Digital BW, The Print

Antonis,

This was an excellent summary...you should put it in the archives...under
Epson 7000 options.


Robert


On 9/24/02 11:14 AM, "Antonis Ricos" <antonisphoto@...> wrote:

> Bruce,
> 
> here are some thoughts and comments on your post:
> 
> 
> 
>> Today, however, an affordable used 7000 unexpectedly landed in my
>> lap; I can pick it up tomorrow. It had been used with Indelible pigs,
>> but has been flushed and has new ink pads reset by the Epson rep. No
>> ink presently installed, and presumably in good shape (it is being
>> replaced by a 7600).
> 
> No inks, means, I hope, some kind of cleaning fluid is in there. You don't
> want 
> dry heads. As for the inkpads, you can search on the 9000 list. Most people
> replace these with their own solution - anything from diapers to juice
> bottles!. 
> For an out-of-warranty unit, it saves several hundred $ in service calls. You
> also have to reset the inkpad counters, for which you'll need a service
> manual.
> 
> 
> I don't know what (if any) accessories should
>> come with it (I know it has no stand), any particular problems I
>> should look out for, etc.
> 
> Look for permanently clogged heads or mechanical problems that may
> prevent smooth operation across the 24 width. It's wise to print bands of
> color 
> running the length and check with a loupe for  signs of trouble. Do that
> before 
> you move it, if possible. It would be nice if it came with the 3" roll
> adapter, 
> which is too expensive to buy as an accessory.
> 
> 
> I just checked, and the Piezo Pro 24 RIP has
>> disappeared from the Inkjet Mall site, presumably a casualty of the
>> Cone/Sundance divorce. It seems to have been reincarnated by
>> R-9/Sundance and is available, for $1495, from Digital Art Supplies.
> 
> R-9 makes software to go with Sundance inks. It so happens that their profiles
> may also work with piezotones and MIS FS, but they are not  officially
> supporting these other inksets, so this may be a limiting factor for you.
> 
> 
>> 
>> The Piezography page is now touting a new "about to grow up" Piezo
>> Pro RIP: "Stay tuned for the release date later this summer!" Well,
>> the Vernal equinox is just a few hours away, and Conetech does have a
>> tendency to promote wishware. Does anyone know if this will be a real
>> product? Heard about any beta testers?
> 
> Why wait for wishware. ImagePrint ships now  and supports color and bw.
> They are also open to profiling other inks and papers, since they have no
> interest in "bundling". I would call Colorbyte,  if I were you, and discuss
> your 
> situation.
> 
> 
>> 
>> IJM is also pushing Imageprint 5.
> 
> IJM is hardly "pushing". They are selling it because they need to have
> software for their inks after the R-9 break up.
> 
>> However, they recommend the Windows
>> version, and I'm on a Mac [...]. I've seen other comments that the Mac
>> version is clunky at best.
> 
> The problems lie with OS 9. Colorbyte is soon to have an OS X version
> shipping. Yes, it is clunky, and I can get into details if you like, but once
> you 
> get the hang of it (with excellent tech support from Colorbyte) it works fine.
> But 
> be prepared at first to do a little head scratching!
> 
>> And it is dongle-tied to a specific
>> printer, so if I use the 7000 for BW, I get to pay extra for a color
>> printer, even a 2200.
> 
> Actually the way it works is that you buy a licence for a given format (like
> large 
> format or desktop etc) and for a given number of printers. You can add
> licences later (by getting a new encryption "key").  But you can always
> "deinstall" one printer and "install" another within the same format. So if
> you 
> have a 2200 and a licence for 1 desktop printer, you can change to a 1280
> without extra cost as long as you remove the 2200 from the list of licenced
> printers that IP recognizes. As for the dongle... many RIPs use them,
> including, 
> I think the R-9 (for the 7000).
> 
>> I also get the impression that the IP BW dither
>> is not quite as smooth and dotless as the Piezo/R-9. Comments?
> 
> 
> It's the other way around, actually, but the differences may get lost in an
> actual 
> photograph. This is not always a fixed entity - it depends very much on how
> the profiles are written. The new IP5 has already improved on the dither of
> IP4. Keep in mind that a 7000 puts down fairly coarse dots. It works OK for BW
> because the software can mask some of it, but in color it looks very crude
> compared to, say, a 1280 which is a newer engine.
> 
> 
>> Amazingly, it also costs $1495.
> 
> For the large formats, yes. You then have to add a licence for desktops
> (around $500) if you want the option to use the same software for both. It may
> be beneficial to have consistent output from large and small printers and use
> the latter for proofs. Of course, if you have a whole farm of printers and you
> need to print to all of them simultneously, this can get very expensive. But I
> think that's a problem for service bureaus.
> 
> 
>> 
>> Finally, as the original Piezo Pro RIP has been discontinued, my
>> personal reservations about second hand software might be irrelevant.
>> If anyone has a copy of the Mac version they would care to sell, I
>> could be interested.
> 
> Keep in mind that the value of any RIP is directly tied to the quality and
> availabilty of profiles for the inks and papers you use. We are in a period of
> rapid change. After the fiasco with the Piezotone black, who knows what other
> inks are coming down, or if people are using the MIS FS K etc. Also, profiling
> for specific papers is an issue. Colorbyte is willing to profile any given
> paper 
> you use provided they already support that particular inkset (i.e. they have a
> recipe for it). If you buy second hand, make sure there is a company behind it
> that is willing to keep up with new inksets and profile your papers.
> 
> InkjetMall / ConeTech currently makes no profiles for their inks and papers.
> Instead you are expected to use trial and error until you find  an existing
> profile that works for your paper and ink. Likewise, R-9 only supports
> Sundance inks. 
> 
> Unfortunately, things change fast and you have to make decisions based on
> what's available right this minute - even if a year from now the game may
> change alltogether. And even Colorbyte, willing as they are to support new
> inks, may be delayed in their efforts because of problems with ink
> availabilty. 
> So, for example, they haven't been able to profile the piezotones for the 1280
> because they can't get carts for it. And their profiles for the piezotones are
> now 
> up in the air because the black is in question. And so on...
> 
> Antonis
> 
> 
> 
> 
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