Helpful introduction to dye sublimation printers from Kodak, NewGen, Tally, Seiko, Shinko, Fargo, Primera, Imation and digital color proofers including spectacular Fuji Pictrography Digital Color Printer. If you are in a service bureau or other aspect of prepress you probably already have a dye sublimation color printer or other digital photo printer. But dye sub printers are a superior alternative to cheap inkjet printers.
While I was in Osaka, Japan as Visiting Professor (in scanning and associated digital imaging) at Japan's National Museum of Ethnology, I was asked what dye sub printer to purchase. I recommended Kodak and they bought two. I had the Kodak (and also Seiko dye-sub/thermal transfer dual mode color printer) in my office for about five weeks. This present web site had its birth from this experience.
Since then I have traveled to trade shows to obtain more information (CeBIT and Photokina in Germany; Comdex, Seybold, GraphExpo, and others in the USA). I have visited graphics studios and pre-press shops to get the facts from professional end-users. As there is no clearing house on information on dye-sub printers, I thought I might as well start one.
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The FujiFilm Pictrography is our pick as the most exciting color printer available. Although produced primarily as a proofer for prepress, this is actually my favorite printer for photo exhibits.
If you want to awe an audience at a photo exhibit, or awe anyone with a presentation of your portfolio of photos, use a FujiFilm Pictrography and you may end up winning the awards and First Place prize.
This new site is only a few months old, but to provide helpful information while we are under development, here is a fact-packed table below.
Tables with content are the key to success of all the web sites of the Digital Imaging Technology Center (F.L.A.A.R.). Missing portions of the table will be filled in as time goes on.
Feedback is appreciated by e-mail, ReaderService@FLAAR.org |
| Alps Electric |
1300 is their best model for dye sub; MD-5000 is current model for dry ink (does not fade), for home use |
www.alpsusa.com |
| Codonics |
primarily for medical and related scientific uses |
www.codonics.com |
| Epson |
Proofer 5000, with EFI Fiery RIP |
www.epson.com |
| Imation (see also 3M) |
Imation Matchprint laser proofer, all 3M (Imation) products are highly regarded
Rainbow dye sub digital proofing, well known proofer |
www.imation.com |
| Kodak |
Kodak Digital Science 8650 and other models, excellent quality
Kodak also makes a digital color imager, the Kodak Approval XP4 |
www.kodak.com
www.kpgraphics.com |
| NewGen (now ITEC) |
Color Image digital photo printer up to Color Image 6000 color proofer |
www.newgen.com |
| Polaroid |
PolaProof digital halftone proofing system |
www.polaroid.com |
| QMS |
dye-sub printer is in their catalog but only for Europe; QMS is a leader for high-end laser printers for graphics use, both monochrome (2060) and color to 11x17 or A3 full bleed. |
www.qms.com |
| Seiko |
we used mainly thermal transfer mode, less costly than dye sub but not as good (true of any brand). |
www.did.seiko.com |
| Shinko Technologies |
ColorStream |
www.shinkotech.com |
| Tally |
Spectra Star |
www.tally.com |
| Tektronix |
Phaser 450 dye sub printer; Textronix no longer makes dye sub printers but does make graphics quality color laser printers and wide format printers. |
www.tek.com |
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| Fuji Film |
Pictrography, more than a dye sub, this is a special digital color printer. This is considered the Rolls Royce of digital color printers. |
www.fujifilm.com |
| Colorgrafx (Xerox) |
8954-DS eletrostatic wide-format dye sublimation for transfer* |
www.colorgrafx.com |
Boldfaced entries are ones we have tested in person or are in graphics studios that we have visited to gather information.
*Dye sublimation for transfer is to transfer images to fabric, glass, wood, metal, ceramic, plastic or other materials from the print. This is a different class of use than printing photos as a proofer. We will expand the site to include dye sub transfer, but the first pages will cover dye sub as a printer to reproduce fabulous photographs or as a pre-press proofer.
We will gradually make separate lists to distinguish the various dye sub and proofing technologies.
This web site reviews primarily letter size and 11x17 tabloid sized dye sub printers. But photo-size (3x4 to 5x7 inch) dye sub printers are very popular and reasonably priced, so we have a list of them on a following page.
QMS, Lexmark, Encad and Alps have already sent equipment testing, so naturally we have more to say about their printers. Of these the Alps is dye sub; we have tested the Alps in our offices. The Kodak and Seiko we tested in Japan.
color management and ICC color profiles | Kodak dye sub printers | the new generation of LCD monitors
recommended reading on desktop publishing, digital imaging, digital graphics
test suite for upcoming review of dye-sub color printers || color proofers
Encad Chroma24, a different way of producing color proofs at larger sizes
posted on the internet June 18, 1999, last updated Nov. 24, 1999
All corporate names, makes, and models of equipment are registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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