1. Introduction
Primera
Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 1
Signature Z6 is Primera's sixth-generation CD/DVD printer. It introduces
a host of new features, including:
- Six-color printing for true photo-quality output
- 4800 dpi print resolution
- 20% faster printing than its predecessor
- A new low price of just US$1495.00 (MSRP)
Advanced Six-Color Printing
Signature Z6 is the world's first professional CD/DVD printer to offer
six-color inkjet printing. By adding light cyan and light magenta to CMYK,
printed photos look more natural. Colors are brighter and more vibrant,
while shades and gradations are more gradual and smooth. Combining six-color
inks with 4800 DPI resolution delivers the world's best direct-to-disc
printing available.
Signature Z6 includes Primera's PrimaColor and exclusive new Z-Color
Color Matching Systems for the most accurate and precise control over
the colors you create and print.
Large Ink Cartridges for a Low Cost Per Disc
Cost per disc is one of the most important considerations when purchasing
a CD/DVD printer for high-volume, professional use. That's why Signature
Z6 has large,
34 and 41ml ink cartridges filled at 100% for its color and black inks.
This enables the cost per disc to be about half that of other printers
sold in the
professional market.
SureThing CD Labeler Primera Edition, a professional
labeling software program, is also included for graphic design. Graphic
designs from other software programs such as Adobe PhotoShop,
CorelDRAW and Illustrator are quickly and
easily imported into SureThing templates. Or, the user can print
directly to Signature Z6 as a standard Windows printer.
Signature Z6 also includes a patented early-warning ink level monitoring
system. It not only tells users what percentage of ink remains before
a run of discs is started, but it also estimates how many actual discs
can be printed based upon an "on-the-fly" analysis of ink usage.
Optional Hands-Free Disc Burning and Printing
For fully automated disc production, Signature Z6 interfaces with Primera's
Composer XL, ComposerPro and ComposerMAX Optical Disc Duplicators.
Combining a Signature Z6 and Composer-series duplicator enables
automatic disc burning and printing for up to 400 discs per job.
"Signature Z6 sets a new standard in our industry for print speed, print quality
and cost per disc," said Mark D. Strobel, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
at Primera Technology. "At the same time, it is also one of the
most affordable professional CD/DVD printers available."
Signature Z6 is priced at US$1495.00 (MSRP). It is currently shipping and can
be purchased from Primera Technology's Authorized Resellers and Distributors
in more than 85 countries.
Signature Z6 CD/DVD
Printer specifications:
Print Method:
Inkjet
Printing Resolutions:
4800 x 1200 dpi, 2400 x 1200 dpi, 1200 x 1200 dpi, or 600 x 600 dpi (driver selectable)
Ink Cartridges:
Color (#53321; cyan, magenta and yellow)
Photo (#53324; light cyan, light magenta and black)
Optional Black monochrome for high-speed four-color printing (#53319; cyan, magenta,
yellow and black)
Colors:
16.7 million or black monochrome
Color Matching:
PrimaColor Color Matching Software (ICC complaint); also includes Primera's
new Z-Color Color Matching Software for Photo Mode printing
Operating Systems:
Supplied with printer driver for Windows XP/2000
Data Interface:
USB 1.1/2.0
Minimum System Requirements:
Pentium? III?computer or better, 64MB RAM, 500MB free hard drive space, available
USB 1.1/2.0 port
Control Interface:
TTL-level signals for busy printing, tray open/close, etc., available on rear-panel
6-pin mini-DIN connector
Label Editing Software:
SureThing? CD Labeler Primera Edition Software for Windows XP/2000
Maximum Print Width:
4.72" (120mm)
Electrical Ratings:
12?VDC, 5.0A
Power Requirements:
100-240VAC, 50/60 Hz, 60 watts
Certifications:
UL, UL-C, CE, FCC Class B
Dimensions:
7.5"H x 17"W x 10.5"D (190mmH x 432mmW x 266mmD)
Weight:
9 lbs. (4.09 kg)
Warranty:
One Year
Supplied Package:
The package contains all the necessary stuff which someone would
need in order to set up and start using the printer immediately. Analytically,
there are
the Z6 printer, USB cable, power supply with cables, 4 printable-surface
media ( 2 white and two silver), quick start guide, the manual, warranty
and the ink cartridges (color and photo).
