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Author Topic: Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100  (Read 15709 times)

jpgentry

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« on: January 04, 2008, 10:13:44 am »

I am nearing a decision in the next week or so between these two printers.  I have been extreemly happy with my ipf8000 for the past year and am scared to go back to Epson because of clogs, slower print speed and higher ink usage.  I have heard good things in regards to the Epson 11880 in these areas.

My more specific questions are these:

1. Has anyone reported clogs with the 11880?
2. VERY IMPORTANT TO ME: How does the speed compare to the Canon?
3. I get the 700ml carts for my Canon around $250.  Has anyone found them for the Epson 11880 at that price?
4. How do the cleaning cycles seem to do as far as ink usage?

I know from a print quality persepective I don't really have to worry about either printer and most likely the Epson has a slight edge here.  I really don't care about this issue.  I just don't want to go back to the issues I had with my 9600 in any way.

-Jonathan
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Wayne Fox

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2008, 03:26:05 am »

Quote
I am nearing a decision in the next week or so between these two printers.  I have been extreemly happy with my ipf8000 for the past year and am scared to go back to Epson because of clogs, slower print speed and higher ink usage.  I have heard good things in regards to the Epson 11880 in these areas.

My more specific questions are these:

1. Has anyone reported clogs with the 11880?
2. VERY IMPORTANT TO ME: How does the speed compare to the Canon?
3. I get the 700ml carts for my Canon around $250.  Has anyone found them for the Epson 11880 at that price?
4. How do the cleaning cycles seem to do as far as ink usage?

I know from a print quality persepective I don't really have to worry about either printer and most likely the Epson has a slight edge here.  I really don't care about this issue.  I just don't want to go back to the issues I had with my 9600 in any way.

-Jonathan
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=164996\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

1.  Had my 11880 for two months now.  One clog so far, had to clear one channel (2 inks). I have the printer set to check nozzles before each print (new process unique to the 11880, it spits out a tiny bit of ink to verify each nozzle is clear ... amount of ink is miniscule).  One time, it initiated a cleaning cycle before it printed the print.
2.  I can't compare the speed against a Canon, however, it is substantially faster than a 9800.  A 20x30 at 2880dpi prints 57% faster on the 11880.
3.  Inkjetart.com has 11880 cartridges for 249.  (They list the Canon 700ml cartridges at 280)
4.  This is a tough one.  (for both printers).  I have a 6100 as well as the 11880, and both clean at various times.  Canons use more ink that previously thought (see the ipf wiki information).  I can't really say if the 11880 uses more or less than the 9800.  However, since it is clogging less often overall it seems to be an improvement.

Hope this helps.  I would say that from a print quality perspective, the difference between the two may be more than you think.  11880 output is impressive.  Build quality of the 11880 is nice as well ... seems more industrial and sturdy than the 9800.
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jpgentry

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2008, 11:13:26 am »

Thanks for the info.  I print at the lowest (fastest) setting on the Canon when using the "Fine Art Textured" media setting.  This results in 600dpi which is equal to Epsons second setting from the lowest where it prints 720dpi.  

With the 600dpi Bi-Directional setting on the Canon I can complete a 39x51 inch print on 44 inch canvas in 9 minutes from the time the printer goes into motion to the time it finishes.  The Canon does not have issues with banding on matte canvas at those settings and detail is excellent.  

I notice that the 11880 says it will print a 40x60 at 720dpi Bi-Directional at about 19 minutes.  Ouch!  Also this may be when printing on 60 inch media which would mean it would even take longer on 44 inch media.

I am seriously considering the 11880 but I would have to be sure that:

1. It can print acceptably in it's fastest setting on Matte Canvas (I would think it could.)
2. It will not have banding problems at this setting (haven't heard about quality at 720dpi on canvas.)
3. It will be fairly close in speed to the ipf8000 (does not look like it's even close.)

Again, for photo work the minute detail is an issue.  I do a small bit of that, but the above situation (canvas printing at fast speeds) is far more concerning to me.  That said the Canon does incredible photography and I'm not seeing much room for improvement.

I'm leaning back toward what I know is a great product for my needs in the ipf9100.  The price at this point is a little more than half that of the Epson.  I actually found the 9100 for about $7900.00.  It's getting harder and harder to justify the Epson.

I live near Washington D.C. and wish there was a place I could demo this machine to see if it fits the need.  Any recommendations?

