PMA 2006: The HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer is announced today. The HP B9180 is an 8 colour, A3+ printer that uses Vivera pigment inks for waterproof photos that resist fading for more than 200 years. The HP B9180 has an estimated street price of $699 (US).

HP Press Release

The HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer delivers exceptional image quality and the best photo permanence on the market. HP Vivera pigment ink technology, combined with the printer’s professional colors, enables accurate and consistent color reproduction. HP’s third-generation gray ink is more neutral than ever before, allowing for exceptionally smooth transitions and detail. Eight individual high-capacity ink cartridges enable high-volume printing with efficient printing speeds – producing 4 x 6-inch photos in as fast as 10 seconds and 13 x 19-inch photos as fast as 1.5 minutes – ideal for professional photographers and advanced amateurs. Users can print exceptional photos on digital fine art media including canvas, photo rag, watercolor, stiff pre-matte and film up to 1.5-mm thick, as well as improved HP Advanced Photo Paper.

PMA 2006: The Canon PIXMA Pro9500 and Canon PIXMA Pro9000 A3+ professional printers are announced today. The pigment based PIXMA Pro9500 and dye based PIXMA Pro9000 will be available from Autumn 2006, priced at around £649.00 / €937.00 and £499.00 / €720.00 respectively.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon launches professional quality PIXMA Pro series; PIXMA Pro9500 and PIXMA Pro9000  

Canon is pleased to announce the launch of the PIXMA Pro9500 and Pro9000 for professional photographers. A new series of A3+ professional-quality inkjet printers, PIXMA Pro offers users a choice: the Pro9500, using a 10-colour ink system featuring new formulation “Lucia” pigment ink, meets the most exacting commercial photographic requirements and delivers high quality, durable colour and monochrome output. The Pro9000 employs 8-colour dye inks and is suitable for general printing, especially high quality gloss photographs. PIXMA Pro printers leverage core Canon technologies – including FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering)  print heads – and benefit from the company’s experience in both consumer and professional print and capture markets. As a professional-quality range, new PIXMA Pro complements Canon’s EOS series of D-SLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras and broadens the PIXMA line up.

PMA 2006: The Canon PIXMA iX4000 and Canon PIXMA iX5000 A3+ printers are announced today. The PIXMA iX4000 and iX5000 are aimed at the SoHo market and will be available from April 2006, priced at around £249.00 / €360.00 and £329.00 / €475.00 respectively.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon targets small business market with new PIXMA iX4000 and iX5000 A3+ printers

Canon is pleased to announce the launch of two new A3+ printers aimed at the small business market: the PIXMA iX5000 and PIXMA iX4000. The new products are designed to meet office requirements – delivering rapid, high quality prints for documents and graphics, while also continuing in the PIXMA tradition of producing high speed lab-quality photo prints. These are achieved with Canon’s FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology , which lies at the heart of PIXMA’s photolab performance. In addition to the new printers, Canon also launches two multifunctionals that also target the small business market: the PIXMA MP830 and PIXMA MP530. The new products strengthen the PIXMA range by bringing the sub-brand’s core values – designer styling and advanced technology for high quality, high speed photo printing – into the important small office and home office segment. “We are now strengthening the PIXMA sub-brand by focusing on the small business market,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “Canon’s strategy is to drive the market by providing class–leading business devices that excel at producing high quality image prints, fast.”

PMA 2006: The wireless Canon PIXMA MP800R all-in-one is announced today. The PIXMA MP800R will be available from March 2006, priced at around £329.00 / €475.00.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon launches the PIXMA MP800R: The premium wireless photo All-in-One

Canon is pleased to announce the launch of the PIXMA MP800R – the premium PIXMA multifunctional photo All-In-One (print, scan and copy) with wireless connectivity. A wireless, networkable version of the PIXMA MP800, the new device delivers fast, superior quality print, scan and copy functions. It also offers PC-less printing from a huge range of devices with its integrated memory card, PictBridge, IrDA, and optional Bluetooth connectivity, as well as direct from 35mm film originals. “With increasing demand for wireless devices in the home, Canon continues to drive the home photo printing market by expanding its PIXMA multifunctional range,” says Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “Our new flagship multifunctional with inbuilt wireless offers users the freedom to produce photo lab quality prints from anywhere in the home.”

PMA 2006: The Canon PIXMA MP830 and Canon PIXMA MP530 all-in-ones are announced today. The PIXMA MP830 and PIXMA MP530 will be available from May 2006, priced at around £329.00 / €475.00 and £249.00 / €360.00 respectively.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon targets small business market with new multifunctionals; the PIXMA MP830 and MP530

Canon is pleased to announce the launch of two new multifunctional products aimed at the small business market: the PIXMA MP830 and PIXMA MP530. The new products are fully featured to meet office requirements, while also continuing in the PIXMA tradition of producing high speed lab-quality photo prints – achieved with Canon’s FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology , which lies at the heart of PIXMA’s photo lab performance. Both deliver 4-in-1 functionality with rapid, high quality prints for documents and graphics, as well as high-speed copy, scanning and fax functions. In addition to the new multifunctionals, Canon launches two new printers that also target the small business market: the PIXMA iX5000 and PIXMA iX4000. The new products strengthen the PIXMA range by bringing the sub-brand’s core values – designer styling and advanced technology for high quality, high speed photo printing – into the important small office and home office segment. “At a time of converging home and office life, and increased use of digital imaging in business communications, Canon’s engineers have evolved PIXMA technology to meet business needs,” explained Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe.

