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Computers and Software => RIPs => Topic started by: IntegrityShirts on May 18, 2012, 09:48:33 AM

Title: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 18, 2012, 09:48:33 AM
Picked up a used Epson 4000 only on its second set of ink carts so it's in tip top shape.

What inks do you guys run in these beasts?  I know some of you just print with the epson color carts and get the films dark enough...what settings are you using in the driver dialogue to get the darkest print?  Paper type? etc?

For those with all black systems, what ink do you prefer?  Did you buy actual black ink carts and put them in the color slots or did you buy bulk ink and refill the color carts and "reset" the chips?

And finally RIP.  What I'd like to do is be able to print from illustrator, straight to films with only choosing line angle and lpi.  Is that possible witch all RIPS? TIA
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: Sbrem on May 18, 2012, 10:45:53 AM
AccuRIP will do what you want, plus allow you to fill all cartridges with black ink. You can get empty carts and ink from inksupply.com, very reasonable, it's what we use.

Steve
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 18, 2012, 01:24:01 PM
AccuRIP will do what you want, plus allow you to fill all cartridges with black ink. You can get empty carts and ink from inksupply.com, very reasonable, it's what we use.

Steve

Thanks, I'll download the trial and see how it goes.

Inksupply.com has good pricing on bulk ink, do you just buy the black dye based ink?  I found a set of refillable 270ml carts on ebay for $135 with a chip resetter, not sure if they need to be fancy or just hold ink without leaking.
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: dsh on May 18, 2012, 01:46:16 PM
"Ditto" for Accurip.
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: stitches4815 on May 18, 2012, 01:52:33 PM
I have accurip and does a fine job.
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 18, 2012, 02:01:21 PM
Only thing I'm noticing with Accurip, and it might just be left out, but the all back option in the software doesn't list the 4000 as being supported?  That true?
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: JBLUE on May 18, 2012, 02:06:50 PM
I run Accurip on my 4000. I also run refillable bulk ink tanks. Two channels on black and the rest clear.
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 18, 2012, 04:45:26 PM
I run Accurip on my 4000. I also run refillable bulk ink tanks. Two channels on black and the rest clear.

So you run a black in each bank and the other three tanks are filled with clear?  Does it mix clear in with the black when it prints or is that a cleaner?  Sorry, Epsons are all new to me.

Do you set it up in Accurip specifically for your setup?
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: Sbrem on May 18, 2012, 04:53:01 PM
AccuRIP likes to use black in all carts, but for questions, give them a call and ask for Charlie Facini. He wrote it (I think) and can answer just about any question for you. When we first got it, we were having a network problem, and even though it wasn't his problem, he figured it out for me. That's pretty good service.

steve

and yes, I use the dye based ink. We buy it in pints for $30.00 per
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: JBLUE on May 18, 2012, 07:58:15 PM
I run Accurip on my 4000. I also run refillable bulk ink tanks. Two channels on black and the rest clear.

So you run a black in each bank and the other three tanks are filled with clear?  Does it mix clear in with the black when it prints or is that a cleaner?  Sorry, Epsons are all new to me.

Do you set it up in Accurip specifically for your setup?

The clear is in there to keep it moist if you will. I only print through two channels. You can have it print through all or one. I just did not want to fill 8 bulk cartridges with black ink.
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: ebscreen on May 18, 2012, 08:11:32 PM
With dye based ink it should work with one black and GhostScript/View. The beauty of the triple ought series.

Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 19, 2012, 01:31:43 PM
AccuRIP likes to use black in all carts, but for questions, give them a call and ask for Charlie Facini. He wrote it (I think) and can answer just about any question for you. When we first got it, we were having a network problem, and even though it wasn't his problem, he figured it out for me. That's pretty good service.

steve

and yes, I use the dye based ink. We buy it in pints for $30.00 per


Ok trying to narrow down which ink you're using.  Is it this dye based ink?:

http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESC1200PT-K (http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESC1200PT-K)

Thanks!
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: blue moon on May 21, 2012, 10:12:45 AM
I very strongly suggest giving Film Maker a shot. You can download the trial at cadlink.com. AR is a fine program, but FM does produce cleaner output and has a lot more controls. I think it is cheaper too!