-Jonathan


Quote
1.  Had my 11880 for two months now.  One clog so far, had to clear one channel (2 inks). I have the printer set to check nozzles before each print (new process unique to the 11880, it spits out a tiny bit of ink to verify each nozzle is clear ... amount of ink is miniscule).  One time, it initiated a cleaning cycle before it printed the print.
2.  I can't compare the speed against a Canon, however, it is substantially faster than a 9800.  A 20x30 at 2880dpi prints 57% faster on the 11880.
3.  Inkjetart.com has 11880 cartridges for 249.  (They list the Canon 700ml cartridges at 280)
4.  This is a tough one.  (for both printers).  I have a 6100 as well as the 11880, and both clean at various times.  Canons use more ink that previously thought (see the ipf wiki information).  I can't really say if the 11880 uses more or less than the 9800.  However, since it is clogging less often overall it seems to be an improvement.

Hope this helps.  I would say that from a print quality perspective, the difference between the two may be more than you think.  11880 output is impressive.  Build quality of the 11880 is nice as well ... seems more industrial and sturdy than the 9800.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165154\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 01:35:05 pm by jpgentry »
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jpgentry

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2008, 02:55:18 pm »

This is Canon marketing speak but here is what they write in regards to why their printer is better (I don't buy much of this except possibly the speed differences.)

Taken from here:
http://www.digitalgraphicsresources.com/Pr...ive%20Guide.pdf

"Competitive Alternatives

Let’s now take a look at the key competitors in the large-format printing marketplace.

EPSON STYLUS PRO 11880 64” WIDE-FORMAT PRINTER

Pros: This new professional-grade printer announced by Epson in Q2, 2007 is a large 64”-wide printer priced at $14,995.  Featuring Epson’s new MicroPiezo TFP print-head with nine ink channels and a total of 3,240 nozzles (360 per ink channel)
this new model is faster than earlier Epson products and offers high-resolution output up to 2880 x 1440 dpi with variablesize ink droplets as small as 3.5pl. Though the printer has nine ink channels, it prints with only eight at a time. Like earlier Epson printers, the 11880 uses the UltraChrome K3 ink system with photo black, matte black, light black, and light-light black inks. However, unlike earlier models, switching between photo black and matte black is now automatic. This printer also uses a new ink formulation that replaces magenta and light magenta with a new vivid magenta and vivid light magenta. Epson claims that the new “vivid” inks enable a wider color gamut, particularly for blues and purples. Epson UltraChrome K3 inks are rated lightfast, up to 200 years for color images and longer for black-and-white images. A new 16-bit printer driver provides support for a 16-bit workflow on an Apple® Macintosh® OS X operating system. Flexible media feed options that support roll feed, cut sheet, and printing on posterboard up to 1.5mm thick give operators multiple options when it comes to media throughput.

Cons: Though the Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer boasts a variety of impressive features, it falls short when compared to the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9100 printer. Slow print speeds, a narrower range of colors, and lack of workflow and
productivity solutions will limit this Epson printer’s appeal to customers who need to produce ultra-high-quality photography and fine art applications.
Customers who need to work efficiently may be frustrated by the Stylus Pro 11880 printer’s slow throughput speeds.  In Fine Mode (720 dpi), it prints at approximately 51 ft.2/hr.; in SuperPhoto Mode, it slows down to around 24 ft.2/hr.,
making it approximately 60% to 70% slower than the iPF9100 printer! Epson’s “vivid” inks might expand the color gamut in the blue and purple range, but what about the rest of the color spectrum? With the inclusion of red, green, and blue inks, Canon has expanded the printer’s color gamut to a range
closer to that of the Adobe RGB space. Canon’s wide tonal range, therefore, enables more faithful color reproduction of images captured by sophisticated digital cameras such as the Canon EOS Digital SLR.
Because quality output is heavily dependent on quality input, Canon has included additional software solutions such as Digital Photo Front-Access and the Print Plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Digital Photo Professional. With these additional
tools, photographers have more control over their images at every stage of the process. Producing accurate reprints may also be more difficult with the Stylus Pro 11880. Without a hard drive, print jobs cannot be stored at the printer and must be resent prior to printing. Without the ability to recalibrate the printer, customers may
also have additional problems matching reprints and colors from one printer to another. Though Epson assures customers that the printers are factory-calibrated, there’s no built-in mechanism to compensate for shifts that may occur due to
environmental conditions such as high humidity.  Here’s the bottom line—for customers with high performance and quality expectations, the imagePROGRAF iPF9100 printer provides a wide color gamut and more control over image input and output with greater efficiency and productivity than the Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer."

