Re: filmscanners: OT: dyesub printers (long)

[Arthur Entlich <artistic@ampsc.com>]

Not to be too picky, but I did mention the issues you bring up in your 
first two comments later on in the posting, when I discuss the ALPS printer.

As to point 3, I'm aware how the ALPS printers work.  The problem was 
that the banding was noticeable when light reflected off the image, or 
if registration of the swipe was off.  Some people were able to smooth 
out these images a bit by using a heat gun on the surface of the image. 
  Most dye sub printers can also use a wax based solid ink (different 
ribbons or cartridges required).  Again, the ALPS showed even more 
banding texture with these wax based prints.

Some people were pleased with the results the ALPS offers, but for any 
kind of commercial production they were too slow, and prone to problems. 
  They were a "poor man's dye sub", and in that market position they 
weren't bad.  Another company, Fargo (now I believe gone) actually made 
a fairly inexpensive letter and tabloid dye sub which weren't too bad 
(at least their later models -- Pictura 310/310e/PrimeraPro).  Again, I 
believe they have gone to bankruptcy heaven.

Other companies that either made or branded dye subs includes Kodak, 
Tally (Spectra*Star DSx), Cal-comp, who also makes/made graphics 
tablets, QMS (I think now part of Minolta), Tektronix (Phaser II SDX), 
(now part of Xerox), Shinto Technology, Seiko (the S II and Colorpoint 
PS) (sidenote: Seiko happens to own another company, or vice versa, 
called Epson, perhaps you've heard of them...)

Art


Mike Kersenbrock wrote:

> Arthur Entlich wrote:
> 
>> you also use a full series of panels.  So, place just one dot the size
>> of a period anywhere in the image, and the printer will use up a full
>> set of ink panels to do that.  Consumable costs are constant.  You do
> 
> 
> This isn't true of my Alps MD-1300.  It would only use a teeny bit of
> the ribbon when passing over that spot.
> 
> 
> 
>> not want to waste dye sub prints.  Unlike an inkjet where you can do
>> small tests, or stop printing early if you see a problem with color
>> balance, etc, no such luck with dye sub.
> 
> 
> As I mention above, this is true for Alps's dyesub printers, or at
> least mine.  :-)
> 
> 
>> Alps tried to resolve part of this and lower consumable costs by using a
>> series of ribbons rather than panels, but they could never fully resolve
>> the problems with banding caused by the way the inks were laid down on
>> the transfer sheet.
> 
> 
> Same problem as inkjets that don't print the whole page in one pass of
> the head.  :-)
> 
> It hasn't been a problem with my machine, but some have reported problems
> with theirs (at least some models have a home calibration proceedure to 
> "fix" this, don't know if that had been done for those with problems).
> 
> Mike K.