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Which
wide format inkjet color printer and which PostScript RIP reproduces
all the nuances of color?
As
long as you have a hardware or software PostScript
RIP and a good large format printer over 600 dpi, you can
expect exhibit-quality color print. If you have images of exceptional
quality and are a whizz at Photoshop you can possibly squeek by
at 300 dpi. But at 300 dpi your images will show a dot pattern
(especially if printed with an Encad
printer).
If
you use a 600 dpi Hewlett-Packard
you get better quality. Yes, the Epson 9000
is great but their print heads may clog. Also, it may take up
to an hour to print a single image. Epson ads may be misleading
on their "speed." Epson ads used to claim their printers
were fast....what the ads neglected to admit was that when the
printer was in fast mode the quality dropped down to about 360
dpi. An image at 360 dpi on an Epson printer is so ugly it is
useless (also, the colors will fade in a few weeks, or fade in
a few days if put outside). With a Hewlett-Packard you get exhibit
quality at 600 dpi faster than the Epson can print. Also, the
HP inkjet heads are self-cleaning and self-adjusting. The Epson
is so cheap they don't put those features in the printer. You
may not even get a network card installed (they may ask you to
pay about another $300 for that).
When
faced with the decision of what wide format printer to buy, you
first need to decide which printers are least appropriate. For
example, many printers will work (to some degree) without any
RIP. But such a RIPless printer is so slow that if you are a repro
shop, copy shop, sign shop, photo lab, or any establishment that
needs speed, then attempting large format printing without a RIP
is not a wise choice.
But
if you need only one print a day, and don't mind if your system
is a tad slow then an HP
DesignJet 2500 or 3500 CP printer is a good choice. These
printers have a built in RIP so you don't have to buy an external
RIP. This also means you do not have to install a RIP and don't
have to take a 2-day course to learn how to use a RIP. You also
don't have to get a headache over trying to decide which external
RIP to select ! The HP 2500 and 3500 already have a RIP built
in. You unpack the printer from its shipping box, plug the printer
in, and it starts producing colorful prints.
If
you prefer a bit more speed, you can opt for the HP 2800
or 3800. These come with the EFI Fiery RIP. No training course
required; faster than the 2500
or 3500. Now you can get even faster speed and higher dpi
with the HP DesignJet 5000. We replaced our 2800 with this newer
printer and are very happy with the results.
If
you want even more speed, especially for signs, posters, or banners
in Adobe PageMaker or QuarkXpress, then you want an HP 5000 with
an external software RIP. We recommend BEST
Color, DCS Software PosterJet,
Wasatch or ColorGate. To help you reach an informed decision we
have additional discussions and FAQs on PostScript RIP for wide
format printers.
Close-up
detail; this (and all the other pictures in this section) are
the actual color print from the Encad wide-format inkjet printer.
The complete throne scene is reproduced
on a separate page.
I
taped each print on the wall and took a snapshot of each print
with a Nikon CoolPix 950, then JPEGed the prints to lower download
time.
Despite
being a copy of a copy, you can see that the original wide format
print is quite a professional reproduction.
The
best way to make your lethargic RIPless printer work more efficiently
is to get an Ilford RIPStar solution (of course the best way is
not to have made the mistake of getting a slow printer in the
first place). Ilford Imaging can reincarnate certain models of
HP printers and increase their speed (especially if you are attempting
to RIP from a Macintosh, which is inherently slow). This is why
any hardware RIP solution is best for a Mac, because then the
hardware print server takes the job immediately and lets you continue
with your non-multi-processing Mac on other jobs.
If
you need a Mac solution then PosterJet from DCS Software is a
good option. You can load this in an iMac and get a fast solution
(yes, you can also load it in your Mac G3 or G4, but since no
Mac is multitasking most graphic pros load their RIP software
in an adjacent printer which then functions as a printer server.
You compose (do digital imaging) on your main Mac, then send (via
mini-hub or your network) to the RIP server. Your main Mac could
not care whatsoever whether the RIPing is done from an iMac, from
any of your leftover older Macs, or from a PC outfitted as a Windows
NT print server. The current generations of operating systems
allow Macs and PCs to work together quite nicely on any network.
Monitor
here is the Nokia, the brand preferred by Ilford Imaging in Germany.
The PostScript RIP software pictured here is Ilford's version
of Onyx PosterShop. More complete listings of other
RIP options are elsewhere
in this site.
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All reports by Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth |
UPDATED:
July 11, 2001
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