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Full Range of Epson Photo Quality Printers
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Epson Stylus
Pro 4000
The 'big easy' printer that
every
photographer will want to own.
I was very surprised to see this printer at a local Apple Reseller Show
in Bangkok last month and to be able to play with it. You can see the
specifications in the press release below but the main point I would
like to make is that it is the first large format printer that I have
ever seen that is ready to run straight from the box. In other words it
is just as easy to set up and start printing with as the smaller Epson
Stylus Photo Printers.
If you have ever worked with any plotter at all or one of the 'high
end' photo proofing ink jet printers you just won't believe that a
printer manufacturer finally came to their senses and realized that
photographers and artists without the support of a corporate IT
department or a full time 'large format printer specialist' on call,
would also like to make large prints.
The VARs who specialize in milking customers with installation,
training and maintenance fees won't like it a bit, but this prInter is
consumer friendly. So if you are a photographer and have a spare
$2,000, buy this printer. It is the missing link in the Digital
Darkroom Puzzle.
The Epson Stylus Pro 4000 printer has an up to 17x22 inch cut paper
tray and also accomodates 17" wide rolls. The prints that it makes are
fantastic, the ink cartridges are very large, and in the long run it
will cost you less per print (of equal size) then any other color
printer that you have ever owned.
Here is the complete
Epson Press Release:
New Epson Stylus Pro
4000 Offers 17-Inch-Wide
Professional-Level Photographic Printing and Seven-Color UltraChrome
Ink System with New Eight-Channel Printhead
Epson Stylus Pro 4000
Offers Nearly Twice the Speed of Previous Epson Stylus Pro Printers and
New Ink System Automatically Switches Between
Matte Black and
Photo Black Ink Modes
Epson's
newest and most advanced professional-level photographic
printer to date is taking the form of a desktop design. The new Epson
Stylus(R) Pro 4000 creates exhibit-quality images up to 17 inches in
width at speeds that nearly double that of previous Epson Stylus Pro
printers. The printer features a new eight-channel printhead and
seven-color Epson UltraChrome(TM) pigmented ink system that
automatically switches between Matte Black and Photo Black inks for
optimum print quality on different media surfaces. It's also packed
with several other advanced features designed specifically around the
needs of today's professional photographers, graphic designers,
commercial printers, GIS mapping, CAD users and more.
"We're confident the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 will be the most
popular and best selling Stylus Pro printer yet," said Mark Radogna,
senior product manager, professional graphics, Epson. "The combination
of this printer's amazing image quality, dramatically faster
performance and unique 17-inch-wide media handling, will make it a
must-have product for any digital imaging professional -- especially
with an estimated street price of only $1,795."
Epson
UltraChrome Ink
The Epson Stylus Pro 4000 takes advantage of the company's
award-winning Epson UltraChrome ink technology, a vital component to
producing exhibit-quality prints that are sellable. This pigment-based
formula uses seven individual colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, light
cyan, light magenta, light black and switches between one of two other
unique black inks) to create an extremely wide gamut of colors that
eliminates color casts and enhances midtones. The printer can also be
used to print a wide range of black and white photography using its
lower density Light Black ink.
Epson UltraChrome Inks are water resistant and offer lightfastness
ratings for color images up to 100 years, and greater than 100 years
for black and white prints, on specific Epson papers under non-UV
glass.(a) When displayed under UV-protected glass, color lightfastness
is rated at more than 100 years for all Epson's leading professional
papers. The quick drying nature of Epson UltraChrome inks also makes
it possible to handle prints the moment they come off the printer.
The Epson Stylus Pro 4000's eight individual channels/slots can
handle either 110 ml or 220 ml cartridges, or a combination of both
sizes. Each cartridge also uses Epson's Intelligent High-Capacity Ink
technology, a feature that stores a variety of information on a memory
chip (including ink levels), and communicates the data to the printer
whenever the power is turned on.
Automatic
Black Ink Mode Switching
In order to produce the highest level of image quality possible on
a wide variety of media types, the Stylus Pro 4000 (in its
photographic mode) offers two black inks/modes (Photo Black and Matte
Black) that are automatically activated by the printer. The printer
operates in Photo Black mode whenever the user sets the printer driver
for photographic media surfaces such as glossy, luster, or semi-matte.
All seven colors are used in Photo Black mode, which includes a
combination of Photo Black ink and Light Black ink to produce a D-max
rating as high as 2.1. If the user selects a matte, cotton-based or
fine art surface in the printer driver, the printer switches to Matte
Black mode. This mode also uses all seven colors but uses a
combination of Matte Black and Light Black inks to produce a D-max
rating as high as 1.69.
