Canon 7000VP with EFI 3100 RIP
Canon 7000VP with EFI 3100 RIP
Connie,
We recently replaced an iGen3 with a Canon 7000 with the EFI 3100 RIP and so far we are very pleased. The ability to print solids and flat tints is far superior to anything I've worked with, which is just about all the major presses except the HP/Indigo. Even though it's significantly slower than the iGen, which we had for 5 years, we were able to get the 7000, a Canon 7110 black/white (based on the Kodak Digimaster) and a Canon 7105 for less than we were paying for the iGen. The only thing I miss from the iGen so far is the larger format size, which let us run legal-size jobs 2up.
I am also impressed with the 3100 RIP. The color tools, especially joined to the included spectrophotometer, allow us to easily match Pantone colors. It also does a good job of matching our offset printing using our press's custom profile. The only problems we've had are some weird imposition bugs, usually on variable data jobs.
I agree with Craig as far as taking a look at everything that's available. Each press has its own strengths and weaknesses that might make one a better fit for you than the other.
Dave