Epson Stylus Pro 7800 questions -- please help!

Started by Fontaholic, November 30, 2012, 10:05:09 AM

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Fontaholic

November 30, 2012, 10:05:09 AM
Hi everyone,

At my shop here, we are attempting once again to resurrect an Epson Stylus Pro 7800 that my boss bought at auction some time ago, so that we can print out full-sized proofs for rule-up (and, eventually down the line, use it as a press proofer and a wide-format printer for oversized things like posters, etc.)...   :banghead:

I've had some success getting the computers on the network to recognize the 7800 and print to it (although a fair few of the color cartridges are either low, empty, or clogged, but that's another discussion...  :hangme:).  So far, so good.

But when I added this to my printer queue on Mac OSX (10.4.9 -- yeah, I know) and tried to print a document directly from InDesign, the driver gave me a whole bunch of "preset paper sizes" to choose from.  The 7800 has a 24" roll of paper which we want to use, but I want to use as little of this as possible, rather than waste a bunch of it using the "preset sizes" available.  However, the "Custom" selection is grayed out, and I'm hoping somebody out there knows how I can activate this so I'm not wasting a bunch of expensive roll paper each time I want to print out a proof.

As always, any and all help is greatly appreciated in advance!

Cheers, John

DigiCorn

#1
November 30, 2012, 10:23:18 AM
We have a 7880 and we do not print directly to it. We only proof RIP'd files from Rampage and go through EFI Colorproof XF, set up on a dedicated print server. Do you have any color management software (EFI, GMG, Oris, etc.)?
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

Fontaholic

#2
November 30, 2012, 10:41:05 AM
 :blind:

Uhhhhh.... Nope!

~John

DigiCorn

#3
November 30, 2012, 10:45:02 AM
Not sure how you could control the roll size unless it can be defined by the driver.

I'd see if you can get the boss to spring for some kind of color management software.
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

DigiCorn

#4
November 30, 2012, 10:56:51 AM
Quote from: DigiCorn on November 30, 2012, 10:45:02 AMNot sure how you could control the roll size unless it can be defined by the driver.

I'd see if you can get the boss to spring for some kind of color management software.
Here's another thought to sell the boss on it - you nailed it with  :blind:
If you don't have a system in place, tailored to your press, you can't ever expect any kind of consistency. Customers buy color. If you can't match color, what are you selling?
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

Greg_Firestone

#5
November 30, 2012, 10:59:48 AM
I need a "like" button for Digicorn's post
_______________
Technical Project Manager
OneVision Software

Fontaholic

#6
November 30, 2012, 11:05:33 AM
Quote from: DigiCorn on November 30, 2012, 10:45:02 AMNot sure how you could control the roll size unless it can be defined by the driver.

I'd see if you can get the boss to spring for some kind of color management software.

 :lmao:

You funny man!!

But seriously, I hear ya...

Cheers, John

DigiCorn

#7
November 30, 2012, 11:09:12 AM
Sorry to hear that John. Good luck job hunting!
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

t-pat

#8
November 30, 2012, 11:10:07 AM
hell you could roll your own with CUPS - free. Not the greatest, but it does some stuff.
vdp donkey
gmc inspire • sarcasm while you wait

Joe

#9
November 30, 2012, 11:13:23 AM
Can't you define the paper as "Roll"? Then it should only use as much paper as the size of the object you are printing.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

DigiCorn

#10
November 30, 2012, 11:15:52 AM
Quote from: Joe on November 30, 2012, 11:13:23 AMCan't you define the paper as "Roll"? Then it should only use as much paper as the size of the object you are printing.
Not sure about the driver, but on the device, you can define roll with auto cut, roll without autocut or flat sheet.
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
― Johnny Carson

"Selling my soul would be a lot easier if I could just find it."
– Nikki Sixx

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
― Ernest Hemingway

Fontaholic

#11
November 30, 2012, 11:19:20 AM
Quote from: DigiCorn on November 30, 2012, 10:56:51 AM
Quote from: DigiCorn on November 30, 2012, 10:45:02 AMNot sure how you could control the roll size unless it can be defined by the driver.

I'd see if you can get the boss to spring for some kind of color management software.
Here's another thought to sell the boss on it - you nailed it with  :blind:
If you don't have a system in place, tailored to your press, you can't ever expect any kind of consistency. Customers buy color. If you can't match color, what are you selling?

Our current "color management system" is based on having the RIP calibrated to the output of our semi-recent (as of late 2010) CTP system, and the four-color pressman uses a color densitometer to measure color bars so we'd be as close as we could to what the job should look like.

Part of the problem is, we've never had a software-based color management system in this place for as long as I've been here in prepress.  Basically I would output film, the film stripping guy would strip and plate it, and the pressman would run it.  (In fact, the pressman we had here for some years, but is here no longer, didn't even use color bars, just eyeballed everything!  :huh:)

Since the stripping/plating guy retired in 2010, our boss took over the stripping/plating duties, and the convinced us that it was time to go CTP.  And since I'm the only one here who vaguely fit the job description, I got CTP setup added to my duties...  :shocked:  Since I don't come from that sort of a prepress background, it's been a steep learning curve.  And the more I learn, the more I learn that there's a whole helluva lot more to learn...  :hot2:

~John

Sabrina The Turd Polisher

#12
November 30, 2012, 11:22:02 AM
IMO, all oversize printers are wasteful.
Like Digi, we too have ours connected to our workflow (trueflow) and I am of no further help.  :laugh:
Ambidextrous, Double-jointed Prepress Slave
We all have issues. The only people that don't are the dead ones. ©2011 Joe  |  doomed ©2011 david

Joe

#13
November 30, 2012, 11:23:17 AM
Quote from: DigiCorn on November 30, 2012, 11:15:52 AM
Quote from: Joe on November 30, 2012, 11:13:23 AMCan't you define the paper as "Roll"? Then it should only use as much paper as the size of the object you are printing.
Not sure about the driver, but on the device, you can define roll with auto cut, roll without autocut or flat sheet.

Correct. And then it should only use the length that it needs.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

Fontaholic

#14
November 30, 2012, 11:26:44 AM
Quote from: Joe on November 30, 2012, 11:13:23 AMCan't you define the paper as "Roll"? Then it should only use as much paper as the size of the object you are printing.

I'll see if I can do that.

Right now, some of the pre-defined sizes include "roll" as part of their descriptions, but I want to do it the way you're describing -- like our old imagesetter used to do with film...

~John
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