Nexpress Feedback

Started by Slappy, April 19, 2010, 11:45:03 AM

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Slappy

April 19, 2010, 11:45:03 AM
Preferably newer models, like the 3000 series. Looks like we're in final talks to bring in a SE3000 by early Summer and I'm looking for firsthand feedback on anything prepress or operating related. What are you using to push variable jobs? Is it any more prone to downtime than the other DI machines? How's color profiling if you're matching offset jobs?

It's going to complement the Indigo 5000, although if it does anything close to what Kodak claims, that 5000 will be collecting dust until the Lease is up.
A little diddie 'bout black 'n cyan...two reflective colors doin' the best they can.

youston

#1
April 19, 2010, 12:03:29 PM Last Edit: April 19, 2010, 12:04:37 PM by youston
Quote from: Slappy on April 19, 2010, 11:45:03 AMPreferably newer models, like the 3000 series. Looks like we're in final talks to bring in a SE3000 by early Summer and I'm looking for firsthand feedback on anything prepress or operating related. What are you using to push variable jobs? Is it any more prone to downtime than the other DI machines? How's color profiling if you're matching offset jobs?

It's going to complement the Indigo 5000, although if it does anything close to what Kodak claims, that 5000 will be collecting dust until the Lease is up.

We have a 2500 ... wouldn't recommend it.

The color is awesome, when you can get it to match what the machine has done before. If something goes wrong with the machine, you're in for (sometimes) hours of looking through the support information in pursuit of a fix. If our issue requires that a service technician make an appearance, we're waiting for at least two hours, as there is no Kodak service technician within a reasonable distance.

And yes, it goes down at the drop of a hat.

Something like streaking can take the better part of a day to diagnose, and end up costing you thousands of dollars in operator-replaceable components (ORC's).

The accounting dept. doesn't like it. They feel that Kodak is a bit of a shady company to deal with. There seems to be no agreement on what, exactly, constitutes a 'click.'

We do a ton of variable on it, generated by XMPie and sent to the machine as a VDX file. Have not had any real issues with this.

BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING INTEGRATING ANY OF THE 5th UNIT STUFF WITH VARIABLE!! Using the dimensional clear or spot gloss on a piece is tempting, however will slow the rip time down incredibly. Had a 20,000 record list that had a small bit of dimensional in a non-variable area ... XMPie took 200 hours to create files. Darwin was much faster, taking only 100 hours to create files*.

I can provide feedback on more specific questions, slappy. Feel free to ask away. I'm actually running the damned thing this week, as my NP operator is on vacation.

*This is what we figured after waiting 10 hours for 10% of the job to complete. After that, we invented a limit for variable+dimensional jobs of 2,000 records.

(Seriously, go over to PP, do a search for 'NexPress' and read away. Pretty much everything being said about the machine over there is spot on -- both the good and the bad.)

Slappy

#2
April 20, 2010, 12:08:32 PM
Hmmm, doesn't sound a whole lot different than our Indigo! At least we're used to the down time & color battles. Good info on the 5th unit + VDP jobs, I'm sure it will come up. I'll see if I have any opportunity to ask questions directly to Kodak before purchase. One of our Very Important People has already made the trip up there, and he knows just about dick all for prep, so I'm reasonably sure he didn't think to ask any of these questions.

I'll take a peek around PrintPlanet too, if I can avoid the sales slime maybe there's some useful info to be had also. Thanks man!
A little diddie 'bout black 'n cyan...two reflective colors doin' the best they can.

Farabomb

#3
April 20, 2010, 12:26:16 PM
With my experience if it does 75% of what Kodak says, play the lottery. They do a lot of say one thing, do another.
Speed doesn't kill, rapidly becoming stationary is the problem

I'd rather have stories told than be telling stories of what I could have done.

Quote from: Ear on April 06, 2016, 11:54:16 AM
Quote from: Farabomb on April 06, 2016, 11:39:41 AMIt's more like grip, grip, grip, noise, then spin and 2 feet in and feel shame.
I once knew a plus-sized girl and this pretty much describes teh secks. :rotf:
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         —Benjamin Franklin
My other job

youston

#4
May 10, 2010, 03:38:50 PM
Quote from: youston on April 19, 2010, 12:03:29 PM
Quote from: Slappy on April 19, 2010, 11:45:03 AMPreferably newer models, like the 3000 series. Looks like we're in final talks to bring in a SE3000 by early Summer and I'm looking for firsthand feedback on anything prepress or operating related. What are you using to push variable jobs? Is it any more prone to downtime than the other DI machines? How's color profiling if you're matching offset jobs?

It's going to complement the Indigo 5000, although if it does anything close to what Kodak claims, that 5000 will be collecting dust until the Lease is up.


BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING INTEGRATING ANY OF THE 5th UNIT STUFF WITH VARIABLE!! Using the dimensional clear or spot gloss on a piece is tempting, however will slow the rip time down incredibly. Had a 20,000 record list that had a small bit of dimensional in a non-variable area ... XMPie took 200 hours to create files. Darwin was much faster, taking only 100 hours to create files.


We just recently found a way around the transparency created by doing this. Largely involves ignoring everything that Kodak tells you in setting it up. Don't know if you guys are still looking, or if you bought one, but definitely wanted to correct this statement.

Slappy

#5
May 11, 2010, 12:34:58 PM
Yeah, we're still on track to some degree. I guess they're working out details still, unsure of install dates or training, etc. I'll be getting back to you though, don't worry!!
A little diddie 'bout black 'n cyan...two reflective colors doin' the best they can.

youston

#6
May 11, 2010, 01:02:36 PM
Quote from: Slappy on May 11, 2010, 12:34:58 PMYeah, we're still on track to some degree. I guess they're working out details still, unsure of install dates or training, etc. I'll be getting back to you though, don't worry!!

Happy to provide you with any info I can, Slappy.

Lammy

#7
May 14, 2010, 05:42:46 PM
Press is getting installed this week. The Kodak guy comes next week for the prepress dimensional training. I'll let you know how it goes as it goes. PDF is really the best file to send to the NexPress iirc. For variable it's VDX, but the newest FE software is supposed to be VT compatible but I guess that has issues on it's own.

So far our biggest issues are that what we thought we were getting in a refurbed machine and what our FE says they are going to do are two very different things.
Lammy ~ Everyone says a monkey can do it, but no one ever asks the monkey!

72+ cases - wood & metal type & sorts • LInotype Model 31 • Hohner B tabletop • Golding #7 Jobber • ATF Little Giant • Heidelberg S Cylinder

youston

#8
May 14, 2010, 06:34:32 PM
Quote from: Lammy on May 14, 2010, 05:42:46 PMPress is getting installed this week. The Kodak guy comes next week for the prepress dimensional training. I'll let you know how it goes as it goes. PDF is really the best file to send to the NexPress iirc. For variable it's VDX, but the newest FE software is supposed to be VT compatible but I guess that has issues on it's own.

So far our biggest issues are that what we thought we were getting in a refurbed machine and what our FE says they are going to do are two very different things.

Borrowing a format from Joe. Thanks, Joe!

We were told by our sales rep this week that VT was about a year away.

Hey, you're tellin' a familiar story. We bought a 'refurbished' machine -- refurbished in our shop, just barely. About 8 months after we bought it, we were having to dig around in the delivery tray for some godforsaken reason, and we pulled out a sheet that had been printed two years earlier!  :huh:


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