-Jonathan
« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 03:09:38 pm by jpgentry »
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Doyle Yoder

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2008, 03:01:32 pm »

One additional thing to consider. I don't know wether the 11880 has a hard drive or not. But I have found with my iPF9000 that I really like having that in there. I find it extremely useful as I have one client I print about a dozen different prints for pretty consistently and it is so easy just to log on to the printer with a browser or from the control panel and print from there.

Doyle
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ecarmel

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2008, 03:31:42 pm »

I decided on the Epson 11880 because of my good experience with past Epson Printers (9500, 9600, and 9800). They are real workhorses and can handle the very thick fine art papers. I did a post on my blog about the reasons I went with the 11880 - here is the link:

http://ecarmel.typepad.com/

I take delivery next week, have to create room in the studio and get the big canvas roll delivered. Will post my initial impressions on my blog. I will have to use the Epson driver instead of my usual imageprint RIP, since it is not ready for the 11880 yet (they say wait a few months).

Elizabeth Carmel
http://www.elizabethcarmel.com/
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jpgentry

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2008, 10:18:46 pm »

You made the right move but - WOW.  I can think of alot of reasons to buy the 11880 but past experience with Epsons is not one of them (for me.)  I absolutly hated my experience with the 4000/7600/9600 that I had in the past.  The clogs and ink switching were the largest printing blunders in history.  How could they let these issues carry through so many generations of printers!?

Alot of great prints were made with those old Epson printers and they were certainly the pioneers, but looking to the past only scares me when going to buy another one.  I am much happier buying the 11880 becuase of the excellent reports of how much BETTER it is than their past printers.

I'm up to just about 14000 square feet of media through my ipf8000 with no issues print head wise or anything else.  I recommend it highly for quality/speed/no clogging/reliability.

I will add to all this that I recently downloaded profiles from Breathing Color who make Breathing Color Chromata White (one of the best canvases.)  Viewing the profiles for the ipf9100 vs the 11880 using Gamutvision (gamut comparison) I am VERY impressed at the size of gamut from the Epson.  Is it 4000-6000 dollars better?  I'm leaning toward no.

-Jonathan

Quote
I decided on the Epson 11880 because of my good experience with past Epson Printers (9500, 9600, and 9800). They are real workhorses and can handle the very thick fine art papers. I did a post on my blog about the reasons I went with the 11880 - here is the link:

http://ecarmel.typepad.com/

I take delivery next week, have to create room in the studio and get the big canvas roll delivered. Will post my initial impressions on my blog. I will have to use the Epson driver instead of my usual imageprint RIP, since it is not ready for the 11880 yet (they say wait a few months).

Elizabeth Carmel
http://www.elizabethcarmel.com/
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165260\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 10:29:24 pm by jpgentry »
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jdoyle1713

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2008, 12:32:43 am »

Hey Johanthan

Well Here is my take..Sorry I didnt call by The way  ( I Asked Sarah to help you ) because I am at Imaging USA In Tampa Fl..

These Machines are like cars.. we all have different tastes..
Canon-Speed
Epson -Slow
Canon-Thermal User replaceable heads
Epson -New Piezo Heads
Canon-Horrid  Manual
Epson-Great Manual ( Tons Of User Help available as well )
Canon - Tech Support getting Better
Epson-Tech Support Pretty Good
canon 700 ML Inks
Epson 700ML Inks
Canon- Red, Green , Blue
Epson - Vivid Magenta's
Canon -4 Picoleter Droplet
Epson - 3.5 Picoleter Droplet

You can Go On and On..

Get The point.. I Know you have been doing your homework on these two machines for awhile now..If you need or want 60inches either machine will certainly make you happy.

As you know Johnathan Shades Of Paper is both a Canon Platium Reseller and a Epson Premier Elite Reseller which means we sell alot of BOTH..Each Machine fits
someone's needs wether it be budget or Requirements like I listed above. Only YOU the end user can make the desicion on wich one to get! Please Use everyones comments as suggestions on the machines. Maybe even have a file printed on both before you make the decison ( Its probably Worth the money) This way You can Decide and be Happy with the purchase as this isnt a small investment no matter which one you choose.