2. Hardware Installation
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 2
Hardware Installation
For installing the Signature Z6 on your PC, you'll need the following included
media:
The installation should start automatically when you insert the CD. If you
have disabled Autorun, then you'll have to run the installation procedure manually
from the
disc.
Open
the
CD and
find and run
autorun.exe.
In either case, the following window
will appear. Choose "Quickstart
Install".
Just make sure you follow the onscreen instuctions and
hopefully, you should have no problems.
Make sure you remove the security strips before installing
the ink cartridges.
After pressing the Finish button, SureThing CD Labeler will
be installed.
Before completing the setup, you will be asked to restart
you computer.
3. Software Setup
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 3
Software Setup
The first time you run SureThing Software, a wizard will help you to personalize
the software. Just follow the onscreen instructions. You don't need to use
the wizard to make the configurations, but we recommend
you
proceed
with
the
wizard.
4. Software Preview
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 4
Software Preview
Each time you launch the program, you'll see the following window with
information
about the software.
Once the program has started, if you press the NEW button the following screen
will open. This also happens automatically, the very first time you run the
program.
The following is the central screen and is the one you are presented with
everytime
you open the program.
The buttons on the left and running vertically, are very helpful for inserting
backgrounds, photos, text etc.
The software is very easy to use and there are no special or difficult
features. If you spend a little time, you can learn it in no time. Hence we
consider there
is no need for further analysis here, but leave it up to the user to better acquaint
him/herself with the software.
5. Printing Preferences
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 5
Printing Preferences
Below you can see the options available from the Printing Preferences dialog
box for the printer.
From the following drop down menu you can set the diameter of the media you
are about to use. There are three default sizes as well as custom where
you can set your own. Custom sizes can be defined by clicking on the "Custom
Page Size" button.
The orientation can also be defined.
There are five choices of quality ranging from Normal 600 up to Ultra Photo
4800.
Z-Color is the only color matching option. If you remove the Photo
cartridge and install a black cartridge in its place, then you can
change to other color matching options. Otherwise if you want to
continue using the photo cartridge, then the image will need some filters
added or some colors adjusted in your image editing program. The other
options are PrimaColor, Algebraic and None. If you are printing from SureThing,
then PrimaColor is good. Otherwise, if you are using Photoshop or Corel Draw
and
you
are printing an RGB image, then set the color matching to Algebraic.
If you have the Color and the Photo ink cartridges installed, the Color
Matching is set by default to Z-Color. For setting to PrimaColor, which
is the best for SureThing, you have to change to another option other than
Color + Photo, for activating the field. Then set to Primacolor and change
once again,
this time back to Color + Photo.
You can also set which ink cartridges you will use.
If you haven't performed a cartridge alignment calibration, you can do it
as follws:
After a test printout, look for the best results, which are the
straightest lines, insert each number in the appropiate field and press
OK. Below you
can see what the test printout looks like. Click on the image to enlarge it.
For image centering, you have to print a test image, then rotate it 180° with
the arrows pointing on the printer. Once again, a test printout sample
is presented below. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Once again insert the correct numbers in each field and press OK.
From the choice in the "Options" dialog box (see below),
you can change the ink cartridges, clean them and read a report.
Just
click
on the Properties... button.
Here you get a report on the condition of the ink cartridge
levels.
We recommend you clean the heads frequently, especially
if the printer has been out of use for a long time.
By pressing the Details button the following window will
appear.
6. Properties Menu - Other Options
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 6
Properties Menu - Other Options
- Properties Menu
Some advanced settings can be adjusted in this tab.
Under the Color Management tab option, if you click on the
Add button (see below), you can select from a list the color profile
to use.
- Other Options
Signature
Z6 interfaces perfectly with Composer XL, ComposerPro, and ComposerMAX
optical disc duplicators allowing for fully automated disc production.
7. Tests - Page 1
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 7
Tests - Page 1
Before proceeding with any printing, make sure you have calibrated
the Signature Z6, from Printing Preferences.
