Best Wide Format printer at 60+ Inches for Fine Art Photography?

[Jeffrey Lubeck]

I have a printer that works wonderfully, but often have request/desire to print greater than 40" both vertically and horizontally.

What do you think is the Best Wide Format at 60+ Inches for Fine Art Photography? Are you familiar with any of the new offerings on the market?

Background

Own a Fine Art Photography Gallery
Four principle artists
I am one of the artists and shoot with medium format camera gear.
Current printer: Epson 9900 (five years old, excellent condition and operating nicely at present) 11/10 pigment based inks

Print 200-300 images a year (2880 x 1440 or 1440 x 1440) on best canvas stocks and frame ourselves (gallery wrap) in sizes from 12" x 16" up to 40" x 120"
Print 200-300 images a year (2880 x 1440, 1440 x 1440, 720 x 720) on heavier photographic paper stocks from 12" x 16" up to 40" x 120"
Printing on film based materials (9900 supports it) for signage

 

[slush11]

The newer Rolands can handle up to 90 some inches I believe...

 

[aaronchan]

The only printer you could buy is the Canon iPF9400.
The Epson 11880 is way to old and yes, they are replacing it with a newer model withing the next 6 months.
But due to a lot of different types of problems, I would like to recommand you to use the Canon.

I have used Canon and Epson before.
I like the Epson back in 9880, but for now, the Canon x400 is much better.
Fast, reliable, very good ink and easy to use.

The Roland is nice, but they are solvant printer, not really for fine art printing.

aaron

 

[bteifeld]

Is the reason a solvent printer is not considered appropriate for fine art printing because they typically do not offer inksets like CcMmYKkOG? I have seen 3rd party ink providers who provide CcMmYKOG ecosolvent inks. Or are there other reasons?

 

[David Milisock]

I have a printer that works wonderfully, but often have request/desire to print greater than 40" both vertically and horizontally.

What do you think is the Best Wide Format at 60+ Inches for Fine Art Photography? Are you familiar with any of the new offerings on the market?

Background

Own a Fine Art Photography Gallery
Four principle artists
I am one of the artists and shoot with medium format camera gear.
Current printer: Epson 9900 (five years old, excellent condition and operating nicely at present) 11/10 pigment based inks

Print 200-300 images a year (2880 x 1440 or 1440 x 1440) on best canvas stocks and frame ourselves (gallery wrap) in sizes from 12" x 16" up to 40" x 120"
Print 200-300 images a year (2880 x 1440, 1440 x 1440, 720 x 720) on heavier photographic paper stocks from 12" x 16" up to 40" x 120"
Printing on film based materials (9900 supports it) for signage

Wow that's a little more than 1 print a day I'd stick with where you are and buy the few you need at a larger size those few prints hardly support a larger printer.

 

[Jeffrey Lubeck]

Wow that's a little more than 1 print a day I'd stick with where you are and buy the few you need at a larger size those few prints hardly support a larger printer.

Thanks David.

That is what has been done in the past. However I have been disappointed with results and lack of control (test out all aspects, play with variations). Given we only sell limited editions and fine art images, the net income from the sale of three or four pieces covers the original cost of the equipment.

Who would you recommend for printing the larger pieces?

Thanks again!

 

[Jeffrey Lubeck]

The only printer you could buy is the Canon iPF9400.
The Epson 11880 is way to old and yes, they are replacing it with a newer model withing the next 6 months.
But due to a lot of different types of problems, I would like to recommand you to use the Canon.

I have used Canon and Epson before.
I like the Epson back in 9880, but for now, the Canon x400 is much better.
Fast, reliable, very good ink and easy to use.

The Roland is nice, but they are solvant printer, not really for fine art printing.

aaron

Thanks Aaron,

I have been told the IPF9400 is being replaced in the near future. Do you know anything about that?

 

[David Milisock]

Thanks David.

That is what has been done in the past. However I have been disappointed with results and lack of control (test out all aspects, play with variations). Given we only sell limited editions and fine art images, the net income from the sale of three or four pieces covers the original cost of the equipment.

Who would you recommend for printing the larger pieces?

Thanks again!

Where are you located?

 

[Baldbug]

Is the reason a solvent printer is not considered appropriate for fine art printing because they typically do not offer inksets like CcMmYKkOG? I have seen 3rd party ink providers who provide CcMmYKOG ecosolvent inks. Or are there other reasons?

We have a Roland Versacamm and the ink setup is CMYK Lb Lc Lm and white. We use a SIHL paper stock 200gsm but it is used for posters larger than our Epson 9880 can print, or when there are more posters to print the Verscamm prints faster. The old Epson 9880 gives far superior photographic quality.

 

[Correct Color]

Jeffrey,

I do color management for large and grand format printers worldwide. I have several clients just such as yourself, and for all of them, at present, I recommend the Canon IPFX400.

It's close between it and the Epson, and if you got the Epson you probably wouldn't be unhappy. But right now... well, if I was buying one myself, it's the Canon I'd buy.

I'd add though that if you're really, really serious, the fact is that these two machines are so close in final result that how you drive them and what profiles you use are going to make the final determination of which one prints best. Properly profiled using a RIP that allows full control of all aspects of the printer on your particular media either f them will far outperform the other running directly from an application with stock profiles.

As far as solvent goes, it's not a process that lends itself to fine art.

The reason has more to do with process than inksets. If you print enough canvas to warrant the cost, there are some solvent machines out there -- I'd say the Epson Sure-Color 8 color would work -- that people are printing fine art with and having good results, but that's because canvas is fairly forgiving material. For any photo paper, aqueous is still your only option.

I have been told the IPF9400 is being replaced in the near future. Do you know anything about that?

I don't, but I wouldn't worry about it much. Honestly, I'm not really sure just how much better a replacement is going to be able to print.


Mike Adams
Correct Color

 

[vaithi47]

hi i want some help please! we r basically offset printers doing lot of packaging work. we have our own design dept. we get our digital proof outside. sometimes the proof looks ok but when we make our ctp plates we find some mistakes like elements going out of register,wrong cut marks, font missing etc. this i think may be becuse the rip on the digital printer and rip on the ctp are different and also the digital proof is rgb whereas ctp is cmyk. now we want to getour own digital printer which is the bestcombination of printer and rip which will avoid these mistakes thank you in advace