Hi all,
As a quick background, we do a lot of very high quality (not quite photographic but close) on demand prints. We also mail almost everything we print. We have had the Kodak NexPress for the last 5 years. We also have a Ricoh 9100 as our second press. The Kodak is our primary and gets most off the volume. It is high maintenance but it was a good fit for us especially with their light black application. We put in around 1.5 million A4 clicks per month overall.
We are looking for a new press as our lease is up on both presses and they are showing their age. While we never really considered any other press except a Nexfinity for our next press, we are now seriously looking at Xerox Iridesse/Igen as well in addition to the Nexfinity. With changes in Kodak's service plans and other service related factors, we are not quite as sure about getting a Nexfinity. The Indigo is just too expensive and probably is not a great fit for us because of the adherence issue.
We ran some of our sample files on all three presses (Kodak/Iridesse/Igen) that we are considering as our primary press. Surprisingly, the Iridesse was almost the same as the Kodak (with light black) print quality wise. The IGen's output was just not up there. It was definitely worse than the Iridesse or the Nexfinity. I have a few questions about the Iridesse -
1.) Can it be a consistent primary press? We need the front to back registration to be perfect. We do a fair amount of booklets. The Nexpress holds the registration really well for the most part. Will the Iridesse hold it well.
2.) How is the color consistency over a time period. We will be putting around a million A4 clicks or more on the Iridesse (if it is our primary press) over the next 5 years. Will it be good at that kind of volume. The reason I am asking this is because before the Kodak, we had the Ricoh 9100 as our main press. I like the Ricoh 9100. It has been a good second press for us but holding color was a nightmare on there after a certain period of time. Even with regular calibrations, color just would not be consistent. I understand this is digital printing but the Nexpress does a good job with getting consistent color.
3.) Are the Iridesse and the Nexfinity comparable as far a the build quality is concerned. We have two shifts adding up to 16 hours. Can the press hold up with that kind of use? The Nexfinity comes with its own environmental control unit and has air and water connections. The Iridesse does not need any of that. That makes me worry that it is not in the same class as the Nexfinity.
Are there any other presses including inkjet that I could be looking at?
Thanks,
As a quick background, we do a lot of very high quality (not quite photographic but close) on demand prints. We also mail almost everything we print. We have had the Kodak NexPress for the last 5 years. We also have a Ricoh 9100 as our second press. The Kodak is our primary and gets most off the volume. It is high maintenance but it was a good fit for us especially with their light black application. We put in around 1.5 million A4 clicks per month overall.
We are looking for a new press as our lease is up on both presses and they are showing their age. While we never really considered any other press except a Nexfinity for our next press, we are now seriously looking at Xerox Iridesse/Igen as well in addition to the Nexfinity. With changes in Kodak's service plans and other service related factors, we are not quite as sure about getting a Nexfinity. The Indigo is just too expensive and probably is not a great fit for us because of the adherence issue.
We ran some of our sample files on all three presses (Kodak/Iridesse/Igen) that we are considering as our primary press. Surprisingly, the Iridesse was almost the same as the Kodak (with light black) print quality wise. The IGen's output was just not up there. It was definitely worse than the Iridesse or the Nexfinity. I have a few questions about the Iridesse -
1.) Can it be a consistent primary press? We need the front to back registration to be perfect. We do a fair amount of booklets. The Nexpress holds the registration really well for the most part. Will the Iridesse hold it well.
2.) How is the color consistency over a time period. We will be putting around a million A4 clicks or more on the Iridesse (if it is our primary press) over the next 5 years. Will it be good at that kind of volume. The reason I am asking this is because before the Kodak, we had the Ricoh 9100 as our main press. I like the Ricoh 9100. It has been a good second press for us but holding color was a nightmare on there after a certain period of time. Even with regular calibrations, color just would not be consistent. I understand this is digital printing but the Nexpress does a good job with getting consistent color.
3.) Are the Iridesse and the Nexfinity comparable as far a the build quality is concerned. We have two shifts adding up to 16 hours. Can the press hold up with that kind of use? The Nexfinity comes with its own environmental control unit and has air and water connections. The Iridesse does not need any of that. That makes me worry that it is not in the same class as the Nexfinity.
Are there any other presses including inkjet that I could be looking at?
Thanks,