Rampage or Prinergy?

[JoePixel]

Interested if there are any of you who have worked with both Rampage and Prinergy, or switched from one to the other.

I have to upgrade my CTP workflow in the next year (working on a Brisque currently) and the local Fuji rep is telling me that the Rampage software is better than the Kodak (Creo) Brisque or Prinergy.

I wanted an unbiased opinion from somebody who works in prepress and not in sales for Fuji or Kodak.

I'm familiar with the Brisque and have been working with Scitex/Creo/Kodak types of rips for over 15 years and that is all that I know.
I tend to believe that the Creo equipment is more commonly used and so I don't want to pigeon hole myself into using the Rampage if it's not used by a majority of printers. It could be harder to find a job if 75% of the industry uses Kodak's Brisque or Prinergy and 25% uses Fuji's Rampage.

[tbJAMMIN]

I worked with Rampage for a year, Apogee for a year, and Prinergy EVO the last two weeks.

Prinergy by far is a better workflow. Hands down. Not even close.

[gig0]

Joe, considering the workflow decision you'll have to make, I wouldn't base it upon what-if scenarios or market share. Unless a position is needed to be filled asap, most employers don't care which rip workflow you know, as long as you have an understanding of electronic prepress. Trust me on this. Don't let that be a factor.

I've never used RAMpage, but worked with someone (a part timer) at my current job and he liked RAMpage better than the Brisque. But then again, this guy had tons of mistakes with his work. He was all about quantity (amount of jobs output) rather than outputting the job right the first time. His stuff had to always be fixed so who knows. I think you'll want to hear from the people who's used both systems though. Me, I can't see how outputting one page at a time can be more productive but doesn't seem to phase RAMpage users.

You have time on your side. Make a folder on your computer and save the troublesome jobs that you've have on the Brisque. When you've got a nice collection of these jobs, run these puppies through demo systems and see what happens. This is what I do now to prepare for that day when it comes.

Just keep things in perspective for your current type of work and what you guys plan on for the future and don't forget to look into the trapping and impo options.

[PrepressRabbit]

I can't speak for Prinergy, but I have used both Brisque and Rampage and I prefer Rampage. There was more server maintenance with Rampage and updating corrections to imposed flats takes longer but I found that the individual page workflow had a lot of pluses for our shop. We see many large jobs with lots of edits through multiple proofs and this was easier to manage through Rampage. I found the trapping software better too. I don't know what changes have been made to the software since version 8, but I understand they have had a major new release.
I agree with loading both vendors up with a bunch of problematic jobs. It really is the only way to get an idea of what will work best for you.

[luciddream]

I would also suggest looking at SmartMove. It can integrate directly into your Brisque workflow giving you the ability to convert your existing Brisque jobs into portable vector PDF format.

As a complete workflow option it provides you with all of the power and capability of a Rampage or Prinergy system for a fraction of the cost.

http://luciddream.com/smartmove.html

Be happy to provide a demo - or let you run it locally!

David Lewis
Lucid Dream Software
847-202-8424

[pcmodem]

Don't limit yourself to just what your sales rep told you about. You will want to look at all of the RIP vendors. , Artwork-Systems, Agfa, Kodak, RamPage, etc. You have to determine what is the best RIP for your shop.

[steveagfa]

JOe:

I found your side comment of interest...

<snip>Fuji's Rampage.<snip>

Actually - RamPage is an independent company out of
Waltham MA. Great workflow - especially as a transition
away from a CT/LW-based system.

However - "Fuji's Rampage"? That's quite interesting and
telling - since Fuji's workflow is CelebreNT... ask Fuji why
they don't recommend their own? Also, I've seen more
Screen TrueFlow workflows being quoted from Fuji of late
(in the US), than even CelebreNT or RamPage; ask "why?".

WRT Agfa's Apogee - it pioneered the adoption of PDF as the
internal file format in 1997, and is now quite robust as ApogeeX.

Of course I agree with Brian's recommendation to shop around,
and not just rely on your Fuji rep's opinion, which may change
day-to-day. (Is it CelebreNT, RamPage or TrueFlow?)

And, while you venture outside of the Fuji embrace, you might want
to check out the most innovative plate technologies from the largest
plate manufacturer, and largest digital plate manufacturer in the world -
Agfa. Our Thermofuse (Azura & Amigo) plates are delivering on the
thermal promises of ten years ago...

.. but alas, that's a different thread.

Regards,

[chris_r]

steveagfa is correct...rampage is a standalone company, it is not a fuji-developed product.

i am a rampage user (i do not have any experience with prinergy or apogee, and some experience with brisque and shira), and i find it to be very open-ended and user friendly. we receive many types of files at my shop, a real huge variety, and i find that rampage is truly versatile. i cant think of a time when i have had i file type i cant get to rip. i have been trying to get more and more clients to go the pdf route, but until then, i really couldnt be happier.

im also pretty happy with the online proofing solution, rampage remote. it isnt the fanciest interface in the world, but it is easy to use, and easy for clients to install and use.

and most importantly of all, the technical service at rampage is absolutely TOP NOTCH. every time you call, you get a human being immediately. and they stick with you, no matter what the problem is. i cant say enough about that.

good luck choosing a workflow!

cr

[JimG]

I have worked most all the majors, Brisque, Printergy, Rampage, AWS, Heidelberg. By far Rampage customer service and tech support is great by far compared to Kredak.

But really-- Try them all and see what works best for your company and situation.

Be wary of companies who try to come in and tell you "I can get you in this workflow for XXX dollars cheaper than this company" You always take the hit later on when you find out to print to that new device is going to cost you another 20,000.

[PantherMac]

I've worked on older version of both Prinergy and Rampage, and agree w/ the comments about Rampage's support staff. They're also very responsive when you do run into something unusual (I've had patches w/in days of submitting problem files).
Odds are, the Fuji rep doesn't want to see Kodak in there selling Prinergy, becuase they might mention something about their plates as well.

- Mac