2 sided imposition proofer

[Macmann]

Our impo proofers are getting long in the tooth-I'm looking for recommendations for a new model to purchase.
We currently have two HP1050's mated to Techsage spinjet units. They have proved to be serviceable mules,
but they are painfully slow. A recent job consisting of 50 40" forms took nearly 2 shifts! A typical 40" front & back
takes 12 minutes- IF they back up. Parts are nearly non-existent, so it's time to move on. Any insight / info you
could offer would be greatly appreciated.

[curveto]

What I'm about to say may be a stupid thought (file it accordingly).

If you're using your plotters for imposition proofing and (*if*) X% of the time the "point" of the output isn't for critical, umm... "sub-page" analysis you might consider tweaking what you send such that the page content is reduced (in complexity and/or resolution ... think "mask/tint of page content"). This would have two (potential) impacts (that I can think of)...

0) more rapid output (potentially, vast improvements)
1) lower consumable use

Just thinking/sharing...

[Macmann]

The proofers do have a draft mode but readability is poor. Clients often times will
request a spinjet proof to verify a copy change and avoid the cost of generating an epson.
Checking content to a dieline is another common issue. The draft mode just does not provide
enough detail.

[MacTwidget]

We also had the hp DesignJet 1050c w/ the SpinJet 1000. About 4 years ago we tried upgrading to a hp DesignJet 4000 w/ the SpinJet 4000. It was not close at all on the back-up. I could give you more info if you like, PM me.
Anyway, I ended up getting a "Preproofer" which is 2 EPSON Stylus Pros stacked back-to back. I am reasonably satisfied with it. It is relatively fast. It is supported by a company called Flashlight Digital. There is another option called the Impoproof, which is two Canon printers. They are supported by the same company. I have not personally used one, but I understand that they are FAST. The only problem is that they waste a lot of paper if you do not have many jobs queued up in succession.

[Lukas Engqvist]

Looks like this is in the wrong forum :P

[Macmann]

What forum do you suggest?

[Sev]

Looks like this is in the wrong forum :P

When I see RErint, I think of Gordo

[comholt]

We put in a fair number of color-critical inkjet proofing systems and sometimes get questions for imposition proofers. I've been aware of the Flashlight (stacked) solution for a while, but customers are usually scared off by the price. The beauty of the HP1050 was that it's dye-based inkset could print on any kind of paper. That's why it was so popular in the newsprint world, where they could just run butt rolls from the press through the proofer.

You mentioned that you have Epson proofers. The latest generation, 9700/9890/9900 are pretty blazing fast at 720x720 dpi. We've had a number of customers that have put together a solution where they run the sheet through twice. The registration won't be as tight as the Flashlight solution, but it seems good enough, and it's way less expensive. You could test this with your existing Epson printer with inexpensive Dylux paper. The ink costs should be comparable to the HP. We'd be happy to discuss further if you'd like.

Clark - 415-382-8681

[Lukas Engqvist]

try here Wide Format and Inkjet Discussion
(Sorry should have given you the pointer the first time. It's just this "RE: Print" is the one place to just smile at ourselves, and I think you will get more/better response in a discussion)