pierre

p.s. AccuInk from Chromaline is what we use with the 4800. Our films are almost twice as dark as before! It is pricey, but considering how little that really ends up being per page it is not even worth mentioning the price!
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: Sbrem on May 21, 2012, 11:00:58 AM
AccuRIP likes to use black in all carts, but for questions, give them a call and ask for Charlie Facini. He wrote it (I think) and can answer just about any question for you. When we first got it, we were having a network problem, and even though it wasn't his problem, he figured it out for me. That's pretty good service.

steve

and yes, I use the dye based ink. We buy it in pints for $30.00 per




Ok trying to narrow down which ink you're using.  Is it this dye based ink?:

[url]http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESC1200PT-K[/url] ([url]http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESC1200PT-K[/url])

Thanks!


the label says "D2-PT-K"  (dye, pint, black)
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 21, 2012, 11:35:04 AM
AccuRIP likes to use black in all carts, but for questions, give them a call and ask for Charlie Facini. He wrote it (I think) and can answer just about any question for you. When we first got it, we were having a network problem, and even though it wasn't his problem, he figured it out for me. That's pretty good service.

steve

and yes, I use the dye based ink. We buy it in pints for $30.00 per



Ok trying to narrow down which ink you're using.  Is it this dye based ink?:

[url]http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESC1200PT-K[/url] ([url]http://www.inksupply.com/product-details.cfm?pn=ESC1200PT-K[/url])

Thanks!


the label says "D2-PT-K"  (dye, pint, black)


Cool, thanks.  Ordered a gallon of black, a funnel, and a maintenance tank from inksupply.

Ordered a set of refillable carts and chip resetter from ebay.

Downloaded a trial of accurip and installed it, thus starting my 14 trial which was stupid because all I can do is run prints with the pigment inks. Which I did for fun, and it was lol worthless.

Film Maker looks nice, the XL  is the only version supporting the 4000 printer and it's $800.

Accurip is $500

Any others I should consider?  Anyone have the Wasatch separations RIP that is $1200?

Don't run a rip and just do what I've been doing by printing any halftone seps from photoshop and spot stuff from illy?
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: Itsa Little CrOoked on May 22, 2012, 09:10:12 AM
Pierre,

Do you think it is Film Maker, or the ink you use.... that yields your super dense films?

I don't have a 4000, but with my Epson 1400's and Accurip, I can lay down so much ink it will kinda RUN or puddle.... and never really dry. That is if I use the highest settings. So I back it off a notch or two, and get (I think...) dense films.  But I don't have a densitometer, and have never sent any films off to be metered. And I've read densitometers vary in scaling, so I'm not sure how much that even means, unless everyone used the same lab, or identical equipment.

I use Cobra dye based black, Fixxons or Ulano Inkjet films in a seasonally varied office climate. Sometimes if it is very humid where I shoot screens, I'll spray a little Krylon Acrylic Clear (also labelled Satin Clear) on the films to avoid ink sticking to the stencil. Talcum doesn't seem to work very well for me. Maybe I don't use enough...

Stan
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: blue moon on May 22, 2012, 11:45:41 AM
Pierre,

Do you think it is Film Maker, or the ink you use.... that yields your super dense films?

I don't have a 4000, but with my Epson 1400's and Accurip, I can lay down so much ink it will kinda RUN or puddle.... and never really dry. That is if I use the highest settings. So I back it off a notch or two, and get (I think...) dense films.  But I don't have a densitometer, and have never sent any films off to be metered. And I've read densitometers vary in scaling, so I'm not sure how much that even means, unless everyone used the same lab, or identical equipment.

I use Cobra dye based black, Fixxons or Ulano Inkjet films in a seasonally varied office climate. Sometimes if it is very humid where I shoot screens, I'll spray a little Krylon Acrylic Clear (also labelled Satin Clear) on the films to avoid ink sticking to the stencil. Talcum doesn't seem to work very well for me. Maybe I don't use enough...

