The Epson Print Academy is a training day specifically designed for users who want to get the best out of their Epson printer. Held at Epson UK’s headquarters in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, instructor Jonathan Briggs provides expert guidance on the fundamentals of image capture, processing and print workflow. The Epson Print Academy course costs £56.40 including VAT.

ZINK Imaging and Polaroid have announced their collaboration on the development of a new family of printing products which use ZINK Imaging’s ink-free printing technology. The first Polaroid-branded ZINK-enabled product is a pocket-sized mobile printer that produces borderless full color 2”x3” peel-and-stick ZINK photos. The Polaroid Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer will be available in the first half of 2008. Polaroid have also announced the award-winning Polaroid Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer. “Polaroid, one of the most well-known names in consumer electronics and digital imaging, was a clear fit for ZINK Imaging as a partner,” said Wendy Caswell, president and CEO, ZINK Imaging. “Through this partnership, we are delivering on our promise to provide a revolutionary and magical digital printing experience to consumers.”

The Kodak ESP 3 All-in-One Printer continues to change the way the world prints at home by offering the latest in design and technology, providing high quality picture and document output, saving people up to 50 percent on everything they print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers. The Kodak ESP 3 All-in-One Printer offers a sleek design and compact footprint, and will ship with a new software feature - Facial Retouch – that enables consumers to enhance their personal photographs in their own homes by reducing blemishes and enhancing facial features in just one click.  The KODAK ESP 3 All-in-One Printer will be available in the first half of the year, price to be confirmed.

Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new Kodak 5500 All-in-One printer.

“Kodak has indeed found a way to deliver the least expensive home photo printing available with the best print longevity to boot but on a device whose firmware needs a lot more work. Part of the cost trick is in limiting the inks to just three colors. But there’s a lot of impressive science behind that accomplishment, including the extremely small size of the pigments themselves. Another part is the three grades of paper, which are bar coded on the back to tell the printer what weight and surface it’s dealing with, a big boost in productivity.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Kodak 5500 Review

PCMag have reviewed the Epson PictureMate Zoom 4”x6” compact photo printer.

“There are two ways of looking at the Epson PictureMate Zoom ($199.99 direct), the high-end model of the newest generation of PictureMate dedicated photo printers. On the one hand, it’s Epson’s faster, less expensive (by $100) replacement for last year’s Editors’ Choice PictureMate Flash. On the other, it’s the first cousin to this year’s Editors’ Choice PictureMate Dash. Either way, it comes with an impeccable pedigree. More important, it lives up to expectations, earning its own Editors’ Choice for high-end small-format dedicated photo printers.”

Website: PCMag - Epson PictureMate Zoom Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the Epson PictureMate 290 compact photo printer, which can produce a 10x15cm borderless lab-quality photo in just 37 seconds.

“Epson’s PictureMate PM290 is a neat and effective small-format photo printer. With its built-in CD rewriter and Bluetooth capabilities, it can handle most needs of any enthusiastic photo taker. Improvements could be made, such as bundling in the battery which makes this machine fully portable and redesigning the printer so both paper and power supply are carried internally. Even so, it stands up well against its competition and running costs remain low.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Epson PictureMate 290 Review

Epson’s new 60” PremierArt Water Resistant Canvas and 60” Water Resistant Matte Canvas rolls are ideal for exhibition display, portraits or limited edition fine art. Water Resistant Matte Canvas offers a smooth matte finish while the PremierArt Water Resistant Canvas provides a high-gloss finish. Martin Johns, Business Manager, Pro-Graphics, Epson UK says, “Epson has established a strong reputation for providing superior products that professionals can rely on to continually perform. These are complemented by a wide choice of media, including matte and glossy papers up to 44”. With the launch of these products our canvas range is now available up to 64”.  As canvas prints become an increasingly popular choice for customers displaying photos and art at home, photographers and artists can meet this demand with even bigger prints that will really make an impression.”

Canon’s “Try My Photo” invites you to have an image printed on a select Canon printer to test out its quality. “This program will give consumers a sample print of their own image and provide first-hand knowledge of the quality prints a Canon printer is capable of creating while at the same time giving the consumer the power to make an educated choice on what printer to purchase.” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. The first printer featured in the program is the SELPHY ES2 compact photo printer.

A survey by Kodak has revealed that almost half the people in the UK think the cost of printer ink is a rip off. The average person in the UK spends £105 a year on ink. Consequently 41% of people who own a printer at home have used the printer at work to print personal documents, and in London this rises to 64%. 15% of people admit to having used the office printer to print their CVs while 10% have printed job vacancies!

PCMag have reviewed the Epson PictureMate Dash (also known as the PM 260) compact photo printer, which can produce a 10x15cm borderless lab-quality photo in just 37 seconds.

“Epson’s PictureMate small-format photo printers have always stood out from the crowd, but the company has really outdone itself with its latest iteration, the PictureMate Dash ($99.99 direct). Although the Dash is the low cost version of the newest generation of PictureMates, it offers features I’m used to seeing only on printers that cost far more—from a surprisingly big 3.6-inch LCD screen to the ability to print from a wide range of sources. It’s also the fastest small format photo printer I’ve seen at any price.”

