Tim
The questions Larry posed are spot on the mark for this type of printer. Although you would probably be best to put those questions to Labs or print houses already running these machines, as the reality is often a little different than the marketing would suggest. I have worked with all of these printers over the years and the visual difference between a Chromira and a lightjet is negligible. There are differences however in the way the machines work, and certain features of one or the other may suit your workflow or your type of work better. For example..... In my experience, the LED print head (and calibration software) on the Chromira does not handle Backlit material as well as the lightjet (using lasers). Although, on photographic paper, the Chromira seems to resolve the transition into the highlights a little more smoothly. Both printers make beautiful photographic prints if set up and run well.
Best of luck
Kahn
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Those numbers are marketing weapons. Comparing the same image printed on both printers, I found them indistinguishable, though they're both superior to the Lambda in my opinion. If you haven't already, you might consider questions such as: - How much time is spent in daily calibration - How fast will it print a full roll of paper - Can you print unattended overnight - How much material waste in leader & cut-off - If you need a RIP, can you RIP directly to the printer or is it RIP first, then print - Maintenance costs (lasers vs. LEDs) - Any user replaceable parts or do you need a tech - Service contract
Have fun!
Larry Arnold
On Jan 12, 2007, at 8:30 AM, Tim Pitts wrote:
I shopping for a new dital photo printer and would like some clarification regarding visual resolution. The Chromira prints at 300ppi with 425 "visual resolution", the Lightjet specs say it can print at 300ppi with 4000+ "apparent halftone resolution". Are we talking apples and apples here? Is there a difference between visual resolution and apparent halftone resolution, and how is that determined with continious tone prints? Any opinions on Lightjet 430 vs Chromira5x?
Thanks
Tim Pitts
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