I'm getting a new inkjet printer!

[Gamerprinter]

Maybe nobody cares, except me, but I'm getting a new toy in next few days. My current large format inkjet printer I use to print maps for my Gamer Printshop and my daytime business has been slowly dying in the last six months. Now I've got banding issues (horizontal stripes caused by misfiring inkjet nozzles in at least one printhead leaving visible horizontal stripes on every print.) I have actually stopped printing maps until I get this resolved.

After a 6 month search on what I wanted to replace it, I found it this morning.

I'm getting a Canon IP8100 44" wide inkjet printer with 8 color inkjets which will let me print 16 bit color files, as well as standard 8 bit color (which is RGB 24 bit color, 8 bits per color vs. 48 bit at 16 bits per color). Colors are: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Red, Green, Blue, Photo Cyan and Photo Magenta.

Although not as well known as HP, EnCAD or even Epson for the inkjet market, the Canon is the preferred printer for many pro photographers.

At 720 x 720 dpi resolution, it will print a 24" x 36" map in 8 minutes - not the fastest but with a higher color gamut, than most and 100 year archival inks onto up to posterboard thick glossy and satin inkjet media. It can also print to canvas, transparent film, watercolor paper, adhesive vinyl, and much more media than I can handle now.

Although I'm sure I won't be doing many super hi-res prints, this printer is capable of 2880 x 2880 dpi print resolution.

Weirdest of all, most large format printers I've had in the past required a RIP, or Raster-Image-Processor to manage and economize the prints, fact is you couldn't use a standard printer driver. The Canon comes with a printer driver, but also a Photoshop Plug-in to allow you to export 16 bit color files to print processing. The plug-in looks more powerful than my existing RIP for my old printer.

New toys - Whee!

GP