Subject: MINI-REVIEW: Fargo Primera Pro Printer
From: [email-masked] (Bill Graham)
Date: 17 Sep 1998 18:08:24 -0400
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

Using the Fargo Primera Pro Printer with the Amiga   by Bill Graham 
10-15-97

	I've had the Primera Pro Dye Sublimation printer hooked up to my Amiga
1200 for nearly two years now. I use it to ouput Imagine rendered super
bitmaps for galley sale and exhibition. This review is a summary of my
experiences with this printer.
	Firstly, I have to say that if you are serious about getting the
maximum quality output from this printer, then you'll need Image F/X 2.6
or later to drive it. Put simply, the Amiga printer driver  that comes
with the printer is barely adequate to print roughs. If you want the
best quality you can get, use Image F/X. It has separate output modules
for both the Primera and Primera Pro printers. The modules give you
exceptional control over all of the output parameters, including being
able to gamma control the thermal print head. They allow you to choose
among all the various paper sizes and Primera ribbon options, such as 3
color and 4 color wax thermal, monochrome or grayscale, and 3 or 4 color
dye sublimation. The modules also allow you to accurately position and
scale your image on the paper. And since it operates directly from
within Image F/X, you can enhance and modify the image while testing for
the best settings for output.
	The printer is a compact unit, measuring 14 inches wide by 10 inches
deep by 6 inches high. The various plastic appendages for holding paper
extend another 7 inches or so from the front of the printer. Also, this
printer has an external dc power supply, a black cube about 5 inches on
a side. This is pretty clever on the part of Fargo, since by shipping a
different power supply they can sell the same printer regardless of a
particular country's electrical system. You will need to purchase a
printer cable. The manual says no longer than 6 feet, I found these hard
to come by, and gambled with a 10 feet cord. It works on my 1200, not on
my 3000, go figure. The 1200's AGA display is much more suited for
working with the Primera anyway.
	The printer also ships with a small initial supply of ribbons and
paper. These supplies should be considered for experimental use only.
The Primera requires special paper available from Fargo for dye sub
output, but can use plain paper for wax thermal output. All manner of
supply configurations are available from Fargo. When I purchased my
printer from my local dealer, Fargo gave him a $250 coupon for supplies.
He graciously gave it to me in turn. Fargo has mug-printing and t-shirt
printing kits for this printer, as well as special acetate for printing
dye sub transparencies.
	In two years I've had no mechanical problems with the printer. It does
however, use a rather strange ribbon, which looks for all the world like
a multi-colored roll of Saran Wrap. This ribbon fits into a plastic tray
which then lays inside the printer. The printer ships with a nice
illustrated manual, and set up is a breeze.
	When I render an image for output via the Primera, I render it at
2000x1600 pixels or thereabouts. The printer can handle up to 300x600
dpi output, but due to the way dye sublimation works, there is no
noticeable difference between that and 300x300 dpi. Wax thermal, though,
is a different story, the higher resolution is very discernable.
Non-square pixel output of various aspect ratios is old hat with Amigas.
Not so with PCs, which is why I have my 1200 and not my Pentium 166
driving this printer. The downside is that at 2000x1600 pixels, which is
an IFF file about 7 to 10 megs in size, it takes more than 30 minutes to
print a full bleed 8.5x11 dye sub image from my 030 powered A1200 with
32 megs. Wax thermals take maybe 5 or 6 minutes.
	The IFX printer module allows you to scale and dither any picture to
fit the page without bothering with Postscript. This is good since that
although a Postscript module is available from Fargo for the Primera
Pro, it is not Amiga compatible. However, I have spoken with several Mac
based output services using other dye sub printers, and they have told
me candidly that Postscript/dye sublimation is not exactly a match made
in heaven.
	In terms of ouput quality, dye sub images are breathtaking to behold.
They tend to be dark and color saturated, though, hence the advice above
about considering the initial supplies to be for experimentation. I've
read that dye sub prints are more sensitive to UV than regular
photographic prints, but I have prints on my walls almost two years old
that have been in galleries several times and they show no signs of
degradation. Wax thermal output is much brighter, though not nearly as
photorealistic. It should be noted that you'll need the 4 color dye sub
supply package for 8x10 or higher work (max is 8.5x11.5) and it uses
special 8x14 paper for that. The 3 color dye sub package will only do
8.5x9.3, a PITA size for framed output.
	One anecdote here. The Image F/X-Primera Pro combo has been the only
output method I've come across that will allow me to take a high quality
video framegrab and make a decent looking print from it. Anyone reading
this who has tried to output a video framegrab to film or print will
know what I'm talking about. I've made 4x5 prints from video grabs that
looked pretty good. Not fantastic, but serviceable. It took quite a bit
of massaging with Image FX also. But it is doable.
	All in all, the Primera Pro is a great color printer if the very best
in output quality for a relatively modest amount of money is your
primary concern. But it is not a fast printer by any means (I recently
aquired an 060 for the 1200, I have not installed it yet, but this may
speed up things a bit).  And, dye sub output can be expensive (about
$275 or so for 100 prints, I think). But overall, I am very pleased with
this printer.

- [email-masked] (Bill Graham)

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