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quote:

Originally posted by RGyori:

I use a HP 1120c which produces quality output up to 13 x 19. I believe that the non-USB version comes with Stylescript (Post Script 3) software + cable.

Thanks for the reply - I'm somewhat new at this and your input is helpful - Whay do you mean by "comes with Stylescript (PostScript 3)" Do I need to be concerned about this?

Thanks. Bob

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I, too, use an HP 1120cse and am very pleased with it. I use the 11x17 outputs for presentation materials.

However, I don't think that HP is making the line of 1120 printers anymore. I believe that they have replaced the 1120 with the 1220, but I may be wrong about that.

Another comparable printer in the same price range is the new Epson 1270, which apparantly uses a six-color printing process.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

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You didn't say color or B&W. For B&W, I would recommend the HP 5000 laserjet. Get the most basic 5000, then add the appropriate network interface card separately (i got the 10/100base) with the appropriate memory (i added 32MB). If you shop around the Internet, e.g. CNET Shopper.com, you can find amazing prices. The 5000 prints at 1200dpi and 12x18, too, so architectural D sizes can be proofed at 50%.

------------------

Kenneth

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I stand corrected. The HP 1120c has been succeeded by the 1220cse, effectively the same printer with improved performance. However I'm not sure it is availble in a serial version, which is what you'd need with a PMac 8500- perhaps a USB to Serial interface would work?? In any case, the StyleScript + cable I referred to is software which allows the 1120c to perform as Post Script printer?won't run on a MAC without it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I too am looking at Epson printers (under Win98), specifically the Epson Stylus color 3000, which is supposed to print a REAL 17" x 24".

I want to do REAL, not interpolated, 300 dpi, 24 bit color output from VW8.5. I'm concerned about 2 things. 1) I've read elsewhere that VW8.5 has a 3000 x 2000 pixel printed output limitation. 2) Janis Kent in her fine book (Works Manual, 8.5, pp. 56-57) says that "Raster Translation Language" -RTL- is the way to go for HiQ output on large format inkjet printers. (Not HPGL2 or PostScript).

Her suggestion is good for HP printers, but when I call up EPSON and ask them about RTL or its equivalent (for Windows) -- they don't have a clue what I'm talking about. They keep pushing PostScript solutions at me.

Does anyone out there get better than 72dpi output on Epson large format printers under Windows? How do you do it?

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Bob, I think I posted the question about the max # of pixels that VW can export to an image. From experience VW seem to have a 2000 x 3000 pixel limit ( some where around 6,000,000 pixels), but I never recieved any comments from NNA as to weather or not this is true. I noticed this in trying to export ray trace renderings as image files for editing in photoshop. What happens is if I export over this limit the screen sort of blinks when I hit OK, the file exports instantly except the image file is empty.

We do our large format out put on a HP455CA large format plotter using RIP Software (Raster image Processing using postscript file format). Typically we get better color matching with RIP than with RTL on the HP.

I'd still like to get a response on the Max. Pixel issue just to know if this is a hard ware thing or a bug or just a limitation of VW. I use a G4 with OS 9 & 128 MB ram and a P3 800 with Win 98 & 128 MB as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have been using, with wonderful results, an Epson 1160, which will print extremely sharply (1440 dpi) in both B&W and color up to 13x19 with extremely narrow margins. I believe the price on this printer has now been reduced to $299, which frankly is pretty unbelievable.

Regarding the pixel issue: if you're on a Mac, you might consider exporting rendered images with the shareware Print2Pict. It is a virtual printer which shows up in the Chooser, and you "print" to it as you would with any other printer--it creates PICT and TIFF format images, among others.

The great advantage to this method is that you can choose the resolution you want (and by extension the number of pixels you prefer). Just make sure that your printing resolution preference in VW matches your desired output as well.

Dan Jansenson

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