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Author Topic: Is ImagePrint worth it?  (Read 3487 times)

Tom H.

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« on: July 04, 2009, 06:50:27 pm »

From what I've been able to read on line, some have described it as "printing nirvana".
At half the original cost of my printer I would hope so.
The lite version is about 450.00USD, wich seems like a lot for a driver.
Still, the B&W is supposed to be the most dramatic improvemnt, but I will print viritaully all colour.
I might be able to get an old version at a good price and wonder what people's experience with this product has been.
Many thanks in advance!
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abiggs

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2009, 08:23:57 pm »

Tom, Imageprint was pretty much needed on the Epson 2200 and similar generation printers from Epson. Since then, ink technology, screening and other enhancements in the printer driver have pretty much made Imageprint less effective or needed. My recommendation would be to upgrade your printer, as you will end up with better prints with less hassle.
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Andy Biggs
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2009, 09:06:55 pm »

Andy is absolutely right.

I went through hell trying to get decent color on my 2200 and finally ended up with Imageprint, which did me just fine (including printing for three solo exhibits.) For black-and-white I found I got much better results with QuadToneRIP (very cheap but good, B&W on Epson printers only.)

A few months ago I upgraded to a 3800, and with manufacturers' canned profiles and Eric Chan's FAQs for the 3800, I have no need whatever for Imageprint any more. 

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budjames

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2009, 09:15:38 pm »

I had an Epson 2000 and 2200 along with various versions of Image Print, first for WinXP and then for Mac OSX (my current platform).

The results from IP 6.1 printing to my 2200 were much better than the canned Epson profiles. I printed only color prints and I found that IP produced much better shadow details. The best part of IP to this day is that if you print to various different papers from a mix of manufacturers, the IP profiles can be downloaded from their web site for free. They are excellent.

Now with LR and PS CS4, I get great results using Epson, Moab and Hahnemuhle papers and the factory supplied profiles print to my R2400. Printing directly from LR is great as long as you stay with a narrow range of papers that are well supported with factory profiles.

Cheers.
Bud James
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Bud James
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Kumar

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2009, 05:34:29 am »

I have ImagePrint 6 Lite for my PM-4000PX (2200 in the US), and yes, for black and white it is indeed far superior to the Epson driver. However, you're limited to the profiles that IP provides, at least for B&W. I'm experimenting with QTR, and have managed to get extremely close to what I see with IP, at least on Epson Enhanced Matte. QTR's documentation is scattered all over the net, and takes time to understand. I haven't used IP for color much, because almost all my work these days is B&W.

Cheers,
Kumar
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BernardLanguillier

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2009, 11:01:39 am »

I have very happy with the results provided by IP7 on my Epson PX-6000 (4000 in the US), that is until the head let me down.

Besides the very real enhancement of default Epson profiles and drivers, there is another thing you should be aware with IP is that they are having major problems dealing with inksets made up of 10 or 12 inks. As far as I know they still haven't been able to address the HP-3100 that was released 2 years ago (I guess that multiple HP firmware changes didn't help either), and the support for the Epson-7900 and 9900 released end of 2008 is not here yet either.

So it makes it a questionable investement, coupled with the fact that they charge more for larger printer than small ones... even if you buy IP for a supported 17 inch printer this month, there is no garantee that your next 24 inch printer is going to be supported quickly after it is released, and even if it were you would have to pay more...

Investing in a good profiling solution might be a better option if you intend to be creative with papers.

Cheers,
Bernard

Jeremy Payne

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2009, 11:48:12 am »

Sometimes I hate the internet ...

A friend is going to give me his used Epson 2200 ... and I was really excited ... and I read Michael's old review and got even more excited.

And then I read this thread and find out my new free printer is gonna need a custom $500 driver to work well ... ARGHHH!

;-)
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Tom H.

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2009, 08:27:03 pm »

Quote from: Jeremy Payne
Sometimes I hate the internet ...

A friend is going to give me his used Epson 2200 ... and I was really excited ... and I read Michael's old review and got even more excited.

And then I read this thread and find out my new free printer is gonna need a custom $500 driver to work well ... ARGHHH!

;-)

You're not really going to need a new custom driver for 500.00, it's just that in certain situations, ImagePrint provides better results!
I've been using my 2200 witht various Epson drivers for years, and getting their profiels or other manufacturer's profiles, with decent results.
It's just that I'm trying to breath a little more life into mine before upgrading - yet again.
If you can get your hands on it, DO. It's a great little printer, though not a good as the ones today.
My biggest issue with it has been bronzing, especially on glossy surfaces. In B&W mode the metamursism (sp?) is also a bit of an issue, even with Gray Ballancer which I have (including the greay scale cards from Europe!).
Finally, I've cranked out some great 13x44 prints with ease with scans from my X-Pan, some printers today have trouble with prints that long.
Short answer though is grab it!
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Kumar

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2009, 08:46:30 pm »

Yes, of course, grab it! It's great for B&W. I can send you (or anyone else who wants to test it) the B&W profile for QTR that I'm currently using with Epson Enhanced Matte and you can see if it works for you. Later on, you might want to experiment with the specialized B&W inksets.

Cheers,
Kumar
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Jeremy Payne

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2009, 09:57:02 pm »

Quote from: Kumar
Yes, of course, grab it! It's great for B&W. I can send you (or anyone else who wants to test it) the B&W profile for QTR that I'm currently using with Epson Enhanced Matte and you can see if it works for you. Later on, you might want to experiment with the specialized B&W inksets.

Cheers,
Kumar
Cool! Thank you.  I should have the printer in about a week or so ... you can email me at jeremypayne 'at' yahoo 'dot' com.

Forgive my ignorance ... is QTR another 3rd party driver or something else?
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Kumar

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Is ImagePrint worth it?
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2009, 04:38:13 am »

Quote from: Jeremy Payne
Cool! Thank you.  I should have the printer in about a week or so ... you can email me at jeremypayne 'at' yahoo 'dot' com.

Forgive my ignorance ... is QTR another 3rd party driver or something else?

I sent you the mail. For details on QTR, see here: http://www.quadtonerip.com

Cheers,
Kumar
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