last 
week and met with us -- he says that they're sole source. No comparable machines!

Also, he suggested that departments purchase their own paper and bring it with them 
when they come to run posters. Apparently, it's REALLY simply to switch out the 
paper. That way the usage can be monitored by departments and shared equitably 
among the staff.

We bought our s from a company called presentation systems.  They will give
you information on at least comparable prices for buying the supplies.
Their phone number is 18002446381 or 1-201-847-8831 or 1-201-445-7835.  They
did not have a state contract so we needed three quotes the first time which
they supplied.

Brenda - Posters don't have to be laminated.  It just makes them easier to hang.  
The cold lamination is a thicker film than hot, and a number of people use it 
simply because they will be using that poster for a long while.  About 99% of our 
posters are laminated,  Maybe because we do have the laminator and that is how it 
was demonstrated.  Both our machines were purchased at the same time.
     You do have to purchase the more expensive film - Transfer thermal Plus  if 
you want to run it through the hot laminator.
     I just opened a new pkg. of film and on the end was a web-address:  
www.varitronicsytems.com which goes directly to their site: however, I mistakenly 
made the company name plural www.varitronicssytems.com and was given a lot of 
different sites that sell these products at a cheaper price.  You can purchase 
larger machines and use wider paper and have a larger poster.  Ours uses 23" paper. 
Yeah!!!  I'm learning something all the time.
Between the two you should get a lot of information. 

We purchased a Pro Image Plus 3000 poster printer from Signature Presentation 
Products in Bethesda, Md. last spring for $3,495.  We are happy with it.  If you 
are going to VEMA in Williamsburg, they may be there.  A rep was present last year 
in Roanoke.   It only makes one color at  a time on a poster.  There are several 
models, this is the least expensive. 



Brenda Stafford, Media Specialist
Deep Creek High School
Chesapeake, VA
staffbha@cox.net

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