Colorbyte Software’s ImagePrint version 6 RIP software has been the most eagerly anticipated piece of software geared towards Epson print making ever. Not only due to it’s new and strong features, but more because Colorbyte missed their release date by several months. Version 6 for the Macintosh has been shipping for almost 8 months and the PC version just began shipping late 2004. DTG works very closely with Colorbyte and we have been using various beta versions of 6 for quite a while. Users who purchased ImagePrint after November 7th 2003 qualify for the upgrade automatically. If you do not own ImagePrint already we strongly recommend this review if you are considering Epson RIP software.
Many things have changed with this new version of ImagePrint including the installer… thank God! The installation is now a lot more seamless and automatically launches IPSetup (the old IPInstall and IPManage combined into 1 window), after it installs the main application files. From this menu you pick your printer model, connection port (on the PC you can just select the standard Epson driver from your printers list – a great thing!), click install and then type in your encryption ID. With this new IPSetup they’ve eliminated much confusion when installing new printer drivers for the application. Another thing we’ve noticed upon the install of ImagePrint version 6 is that they’ve made the PC and Mac versions look and function more similarly to each other. While they are not identical, they are pretty close, making it easier for users and IT support staff in environments where Macs and PCs are used together.
There are plenty of new features with version 6 including an image browser, layout rebuilds, improved grayscale printing, layout templates, annotations, and mixed color & grayscale printing.
The image/file browser is very similar to Photoshop’s file browser and images can be double clicked or dragged (Mac version) to the page for easy layout.
While you still can’t “save” layouts you can re-access them if you’ve printed them and have not deleted them from the Spool Face. This a great feature as it allows you to select a job that you have printed in the past, modify the layout including images, sizes, etc., and then reprint it.
As we’ve come to expect from the guys at Colorbyte, there is a vast supply of color and grayscale ICC profiles for Epson Ultrachrome ink combined with Epson, Ilford, Hahnemuehle, & Fredrix fine art papers, canvas, photo papers, luster papers and more. They are available for download from Colorbyte’s profile library free of charge. Version 6 has new grayscale profiles and older version grayscale profiles are not compatible. The new grayscale engine gives the user much more flexibility when printing black and white images. The tint picker has a broader range to allow a variety of color tones for black and white including sepia or selenium. You can also “split tone” which allows you to apply more than one color cast to a black and white and control what part of the tonal range the casts effect. Please note that this grayscale engine is only geared towards printer models that include a light black ink like the Epson 4000 & 4800, Epson 2200 & 2400, Epson 7600 & 7800, and Epson 9600 & 9800.
In the image settings dialog box there is a new tab labeled “layout”. In this section, you can create and save your own layout templates allowing you to control default margins and space between images. You can even create “proof sheets” that allow you to force images to any size you want (2x3, 4x5, etc.) with whatever margin you want. You can also print the file name and date under each image with the new annotations tab.
One of the most powerful and unique features of ImagePrint 6 is the ability to print color and black & white images on the same page utilizing color and grayscale profiles simultaneously. It even works when you have both color and grayscale in the same image! We have tested this thoroughly and been simply amazed and very impressed with the quality and accuracy of this technology. Unfortunately, the display preview does not show the color/b&w mix, just a black and white preview. Again, like stated above, grayscale profiles are only geared towards printer models that include a light black and light light black ink like the 4000 & 4800, Epson 2200 & 2400, Epson 7600 & 7800, and Epson 9600 & 9800.
A few things we would like to have seen with version 6 that are not in this version include the ability to rotate templates (packages), an accurate color/b&w mix preview, and an “environment” setup which would allow us to capture and load a group of custom settings (i.e. “b&w/color mix 4x5 proofs” or “Epson canvas 20x30’s”) with 1 click.
That said, ImagePrint version 6 is well worth the upgrade price of $495. Not only do you get the upgrade for $495 you get a year’s worth of upgrades and support from Colorbyte. The new features, ease of use, and quality of black and white make ImagePrint version 6 a very solid product and valuable upgrade. We have not tested a better piece of Epson RIP software.
DTG Reviews: Image Print 6.0 
