At CD-writer.com we have got hands on experience of every CD and DVD production systems made available to the UK market in the last 10 years, whether it be Rimage, Microboards, Primera, StorDigital, XLNT, MFDigital (the list goes on). It can be said that many manufacturers will talk to us prior to releasing their products onto the market. That's exactly what Epson UK did when they needed to sound out the market place for their new product the Epson Disc Producer.
From first impressions, look and feel it is clear that Epson's new Disc publishing system has been very well conceived. They will go to lengths to tell you that this sort of product is smack in the middle of Epson territory, since they own printer technology and robotics technology, and the tell is a pure blend of the two.
There is something else about the Epson product too, and that the finish. It uses high quality plastic that is beveled, rounded and glossed. It has lines that you would appreciate in a top of the range BMW. Its tonal greys plastics compliment the transparent viewing windows, housed in the solid lid that clicks solidly into place. This highly finished product is just starting its journey.
For sure Epson are late to release this product. It's a mature and saturated market with many players, most notable Primera and MicroBoards. Clearly the unit has been years in development and must have cost $1000'000's in development. So how do Epson plan to see a return on their investment? Well the PP-100 has reliability, quality, durability, economy on its side. Additionally we can expect the established distribution network, the wide marketing reach to assist, but most notably we think the free 1 year on site warranty goes a long way to prove Epson's confidence in their product.
Technically the Epson PP-100 is ahead of the pack. With its 6 colour ink cart system the print quality is astounding and more economical than its competitors. It is only closely matched by the MicroBoards MX-2 and PrintFactory Pro series.
So what does the PP-100 offer? You get an out of the box solution for the automated production of up to 100 CDs or DVDs, you get 2 built in DVD CD burners and you get an integrated market leading inkjet printer. Unattended operation means making up to 100 discs richly printed on matt or glossy discs is a breeze, and the six colour printing technology provides a jaw dropping finish. Whatsmore the design and build quality is such that larger production runs of up to 1000 can be accomplished without worry of sticking or dropping discs.
Getting up and running is easy with the PP-100 with its out of the box plug and play operation, the bundled Total Disc Maker software makes instant operation easy. The unit ships with a compliment of ink cartridges with a proposed output of 1000 discs that cost around £0.17 per unit to print.
The Total Disc Maker software that ships with the unit is very easy to use. Just like the familiar Nero software you can Data DVD, Data CD, Music CD, Music & Data CD, Video CD, or a Copy of a DVD or CD. The software also includes a label designing application containing templates. You can also import your own artwork in BMP and JPEG formats. It is very important when using imported artwork that it is of the correct size and DPI, with 300DPI resolution being best. This will ensure perfect printing. You can also quickly and easily make simple text labels. Other more complex functions are also available that allow the user to dynamically create disc labels.
Once you have selected your data and created your artwork, simply click the publish button to start the production process. Whilst in operation the PP-100 will keep you informed about the job status via the Epson Total Disc Monitoring software. This keeps you informed about how many discs you have done, how many are left to record, if you need to refill the machine and how much ink you have left. All very useful information when trying to ensure the production of prefect quality discs.
Further Points to note:
Keeping track of previous jobs for re-orders is made easy since the device and software keeps a record of all previous jobs, and the elements used to create them.
The 6 separate inks systems can be a life saver, since not only do you achieve the highest possible print quality, but you will also save money, since; if you want to print 100 discs that are blue, you will only need to change the Blue cartridge when it runs out. This is good for the environment too, since it saves ink wastage.
The Epson Disc Producer also uses an AcuGrip mechanism on its robotic lifter ensuring it only lifts one disc and avoids double loading and jamming caused by sticky disc phenomenon.
Typically the PP-100 can print 1 disc per minute, but overall output is determined buy the amount of data being burnt to the discs.
Since the device is completely sealed in its robust housing the Epson PP-100 ensures that the discs remain free of dust and fingerprints. This housing make the PP-100 ideal for medical purposes or in facilities whereby there may be potential for contamination or disruption.
To Conclude:
In the opinion of CD-writer.com Ltd the Epson Disc Producer PP-100 is a well conceived, considerately designed and perfectly engineered solution for the production of high quality disc media. Whether your requirement is for single discs or larger volumes you will find the PP-100 easy to use with superb printing and recording results.