Digital Prints

Only a few desktop inkjets come with optional software RIPs from the manufacturer
(mainly HP and Epson), but many of the most popular printers (primarily Epson) are supported
by the major third-party RIP makers.
Many wide-formats come with their own RIPs, or you can purchase a RIP separately. The
Epson Stylus Pro wide-formats are sold without RIPs, but you can buy optional EFI software
RIPs from Epson, or there are more than 50 third-party RIPs available for printing
everything from fine art to signage. The HP Designjet 5500 comes in four different models
(and in two different sizes of each) with the “ps” versions providing built-in Adobe
PostScript 3 RIPs, and the non-ps versions ready to use an array of third-party RIPs. The
Canon imagePROGRAF W6200 comes with its own Canon Graphic RIP.
What About Service, Repairs, and Warranties?
Just like with cars, you will want to take maintenance and service into account when picking
a printer, especially a wide-format. In general, the more money you spend on the printer,
the more important this becomes. One of the reasons that many printmakers abandoned
IRIS printers was the cost and complexity of maintaining the already expensive machines.
Printmaker Jan Steinman researched IRIS printers but ultimately bought a 50-inch Roland
when he discovered that an IRIS service contract would run him $1,200 per month. (Lynn
Lown, another professional printmaker, points out that the cost of a maintenance contract
is a good indicator of how much maintenance an average machine will require.)
Being able to do simple parts replacements is an area where thermal inkjets have a slight
advantage. When an Epson printhead goes bad, you have two options (after the warranty
period): (1) spend the money to have it serviced or replaced at a service center or by an
on-call technician, or (2) throw the printer away and buy another. Clearly, if you’re paying
$99 for a printer, you wouldn’t spend double that for a new printhead, nor, conversely,
would you trash a $5,000 printer because of a bad printhead. On thermal printers where
the head is part of the ink cartridge, that becomes a non-issue; change cartridges and you’ve
changed the printheads! With individual-color printheads, it’s easy and relatively inexpensive
to replace them.
Tech support is one reason to go with an all-OEM solution, and not to mix different printers,
inks, and papers. The manufacturer will help you solve problems when you’re using
their products. As soon as you don’t, fingers start pointing in other directions, and the tech
support people are less willing—or able—to help.
All the major desktop printer-makers (Epson, HP, Canon, Lexmark, and Dell) offer oneyear
limited warranties. What this means is that you can exchange a bad printer for a new
one if there are any manufacturer’s defects, subject, of course, to certain conditions and
restrictions. Sending back a printer due to ink clogging if you’ve used third-party inks
won’t work; that’s one of the conditions. Wide-formats go even further in offering nextbusiness-day
exchange or on-site service under the standard one-year warranty, plus the
ability to buy extended warranties and service contracts after that.
Chapter 6 ■ Selecting an Inkjet Printer 203