Re: Update: Are Canon IPF printers any reliable?
Re: Update: Are Canon IPF printers any reliable?
- Subject: Re: Update: Are Canon IPF printers any reliable?
- From: MARK SEGAL <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:45:44 -0800 (PST)
Everything you are mentioning points to the issue of ink drying ON the head - not necessarily clogs within it. Of course the printers have stated recommended climatic tolerances, and it would make sense in a very dry environment to provide it with a humidifier. As for down time, the most recent experience I've had just the day before yesterday was firing-up my 4900 after three and a half weeks of non-use. It required one normal cleaning cycle and it was fine. I consider this par for the course when dealing with a pigment-ink printer.
All these printers, whoever the manufacturer, have to deal with dry ink or clogs, but technically they work around it differently. Epson lets us clean the heads, whereas Canon provides spare head capacity and consumes them, leading eventually to costly replacement. I agree with Andrew's points about the differences between Piezo and thermal technologies. But I don't think droplet sizes have changed much over the past few years. My question to Andrew wasn't so much about technology, but about results. I know the output from my 4900 just amazes me. Colour, detail and tonality are excellent. But are the others of equivalent rank visibly less capable despite the differences of technology? That's an important part of the question for people facing a "greenfield" purchase decision.
Any one buying a printer today also needs to think about the quality of after-sales service and support. In this regard, ever since I bought an Epson 2000P back in 2000 and moved up through 4000 - 4800 - 3800 to the 4900 last year, Epson support has been stellar. Also, the 4900 is a very easy printer to use. I often hear about paper handling troubles with HP's Z series.
Roger - there's lots to think about - chose carefully based on today's offerings, "all things considered".
Mark
________________________________
From: Steve Kornreich <email@hidden>
To: ColorSync List <email@hidden>
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 6:09:39 PM
Subject: Re: Update: Are Canon IPF printers any reliable?
Not sure if this has been mentioned at all, though I agree with everything Andrew has to say about epson printers in general, one concern that is overlooked a lot of the times is what environment the printer will reside in. Fo instance I know for a fact that epson LF printers do not fair well in very dry climates, as opposed to more tempered humidity and temperature.
From everything I have read seems that most folks have issues with clogs in difficult environments and also if the printer is not used a lot.
So I guess it all depends..
___________________
Steve Kornreich
http://www.kuau.com
On Jan 29, 2012, at 4:02 PM, Andrew Rodney wrote:
> On Jan 29, 2012, at 3:57 PM, MARK SEGAL wrote:
>
>> This is an area that causes a lot of people to wonder, because it is often said that in this category of printer all of them produce excellent results. From your observation, exactly what are the real advantages of the Piezo technology?
>
> Not having to heat the ink for one, or having to replace the heads, or the tiny droplets that seem to get smaller and smaller with each new generation.
>
> Them heads can be expensive to replace!
>
> Andrew Rodney
> http://www.digitaldog.net/
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Piezo
>
> Compared to only other major inkjet printing technology, which is thermal inkjet printing technology, Epson claims that Micro Piezo technology has the following advantages:
> Micro Piezo technology allows for precisely controlled ink droplets of up to five different sizes to be ejected from the print head, resulting in sharper, grain-free photo prints with smoother tonal transitions.
> Print heads based on Micro Piezo technology have a far lower operation temperature, making them compatible with a wider range of inks that include specialized ones that use volatile solvents.
> The lower operating temperature of Micro Piezo print heads also makes them more reliable than thermal inkjet print heads. Therefore, printers with Micro Piezo technology use built-in fixed print heads that need not be changed for the lifespan of the printers. On the other hand, to ensure reliable operation, many thermal inkjet printers require ink cartridges with disposable print heads so that the heads are changed regularly when the ink cartridges are depleted. Therefore for printers of the same class, Micro Piezo printer ink cartridges tend to be more affordable and easier to recycle compared to thermal inkjet printer cartridges with disposable print heads.
>
>
>
>
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