Which RIP to go for on my new HP LX260

[dbot]

Hi Everyone

Ive just bought a new HP latex 260(26500)
I have been using flexi pro for the last 9years and been running an HP8000 and 9000 of this RIP. I have been happy with the RIP however i have heard that Flexi does not produce the best colours out there and there are other RIPs that do work better.

My love for Flexi has always been the fact that i can design and print from the same software. There is nothing better that just pushing the RIP/Print Button and pushing send voila.

My old 9000 is going and being replaced by the Latex. However i will still be running the 8000 as a back up machine and for basic jobs. The 8000 has to run off a 32bit PC which means i need to leave it with its current version of Flexi Pro. I have already bought a new i7 PC 64bit Win8 which i want to connect to the Latex.

This will mean that i need to buy a new license of Flexi Pro to run the Latex machine. I also want to be able to design on this 64bit machine. My first thinking was to just buy another license of Flexi Pro and start printing. However this License is gonna cost me about $2500 as i do get a discount on the my 2nd license purchased.

My question is..... Is not the time to rather go and buy a version of Onyx or Caldera or am i better of sticking with Flexi Pro.

If i was going to go for Onyx lets say i would then just buy a version of Flexi Designer and RIP via Onyx. My question is would i be irritated with the Exporting and Reimporting out of Flexi and find that the improvement in colours and features not worth it.

Forgot to mention i do not use any other software other that Flexi and i do not want to start learning Illustrator!! Most of the time we get artwork supplied by client who has done designs in Adobe type software. Flexi design features are just perfect for me and im happy with them.

 

[bigben]

I have a L26500 and use caldera rip with a macmini and love it. I'm not a mac lover, but at the time I did not have the time to built a linux computer.

 

[dbot]

thanks for that. Does Caldera need to run of mac only??

 

[nate]

Caldera with Linux. It's the way to go.

 

[bigben]

thanks for that. Does Caldera need to run of mac only??

mac or linux. If I would do it again, I would go with linux.

 

[dbot]

Oh Well caldera is not going to be an option for me.
I am really not interested in going down the whole Mac Linux route and learning curve etc. Im sure caldera is great im not disputing that but from what i can see you need to be sizeable shop to justify the extra cost of computers and learning curve.

Flexi definitely has its negatives i will never dispute that but when you run a sign shop and are just looking for a simple software that is built for sign making i think flexi is the winner.
What i think im gonna do it run a trial license on the machine for 30days and see if im banging my head against a brick wall. If its running satisfactory i will stick with flexi.

Are there any people out there that have used both Flexi and Onyx? What are the pros and cons.

 

[Bly]

I've never used Flexi but have run Onyx for years.
Works great with HP latex printers.

 

[P Wagner]

Are there any people out there that have used both Flexi and Onyx? What are the pros and cons.

Comparing FlexiSIGN with Onyx is like comparing a tomato to a pineapple (or some such nonsense). Flexi is an integrated design and production environment for cutters and printers. It is very adept as a design and production tool for traditional cut vinyl output.

Onyx is strictly a production tool for printers (and print & cut production).

Building a single tool that is supposed to do everything well inherently involves shortcuts and trade-offs. I am very familiar with both products, and we moved away from the Flexi RIP in favor of Adobe design tools and Onyx (and others) a number of years ago, and could not be more pleased with that decision.

 

[bigben]

Ohmac mini caldera is not going to be an option for me.
I am really not interested in going down the whole Mac Linux route and learning curve etc. Im sure caldera is great im not disputing that but from what i can see you need to be sizeable shop to justify the extra cost of computers and learning curve.

Flexi definitely has its negatives i will never dispute that but when you run a sign shop and are just looking for a simple software that is built for sign making i think flexi is the winner.
What i think im gonna do it run a trial license on the machine for 30days and see if im banging my head against a brick wall. If its running satisfactory i will stick with flexi.

Are there any people out there that have used both Flexi and Onyx? What are the pros and cons.

I'm a one man shop. A mac mini will cost you less than 400$ and I know some dealer in the US will make a package deal for a mac mini and Caldera pre-installed. I've used flexi with my last printer and trust me, Caldera is the way to go.

 

[chafro]

Im running 4 HP latex printers in one computer with onyx 10 and getting great results. Onyx could be better but I cant complain, gets the job done well.

 

[dbot]

How does onyx do on the cutting side. Must I still rather use flexi to do my standard cut vinyl jobs ?

 

[dbot]

oh well printer installed today.

Rather impressed the way it loads media. Find the machine extremely dummy proof. Not sure yet if its a good or bad thing.
Print quality is amazing!! Gonna be interesting to see how i enjoy it compared to my old 8000. Have a feeling im gonna be extremely happy.

More surprising is how im actually rather impressed with Flexi Cloud RIP. It seems to be running extremely well and obviously because im more familiar with it i find it much easier to use.

Did a 2sqmt on vinyl using HP Gloss Vinyl profile 10pass using onyx and it used 28ml of ink
Did the exact same print on Flexi using the same profile and seeting and it used 24ml of ink!!! rather surprised because everyone has been saying Flexi uses much more ink !!???

Did another canvas job test at 16pass and same result Flexi uses a little less ink every time. Colours are almost identical on both prints.
I definetley can see onyx has way more settings and features but my feeling right now is who wants all that. As long as i can drag and drop a job into the software select my profile and heater settings etc etc and push print. What more do i want?

Anway time will tell. i will be running both rips for the next couple of weeks before i make my final decision.