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baryonyx · Feb 14, 2002, 05:54 PM

I'm finally going to admit it to myself that I got rooked out of $1200 for what is essentially a $150 printer with an Ethernet card and a decent PostScript RIP.

Want to print a photograph that actually looks like it might approach continuous tone quality? This printer won't do it. One of my son's little fourth-grade friends sent him a home-made valentine output from a printer that looks better than anything the Stylus Color 3000 has ever given me.

Right now I'm fighting--as a I have since the beginning--this printer's tendency to print bands of color coupled with bands of noise. Cleaning the print heads doesn't work. Switching Media Type modes doesn't seem to work. Anybody have any suggestions?

I also have never been able to get decent color consistency using ColorSync. Has anyone had success with that?

Or better yet, is there a printer out there that will print tab size and be able to utilize StylusRIP? This thing is days away from being landfill once I find a replacement.

Andy

Corys · Feb 14, 2002, 06:40 PM

it's been my experience with the epson 3000, that it truly is the low end in it's line..I feel the same as you, the 3000 is really a 1520 with an ethernet card.
I have been through a 3000,5000, and now a 7000.
the 5000 and 7000 have produced great results for me...
what type of paper are you printing on? if it's not an epson branded paper, get some and try it..
also be sure your paper settings are correct in your page setup.. (High Quality inkjet for the epson uncoated stuff)
I have also had good luck with the iproofsystems Power RIP, it used to be called Birmy Power RIP. you can download a free demo from http://www.iproofsystems.com This RIP has produced very accurate color for me on the 5000 using the dupont/epson commercial proofing paper.

if you can't get the results you need, you could step up to a 5000 or a 5500. you can pick up the 5000 fairly cheap for around $2000

Cemetery Man · Feb 14, 2002, 08:11 PM

Almost 2 years ago I bought an EPSON 1270 Photo printer and I don't have a single complaint with it. It has always output amazing prints fast and simple. The photographs I print are very hard to tell apart from the originals and text and graphics are always smooth and look excellent. I work in the pre-press department of a printing company and we have an EPSON Stylus Pro 5000 (which is now collecting dust due to it's shortcomings) and i can honestly say that the quality of my 1270 Photo blows the Pro 5000's prints so far out of the water it's not even funny. I can't understand how a $500 printer can beat a $1000+ printer so badly but it does in BIG ways. The only thing that sucked was that when I first bought my 1270 I needed a RIP and the StylusRIP was not compatible so I had to buy Adobe PressReady which cost about $100 more that the StylusRIP. Now, EPSON has a 1280 Photo printer for the same price I paid for my 1270 (about $500) and the StylusRIP is now compatible with the 1280 and the 1270. I'm sure the 1280 is just as awesome if not better than the 1270 and I know from experience that the 1270 kicks much a$$.

[ 02-14-2002: Message edited by: Cemetery Man ]

[ 02-14-2002: Message edited by: Cemetery Man ]

registered_user · Feb 15, 2002, 03:35 PM

I have the Epson 1520 here at work, our neighbor has the 3000. I can't see a difference beyond the 1520 is smaller, and it uses smaller ink carts.

I have the HP 1220C at home. I don't use the RIP too much at home, but I have had no problems with it at all. (I can't remember what the RIP is exaclty, I think it's Adobe Press Ready). AND, best of all: it's quiet. Epson has got to make the noisiest printers I have ever heard. What are they doing when you turn them on? Is it really necessary? My hp doesn't do that.

edit: Did I mention that the hp has killer output? It really does. Well, as far as inkjets go, which is really quite good as long as you don't get out the loupe!

[ 02-15-2002: Message edited by: registered_user ]

danbrew · Feb 15, 2002, 10:56 PM

I have a shotgun. And a machinegun. Can I come over and turn that thing into swiss cheese for you? (grin)

danbrew

baryonyx · Feb 16, 2002, 12:27 PM

Originally posted by danbrew:
I have a shotgun. And a machinegun. Can I come over and turn that thing into swiss cheese for you? (grin)

Lately I've been wondering how much it would dull my axe if I took that to it. Then I wouldn't have to worry about local firearms discharge ordinances...

Any of the printers mentioned above support tab size? That's my main requirement, other than good output.

Thanks!

Andy

registered_user · Feb 16, 2002, 06:39 PM

The hp 1220C is tabloid size. So is the Epson 1520. But I prefer the 1220. It's silent, and that's oh so nice. And, in my opinion, the output is nicer. The hp is $499 with the RIP, the Epson is $399 -- but I think they'll get another $99 for Stylus RIP, though it sounds like you already have that.

I used to love Epson - until I got my hp.

baryonyx · Feb 17, 2002, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by registered_user:
I used to love Epson - until I got my hp.[/QB]

HP has been making excellent printers for years. Their LaserJet 4MP was in use by every publishing house in New York City for a while there. I actually have an original DeskWriter--the first inkjet printer, I believe. Cost me $800 for "laserwriter-like" resolutions of 300 dpi! This was in 1990.

Andy

jim_stone · Feb 22, 2002, 06:33 PM

I have the Epson 1200 at work; don't have a PostScript RIP, but I do have Acrobat. Most of my jobs are sent to clients as PDF files for proofing, and my Epson can print PDFs just fine. (I work in Quark, Freehand, Photoshop) So if you aren't interested in, or can't afford a RIP-- or if your printer isn't supported-- consider investing in Acrobat instead.

redrockdes · Feb 26, 2002, 12:19 PM

I've had the 3000 for about 4 years. When it first came out, it really was sort of a "dream machine" and there weren't many other printers that offered its resolution/paper size. It's just outdated now, way too slow for business use. I keep it for printing family photographs, which it does just fine when disconnected from the PostScript RIP and when using Epson paper. ColorSync doesn't work with it.

When I used to depend on it for printing layouts and I used the PostScript RIP, I occasionally got errors but nothing like what you describe. It was just slow, and the saturated inkjet colors led to some misunderstandings by clients about what the true color on press would look like. So I have a Tektronix Phaser laser printer now that yields more realistic color more quickly.

baryonyx · Feb 26, 2002, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by redrockdes:
...I have a Tektronix Phaser laser printer now that yields more realistic color more quickly.

How much does that cost?

Andy

redrockdes · Feb 26, 2002, 02:31 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by baryonyx:
[QB]

How much does that cost?

Andy

The one I have cost about $7000 when I bought it 2 years ago. It's a color laser printer capable of printing on 13 x 19 paper, so it's on the high end, but I think Xerox (who bought Tektronix) might have newer models now that are less expensive.