This is just my .02 worth..

Cheers,
Jim Doyle
http://www.shadesofpaper.com
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abiggs

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2008, 08:38:58 am »

Just some tidbits of information here. Don't lull yourself into thinking that you are going to see any 64" wide rolls of paper anytime soon. This is due to the lack of any coating heads that are wide enough to coat the paper at the mill. I have no idea why Epson decided to put out a 64" printer, when there is currently no capability to create paper for it. Strange.
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Andy Biggs
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« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2008, 09:26:03 am »

Epson already has double weight matte and enhanced matte in 64" available ( http://www.epson.com.au/Prographics/produc...=styluspro11880 ).

Not all printing is done on RC papers for photos, you know.

Going forward, perhaps they and others will see enough demand for 64" in RC papers and invest in the capacity to produce them.
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Phil Brown

abiggs

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2008, 09:28:54 am »

Quote
Epson already has double weight matte and enhanced matte in 64" available ( http://www.epson.com.au/Prographics/produc...=styluspro11880 ).

Not all printing is done on RC papers for photos, you know.

Going forward, perhaps they and others will see enough demand for 64" in RC papers and invest in the capacity to produce them.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165403\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I didn't realize that there were a few papers available. This tells me that there is at least one coating machine in the world that can accommodate the larger roll size. Thanks for sharing the info!
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jpgentry

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2008, 10:33:05 pm »

Thanks alot for the reply Jim.

If I had an hour with these two machines it would answer many of my questions but there are so many things that you can only find out with experience with the machine and so forums like this are great.  

I've really been going back and forth on these two, but ultimately I think I will go with the Canon for the price/speed advantage.  We'll talk tomorrow...

-Jonathan


Quote
Hey Johanthan

Well Here is my take..Sorry I didnt call by The way  ( I Asked Sarah to help you ) because I am at Imaging USA In Tampa Fl..

These Machines are like cars.. we all have different tastes..
Canon-Speed
Epson -Slow
Canon-Thermal User replaceable heads
Epson -New Piezo Heads
Canon-Horrid  Manual
Epson-Great Manual ( Tons Of User Help available as well )
Canon - Tech Support getting Better
Epson-Tech Support Pretty Good
canon 700 ML Inks
Epson 700ML Inks
Canon- Red, Green , Blue
Epson - Vivid Magenta's
Canon -4 Picoleter Droplet
Epson - 3.5 Picoleter Droplet

You can Go On and On..

Get The point.. I Know you have been doing your homework on these two machines for awhile now..If you need or want 60inches either machine will certainly make you happy.

As you know Johnathan Shades Of Paper is both a Canon Platium Reseller and a Epson Premier Elite Reseller which means we sell alot of BOTH..Each Machine fits
someone's needs wether it be budget or Requirements like I listed above. Only YOU the end user can make the desicion on wich one to get! Please Use everyones comments as suggestions on the machines. Maybe even have a file printed on both before you make the decison ( Its probably Worth the money) This way You can Decide and be Happy with the purchase as this isnt a small investment no matter which one you choose.

This is just my .02 worth..

Cheers,
Jim Doyle
http://www.shadesofpaper.com
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165350\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
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Brian Gilkes

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2008, 07:19:42 am »

Quote from: jpgentry,Jan 5 2008, 07:55 PM
"This is Canon marketing speak but here is what they write in regards to why their printer is better (I don't buy much of this except possibly the speed differences.)"

Wise

"Competitive Alternatives

Let’s now take a look at the key competitors in the large-format printing marketplace.

EPSON STYLUS PRO 11880 64” WIDE-FORMAT PRINTER
........
This printer also uses a new ink formulation that replaces magenta and light magenta with a new vivid magenta and vivid light magenta. Epson claims that the new “vivid” inks enable a wider color gamut, particularly for blues and purples. "

This claim is true.
Canon's 12 inks don't deliver  much more - less in reds, a bit more green.
The problem is that it is difficult to use RGB inks in the inkset and get linear response.




"Epson UltraChrome K3 inks are rated lightfast, up to 200 years for color images and longer for black-and-white images. A new 16-bit printer driver provides support for a 16-bit workflow on an Apple® Macintosh® OS X operating system. Flexible media feed options that support roll feed, cut sheet, and printing on posterboard up to 1.5mm thick give operators multiple options when it comes to media throughput."

