Re:Review of Large-Format Inkjet Contract Proofers
Re:Review of Large-Format Inkjet Contract Proofers
- Subject: Re:Review of Large-Format Inkjet Contract Proofers
- From: "Cris Daniels" <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 22:39:21 -0400
Hmmmm.. I think I'd take a slightly different view, at least based on
my own experiences. Be very aware that the Epson 10600 is almost 30%
slower than either the Photo Dye 10600 or archival 10600, this is a huge
productivity drop if you are simply looking to compare output
capabilities. I've run the Ultrachrome 10600, I'm not crazy about it,
short of the better build quality and lower cost of inks, you'd often be
better off buying 2 9600's.
< If it's close to a year old and has had considerable proofs run
through it, you're probably looking at replacing the heads in a few
months.>
The answer is to get the Epson service contract. You should have it on
any of these LF printers that are actually used in a production
environment. At around $1200 a year, you are in business. The 10000 is a
very good printer, I had a 10000CF that I ran the hell out of for a year
and it never dropped a dime. There probably are some turds out there,
I'd only warn to make sure that you are not purchasing someone else's
headache.
< For about the same money, I'd go for either a 7600 or 9600 Ultrachrome
printer>
They are very slow, maybe at 720 they are reasonable, the 10000 is a
race car compared to these new printers. I'd also trust a 10000 to give
me more years of service than the new 7600/9600 models.
< You'll have a good chance of getting a real good match to your press
with any of the Ultrachrome printers. I dare say you'll be hard pressed
to get a good match using the Photo Dye inks without considerable work.>
But you'll never get the blacks with the Ultrachrome set either, on
Luster paper the Ultrachromes dmax is 1.99, Photo Dyes can hit almost
2.4 dmax on the same exact media. There are places where the Ultrachrome
gamut slightly exceeds the photo dyes, but the Photo Dyes are very
simple to profile. I use the Ultrachrome 7600 with Epson premium
semimatte proofing paper and I like it, but it may not be for everyone
or appropriate in certain proofing installations.
< As far as the HPs, their dye inks seem to be more stable than the
Epson's but I've never seen an HP yet that could compare to the quality
of the Epson's>
Nobody's dye lasts very long. Why people use these printers for fine art
is beyond me, the longevity ratings cannot be neglected or ignored.
< From one quickie measurement/dry-down test I did a while back plus
some of what I've read, I'd say the HP dye inks are more stable than
Epson's dye inks.>
The Ultrachromes need a solid 24 hours before any evaluation or
measurements can be reliably taken. Banding is not really a problem, the
auto nozzle verification will prevent the machine from printing if it
fails a nozzle check. With the 7600/9600, it will merrily print away
with the nozzles in any condition.
The Hp's are fast, but more prone to banding than the 10000, and the
image quality of the 10000 is really quite a bit better, although that
may not be critical in some installations. The only HP's I'd touch are
the 5000 and 5500.
For $3500 the printer is a good deal if it's working well. If it is
eligible for Epson's warranty that would be a real plus. Out of warranty
repairs are around $165/hr plus parts.
Cris Daniels
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