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Epson Pro GS6000 Printer
- Thread starter mharrison
- Start date
Jim Doggett
New Member
Hi M,
Jerry Barrax, our product manager, looked into further at SGIA and weighs in here:
http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?p=433800&posted=1#post433800
Best,
Jim
Anyone with any info on this printer? I know that skinz use's this printer. Im looking for info on the new inks as well. After seeing this printer at sgia show Im interrested in talking with someone with some inside knowledge on this printer other than Epson. I know that this machine is new but still digging for more input on it. Thanks for all and any input.
Martin
Martin
Rooster
New Member
From Epson's advertising they say the inks are good for two years outdoors.
Most eco-solvents are three years and mild and full solvents run up to 5-7 years.
The color gamut from the Orange and Green additional inks is nice, but comparing the gamut from the profiles 3M listed on their website to the profiles I made in house with JV33 using a CMYKLcLm inkset showed only about a 10% improvement in total gamut volume. The strongest areas of improvement being of course the orange hues with the green gamut showing an ability to produce brighter colors, but with no real improvement in the midtones or shadow regions over the eco-sols in my JV33. In the regions the extra colors weren't coming into play the mimaki was better by a relatively insignificant margin.
For the price they're charging I'll wait and see. The speeds they list for production of vehicle wraps is less than stellar. The epson printers I've owned in the past were very finicky, extremely proprietary machines that were a pain in the arse to perform even the most basic maintenance on. The new print head looks promising. It's basically the same as the head in the mutohs and mimakis, but has had the nozzle count doubled. Why this hasn't translated into a speed advantage over the competition is puzzling.
Epson also tends to charge quite a bit with new equipment and then discount the hell out of it once their production ramps up. As someone who also prints quite a bit of Giclée work I have a serious bone to pick with Epson for going after my customers offering free equipment based on media usage contracts. I lost a few customers to that deal and they will have to offer up something pretty special for me to see beyond the harm they've done my business in the past. I do have to give them credit for bringing an expanded inkset into the mainstream of the solvent market, but given how much better contructed and easier to maintain my mimaki is, I'll look at upgrading my JV33 when Mimaki releases a machine that uses the newer Epson head. If there isn't another technology available like the mems based heads that offer the same quality at faster speeds.
Most eco-solvents are three years and mild and full solvents run up to 5-7 years.
The color gamut from the Orange and Green additional inks is nice, but comparing the gamut from the profiles 3M listed on their website to the profiles I made in house with JV33 using a CMYKLcLm inkset showed only about a 10% improvement in total gamut volume. The strongest areas of improvement being of course the orange hues with the green gamut showing an ability to produce brighter colors, but with no real improvement in the midtones or shadow regions over the eco-sols in my JV33. In the regions the extra colors weren't coming into play the mimaki was better by a relatively insignificant margin.
For the price they're charging I'll wait and see. The speeds they list for production of vehicle wraps is less than stellar. The epson printers I've owned in the past were very finicky, extremely proprietary machines that were a pain in the arse to perform even the most basic maintenance on. The new print head looks promising. It's basically the same as the head in the mutohs and mimakis, but has had the nozzle count doubled. Why this hasn't translated into a speed advantage over the competition is puzzling.
Epson also tends to charge quite a bit with new equipment and then discount the hell out of it once their production ramps up. As someone who also prints quite a bit of Giclée work I have a serious bone to pick with Epson for going after my customers offering free equipment based on media usage contracts. I lost a few customers to that deal and they will have to offer up something pretty special for me to see beyond the harm they've done my business in the past. I do have to give them credit for bringing an expanded inkset into the mainstream of the solvent market, but given how much better contructed and easier to maintain my mimaki is, I'll look at upgrading my JV33 when Mimaki releases a machine that uses the newer Epson head. If there isn't another technology available like the mems based heads that offer the same quality at faster speeds.
Rooster
New Member
Your production speeds will use larger dots from any of the variable heads. The smallest dot sizes are typically only used with the higher resolutions/number of passes. The heads can only fire so fast and to lay enough ink down at the faster speeds and the lower number of passes requires a bigger "squirt" to cover the sheet. You won't be seeing a 2 picoliter dot size at 720x540 that's for sure.
Be very wary of Epson's claims on speed. The printed product from their "draft" mode is usually pretty horrible and unsalable. They recommend using 720 x 1440 for vehicle wraps if that's any indication of where they expect you to find a quality level your customers will be happy with. If that's the case my mimaki prints very well at 720x720 and would be about the same speed and actually faster if I was using the dual CMYK mode.
Get some test prints done before you consider shelling out the dough. Reds are the toughest color for any inkjet and will show the greatest gamut loss between resolutions. Have an image with some deep saturated reds printed at the various resolutions to see the difference between how the different speeds will affect your color. You'll be amazed at how quickly the reds disappear when the speed gets cranked up.
Be very wary of Epson's claims on speed. The printed product from their "draft" mode is usually pretty horrible and unsalable. They recommend using 720 x 1440 for vehicle wraps if that's any indication of where they expect you to find a quality level your customers will be happy with. If that's the case my mimaki prints very well at 720x720 and would be about the same speed and actually faster if I was using the dual CMYK mode.