So, what can Canon print on ?

"Cons: Though the Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer boasts a variety of impressive features, it falls short when compared to the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9100 printer. Slow print speeds, "

Piezo heads are slower then thermal. They also wear much faster. rendering profiles obsolete. and requiring rebuilding. Fine profiles cannot be made without considerable expertise.

"a narrower range of colors,"

Insignificant


 "and lack of workflow and
productivity solutions "

Rubbish. What "solutions" are best remains to be demonstrated on both machines. The reported lack of a decent Canon manual  dampens enthusiasm .

"will limit this Epson printer’s appeal to customers who need to produce ultra-high-quality photography and fine art applications."

This is some admission. What game are you in? If you want to print lots of point of sale posters , then the Canon looks like the go. For "ultra-high-quality photography and fine art"  Canon is essentially not recommending their own printer.

"Customers who need to work efficiently may be frustrated by the Stylus Pro 11880 printer’s slow throughput speeds.  In Fine Mode (720 dpi), it prints at approximately 51 ft.2/hr.; in SuperPhoto Mode, it slows down to around 24 ft.2/hr.,
making it approximately 60% to 70% slower than the iPF9100 printer!"

Well, it's around 2x faster than the 9800. OK, the Canon is faster. Speed is not everything.How precisely does Canon place it's droplets ? How close to perfectly spherical are they? There is a lot Canon is not saying.


" Epson’s “vivid” inks might expand the color gamut in the blue and purple range, but what about the rest of the color spectrum? With the inclusion of red, green, and blue inks, Canon has expanded the printer’s color gamut to a range
closer to that of the Adobe RGB space."

Very odd. The old Epsons gamut exceeded Adobe RGB and this one is larger still. See Joseph Holmes site for details.

" Canon’s wide tonal range, therefore, enables more faithful color reproduction of images captured by sophisticated digital cameras such as the Canon EOS Digital SLR."

Nonsense. No printer can get anywhere near the gamut of a camera sensor. Of course if you clip colours by outputting in Adobe RGB.....  "Faithful" on Canons picture styles menu needs a lot of Photoshopping to print well. If they mean accurate, then we are into colour management deep water.

"...........""



" Producing accurate reprints may also be more difficult with the Stylus Pro 11880."

I doubt it. I can produce extremely accurate reprints with a 9800 and I would expect no less from a 11880.
".........."

etc, etc

I note Nash Editions has bought a 11880.
For more on the Epson see the Joseph Holmes website.
I'm knocking this blurb, not Canon. I use  Canon camera gear, and love it. I remain very willing to be convinced that Canon large format printers are the best on the planet. If that happens I will buy one on the spot. It hasn't happened yet.
Cheers
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au
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Scott Martin

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« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2008, 10:52:37 am »

Quote
Canon's 12 inks don't deliver  much more - less in reds, a bit more green.
On what are you basing that? Gamut plots? When I make prints on the same paper from K3 and IPF x100 printers using profiles made the same way with Perceptual I'm clearly seeing superior reds, blues, magnetas from the iPF x100 printers... 100 out of 100 photographers that I have shown these prints to conclude the same.
Quote
The problem is that it is difficult to use RGB inks in the inkset and get linear response.
When I print a grayscale without a profile I'm seeing a nice neutral grayscale.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2008, 11:02:22 am by Onsight »
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Wayne Fox

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« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2008, 01:17:36 pm »

Quote
Just some tidbits of information here. Don't lull yourself into thinking that you are going to see any 64" wide rolls of paper anytime soon. This is due to the lack of any coating heads that are wide enough to coat the paper at the mill. I have no idea why Epson decided to put out a 64" printer, when there is currently no capability to create paper for it. Strange.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

There are more 60" media choices out there than most realize ... they just don't come from the suppliers most are used to using.

One example ...

[a href=\"http://www.wide-formatimaging.com/publication/guides_charts/files/chart_fineartmedia.jsp]http://www.wide-formatimaging.com/publicat...ineartmedia.jsp[/url]
« Last Edit: January 08, 2008, 01:41:18 pm by Wayne Fox »
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Wayne Fox

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« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2008, 01:40:35 pm »

Quote
On what are you basing that? Gamut plots? When I make prints on the same paper from K3 and IPF x100 printers using profiles made the same way with Perceptual I'm clearly seeing superior reds, blues, magnetas from the iPF x100 printers... 100 out of 100 photographers that I have shown these prints to conclude the same.

