ColorSpan Esprit LF printer, any experience?

[bill_glickman]

I am interested in hearing any input from users with experience with either Colorspans new Display Maker Esprit or the Series XII. I have heard mixed reviews and would appreicate any input. I plan to use it for archivable landscape prints...it appears their version of long life UV inks is the ultimate cross over point for longevity and vivid colors. Thank you in advance...

[jerry_gryz]

I am interested (same as you) to learn more about DisplayMaker Esprit.

Just three days ago I spoke with sales person from Colorspan. He

informed me that DisplayMaker Esprit is the right printer for Fine

Art reproductions, and is capable of printing Giclee quality prints,

using proper RIP. If somebody have any experience with DisplayMaker

Esprit, please contect me by email.

Thank you for advise.

Jerry Gryz

[boris_missirkov]

Well, our studio in Sofia, Bulgaria just bought an Esprit a couple of

weeks ago. First impressions: the prints are really nice, but all

profiles supplied with the software RIP definitely need tuning. The

total ink limit for almost any media is too high and the inks are

literally flowing on the paper. The slight problem is that you need at

least additional 2500$ for the Color Mark software and use the

printer's CCD camera and a lot of media to build your custom profiles

- or borrow a ColorSpan server with an X-Rite DTP41.

 

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The other problem is the ink delivery system - a really tricky one.

Once you've got some 10-20% of any colour left, you have to start

playing quite complicate game of squeezing the ink in the pack towards

the pipe to avoid vacuum problems, placing the pack at different

height so that the ink flow does not stop, and so on. As someone at

FLAAR site said, it's "operator intensive" - and I'm getting to

understand this now...

 

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As a whole, the Esprit still seems a good solution for our

photographic needs - as long as we manage to find a solution to

calibrate the profiles and learn the inks game...

 

<p>

 

Any suggestions for Web sources on fine-art large format printing -

colour and B/W?

 

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All

[byard_pidgeon1]

I evaluated several large format printers, and then purchased an

Esprit, along with the RIP server. I haven't found it difficult to

maintain...in fact, I've been pleasantly surprised that after it's

left alone for days, I can run a prime strip and then just print.

I've found, so far, that what I see on my Mac monitor is very close

to what the printer produces. I've also done some tests of the

EnduraChrome inks, by putting several sections of a print in

different light...one received full morning sun in an east window

from July 20 through October 20, and is still barely distinguishable

from another section that received no sun for the same time...it is

very slightly faded, but shows no color shift. If possible, I suggest

attending ColorSpan's free training and maintenence seminars, as I

intend to do in the spring.

[bostjan]

Hello

 

After visiting Photokina fair, Koln, Germany I decided to buy turnkey solution (Printer SERIES XII 72", RIP, Spectrophotometer). After some tests I've made I think I choose right solution. Well almost...

 

I think 12-color mode with apparent 1800 dpi resolution is tricky advertising move. Why? You can get 12 color (CYAN, MediumCYAN, LightCYAN, MAGENTA, MediumMAGENTA, LightMAGENTA, YELLOW, BLACK, BLUE, ORANGE, RED and GREEN)+ 4 types of black (DarkBLACK,MediumBLACK,... I don't know why black why not grey) types of ink. But rmember DYE ink. Colorspan commercial name is EnduraChrome. But if you want longlasting ink type you get only 6 colors (CYAN, MediumCYAN, MAGENTA, MediumMAGENTA, YELLOW, BLACK). It is strange because for MUTOH or some other printer you can get also other colors.

 

All profiles I got with Colorspan PrintserverG2 (really expensive think costed me almost like printer itself) which I tested seems to have problems with green output. Extremely noticeable was light yellow gradients on white backgrounds. Output was really strange becouse it had a kind of "HALO" effect (well known to Photoshop users). Around 2-3% yellow (I mesuared value later in Photoshop) appears blurry-noisy green outline + instead of yellow I've got green output. I solved problem with new profiles I made with DTP41 measuring device.

 

We can find good and bad things on Colorspan equipment but it's the same with other manufacturers.

 

At the end I decided for printer for its 40% off special offer, width, speed, 6+6 combination (6 DYE+ 6 PIGMENT INK), etc....

 

Regards

Bostjan Majcen, i.d.g.