Epson 9900 HDR

[wildcatt]

Hello:

We are a offset print shop with 25" MOV, Print master and 2 Xerox Docucolour machines.

Up until this point we have been using an Epson 4000 with EFI Designer RIP on a MAC for proofing.

We are wanting to upgrade to a larger proofer that can double as a poster printer.

We have some business in the poster market with more in the UV Flatbed market that we sub-out.

My supplier is recommending the Epson 9900 HDR with the EFI FX4 RIP and the Auto calibration add on.

One of the reasons for the upgrade is the size. It would be nice to be able to proof the whole press sheet at once. The other is the colour. Although our glossy proofs are reasonable and always look great on press, the 4 colour uncoated proofs look really washed out at the proof. My clients are complaining about the accuracy, even thought the final printed product looks great. I'm told this machine can produce more accurate colour for that application.

Does anybody have an experience with this combination?
Is the auto calibration worth the extra money.
Is the 1 bit tiff dot proofing option worth the money. Is it that important anymore?
How is the cost of consumables on that machine compared to others?

Would it make sense to try and find a 9600 and RIP instead of going with a new unit?

any input would be appreciated

thank you

Tom!

[shajith]

if One of the reasons for the upgrade is the size. then you can also look at 7900 with auto caliberation.

1 bit tiff dot proofing option is not worth the money unless you are a flexo or gravure customer. for offset contone proofes as per iso 12647 is good.

[Mike Strickler]

Hi. It is rarely a good idea to pick up an old inkjet printer for any critical role. And the 9600 is really old. The 9900 is much, much faster, far quieter, more dependable, has little of the metamerism/color shifts with changing illumination that plagued the -600 series, has an optional built-in spectrophotometer--superior in every way. There is no comparison.

The current version of EFI XF is 4.5. Automatic, scheduled relinearization of the Epson 9900 is standard, not an extra-cost option.

Please feel free to contact me for any further questions.

Mike Strickler
MSP Graphic Services

Authorized EFI XF Implementer and Reseller
IDEAlliance G7 Expert
MSP Graphic Services: Prepress and Color Management
707.664.1628

[Thom Bathe]

We have 2 Epson 9900s
We use one for gloss and one for matte.
They are very good and reliable, Plus low maintenance.
The color matches the press very well.

Thom