Stan

it is the ink as we were using Film Maker with the old ink too. The old film read 3.05 and the new ones read 5.57 (or something like it). I was laying down a boatload of ink and it was pooling just as you said. We have since backed off the amount of ink being put down, but the films are still significantly darker. There is just no comparison.

Now, I should add a couple of things. My densitometer only reads regular light rather than UV. Many inks have UV blocking additives in them and they can be rather translucent (or so I am told). So it would be possible to have a film printed that would measure very high on UV blocking, but would be easy to see through it. The only way to really tell is to measure it.

On the other hand, AccuInk is made for screenprinters and it is designed to block UV, so by using their ink, I don't have to worry about those factors.

If you send me a piece of film, I'll gladly take a reading and let you know what it says.


pierre
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: Itsa Little CrOoked on May 22, 2012, 12:10:24 PM
Not sure I can refuse an offer like that!!!

Pierre, please send me a PM with an address, and I'll print something for you.  I remember you said a while back, you were pretty pleased with your ink. I'm definitely willing to step up my game, as 5% is about it, as far as holding teensy weensy dots.

Surely are some great folk on this forum....
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: blue moon on May 22, 2012, 12:41:00 PM
email sent. I should mention that the AccuInk is not available for the 1400 to the best of my knowledge. I think it is only the wide format printers. There should be somebody out there who makes the ink specifically for film positives.  filmdirect has come up frequently, but I son't really know. Our local supplier carries the Chromaline products so I did not have to shop around for the ink.

pierre

Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: Sbrem on May 22, 2012, 05:37:00 PM
We're happy with AccuRIP, it works well for us. We also use a set of cartridges with cleaning fluid in them, so when we notice a streak in the films, then we know it's time for a refill, and before we do, we run the AccuRIP test page with the cleaning fluid twice, onto paper, then put the refilled black cartridges in, seems to work very well so far...

Steve
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on May 22, 2012, 06:01:54 PM
Accurip here as well on a 4880 using this ink:

http://store.inkjetcarts.us/screen-positive-black-hybrid-ink-p4487.aspx (http://store.inkjetcarts.us/screen-positive-black-hybrid-ink-p4487.aspx)

For $87 a liter ink cost is no concern and it works great.  We also use there refillable cartridges which also I would highly recommend.  The following link is where you would pick your Epson Pro model and then you will see various inks and the refillable cartridges.

http://store.inkjetcarts.us/pro-print-engines-c518.aspx (http://store.inkjetcarts.us/pro-print-engines-c518.aspx)

If you ever have any questions call them and speak with Ross as he is a wealth of knowledge.
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: blue moon on May 22, 2012, 06:12:55 PM
Accurip here as well on a 4880 using this ink:

[url]http://store.inkjetcarts.us/screen-positive-black-hybrid-ink-p4487.aspx[/url] ([url]http://store.inkjetcarts.us/screen-positive-black-hybrid-ink-p4487.aspx[/url])

For $87 a liter ink cost is no concern and it works great.  We also use there refillable cartridges which also I would highly recommend.  The following link is where you would pick your Epson Pro model and then you will see various inks and the refillable cartridges.

[url]http://store.inkjetcarts.us/pro-print-engines-c518.aspx[/url] ([url]http://store.inkjetcarts.us/pro-print-engines-c518.aspx[/url])

If you ever have any questions call them and speak with Ross as he is a wealth of knowledge.


yup, that seems like an excellent choice!

pierre
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: IntegrityShirts on May 31, 2012, 05:43:45 PM
Update.  With one day to go on my Accurip trial I have received my refillable ink carts.  Filled them all up with my gallon of blank ink and did a deep cleaning cycle to purge lines of the silly color inks.  Ran a droplet weight test print and I'm right in the 13-14 range for a solid black.

All is well in Epson land.  I then bought Accurip.

This was a long overdue, but expensive, upgrade in production capability.  Thanks all for the input and help!
Title: Re: Ink and RIP questions now that I caved and bought an Epson
Post by: jasonl on May 31, 2012, 05:52:16 PM
i use the wasatch, only because I was already used to it when I opened my shop.