Get some test prints done before you consider shelling out the dough. Reds are the toughest color for any inkjet and will show the greatest gamut loss between resolutions. Have an image with some deep saturated reds printed at the various resolutions to see the difference between how the different speeds will affect your color. You'll be amazed at how quickly the reds disappear when the speed gets cranked up.
vroongraphics
New Member
I brought a test print in to a dealer and had them print off a sample. I was impressed with both speed and color. Epson's green and orange inks really "popped out" the color! It is pricey, but if I was to buy solely on the basis of offering indoor/outdoor solutions with a budget for only one printer...this would be it! I already have a HP 5000PS for indoor graphics, so I am likely going to go with a Roland or Mutoh for outdoor prints. Reason I decided on not going with Epson was price (5K more than Mutoh, and only diff is color gamut, which is minimal if you take everything in consideration) and inks (only rated for 1.5 yrs outdoor without lamination....for that price, I would rather go with a high end Roland and get double the longevity!)
My 0.02, for what it's worth.
My 0.02, for what it's worth.
buffalo.chuckl
New Member
Epson is currently offering a $3000 MIR for the GS 6000. It's a great time to buy!
Outside of that, yes because of the Orange and the Green inks in the GS6000, if you're doing jobs for companies like Home Depot who are very particular about the Orange, you will be able to get the best Orange out of the printer. Just having the base orange helps. Same with the green. If you guys are doing controltac printing or glossy canvas? Just overall glossy media apps on the Epson GS6000 did an excellent job of printing. As for the longevity of the prints for outdoor applications, especially canvas, you need to coat it with a PremierArts Printshield or any other coating sprays which will give the canvas up to a 5 year lifespan (of course if there are harsh outdoor elements like a lot of rain or snow type of environment, the life of the print will be cut down by half).
Outside of that, yes because of the Orange and the Green inks in the GS6000, if you're doing jobs for companies like Home Depot who are very particular about the Orange, you will be able to get the best Orange out of the printer. Just having the base orange helps. Same with the green. If you guys are doing controltac printing or glossy canvas? Just overall glossy media apps on the Epson GS6000 did an excellent job of printing. As for the longevity of the prints for outdoor applications, especially canvas, you need to coat it with a PremierArts Printshield or any other coating sprays which will give the canvas up to a 5 year lifespan (of course if there are harsh outdoor elements like a lot of rain or snow type of environment, the life of the print will be cut down by half).
phohenadel
New Member
I 'have' one of these on my demo floor, and it is an amazing machines, pretty speedy for the quality you get. There is nothing out there that can touch it's color gamut. Very very reliable as well.
buffalo.chuckl
New Member
Try pigment inks on the liquid laminates. the plastic polymers should stick better than the solvents. try it with a aqueous inkjet printer that uses hybrid pigment or pigment based inkjets like the Canon IPF series or the Epson 48XX, 78XX, 79XX, 98XX, 99XX. How thick is the laminate btw?
I'm also interested in hearing any firsthand experience with this machine. I have an 11880 I am very happy with, but am considering trading it in for this machine. I have been investigating keeping the 11880 for giclee work and getting a roland 4-color for outdoor durable, but with the price drop on the GS6000 I am now exploring this as well. This thing went down enormously.
Reading in that linked thread that some substrates weren't playing nice with the new inkset for the GS6000, anything to note on that subject? How has it performed with outdoor durable materials overall? I know it won't have the bite of a full solvent but I really like the idea of being able to use one machine for fine art reproduction as well as more traditional signage media.
This is kind of a hard one to answer to, but would you consider putting this printer in your house? I live an industrial work/live loft, so it's not like I live in a two bedroom colonial, but if I ever leave my current office space, I'd entertain moving operations to the house. I'm still skittish about the solvents.
This is kind of a hard one to answer to, but would you consider putting this printer in your house? I live an industrial work/live loft, so it's not like I live in a two bedroom colonial, but if I ever leave my current office space, I'd entertain moving operations to the house. I'm still skittish about the solvents.
astro8
New Member
Ok..I've been using mimaki solvents for years..the Epson ink bites the banner better, I wouldn't have believed it before I bought it, but it does. We print truck-back banners every month for Coke and they look superb.
We print fine art type prints for backlit advertising for fashion. I was using a 12 colour inkset Displaymaker to get the colour and depth in the backlit. I haven't used either the 2 mimakis or the Displaymaker since the Epson arrived..it's that good.
Our's is setep with the Ergosoft rip...
There is no odour from this printer..even printing banner at a fast pace where usually the mimakis would make you dizzy and eyes water..I can't smell the ink...they've removed the nickel from the ink as well.
The print quality and colour is simply amazing for a solvent printer.
We've printed banner, vinyl, backlit film, poster paper, wallpaper and have had no issues with substrates whatsoever.
It's actually the most boring printer I've ever used...it just works and I've been using it now for around three months and haven't even cleaned it yet, not once...that may sound ridiculous but it's the truth.
We print fine art type prints for backlit advertising for fashion. I was using a 12 colour inkset Displaymaker to get the colour and depth in the backlit. I haven't used either the 2 mimakis or the Displaymaker since the Epson arrived..it's that good.
Our's is setep with the Ergosoft rip...
There is no odour from this printer..even printing banner at a fast pace where usually the mimakis would make you dizzy and eyes water..I can't smell the ink...they've removed the nickel from the ink as well.
The print quality and colour is simply amazing for a solvent printer.
We've printed banner, vinyl, backlit film, poster paper, wallpaper and have had no issues with substrates whatsoever.
It's actually the most boring printer I've ever used...it just works and I've been using it now for around three months and haven't even cleaned it yet, not once...that may sound ridiculous but it's the truth.
