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Encad 1000i / Kodak 1200i : Feedback wanted
- Thread starter syswizard
- Start date
Urban Image
New Member
Amazing printer. It comes in 60" wide and puts out at 200 square feet per hour. The outdoor inks on it last for a few months (3-5 w/ out lamination, up to a year with lamination). I know of a few companies that love the printer so much that they have four of them running full time in their sign room. It prints at 1200 dpi. I've used that printer in print shops, at trade shows and at customer locations. Each time it was running for at least six hours without stopping. Most of the time it was running for 8 hours straight. The only issue I have seen from it is that it isn't good with bond paper but that shouldn't be a problem for a sign shop.
I undestand this printer has the versatility of being able to print both dye and pigment inks....which is outstanding. From the sound of your post, it definitely looks like a winner, but I really wonder how many of these printers are in production compared to say an Epson 10600 or 9600 ?
Has Kodak announced a replacement for the 1200i yet ?
RobGF
New Member
It's a nice printer. Not sure if a comparison of installed units versus the Epson's you mentioned makes any sense as the printers aren't really made for the same purpose. It's fast, it's quite reliable, it's great for trade show graphics and I like it way more than our HP5500 (which does produce a slightly better dot) just because it's less a pain in the ass and much faster.
There is still the odd priming issue to take care of with this printer and the heads to fail more frequently than with HP... but the heads get replaced free under many circumstances.
Rob
There is still the odd priming issue to take care of with this printer and the heads to fail more frequently than with HP... but the heads get replaced free under many circumstances.
Rob
I'm surprised by this...the 1000i indicates 1200 dpi resolution whereas I believe the 5500 is maxxed at 600. I've used an older Encad 850 for large format fine art photographs and it was excellent. I would expect the 1000i to produce even better results and nearly equivalent to the Epson 9600/10600. No ?
Urban Image
New Member
Yes. The 1200i does put out better image quality than the 5500 and it does so at a higher speed. Kodak actually sold all of the 60" Kodak 1200is to its largest dealer so all other dealers are getting these printers from that dealer.
RobGF
New Member
The Encad 1000i can run 1200 dpi as can the HP5500. However, for most media they are run at the lower resolution of 600 dpi.
The Encad 1000i does produce a far better print than the 850. I had an 880 for some time and there is no comparison in the print quality between the 8xx series and the 1xxx series. No comparison at all. The 1000 series is also must less fussy and has a more reliable print head and ink delivery system. The Quantum dye inks on the 1000i are very nice and high gamut too.
In terms of image resolution and comparing a thermal aquious printer (Encad/HP) to a piezo Epson 9xxx the Epson will win. Technically the Epson print heads are of a lower resolution than the others but the machine makes up for it with really effective variable droplet sizes and lots and lots of passes.
To summarize, the Encad will not produce a print like the Epson. The smaller dot size of the Epson, the variable drop size, and the increased resolution really can produce a continuous tone image were dots are not visible to the naked eye. The Encad and HP cannot. However, the Encad and HP, depending on settings, can produce salable prints at speeds over 100 sq ft an hour (depending on how you configure) whereas that Epson 9xxx might average around 20 sq ft.
If you want to do ultra high end, get yourself a new Epson or a cool new Canon. If you want prints which are still very nice and which can be produced quickly get yourself a Encad or a HP. If you want to do serious trade show work, get yourself an Encad or an HP.
As an aside, I do have a 9600 here and I only use it to proof our drum scans. Any print for pay job goes to the Encad/HP or our solvent system.
Rob
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Wait ! I just discovered the quality of the dots has NOTHING to do with the piezo vs. thermal print head implementation as the new HP Designjet z3100 and the new Canon iPF8000 printers are using thermal heads ! (and their output is beating Epson 7800/9800 output).
Source: Great Output magazine from Lexjet - Jan 2007
Source: Great Output magazine from Lexjet - Jan 2007
RobGF
New Member
It did in the context of this discussion. The Epson way of doing things produces a higher resolution print than the HP5500 and the Encad 1000i.
At any rate, thermal heads themselves are typically higher resolution heads than piezo but with piezo in the Epson example, the Epson head while having a lower head resolution had effective variable droplet size and enough passes to put more dots per inch on the page.
With regard to the printers you have recently mentioned, their quality also has a great deal to do with the fact that they are running more colour channels. For example the HP-Z stuff runs 12 colours and some of those colours allow it to exceed to colour gamut of the printers originally mentioned. Resolution is important but it's not everthing... it's a number to be put into context.
Anyway, this is not all an apple to apple discussion. HP 5500/Encad 1000/1200 printers are marketed at a segment which is different than the that of the Epson's, new Canon's, and new HP-Z series.
What does a person want to do? Produce art reproductions? Then look at Epson, Canon or the HP-Z stuff. Indoor print for pay and trade show graphics? Well, that's HP5500 and Encad territory. Ourdoor stuff, well that's something else.
Have fun with it.
Rob
Again, thanks for the continuing discourse which has expanded my knowledge: the number of color channels and the implementation of variable droplet size are major factors in final image quality.
Regarding outdoor stuff: I've always wondered how much better (i.e. longer life) solvent prints are relative to pigmented prints that are laminated with a high quality UV clear coating ?
Regarding outdoor stuff: I've always wondered how much better (i.e. longer life) solvent prints are relative to pigmented prints that are laminated with a high quality UV clear coating ?
RobGF
New Member
I am sure that many users of the board can give you stories on this. Many manufacturers claim that their pigmented inks on specialised media with a quality uv inhibiting laminate can offer years. In the real world, I think you would find this equals months in most situations. Additionally, this process is quite expensive and is not cost competive with the eco or hot solvent processes. Ecosolvent might give up up to 3 years. Some true solvents might approach 5 years. Electrostatic can approach 10 years. Embedded graphics can last as long or longer but they are cost prohibitive to produce and the equipment and processes required are accessed through trade suppliers.
What direction you go in depends on what your objectives are. There is not one machine which is the best at everything. Some machines represent a great compromise. What exactly do you want to accomplish with your plotter?
bigbly
New Member
I've got HP5000 pigment ink prints outdoors with decent cold lam coming up to 3 yrs now, fair amount of UV too.. starting to fade noticably now. A lot depends on the laminate.
Re print quality. I have an Epson 4000 for small photos, slow as a wet week but excellent quality. For prints over A4 size, I show people a comparison print off the HP5500/uv ink and they really are hard pressed to tell the difference. Good profiling helps, as does keeping your nose a bit further away from the larger prints.
Re print quality. I have an Epson 4000 for small photos, slow as a wet week but excellent quality. For prints over A4 size, I show people a comparison print off the HP5500/uv ink and they really are hard pressed to tell the difference. Good profiling helps, as does keeping your nose a bit further away from the larger prints.