John...what inks are you using in the epson 1200 for Black and White? david l. morel www.digitalstars.net/portfolio.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: John <jrmsd@ix.netcom.com> To: <epson-inkjet@leben.com> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000 2:28 AM Subject: RE: Epson vs Alps > >Some of reason we selected and Epson 1200 over the MD-5000: > > > > -- Epson prints seem to cost less > > -- Epson 1200 can print larger prints than ALPS MD-5000 > > -- As I understand it (but I might be wrong), you must manually feed the > >thicker "Photo" paper into the ALPS printers, one sheet at a time, while the > >Epson takes several dozen sheets. That was a very important consideration, > >as our printer often works unattended (during the night.) > > I happen to own an ALPS MD 5000 and 2 Epson 1200's, one for color and the > other for black and white. There are advantages to both machines and > depending on your needs, one is better than the other. > > The Alps is great for text which is super sharp and far better than anything > an inkjet will ever do, especially on plain paper. > > In fact, most printing with the Alps on plain paper is far superior to the > Epson. I've made several plain paper portfolios that are bound and sent to > clients that look like they've been four-color offset printed. I use a > non-coated 100lb cover stock that I can buy 500 sheets for $10 (have you > ever seen any inkjet paper for that price?) and print on both sides. The > Alps lays down a pre-coating that allows you to print on any smooth surfaced > paper with excellent results. It also allows you to lay down a gloss which > is great for color images on non-coated surfaces. > > The Alps does not band much. In fact, it bands less than the Epson on all > but the high gloss film. What it does do is leave marks where the ribbon > passes and doesn't line up with the pass below. These marks are prominent in > heavy red and sometimes blue areas, but is completely invisible in black and > white or duotone printing (4 color black and white that is) and in the > majority of color images. > > I've used the Alps for proofing four color work and the results have been > spot on. (This without the postscript option.) My testing here hasn't been > very scientific so treat this bit of info accordingly. > > The Alps does not have bizarre color shifts (unlike the Espon in 6 color > greyscale) and in dye sub mode is far more archival than the Epson. Dye sub > mode is much higher resolution than the Epson, in fact, you can't discern > any grain or dot even with an 8x loupe. One more thing, you can print with > metallic inks and even white on black paper which actually can be quite > useful. > > Having said that, when it comes to printing the highest quality color images > (and black and white with the proper inkset), i turn to my Epsons. The > striping is a problem and the Alps seems to pick up a little more contrast > even if the colors are a little more punchy. My current portfolios are all > printed using the Epson. Also the maximum size of the Alps is more like > 7.5x9.5 than 8.5x11 which in any event pales to the 13x19 inch output of the > Epson 1200. You can also do more of the non-OEM stuff which is the source of > many posts on this list (black inksets, alternative papers etc.). > > If i had to choose one printer, i'd go with the Epson, but i'm glad i have > both. > > John > > > - > Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate > subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions. - Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions.