Wide-Format Imaging

In mid-January, I had the chance to visit Oce North America in Chicago for its Productivity Challenge—an Oce-sponsored press event where I had the opportunity to test some competitive monochrome and color CAD systems hands on. It was certainly a unique event that brought up some interesting questions and ideas about the true measure of productivity and speed and what it really means to have a workable, usable piece of equipment. I made some mention of this in my February editorial, but didn’t have the space to go into any details about what I did.

The first day, we had the chance to put the Océ TDS700, KIP 5000, and Ricoh 480W to work, running the same jobs on each piece of equipment.

Océ TDS700—$50,700 List Price; Included: Print Engine - four rolls plus cut sheet tray, Océ Power Logic Controller, Océ TC4 color-enabled scanner, Océ Scan Logic software, Océ Color Logic software, Océ Print Exec Basic software & GUI kit.

KIP5000—$36,505 MSRP; Contained: KIP5604 STF with color scan-to-file, start-up kit.

Ricoh—Exact pricing was not available at the time because of the controller being a separate PC, but we are estimating that the MSRP is around $36/37k with no color scanning option.

Oddly enough, I was one of the only journalists/analysts in attendance who actually had any previous experience running wide-format printers, so at least that part wasn’t too strange for me.

We had six exercises that we ran through for each printer—to get a feel for how they all worked and processed jobs and how an operator would work with the files and the machines. Using the job submission tools provided with each printer, we had to:

1. Print Job Submission: We had to submit a multiple source print job that included mixed file types (both plot-ready and TIF files) that were all the same size. If for some reason a job didn’t print, we had to find out why and then collect the output.
2. Print Job Submission—Multi-sizes: We had to submit a multiple source print job that included mixed file types (both plot-ready and TIF files) and create two collated sets. If for some reason a job didn’t print, we had to find out why and then collect the output.
3. Print Job Submission—Mixed sizes: We had to submit a multiple source print job that included mixed file types (both plot-ready and TIF files) in various sizes and create two collated sets. If for some reason a job didn’t print, we had to find out why and then collect the output.
4. Copy Job: Using the output we printed in the first exercise, we had to make a copy (two collated sets) while the system was still outputting the pages from the third exercise.
5. Copy Color Drawing: Using a previously printed color drawing, we had to make a copy.
6. Media Loading: Change out a roll of media.

Now, while none of these seem too hard, it was certainly interesting to see what printers were able to complete the jobs and which were not; how easy or difficult it was to print and scan at the same time; and how jobs were output, collected, and collated. Every system had a different workflow, a different set-up, a different job submission tool, a different way to perform the same task. What works for some shops, might now work for others because of space considerations or other system configuration issues.

But getting the opportunity to work with the machines certainly was a lot different than getting a demo or watching someone else use and operate the printer.

And those same thoughts were reflected again on Day Two when we turned to the color CAD units: Océ TCS500, HP 1055cm plus, and the HP 4500.

A few details about the printers: We used them in their standard configurations, running them side-by-side.

HP 4500—Featured 256 MB of RAM, 40GB hard drive; two rolls standard (42-inch width), and the HP 4500 embedded Web Server for job submissions. List price: $29,995 for the multi-function system, $13,495 for the printer-only configuration.

HP 1055cm plus—Featured 64 MC RAM, 7.5 GB hard drive, and job submissions were done directly from the native application through a print driver. List price: $8,795.

Océ TCS500—Featured 1 GB RAM, 80GB hard drive; one to three media rolls (36-inch width), Océ Print Exec Workgroup LT for job submissions. List price: $32,140 multifunction system, $14,340 printer-only (Océ TCS300).

After receiving demos on all of the printers, we had four exercises to perform:

1. Experience how fast an “E-size” color line schematic prints in the fastest mode.
2. Experience how fast two “D-size” black-and-white drawings printed in the fastest mode.
3. Experience how the printers deal with mixed originals (a document containing both area fills and text).
4. Media Loading: Change out a roll of media.

Were any of the systems perfect? No. Each had their own quirks and characteristics, some good, some bad, some ugly.

A few things that made a big difference in workflow and usability revolved around:

• Warm up times—at initial start-up and in “sleep” modes
• How the printer collated and collected the finished output: front vs. back of the machine; flat collection trays vs. angled ones that take up less floor space
• The scan station—a separate unit vs. a unit that sits on top of the printer, but that also brings up the ever-present concern about floor space in what tends to be a very crowded shop environment
• Processing time: How long it takes to spool and print the file, and re-print if necessary
• Walk-up features—Touch screen usability and ease-of-use
• Job interruption features
• Media handling

Has anyone had the opportunity to do some of this kind of testing? I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences.