I have never owned a 7600, but I went with the HP after extensive comparison. Here are some thoughts.
HP Pros: - Very low cost of operation both ink costs and easily replaceable print heads. For average printing, one set of inks will last about two rolls of paper, maybe a bit less for some, more for others. - Much higher gamut than the 7600. - Much deeper blacks than the 7600. - Much faster than the 7600. - Very long print life on HP gloss and semi gloss papers, which are IMO absolutely beautiful papers. - No clogging, no cleaning cycles. - Leave the printer on, turn the printer off, it doesn't matter and it doesn't waste ink on cleaning cycles. - No maintenance tank required. HP Cons: - Build quality is a joke, especially compared to the Epson - You really need to buy the 130NR if you are going to be making large prints or prints from large files. The built in ethernet and print server allow it to easily handle large files that basically crash the 130. If you are not printing large files, a 130 with a cutter head and DIY roll holder does fine. For example, a 130 does okay with a 20x30 at 300 ppi, but 600 ppi will crash it. - For some reason, the heads that come from the factory seem to suck and will likely need to be replaced sooner then they should. Perhaps some of us just had a bad batch. - HP customer service and support is amazing when your printer is in warranty. The next day they won't talk to you and you are on your own, or you can pay them $$$. - I really hope you like HP Satin and HP Gloss because those are the only two papers that will give archival prints (as I wrote above, I LOVE them). - The prints are extremely fragile, this is a big issue for me. A drop of water or even a moist fingerprint will destroy a print. Also the gloss prints can delaminate in a portfolio with a plastic cover. Many people solve this problem by coating the prints or having them laminated. I have coated several prints and there doesn't seem to be a real downside to this except the extra time and effort. The resulting image is very durable. - I have not found what I would consider an acceptable matte printing solution, but I know some people are happy printing on Entrada and some of the rag papers. - For best results, you need a relative and perceptual profile for each paper at both printing levels (best and max dpi) that you intend to use. - Can only print 23.5" wide, not a full 24" borderless. Epson Pros: - Awesome build quality - Archival prints on any paper - Prints are very durable, but can pick up surface scratching. - Better B&W prints with less effort - Hope you like matter paper because gloss is ugly. - No RIP currently available, though the benefits of one are not really clear. Epson Cons: - Epson is basically a monopoly and acts accordingly. - Unacceptable cost of operation (ink, heads, etc.) - Low gamut. - I personally don't find the prints to be pretty. - Pick one, gloss or matte. Switching from one to the other requires flushing about $75 of ink through the heads and some people have found it is more economical to run two printers. - Print heads cost about $750. Print heads on the HP are $35 each. - Requires a RIP for best results. - Need to use a coating for even gloss prints (Epson since solved this with the Gloss Optimizer). - You can't leave the printer on because the heat from the power supply dries the ink and clogs the print heads. - You can't turn the printer on and off because the power on cleaning cycles waste a huge amount of ink. In the end, I don't think there is a real winner between the 7600 and HP 130, but they each are clearly superior in different areas. At the end of the day, what sold me on the HP was the low cost of operation and the beautiful gloss prints. I recently had my local lab make some prints for me on their LightJet 430 and was absolutely stunned how far that technology has come in the three years since I abandoned it and bought my 130. There was a color depth and gamut that I have not seen on other prints whether HP, Epson or Chromira. Further, the lab has now added a "Level 2 print" option where they don't touch the file, just run it straight and the prices are very close to my per-print cost on the HP (factoring in ink, paper, maintenance). If I had to do it again I would have to really evaluate my print output, and probably either buy a HP 30, 90 or Epson 4880. Roll paper is economical, but it is a pain in the rear. I find myself making small prints on the HP, but sending anything larger out for a LighJet print. Regards and best luck in your decision, Bill Green/William Green Photography On Feb 16, 2008 8:28 AM, pb19149 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > I've owned a Epson 7600 for many years. The print head needs to be > replaced ($600). I'm thinking of replacing the Epson with the > Designjet 130. From what I read, the blacks are much better on the > 130, it prints faster than the 760, and possibly lower maintinence. > Not much more. > > I would like to get some opinions and experiences from people who > owned or own a Epson 7600, or similar, and are using a Designjet > 130. Things such as color accuracy and gamut, maintainence, clogging > frequency, matt printing, gloss printing, ink usage, best papers and > any other advantages or disadvantages in comparison to the Epson's. > > Thanks. > > -- ....................... Bill Green Metzger Associates 885 Arapahoe Avenue Boulder, Colorado 80302 303-786-7000 x.2207 303-947-9684 (mobile) Skype: bigreen505 Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPDesignJet_Printers Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPDesignJet_Printers/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPDesignJet_Printers/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
