Hi all, we are needing to make a decision on a proofing rip purchase for our prepress dept. so a little info:
Proofer we currently use is an HP Z2100, 4 years old but very light usage, proofing for one Heidelberg sheetfed, would like something that can take advantage of the onboard spectro of the Z2100.
We do have another proofer/printer in our design department that is used for their proofing purposes that is an HP 130.
Is there a rip that we can use to drive both printers in different departments?
I have had very good results and luck with Ergosoft. I would request demos from each of the major players in the market. A good place to start is to look online at the HP website as there is a support matrix which shows what features of your printer are supported by each rip.
I have known several testers and I think a good option is the HP Z3200 12 CMYK + RGB and two shades of gray, plus a transparent ink HP has this 100-year warranty on the impression, though I think check not achieve this guarantee.
I recommend it because I have one and created profiles, and then printed the letter Colorchecker and DE was 0.2 to 2.1, is really good.
although these devices the most important thing is to have a correct configuration of the simulation of the color of your Heidelberg or color profile you use for this.
I know that EFI Colorproof XF 4.5 will run both of those printers without any problems. I just checked on my copy of XF 4.5 & both printers are listed but I’m not sure if the 130 can be used as a halftone or contone device or if it is used as an RGB device. The Z2100 can be used as either HT or CT for both printer sizes.
I do know that with the excellent profile optimization/3cc capabilities in the most recent versions of XF 4.1 & newer, the matching capabilities are excellent, EFI claiming something like dE2000 1.0-1.5 avg for 1617 patch IT8.7/4 chart or FOGRA media wedge 2.2 or 3.0.
With the on-board i1 in your Z2100 you can even completely automate the entire process of creating the base linearization, then the profile & finally the 3cc profile optimization adjustment file. I’d love to have that capability but I don’t use any printers with on-board spectros.
Get a demo of Ergosoft Posterprint or Studioprint. It is really easy to use, works well and profiling is very simple and very accurate. It is one of few rips that has integrated ICC profile evaluation.