Website: PCMag - Epson PictureMate Dash Review

DPNow have reviewed the Epson PictureMate 290 compact photo printer, which can produce a 10x15cm borderless lab-quality photo in just 37 seconds.

“Epson have worked wonders with the internals of the latest PictureMate models. Print quality is attractive and there’s no twiddling your thumbs while printing. The large screen is a plus point and ease of use is commendable. The design is good enough, though the rather flimsy lid doesn’t seem to complement the rest of the hardware well. To be honest, we don’t think the new angular and boxy design introduced last year was an improvement on the curvaceous and more compact styling of the original PictureMate.”

Website: DPNow - Epson PictureMate 290 Review

Epson has won a 2007 ecohitech award for the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 printer in the “Energy Saving and CO2 Reduction” category. ecohitech is Italy’s most prestigious recognition of environmental achievement by a technology company. This is the third time that Epson has received an ecohitech award. The jury stated “In comparison with the previous models, the estimated CO2 emissions during the whole product life are reduced by 44% and the amount of the resources used during the production is reduced by 55%. The printer is EcoLeaf certified.”

Epsonality is a new marketing campaign from, you guessed it, Epson, which aims to make it easier to choose the right inkjet printer for your needs. Designed to help customers cut through the confusion of model names, the program matches the company’s printer attributes with various personality types and printing behaviors. “We are inviting all of these customers to take a more active experiential role with not only the Epson brand, but also our individual products. Rather than simply looking at features, we want our customers to see their printer a little differently and understand how certain products best meet their needs.” said Jeffrey Marks, director of Marketing and Communications, Epson.

The Canon iPF9100 and Canon iPF8100 are 60-inch and 44-inch wide printers with newly reformulated twelve-colour LUCIA inks. Replacing the iPF9000 and iPF8000 models, the new iPF9100 and iPF8100 both incorporate an 80 GB hard drive and four enhanced monochrome inks which reduce the occurrence of bronzing. Both printers support next generation “Kyuanos” color management technology for Windows, to deliver output color suitable for different viewing conditions. The Canon iPF9100 and Canon iPF8100 printers will be available in November 2007 for $14,995 and $5,995 respectively.

Canon has introduced two new papers, Polished Rag and High Resolution Coated Bond, for their imagePROGRAF large format printers. At 300gsm/15mil, the Polished Rag is a thick media providing the look and feel of traditional fiber-based photo paper. Polished Rag is available in 8.5 x11,inches, 13 x19 inches and 17 x22 inches cut sheet as well as rolls in widths of 17, 24, 44, and 50 inches. At 120gsm, the new High Resolution Coated Bond Paper is ideal for general office large format printing.

PCMag have just reviewed the HP Photosmart A626 compact printer, which features the world’s first 4.8-inch color touchscreen LCD, built-in handle, foldup tray and, optional battery.

“In most ways, the HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo Printer ($179.99 direct) is only a small step up from last year’s crop of dedicated photo printers from HP. But give HP credit for trying new things, because the A626 offers something new and different: a 4.8-inch touch screen that turns the A626 into a kind of mini-photo kiosk and makes it unique among small-format, portable, dedicated photo printers.”

Website: PCMag - HP Photosmart A626 Review

Canon USA is providing free custom online profiles for its imagePROGRAF iPF6100 and imagePROGRAF iPF5000 printers. Covering the company’s most popular fine art and photographic media, the paper profiles are free and available on the Professional Printer section of Canon’s Digital Learning Center. There are currently 40 profiles available for download for 10 different media types, with more to come in the future.

PCMag have reviewed the HP Photosmart A826, a compact photo printer that features a massive 7 inch color touchscreen. The HP A826 can print borderless 4x6 and 5x7 inch photos, holiday cards, wallets and panoramas.

“Every so often, I get to play with—uh, test—something new and different. The HP Photosmart A826 Home Photo Center ($249.99 direct) is a prime example. Think of it as a photo kiosk for your kitchen (or anywhere else you like). Modeled on the sort of kiosk you can find in your local drugstore, the A826 lets you plug in a memory card or USB key, then submit orders through a 7-inch touch screen while previewing photos at 4.2 inches diagonally—an enormous size by home photo printer standards.”

Website: PCMag - HP Photosmart A826 Review

For a three month period only, Epson is offering up to 50% off selected media whilst stocks last. A wide range of paper sizes of Premium Luster Roll paper has up to 41% reduction, and a selection of A2 cut sheet papers 50%. The offers start this month.

Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper offers extraordinary blacks, clean whites and a surface texture that is just like a true black-and-white silver gelatin print. So say many of the industry’s leading professional photographers who have contributed to the development of Exhibition Fiber Paper. “When I saw my first print on Exhibition Fiber there was a 3-dimensionality to my color work that I haven’t seen with any paper before. For the first time I can use one paper that looks amazing in both color and black-and-white.” said Greg Gorman, well-known personality photographer and workshop leader. Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper will be available in November.