Media Handling and Flexibility
Images can be printed on virtually any media type (up to 1.5
millimeters thick) as wide as 17 inches using either rolls or cut
sheets. Some of these media include plain paper and specialized Epson
papers such as glossy, semi-gloss, luster, matte photographic papers,
canvas and fine art papers, commercial-grade proofing media and more.
Epson is also offering a complete set of professional-level RGB ICC
profiles out of the box for extremely accurate color reproduction on a
variety of these surfaces.
A built-in high capacity media tray handles up to 250 sheets of
plain letter sized paper or up to 50 cut sheets of photographic media
up to 17" x 22". Cut sheet media can be fed automatically using the
printer's high-speed cut sheet loading feature. Roll media users can
take advantage of BorderFree(TM) printing, a feature that enables
users to print over both left and right edges of the media while
automatically cutting top and bottom edges for full-bleed prints on
all four sides of the paper. A built-in cutter is included to trim
prints faster and with greater accuracy and safety than manual
techniques. User-adjustable roll media spindles can accept either two-
or three-inch media cores.
Sleek Design and Automated Operations
The
Epson Stylus Pro 4000 offers a sleek, black and silver
metallic design that features an easy-to-use front control panel with
backlit displays and ink level indicators. Operation is simplified
with six simple buttons located next to the display panel. Setup time
and effort is also greatly reduced by a built-in auto head alignment
feature. This technology uses a built-in white beam sensor that
automatically scans printed alignment patterns created by the printer
and then makes automated adjustments if necessary. The same white beam
sensor is also used to detect clogged nozzles and automatically
activate head cleaning cycles when/if necessary.
High Resolution Printing and Faster Print
Speeds
The
Epson Stylus Pro 4000 is capable of printing at 2,880 x 1,440
dpi resolution -- resulting in finer blends and smoother photographic
transitions. It also uses variable droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters
to greatly decrease print time while optimizing photographic quality.
Furthermore, Epson's advanced Micro Piezo(R) DX3(TM) ASIC technology
controls the printing process to produce consistent image quality and
color output from print to print.
The Epson Stylus Pro 4000 prints up to 1.9 times faster than any
previous Stylus Pro printer with the help of a new one-inch-wide print
head packed with 180 nozzles per channel. Depending on the print mode,
users can create an 8" x 10" photo-quality image as fast as one
minute, seven seconds -- or create an 8" x 10" at a quality level that
surpasses traditional photo labs in approximately seven minutes, eight
seconds.
Features for Proofing and Engineering
Applications
In
addition to creating professional level photographs, the Epson
Stylus Pro 4000 is also an ideal solution for pre-press proofing,
graphic design, GIS applications, CAD engineers and other advanced
digital imaging professionals. A "Dual CMYK" ink mode is available for
different applications and media types that enable users to dedicate
all eight channels for running two identical sets of cyan, magenta,
yellow and black inks simultaneously. The Dual CMYK mode provides an
ideal combination of high image quality and even faster print speeds
(approximately 1.9 times faster than the printer's photographic mode)
for applications such as GIS, CAD or plain paper printing.
The Stylus Pro 4000's ability to create 17" x 22" images is also
ideal for graphic designers who typically create two-page mockups for
magazines, brochures and other pre-press applications. Since many
graphic designers are typically limited to 13" x 19" images on their
current printing devices, the Stylus Pro 4000's larger format creates
prints with extra room around the borders for handwriting comments or
signing off approvals. The printer can also handle C-size images that
are commonly used by GIS and CAD users.
An optional Epson Stylus Professional 2.0 software RIP featuring
true Adobe(R) PostScript(R) 3 is available for graphic designers.
Several other third-party RIPs and workflows will also be compatible
with the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 to meet the printing industry's most
demanding work environments.
Driver & Connectivity
The
Epson Stylus Pro 4000 uses an Epson professional level
photographic driver for Macintosh and Windows, allowing for complete
density control even when the driver color management feature is
turned off. A wide selection of printer interfaces includes one USB
(1.1 and 2.0), one IEEE 1394 FireWire(TM) and one Epson expansion slot
for installing the optional 10/100 BaseT Ethernet card.
Pricing, Availability and Support
The Epson Stylus Pro 4000 is priced at $1,795 (estimated street
price) and will begin shipping in January 2004 through authorized
Epson dealers. An optional printer stand/cabinet will also be
available for approximately $399.
The Epson Stylus Pro 4000 is supported by the standard Epson
Preferred(SM) Limited Warranty. This one-year program includes
toll-free advanced telephone access Monday through Friday and
typically next-business-day product replacement in the unlikely event
of any hardware failure. Epson Preferred Plus Service Plans are also
available, offering one or two additional years of protection that can
be purchased at any time before the standard one-year warranty
expires. For more information on Epson warranties, service programs
and products, call 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visit our Web
site at www.epson.com.
Epson Worldwide - http://www.epson.com
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