EPSON 5000 is a class 1 proofer; EPSON 7000/9000 is a class 2 proofer
Inkjet proofers that use six colors instead to render (cyan, magenta,
yellow, black, light cyan, light magenta)
EPSON 5000 maximum imageable area: 12.6 by 18.3
EPSON 7000 (roll-fed) maximum width: 24"
EPSON 9000 (roll-fed, wide-format) maximum media width: 44 with
margins of 3 mm on each side
All proofers are driven at 720 x 720 dpi directly from Prinergy. The
maximum resolution of all devices is 1440 dpi x 720 dpi, although the
1440 dpi setting is rarely used, even by third-party RIPs; the BestRIP
only drives at 720 x 720 dpi. The ORIS Color Tuner spools raster data
from Prinergy via the EPSON printer driver but even so, you'll just want
to output 720 dpi TIFFs.
NOTE: If you are a member of the Creo sales
organization, it is strongly recommended that you read the Prinergy and Epson FAQ
as these devices are extremely popular and you will encounter them
frequently in the field. The FAQ will assist you in properly setting the
customer's expectations. If you are a member of the Creo service
organization, read the Limitations section
below, as there are many technical issues to be aware of.
The fastest way to print to these EPSONs is to use
the direct connection whereby Prinergy spools raster data directly to the
printer via LPD on the NT server. Ethernet should connect the EPSON to the
network. You need to order a special NIC from EPSON, order part #C823632. There
are two supported third-party RIPs for the EPSON 7000/9000: one is the BestRIP
from Best Color; the other is ORIS Color Tuner from CGS. When spooling data to
the BestRIP or Color Tuner, Prinergy sends CT TIFFs at 720 dpi. One distributor
that specializes in configuring BestRIP systems for use in Prinergy shops is http://www.prepresshelp.com.
The Creo contact is Jerry Huffman (jhuffman@prepresshelp.com). CGS
specializes in selling Color Tuner RIPs specifically for pre-press proofing, and
sells their own ink and consumables (http://www.cgscanada.com;
http://www.cgs.de/index_en.html).
With the direct connection provided by Prinergy 1.1
patches 69 and 88, you can drive the EPSON 5000/7000/9000 at engine speed. The
BestRIP has the ability to RIP and print on the fly, but it will still be
somewhat slower than the direct connection. However, none of the customers
contacted who have the BestRIP see this as unacceptable.
Never make a commitment to the customer to create an ICC profile
custom-tailored for their particular 5000/7000/9000. You can spend days,
if not weeks, tweaking the color so that its just right. If the
customers buys a BestRIP from http://www.prepresshelp.com,
they will get free custom ICC profiling from the distributor.
If the customer is complaining about excess ink (especially black)
soaking through the media, check to see what type of media the customer
is buying. Thin photo glossy paper is a definite no-no. The only types
of paper that seem to provide consistently good results are the EPSON
backlight film, semi-gloss paper, matte paper-heavyweight, presentation
matte, and Dumont commercial proofing paper (glossy and matte).
Third-party variants should be treated with suspicion. (This tip only
applies when connecting to the EPSON directly. When you go through the
BestRIP, you won't have this problem.)
Remember when tweaking the Harmony calibration curves, you can only
apply calibration to the CMYK colors and not the light cyan or light
magenta.
Never refer to the EPSON 5000/7000/9000 as a contract proofer,
especially if the customer is planning to drive the EPSON directly from
Prinergy. Note however, that the customer can get very good results,
near contract proof quality, if they use the BestRIP and bring in a
consultant to do custom ICC profiling.
