Epson 9600: is it hassle-free ?

[QT Luong]

Due to the lack of control of working in an open-loop with the Lighjet, I am considering getting my own 9600. I've looked at one for a while, however my experience with the smaller Epsons (not used for actual production of prints for sale) has been so frustrating, with endless banding, clogging problems, that I was until now reluctant to take on the supplementary task of operating and maintaining my printer. However, I got the feeling that the production-grade Epsons (4000,7600,9600) are totally different machines that perform much more reliably without needing
too much maintainance. Is it the case that they can be operated hassle-free ?

[Eric Leppanen]

I assume you have already read this....

www.outbackphoto.com/printinginsights/pi013/Epson9600.html

[Scott Fleming]

I'm in exactly the same place as you. Have you read Allain Briot's diary on Out Back Photo? I've read some of it and 'hassle free' is not a word I would use in describing the large Epson printers. As problematical as fighting with the lab can be ... fighting with printers still seems worse to me.

[Kosta]

A friend of mine recently picked up an HP 130C after attending PMA. He also had some large format scans done while he was there. So far, his favorite scanner was one by Creo (slightly out of my price range).

Anyway, he's still working on the learning curve, but has told me that the results of printing from the Creo scans are simply stellar.

He recently picked up an Epson 4990 scanner to perform comparisons. He sent me a tif file which contains a 1/8" square to compare the Creo to the Epson. Again he's working on the learning curve, but there was a huge difference in quality (that I hope to compensate for in photoshop to some degree - I simply cannot afford a $10K scanner like the Creo).

Anyway, have you considered an HP130C? I do not know how the price/features compare to the Epson 9600.

[Kirk Gittings]

In terms of production for my business.....Once I got past the very steep learning curve, my color management under control and some experience under my belt, my 4000 has become a great production machine with no hassles so far that were not created by my mistakes or ignorance. I use the Imageprint RIP which has its own learning curve also but great benefits. All in all it took me about 6 months of hard work and long hours to get up to speed, but now I am so thankful that I took this path. I am so much more productive and profitable than I was doing traditional color printing. There is no comparison. A friend of mine has a service bureau with two 9600's that he runs 24/7 printing art and they are very reliable. When I need bigger prints I take my files to him. My files plug right into his machines with very the appropriate soft proofing and very little tweaking. In all seriousness this is great technology for the price.

[Kosta]

Nevermind the previous, I see the 9600 prints 44" wide prints (the HP130C goes to 24" wide).

[Henry Ambrose]

I don't own any of the big Epsons but several friends have owned all the models mentioned and the main problem I see is from under use. I think they're better and more reliable when used everyday. Sitting for a couple of weeks is bad. Especially all the smaller Epson printers WILL give you trouble if you let them sit unused for too long.

[QT Luong]

It would have been difficult to miss Alain Briot's entry. It is the first google result for "Epson 9600". However, this is just one man's experience, and I wanted to hear from others as well.

[Paul Kierstead]

I don't use a 9600 (I use a 2200) but everything I have read says that it is the same w.r.t. to clogging: Use it or clog. Regular use of the 2200 and it never clogs. Let it sit for a while it reliably clogs *although* I have found keeping the humidity up (I think 42% is recommended or something) seems to help a lot, though you certainly can't keep the humidity that high in the winter around here. At the basic level, all the epsons put some relatively chunky ink (same forumulation) that is optimized for fast drying through very small holes. It will tend to cause trouble.

Colour management is a whole different issue of course, but this is there with any digital workflow.

[Keith S. Walklet]

QT,

When you say "open loop", is it because you don't have your own Lightjet? Few of us do! I know with Calypso (who prints my Lightjets) they use Bill Atkinson's profiles to close the color management loop so that what you see on your calibrated monitor is what you get.

Every technology has its pros and cons otherwise we'd all use exactly the same thing! ;-)

The 9600 comes close to perfection, but it has its own issues. Most are avoidable with proper care by the operator and maintaining an ideal operational environment.

Issues include:

"Bronzing" of the blacks due to the different reflectance values (which is not as noticable when under plex).
"Ditches in paper left under tension in the platen too long. (These appear as a subtle 3-inch or so crease which disappears if the image is dry mounted) and can be avoided by releasing the paper between prints.
"Paper flakes" with textured art paper that fall off after printing. (I brush my sheets before running them to loosen any flakes)
"Low abrasion resistance" of the printed surface (Ilfochrome isn't any better! but Lightjets gelatin surface seems slightly more durable). Careful handling avoids this issue.
Charlie Cramer's article in View Camera mentions the difference in blacks between the HP and Epson, but the HP is only a 24 inch paper path (so far!).
Banding has not been an issue since I started printing at 1440 dpi. It has virtually disappeared since I started doing all my Photoshop work in 16 bit, too. In fact, I can't remember the last image where I had to deal with banding.

That's it. My 9600 produces excellent prints with very accurate color (I downloaded Bill Atkinson's profiles) and thus far, it has proved very reliable. I have at least half a dozen friends that have them and run them VERY hard. I am thrilled to have my own printer and the ability to do test after test to fine tune an image to its best interpretation.