Re: Hardware wanna haves and just wanna haves

In article <1155346056.006372.49510@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
gimme_this_gimme_that@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

New hardware:

1. Support for a flat bed scanner that scans 24"x30" or larger.

Easily a $10K item. Maybe a $60K item depending on what kind of quality
you need. You really need one in-house?

Vidar claims to have Mac support for its large-format scanners:
http://www.vidar.com/wideformat/scanners/overview/ (Like most large
scanners, they're ***-fed, not flatbed, but unless you're doing
something odd it shouldn't be a problem.)

No experience with the product.

2. Support for a printer that prints 24"x30" and uses paper, not a
paper roll.

Take a look at Epson's wide format printers. I've got a Stylus Pro
7600 that I'm quite happy with. It can print off rolls (and has a built
in automatic paper cutter) or cut sheets. You have to load cut sheets
individually, of course, as with most large-format printers.

The 7800 is the successor model, I believe.

(Apple is supposed to be the OS for Artists - so what gives?

You have to look at stuff targeted at that market. The large-format
scanner/printer world is basically divided into the "creative" side
(graphic design, photography, etc.) and the "technical" side
(engineering, architecture, etc.), and products targeted at the latter
often don't have Mac support. (Though third-parties frequently fill the
gap. See for instance X-RIP, which supports a large number of HP
plotters, among others.)

Also, once you start getting into the high-end stuff, vendors don't
worry too much about what their software runs on, since they assume
you'll be buying a dedicated computer just to run the device anyway.
(Some really high-end products, like digital production presses, have
entire fully-functional computers built-in, usually running customized
versions of Windows or Linux pre-configured with the appropriate
software.)

[snip]

--
"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
-- George W. Bush in Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 28, 2005
.