Epson WorkForce Printer for Design Studio?

Question

I need a recommendation on a reliable, cost effective color printer for my design studio. Color accuracy is very important, as I intend to use it for proofing purposes, and Mac OS X compatability is a must. I currently own a Brother MFC-9840CDW, which is a tank, but its color accuracy is horrible. Plus the consumables are very expensive. When I purchased the Brother laser printers were more cost effective thank inkjet. Now, it seems like some inkjet manufacturers have caught up with the laser guys in terms of lower per page costs.
I'm really impressed with what I've read on the Epson WorkForce series of printers, and I'm especially intrigued by the wide format options they have, which will enable me to print full spreads. Does anyone own any of the Epson WorkForce printers and if so how happy are you with its performance?

Answer 1

I don't have any "Workforce" printers, but wanted to chime in on your question.  There are basicly 3 types of inkjet printers: 1.) office type printers like the workforce or deskjet type CMYK printers; 2.) photographic printers with multi-cartridge colors like CMYKlmlc; and 3.) graphic arts proofers like the Epson Stylus Pro or an HP Designjet that is mated with a 3rd party RIP.
You're looking at an office type solution with the Epson Workforce CMYK printer which is similar to the HP Deskjet8000 which is also CMYK.  These type of inkjets are going to acheive some fairly good color, but not all colors will be accurate because of the limits of resolution and the 4 basic colors available ( CMYK ).  I would look into a 3rd party RIP solution like a Colorburst or Efi Fiery that will open up some options for color accuracy.  I recommend a RIP because the driver that comes with the printer is good, but not a proofing solution.  For that, you'll need a RIP.  More money, but worth the investment.  Take a look at the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Designer Edition or the HP Designjet 130 with an optional RIP.
Also keep in mind that whatever you decide, the printer should be calibrated.  The higher end inkjets come calibrated or have their own internal calibration.  The RIP makes this happen.