Roland Hi Fi Camm Jet.

Whenever we get a series of indications of problems or headaches with a particular printer we do our best to find out whether these are coincidental or endemic. Its hard of course when we don't have the printer to test ourselves, but since we do our testing in Guatemala we understand that not every printer company is willing to send their equipment so far away.

So here is a series of readers' reports. In some cases we know the authors from previous correspondence (such as here). In other cases it seems that the writers are either allied with Roland or are otherwise upset that their favorite printer did not get top ratings. That is simply because out of 100 users, enough reported glitches that we unfurl the yellow flag.

Our goal is first to be fair to the end user, so he or she does not get stuck with an unreliable printer. We also feel that a review should be fair to the manufacturer as well (unless the company engages in systematic exaggerated claims in their woefully unrealistic ads). Roland is a reputable company and their ads have not yet triggered any complaints.

Here is a report from Roger, who we know via e-mail, so this is an actual report of a real situation. This is verbatim and not edited.

I get so many mixed reviews of the Roland from end users. Some love them and are upset that I don't praise them to the sky, yet others have banding and find the color gamut limiting in the pigmented inks.

I find that on canvas there can be banding if it is not done at the 1440 dpi as far as the colors, I don't really have anything to compare to except some Giclee prints in a gallery done with a Iris by experts and the colors were superior to what I have done so far.

I am also curious about learning curve (printer and RIP), whether you had banding, and how you handle the
speed vs dpi?

I learned the software in two days as to print what I was seeing on the monitor, you have to match the media type profile to the media, and set the dpi higher for canvas than others. As for speed again I have nothing to compare
to. At 1440 it is slow in my opinion, but it is awesome so I have no problem with it. I have a Camm Jet not a Hi Fi so I have a 540 dpi setting that is fast and does a good job too, it could be used easily for many projects including prints on film or photo paper.

Are you willing to wait the time it takes a 1440 print to go?

Yes

There is a nice ink available for the Roland, may have better gamut, DicoJet, e-mail [email protected] if you need info. Pigmented, lasts outdoors; people in the company seem pleasant; is used widely for fine art prints but not well know outside its users.

I have checked out the ink from your site, it is very interesting, but I still have some ink so I am not in the market yet , but will be soon. I have found a machine (infrared dryer/Color Lock System) that uses a special vinyl to lock in the color from a inkjet printer. I will be using this vinyl and machine to do my signs and decals etc.....

I hope this helps a little. All in all, I would agree with the people who say why don't you praise the Roland more, I don't have much experience but I know a good machine when I see one, and my Camm Jet is one hell of a machine that amazes me every time I use it!

Another story from another incoming e-mail:

"Are there any serious setbacks that you know of to the Roland machines. We also have an office in San Francisco that already has one and they told me about a time when they let it run over night only to find in the morning that it had run out of paper but continued to print."

Most recently updated August 02, 2001.