PLATFORM - PC vs Mac

Cartography can be done on a variety of platforms. Many of today's applications used in cartography are produced for both platforms. This is not intended as one platform is better than another, just and explanation why each platform has its pundents.

If you ever visit a large cartographic studio, you will most likely notice that they have both PC and Mac, and possibly UNIX. There is a reason for this. Cartography traditionally gathered, interpreted, and output data. With the advent of GIS, much of the data gathering and analysis has migrated to GIS. Though there are a few GIS programs that still work on Macintosh, GIS is primarily dominated by PCs. Both ESRI and MapInfo dropped their Mac versions of their software.

So the question is, should I go with a PC or Mac? Well, you will need to decide what the primary function that the computer will be used for. Are you planning to perform data analysis or output data? If your primary function is to analyze data sets and every once in a while produce a map, then it would be prudent to go with a PC. There are far more choices in the GIS software market. However, if you use GIS to plot data and perform limited analysis, but your primary function is the publication of data, then we recommend using a Mac. The primary reason being that the press industry is primarily Mac-based. And some service bureaus will refuse to take PC files.

COLOR PRINTERS

Every once in a while a question is posted on Map-Mac as to which wide-format color printer is recommended for those of us who don't have unlimited budgets. The printer that is most often suggested is the Epson Stylus Color 3000.

 

The Epson 3000 prints up to 17 inches wide to 200 feet long. We typically print using either A2 or 17x22 inch (US C) sheets. The Epson 3000 is running between $1000-1200US, and you can find refurbished units for under $1000. However, it is worth the extra $100-3000 for the two year warranty and tech support. What is nice about the 3000 is that it utilizes individual ink cartridges for each color. So if you run out of one color you can replace that color. The ink cartridges are also large, measuring 5.5 x 4 x 1 inch. Epson includes their RIP software which does a reasonable job of producing proofs. Not to the quality of a true proof, but enough that you can be confident going to press. The quality of print is outstanding using Epson paper. However, the cost of consumables can be expensive. The Epson Photo Quality Glossy Ink Jet 17x22 inch paper costs $69US for 20 sheets. The ink cartridges run the same price each. We go through 1-2 color cartridges and 3-4 black cartridges a year. Despite the expenses, it is a printer worth the investment.

 

An alternative is the Epson Stylus Color 1520. This is a cheaper version of the 3000, typically costing between $450-500US. Though it will handle paper sizes equal to the 3000, it uses a black cartridge and a color cartridge and is not packaged with any RIP software. The problem with a single color cartridge is that if you run out of one color, say cyan, you will need to replace the entire cartridge. You will need some type of RIP software, either Epson's StylusRIP, Adobe PressReady, or other. This will cost you $150-300US. Use either the Epson StylusRIP or Adobe PressReady, there are other RIP packages, however, they can be problematic. We use Epson's StylusRIP with our 3000 and only had one problem (not enough scratch disk space, it was a very large file) with the RIP software in two years.