What frontend system to drive Fujifilm Acuity Flatbed Printer?

[Alith7]

We are in the process of purchasing a used Fujifilm Acuity. The seller is not including the RIP in the sale, so I need to find something for the front end.

Fuji is recommending ColorGate, we have Onyx 11, but it is in a different shop driving our Epson UV, but we might be able to juggle things around.

Wondering if anyone has any experience or input on what would work best/most cost effective. I'm not looking for the cheap way out, just looking for the best solution.

I am heading down to Graph Expo on Monday to check out a few things in person, so I can look at any recommended systems then.

Thank you for your help with this!

 

[slush11]

We use Onyx PrintHouse.

 

[slush11]

In my opinion though, the Caldera RIP software is top notch. You can just do so bloody much with it. If they have a booth, definitely spend some time there.

 

[kansasquaker]

We have an acuity and use colorgate. Overall it does everything we need it to do, although we do all of our imposition in iCut layout. So I can't say anything about the layout portion. There are some things I don't like - for instance the previews are all ridiculously low res. But most of it is nitpicky stuff. I would caution you however, that there are several versions (silver, gold etc) and Fuji did a terrible job of explaining the differences to us. They basically showed us the most full featured version and then quoted us a lower priced one - without mentioning that there are different versions. So we were surprised to learn ours didn't do some of the things we saw in the demo. Then it was something like $2000 more to "upgrade" our new software. I was not a happy camper.

 

[Alith7]

with Onyx and Caldera, do you have any problems with newer files? we currently have a Roland LEJ with their proprietary software, and my operators basically have to flatten almost every job down to a jpg or we get all kinds of weird stuff with the files. (keep in mind this is what they tell me, I don't run that machine, so could be op-error)

Kansas~
I am looking at the colorgate, and being VERY careful about the options! I learned years ago with copiers to make sure I understand every little bit of what I am getting vs what I am expecting. I hated that "you didn't explain that" feeling!

The company we are getting the Acuity from (it's used) is a company we work with a lot sourcing jobs back and forth, I was talking with the operator yesterday, and he said really the only problem he had seem with Colorgate in file processing was if you had PMS + transparencies, but it sounded like that was the "age-old" digital problem of flattening and THEN applying profiles...

 

[kansasquaker]

the "age-old" digital problem of flattening

Yes ma'am. You will have that and some other flattening issues even tho it's an APPE rip and will 'trap everything right' according to the sales guy. LOL!

But I've seen enough of what you post, you're bright, you won't have any trouble dealing with Colorgate. As long as you get all the functionality you expect that is

And if you do buy Colorgate, make sure you get the GCR option. It works amazingly well and will pay for itself in no time. There are only two real drawbacks to the acuity, IMO. First is the staggering cost of Fuji proprietary ink - but it's good stuff so there ya go. The second is the POS on the end they call a roll printer. Yeah right. It's a $30k nozzle check machine.