Epson 4880 - Do I need the rip?

[djsulli]

Hi Everyone... Been scanning this forum for a while, lots of great info here!  But I haven't been able to get a clear answer to a couple questions i have...

I am a professional photographer looking to move into printing my own stuff for sale and exhibition, i'm currently considering the Epson 4880.

I have the space, i'm not concerned about the ink swap issue, most of my images are panoramic size ie: long and skinny horizontals.  I wont be adding much if any fonts, or graphics, i'm mainly looking to print my best images in the highest quality and by the most efficient and economical means possible.

So, to my question... do I need a Rip for the 4880?  I'm working on windows 7, my computer is new and max'd out, do the 4880 drivers work well enough to output gallery quality prints without a rip?  Ive looked at colorburst and imageprint, but im not convinced that either will improve my print quality enough to warrant the additional expense.

Also, any rumors of an update to the 4880 coming out soon?  Should i wait n see?  

Lastly, is there a way to print pano's on the 3880?  I imagine the colorburst rip will allow custom sizes? Im thinking my max size might be around 17" x 60".... but with this you are locked into the Epson papers, correct?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks //DJS

[ChuckT]

ColorBurst on a PC

FWIW - CB doesn't appear to have a functional Driver for 64 bit Win 7 yet.
cvt

[digitaldog]

Unless you are sending CMYK data (for proofing) or non raster images, you probably don't need a RIP. ColorBurst's primarily purpose is to send CMYK and such data to the Epson for proofing. This might help:
http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200609_rodneycm.pdf

[djsulli]

Thanks for the link, that was a very informative article!

Incidentally, I know the term "professional photographer" can be a relative term these days.  So to give you all an example of what i do, here's a link to a book I published a few years back:

http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=7s9cNA9DmIQC&dq=inauthor:%22Sean+Sullivan%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s

sorry if thats in spanish, im in Argentina right now and getting US google to come up is difficult.

Thanks again for the feedback!

//DJS

[teddillard]

Depending on the size of the panos you're printing, the RIP may help you out on that score.  The maximum length for a print, I believe, is 9 feet (generally, and it's determined by the system drivers as far as I understand it), and the only way to get past that is through a RIP.  Or at least was.  A while ago.  (read as: I'm not really sure of the current specs regarding this.  )

If you're looking to push the limits, you may want to look into this more...

Also, on B/W, my testing for my B/W book pretty well proved to me that there is a subtle increase in quality using a RIP like Colorburst- I think purists would argue that's the case with color printing too.  We're talking very small differences, but they're there, still. 

[KevinWilliams]

Being a photographer, check out the Shiraz Focus RIP, it allows for libraries and various template layouts for multiple photos. It also allows you to use profiles for different media. You should be able to download a demo on their website http://www.shiraz-software.com/ It is a nice rip that works on both Mac and PC

[PeterAit]

The 4880 is a terrific printer, and yes, you can get the highest quality exhibition images from it with the stock driver. If I had it to do over again I probably would have gotten the 24" version, you might want to think about that.

[Peter McLennan]

If I had it to do over again I probably would have gotten the 24" version, you might want to think about that.

Me, too.  I wish the 7900 had been available when I bought my 4800.

Especially if you're thinking of printing on canvas for gallery wraps.  You lose four inches of image width in the wrap.

[Sven W]

PhotoKina in Köln(Cologne), Germany, is just around the corner. If there is any big news, it sure comers out there.
The 4880 was launched in July 2007.
Check this:
http://www.epson.co.uk/Explore-Epson/About-Epson/Press-Releases/All/21-09-10-Epson-to-launch-new-products-at-Photokina/1227977590664

The ImagePrint RIP let's you print 327 inch (the 11880 prints 1000 inch with IP)

/Sven