We scanned our DVD movie cover in order to use it in our printing
tests. The reference image we used was the following:
In all cases, we used the included software, SureThing CD Labeler and white
printable-surface Taiyo Yuden media. The first print we made was with
the default settings for the color matching software, i.e.Z-Color,
since we had installed the color and the photo ink cartridges. The field for
changing
to another color match was disabled. So we proceeded...and this is what we
got:
After searching and experimenting for a while, we found that if you
change under Printing Preferences, the Ink Cartridge option
to something else such as Color + Black, the Color Matching field is enabled,
allowing you to adjust it. We set ours to Algebraic, with default settings,
and printed another
test
image:
We tried to adjust the colors manually:
Finally we used PrimaColor which was the appropriate setting according to
the manual. The test print confirmed this:
However, there were still major differences from our original
DVD image, especially with colors and contrast. So we processed
the reference image
with
Photoshop,
making
the
appropriate
settings (increased the contrast and color saturation),
saved it as reference image 2 shown below:
We then printed this:
While the printed disc is not like reference image 2 saved
from Photoshop, it is now very close to the original image from the original
DVD. So for printing, what you need is
a
little
effort,
and
some trial printing before in order to achieve acceptable results. Below we
have some screen images and next to them how they printed.
Original Image |
Printed Image |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here is also a printout on silver printable-surface Tuff-Coat media, where
we again processed the image with Photoshop in order to make it look like
the original:
The truth is that neither of the two media types, white or silver, help
in the quality of printing in a way that can be compared with printing on
photo paper.
Make sure not to wet the printed media surface since it is not waterproof
and the results will be a complete disaster.
8. Tests - Page 2
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 8
Tests - Page 2
Theere are five supported qualities levels with the Signature
Z6 printer, and the approximate printing times for each need for each quality
level is presented below:
Quality |
Printing Time (sec) |
Normal 600 |
80 |
Best 600 |
120 |
Presentation 1200 |
160 |
Super Photo 2400 |
320 |
Ultra Photo 4800 |
570 |
Below you can see the difference beetween the lowest and
highest printing quality. Click on the images for an enlarged view.
Normal 600 |
Ultra Photo 4800 |
|
|
We printed the above high resolution image in all the supported
qualities. Clink on each image for an enlarger view.
Quality |
Test |
Normal 600 |
|
Best 600 |
|
Presentation 1200 |
|
Super Photo 2400 |
|
Ultra Photo 4800 |
|
Below are two other high resolution images, printed at the
highest quality.
Reference Image
Printed Image
The red color was not too good.
Reference Image
Printed Image
After 40 prints, most of them at the highest quality, the ink
levels were as follows:
According to Primera at 1200dpi you can do about 130 full
disk prints per cartridge. They estimate around 200 full
disks at 600dpi and about 90 at 2400dpi. This of course can vary depending
on the image that is being printed. In addition, the colors in the graphic
and cartridges your printing with (black, 6-color, 3-color, etc.) also effect
cost-per-print. When printing 4800 dpi, 3-color on the Signature Z6 CD/DVD
Printer, you'll get 150-400 discs per cartridge, depending on the area of coverage
on the disc's surface. For 4800 dpi, 6-color, you'll get 75-175.
Also the black cartridge prints black text only and all black graphics are
processed
black.
The price for each ink cartridge, Color, Photo and Black is
US $57.
9. Coclusion
Primera Signature Z6 CD/DVD Printer - Page 9
Coclusion
Primera's Signature Z6 ink jet printer is certainly one
of the most reliable and high quality printers on the market. The supported
printing resolution
at 4800 dpi is pretty high and will fulfil the needs of most advanced users.
It can be used for both professional and non-professional printing jobs. The
supported resolutions allow the user to select which one is best for him/her
with a trade-off in quality
versus ink
consumption.
The included software, SureThing CD Labeler is very simple and
offers many printing options allowing the user to reach very good
result even if he does not use the higher quality printable-surface media.
According to our tests, it takes a little effort to match the
resulting printed media where the contrast and colors are weaker compared
to the original image, and this is one of our complaints with the unit. If
you can compensate for this
shortcoming,
you can achieve a close match that can look much like the
original. Also, if you decide to print at 4800dpi, you must be patient since
it needs approximately 9:30min. However, the result is worth it, as
can been seen from our test samples.
The Signature Z6 is available from Primera's online store at the price
of US$1495, which we confess is higher than we expected.