When I print a grayscale without a profile I'm seeing a nice neutral grayscale.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165890\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Strange ... because I'm not seeing what you claim, nor those I have shown prints to.

I've had an ipf6100 since August, an 11880 since October, and have printed identical prints as well as numerous test pages on both to compare, using various paper surfaces.  All profiles are built identically using Bill Atkinson's targets, either the 5202 for photo papers, or the 1728 for matte papers and canvas, read using an EyeOne i0, and built with ProfileMaker 5.

Both printers produce outstanding results, and if you look very hard you can find differences, but there is no way the 6100 is obviously superior in any way, and despite the onboard primary inks, the challenge of using those inks to "mix" with other colors becomes apparent because most light subtle  transitions are better on the 11880. Both printers achieve nearly identical dMax, but more often than not in rich and dark saturated colors the 11880 is better, but again, the differences are are pretty much insignificant.

Using a greyscale transition without a profile to validate the printers linearity using primary colors seems illogical.  In fact, printing anything without a profile to claim one is better seems pretty irrelevant.
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Scott Martin

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« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2008, 03:57:04 pm »

Quote
All profiles are built identically using Bill Atkinson's targets, either the 5202 for photo papers, or the 1728 for matte papers and canvas, read using an EyeOne i0, and built with ProfileMaker 5.
What gamut mapping option are you using? Have you compared solid RGBCMY ramps printed with perceptual on both printers and compared them cloesly? And more importantly, have you compared ProfileMakerPro(PMP) profiles to Monaco Profiler(MP) profiles on these printers? If not, let's chat a little offlist (as this could clog up the list quickly).
Quote
Both printers produce outstanding results, and if you look very hard you can find differences, but...., the differences are are pretty much insignificant.
I agree! We're splitting hairs. But to say the iPF delivers less reds isn't correct.
Quote
Using a greyscale transition without a profile to validate the printers linearity using primary colors seems illogical.  In fact, printing anything without a profile to claim one is better seems pretty irrelevant.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165920\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Oh, not at all! It's really hard to print an 8+ color greysacle and have it be very neutral. When calibrating a printer with a high end RIP this is one of the things we look for prior to profiling. If one can get  an excellent multicolor grayscale prior to profiling then the profile will perform better. So if the driver does so without a profile that's good news. Earlier drivers, like the Epson 1270 were horrible at this and seeing a poor greyscale was a sign that the profile was going to have to do the heavy lifting and the results would be less than optimal.

My media selection image (that you can download from my links page) can be used to test different driver media selection options and it does contain both grayscale and solid color ramps, as well as other things. Printing and evaluating such an image prior to profiling can tell you a lot about the native response of the driver/printer prior to profiling. In the case at point it looks like it would be inaccurate to say that it is difficult to get a linear response with RGB primary inks.
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Scott Martin
www.on-sight.com

Sven W

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2008, 04:17:52 pm »

I agree with Wayne....
but I must say that this discussion is really "apples to........apples".
It's fantastic that we have the industry making an effort to produce these machines for us!
So I actually don't care if it's Ep or Can or HP.
After all, there are so much more other things that produces a beautiful print....

/Sven
11880 printer
« Last Edit: January 08, 2008, 04:21:43 pm by Sven W »
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Stockholm, Sweden

jpgentry

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #18 on: January 08, 2008, 05:11:34 pm »

We'll I have the 9100 on the way.  It's running just over 1/2 the price of the Epson right now if you have a qualifying serial number for a trade-up.

Both are great printers and price/time no object I may have gone Epson, but price is an object and print speed is important to me so I'll let you know how the Canon does.

-Jonathan

P.S. and a quick plug to Jim from Shades of Paper who has always bent over backwards for his customers.  Thanks Jim!
« Last Edit: January 08, 2008, 05:21:00 pm by jpgentry »
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Brian Gilkes

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Epson 11880 vs Canon ipf9100
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2008, 07:42:06 am »

Congratulations.
Let's know how it goes.
Just to balance my noting of Nash with an 11880 , I note Franck Bordas is using the Canon .
Previously he was all Epson .
Cheers
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au
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