At The Heard Museum, where I worked for 7 years, the graphics department did
their layout in Pagemaker (for Windows).  They then printed the file to disk
using a Postscript printer definition.  This file was then sent to a
commercial printer who had the equipment to print labels in all sizes.
Only proofs and mock-ups were printed on our laser printer.
 
The reasoning behind this approach was that we let the printer worry about
staying up to date with expensive hardwarein a competitive environment.
The museum simply acquired appropriate software and printer drivers.Our
results far surpassed anything that could have been produced with
equipment we could afford ourselves.  Turn-around was always fast, and
costs were reasonable.  I would suggest exploring this possiblility before
plunking down thousands in a printer that will seem to be obsolete moments
after you turn it on.
 
Peter H. Welsh
Department of Anthropology
Arizona State Univeristy
Tempe, AZ 85287
[log in to unmask]@asuacad (Bitnet)