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...

-- Bill Glickman (bglick@pclv.com), January 18, 2001

Answers

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

-- Jerry Gryz (jerrygry@direct.ca), March 26, 2001.

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.

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...

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...

Any suggestions for Web sources on fine-art large format printing - colour and B/W?

All

-- Boris Missirkov (badeff@usa.net), May 19, 2001.

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.

-- byard pidgeon (bluedove@ccountry.net), November 10, 2001.