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Author Topic: G4 Run Epson 9800?  (Read 4756 times)

James Godman

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« on: May 23, 2006, 01:18:01 pm »

Hello everyone-

I'm a little confused as to what to do.  I need a large format printer and I'm considering the Epson 9800.  However, my laptop and my tower need updating.  I have a g3 laptop and a g4 tower (1gig ram) both running OS 10.2.8.  Will my tower work with the Epson 9800 with a ram upgrade and OS upgrade?  The Epson site recommends at least a G5.

I'm trying to wait for the Intel chips etc in the towers.  Or maybe I should get the new MacBook just for printing and upgrade the tower later?

I tend not to upgrade to the latest thing if what I'm using works.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks!
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James Godman
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framah

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2006, 03:46:10 pm »

I'm running my 9600 on a  dual 1.25 gb  G4 with no problems.  I, too want a G5 and a 9800  but I'm not ready to upgrade for the sake of having the latest toys.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2006, 03:46:51 pm by framah »
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mats

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2006, 01:47:14 am »

Hi!
I have run a 9600 on 800hz G4. Works ok, just a little bit slow as you would expect. Works with both the epson printer driver and imageprint.

Mats
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Gene Coggins

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2006, 04:15:59 pm »

<
Quote from: James Godman,May 23 2006, 01:18 PM
Hello everyone->

<I'm a little confused as to what to do.  I need a large format printer and I'm considering the Epson 9800.  However, my laptop and my tower need updating.  I have a g3 laptop and a g4 tower (1gig ram) both running OS 10.2.8.  Will my tower work with the Epson 9800 with a ram upgrade and OS upgrade?  The Epson site recommends at least a G5.>

You should have no problem with your G4 tower. However, I would update the operating system to 10.4.6. The amount of RAM is sufficient. I am currently running a 4800 with an Ethernet card on a G4 1.25 GHz and it runs exceptionally well. Forget the G3 laptop.

<I'm trying to wait for the Intel chips etc in the towers.  Or maybe I should get the new MacBook just for printing and upgrade the tower later?>

Why do you think you need the Intel chip? The ONLY advantage of the Intel chip is the reduction of heat within the chip. Good for laptops but unnessary for desktops. Currently, there is no native Photoshop application for the Intel chip. So Photoshop will run slower on the Intel. If I were going to purchase a new Mac, I would get the dual or quad G5.

Having said that, it is only a matter of time before Adobe, and others, write software for the Intel chip. So hold off on any purchase of new computer and wait for software AND hardware to come together.

<I tend not to upgrade to the latest thing if what I'm using works.>

Excellent concept.

Gene
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GregShapps

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2006, 08:18:25 pm »

Jimmy - what the heck are you printing that needs to be so large???

Splurge a tad and get a new machine already will ya!
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James Godman

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2006, 03:32:05 am »

Hey Gene-

Great info, thanks!  I'm trying to wait for the Intel towers and a native version of Photoshop because my large file sizes with layers etc., should run much faster.  For now, its a struggle.  Kind of like this:  Open file, make dinner, see if file open, OK, good, apply gaussian blur, eat dinner, see if blur completed, no, call long lost relatives and talk for hours etc.

Greg!  What's going on?  I need a big printer to keep doing my paintings.  I've been making prints, then painting all over them.  I even sold a few.  Can you believe that?  But I've been paying a guy to do the prints for me etc.  Also, I need to make editions of some photos;  people have been asking me.  Come on over if you wanna try it out, although I don't have it yet and I'll probably end up buying a used 1280 or something instead.

Hope you're doing well.
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James Godman
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Gene Coggins

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2006, 09:40:44 am »

<<
Quote from: James Godman,May 27 2006, 03:32 AM
Hey Gene-

<Great info, thanks!  I'm trying to wait for the Intel towers and a native version of Photoshop because my large file sizes with layers etc., should run much faster.  For now, its a struggle.  Kind of like this:  Open file, make dinner, see if file open, OK, good, apply gaussian blur, eat dinner, see if blur completed, no, call long lost relatives and talk for hours etc.>


Something is very very wrong with your G4! It sounds like you have a Mac Plus! I open a 450+ MB file in less than 30 seconds in Photoshop CS2 on my 1.25 GHz G4. Gaussian blur take me less than three sceonds. When you print the file goes to a print monitor file on the HD and is sent to the printer as the printer needs it. A 14 X 21" print takes about fifteen minutes to print on my 4800 at the highest quality setting.

Check to see if all your installed RAM is indicated in "About this Computer" window. You might also want to check Disk Permissions. Go to your Applications folder and scroll down to Utilities. In Utilities folder locate Disk Utility. Open and click on your HD in the left pane. Click on the First Aid tab at the top. Now click on Verify and Repair Disk Permissions. This sometime speeds up the computer.

Another area that may need to be repaired is disk fragmentation. You will need some sort of external HD utility to perform this function. But first, back up your all you files.

If your G4 is 500 MHz or more, it is worth taking it to a reliable repair facility and have it chacked out.

Gene
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James Godman

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G4 Run Epson 9800?
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2006, 02:29:45 pm »

Thanks everyone!  I ended up getting a macbook to run the 9800 (works great!) and I'm still holding off on getting a new tower.
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James Godman
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