Color Issues w/Konica Minolta

[smatros]

we sometimes run into many of described problems with Xerox 700 and Creo controller. I found the easiest way to avoid problems is to create pdfs in PDF X1a 2003 standard. Sometimes (especially when printing smaller photos, that shouldn't be converted to CMYK in prepress but kept as RGB and leave the machine to do the conversion) it is necessary to avoid it, but otherwise X1a reduced our problems for over 70%.

[UberTech]

In the Creo Window it lists these items:

SW Packages: blank

Updates:
Printer Driver 6-08
RIP patch 7-08
Profile 7-08
Saddle Stitch 7-08
Scan patch 7-08
Inserts Patch 7-08
EPS Header Patch 7-08
Import Color Prof 8-08
RIP Patch 8-08
Lines Patch 9-08

Should it list the Service Pack 2 in here?

You don't have the service pack. The service pack will remove all of these patches and apply one big revision. Again, ver2 was very buggy until the service pack so the good news is things are going to get a hell of alot better.

Your comment about calibration is a bit of a concern and hopefully your training will shed some light on some of the problems you are having. Doesn't sound like your getting the best out of the machine.

[Craig]

My problem is, why aren't our Konica people familiar with these problems and the settings on the CREO designed to deal with some of these very issues? Initial training did not cover any of this.

Am I to assume the "advanced training" will help us with any issues that may be originating on the Adobe end or is there somewhere I can go to find the best way to send Adobe files to digital output?

This is not a flame for KM but your dealer and MANY others. Almost everyone I have dealt with in regards to SALES and SERVICE know little to nothing about the machines and how to run them. Let me explain before you flame.

SALES - I just talked to an OCE salesman who looked very familiar to me.... come to find out that just a few weeks before, he visited my shop trying to sell INSURANCE to us!!! Now he is an "expert" in digital presses?????? Enough said on sales!

SERVICE - In my opinion their job is to FIX the thing when it breaks. Most are required to have the ability to fix MANY models, both B/W and Color. They should not have the job of "training" an operator on how to operate the device. They have enough headaches dealing with the mechanical stuff let alone the operation.

Now, some will have an "IT" guy who comes in and does the network hook-up, now he/she is responsible for the connection and setting up the drivers. Maybe they know a little something about how the device runs, maybe not.

So that leaves "us" to figure the rest out on our own. What good is it to have a sales or service person who may or may not fully understand how to operate the device "train" us on how to run them?

What dealer or manufacture for that matter has an individual(s) who operate a device for 8 to 10 hours a day, running the myriad of stuff through it that we as printers do? How would they go about "Advance" training if they did?

[panamajack]

Does Xerox have the same sales and service business model? I don't hear as many service complaints on Xerox as I do KM!

[UberTech]

We have IT people and Analysts. I don't think we have ever sent an IT tech to a Production install or break down. An install is menial task for an analyst but I (personally) hate the rotisserie install method of tech->it->analyst so we make sure the tech and the analyst install at the same time.

Any problems with the rip side are delt with by the analyst. We only bring the vendors in when ours or our customers expectations aren't being met.

[CSimpson]

Does Xerox have the same sales and service business model? I don't hear as many service complaints on Xerox as I do KM!

I worked for Xerox for 6 years and can say they are all the same in this regard. As an employee I was put in the position of being an "Expert" on a product many times that I had never seen before. Just always remember no copier/printer company has an operator division that is part of the sales or install team, so no one there can really attest to the operation of the equipment.

Sales always has a tendency to promise the moon and service always has a tendency to under sell a product's capabilities. These tendencies are the nature of the business. You just have to know that and be prepared for it.

[PrePress Gal]

Thanks you guys. You have provided me with some very good insight.
First things we need to look into is the service pack an how we make our PDFs.

Have a great day!

[Craig]

PrePress Gal,
The way you make you PDF should have little to do with anything. If you are using the same PDF to go to offset then it will work for digital.

[PrePress Gal]

Then we should be just dandy then because offset is not a problem. Our guy from Konica is trying to blame Quark 8, which we just upgraded to. He is not listening to me when I tell him we had this problem BEFORE Quark and Creative Suite upgrades. I will do some reading and see if there is anything I am doing incorrectly in creating my PDFs.

Thanks.

[Craig]

Then we should be just dandy then because offset is not a problem. Our guy from Konica is trying to blame Quark 8, which we just upgraded to. He is not listening to me when I tell him we had this problem BEFORE Quark and Creative Suite upgrades. I will do some reading and see if there is anything I am doing incorrectly in creating my PDFs.

Thanks.

It's ALWAYS someone elses fault! Next they will blame the paper!!!