Advice and suggestiongs on two sided impo proofing

[scotts]

We are looking at replacing out Epson Stylus Pro 9900 that we use for our IMPO book proofer, which we load cut sheets into to mimic the press sheets. It's getting old, and lines ( which we all know means a new head at this point, too many cleanings and still not fixed ). It's been out of warranty for almost 3 years, so time for a new one. But since workload has increased so much, it's finally time to look at the two sided options. A couple we've heard of are DJet, and IMPOProofer. I've read some of the back and forth on the forum from the sales people, but I'm looking for real-world users knowledge. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[scotts]

So, I have an update. The powers that be decided to go with IMPOProofer and it is being installed as I type. It is the one with duo Canons. I will update you all later with install notes, and how it is working for us.

 

[MacTwidget]

We have had the ImpoProof with the two Canon iPF8400S printers for about 2 1/2 years now. It replaced a PreProofer with 2 EPSON 9880 printers that we have had for about 10 years. Before that we had a HP DesignJet with a TechSage SpinJet accessory. The ImpoProof has the best back-up by far, but also the most paper waste if you are only running a few forms at a time. The software on the other hand is cryptic at best.

 

[scotts]

Full install update and before full on use. We have the older base that is HUGE! But with 2 new Canon iPF8400SEs. Overall it is quite impressive. How it is setup and operates is quite interesting and clever. The software is pretty easy to get around and figure out (for the most part, but not everything). Some parts of it, seem a bit dated even for the current version. I can see paper waste being an issue if one is not careful, but time will tell for our situation and setup. I will give you more details after some usage.

 

[scotts]

Month of use update. Overall we really like this.

Pros:

• This is WAY better than manually flipping paper.
• More consistent backups than manually flipping paper.
• Better use of employee's time. Instead of hearing someone say "your proof is up", or forgetting to flip the paper for a while. This thing just keeps on cranking them out. **This is HUGE!!**
• I've had to talk to tech support on a couple of minor things, and they are quite helpful, and willing to login to your machine and get things fixed.
• Even though it is three devices: PC, and 2 printers, it only takes on IP on the network. Not a big deal, but it is nice.
• In theory there should be cost savings in paper in the long run. Before our sheets of paper where 32"x42" and no matter the size of the IMPO we would use a sheet. Sometimes, for 14"x20" layouts we would rotate the sheet to get twice as many layouts out on one sheet. But the IMPOProofer wastes about 3" per form when printing.
• There will also be an ink savings, as we were using an Epson StylusPro 9900 with 11 tanks, and the Canon's only have 6 tanks. I know ( some might say ) the color might not be as nice as the Epson, but for book proofs, it will be fine.

Cons:

• The base takes up a lot of floor space.
• I mean a LOT of floor space.
• The catch bin is not designed for this model printer (Canon iPF 8400se) on the older base, so we fabed our own catch bin, which is working really well.
• Loading paper is a bit of a task, and getting printers lined up during the process, we have found to be a bit more challenging than one would expect. But it's just a learning curve of what to watch out for.
• If you need to get a "hot" proof out, you are going to waste some paper. About 2 - 28"x40" forms to get your one hot one out.

Hope this info, helps someone out there.

 

[Muckraker]

When they did the install did they leave any instruction guides?
We just picked up one at auction, set it up with online support but we've had no "training", just what we can figure out. It's working if someone stands there and nudges it along.
Any help would be appreciated.