Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, hogarth@... 
wrote:
> 
> I'm in the camp that says that 44" isn't big enough. As Ernst has 
> pointed out, that's a plotter size (American size E drafting 
paper). 


I'm thinking 36 (or 1 meter) wide would make a good smaller printer 
to challenge the Epson reign. When you get right down to it, the 17 
inch machine is the one that costs the most pre inch wide to make. 
All the other machines just have bigger filler in the middle, and the 
controller needs to count higher. The only argument would be that the 
controller needs more RAM to be able to handle the larger data stream 
for the wider print sizes. Maybe it could be said that you need a 
stronger paper feed motor to over come the additional friction of the 
wider media, but I don't think that is really the case.

For places that have large print runs on a daily basis, the 
time=money for these Canon printers (with the included RIP and 
spooler) will more than pay for itself in a very short time. 
Hopefully the cost will not reflect their current wide format pricing 
model, or this 60 inch machine will be nearly twice the price of an 
Epson 48 inch machine.

It will be interesting to see what third party ink manufacturers come 
up with for these printers. Multiple gray inks with the "standard" 
CcMmY inks should still produce some really good color prints, and 
that would give more room for gray shades, while still keeping the PK 
and MK in the machine at the same time. It will also be interesting 
to see what changes this will force on the RIP writers to support the 
new stock inks, and this modified for grayscale set that I just 
suggested.