Epson Press Release

The Epson Stylus Photo RX640 and Stylus Photo R340 win iF product design award 2006.

Epson has won an iF product design award 2006 for the Stylus Photo RX640 all-in-one photo printer (pictured) and the Stylus Photo R340 photo printer. The iF product design awards, established in 1954, now rank amongst the most prestigious design competitions in the world. An international panel of top design experts critically examine and select the winning products from a total of around 2,300 entries from over 30 different countries each year. This year it attracted products from 37 nations. The Stylus Photo RX640 and Stylus Photo R340 were awarded in the Computer category.

Epson UK Press Release

21st February 2006 - Seiko Epson Corporation (“Epson”) has started patent infringement proceedings in the English High Court against Medea International Limited in respect of UK patents belonging to Epson, which Epson believes are infringed by Medea International by importing ink cartridges compatible with Epson printers into the UK.  Medea International sells these imported cartridges in the UK under a number of brands, including Inkrite PhotoPLUS. Following rumours within the industry that Medea International is not infringing any UK patents by importing cartridges into the UK that are compatible with Epson printers, Epson has now chosen to set the record straight.

TrustedReviews have a good review of the large format Epson 4800 printer which uses the UltraChrome K3 inkset.

“‘Print quality on plain or photo paper, is very good. Black is dense and full, with the two supporting ‘light black’ inks, or as we techies call them, ‘greys’, providing smooth gradations of tone. When printing large format pages, costing on the basis of 20 per cent of an A4 page isn’t appropriate. We don’t think Epson’s basis for costing a photo print, 40 per cent of a page, is that realistic either. If you’re going to spend this kind of money on a printer, you’re going to be covering most of each page you print with ink – 80 per cent would be a more realistic average.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Epson Stylus Pro 4800 Review

DIWA member and Czech website Fotoaparat have reviewed the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 A3+ photo printer.

Website: Fotoaparat - Epson Stylus Photo R2400 Review

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Epson UK Press Release

Epson Stylus Photo RX640 makes its show debut at Focus on Imaging 2006 - Stand Number C10 - Along with a huge range of consumer and LFP products, Epson will be showcasing its latest addition to its award-winning all-in-one range, the Stylus Photo RX640.

26th February 2006 – The Stylus Photo RX640 is the ideal solution for photo enthusiasts who need an advanced photo centre for their digital imaging needs. Making it’s show debut at Focus on Imaging and with an array of features including CD-R printing, a high definition 2.5 inch Photo Fine colour LCD preview monitor and a 3200dpi scanner with built-in transparency unit, its set to be the main attraction at Epson’s stand this year. Visitors to the stand can expect to find a solution for all printing, scanning and viewing needs. From amateur photographic enthusiasts through to professional photographers, the Epson stand includes a device to enable everyone to free their photos.

Panasonic Press Release

New Home Photo Printers Ideal Companion for LUMIX digital cameras

February 2006 Panasonic is pleased to introduce two, new, easy-to-use home photo printers, the Panasonic KX-PX1 and Panasonic KX-PX10: Superb for printing images captured by your LUMIX* digital camera in clear and beautiful detail. As household penetration of digital cameras continues to increase on a global scale, consumer demand for an easy-to-use home printing solution is also starting to rise. In response to these market trends, Panasonic has developed two new compact-sized, easy-to-use home photo printers, the KX-PX1 and KX-PX10, both of which are equipped with Panasonic original image processing technology and a faster print engine** for high speed, high quality prints. Now, images captured by LUMIX digital cameras can be processed and reproduced to achieve prints of a quality that rivals that of traditional analogue photos. Furthermore, thanks to a new over-coating process performed by these two new printers, your prints can now keep their quality for up to 100 years***

TrustedReviews have published a review of the new Canon BubbleJet i9950 printer.

“Print quality is very good. The two extra colours in the ink-set do produce richer greens and reds, so you get more saturated colours for both landscapes and portraits. The very fine drop size means there’s a high degree of detail in photo reproductions, too, and the light tones of the photo-cyan and photo-magenta inks – one sixth of the density of the standard cyan and magenta inks – keep skies light and smoothly gradated.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Canon BubbleJet i9950 Review

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Lyson Press Release

High Market Demand for Renowned Ink Set Drives Development

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL (February 6, 2006) — Lyson, Inc., a leading provider of inks, media, and related products to the printing, photography, graphic arts, and other allied industries, has introduced a version of its Quad Black ink set for the popular Canon i9900 Photo Printer. The new ink set, which incorporates 8 different inks, is available in cartridges or as bulk ink for a bulk feed delivery system designed for the printer.

Lyson Press Release

Saves Users Up to 70% on Ink Costs - Features new version of renowned Lyson Cave Paint™ pigment ink set - Simple to use— Installs in 30 minutes

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL (February 6, 2006) — Lyson, Inc., a leading provider of inks, media, and related products to the printing, photography, graphic arts, and other allied industries, has introduced a bulk ink feed system and bulk ink for Epson’s popular Stylus Photo R2400 inkjet printer. Unlike most bulk feed systems, which use modified generic bottles and foam-filled standard ink cartridges, the Lyson bulk feed system for the Epson R2400 uses components specifically designed for use in continuous ink supply systems.

DIWA member Steves Digicams has the first online review of the Olympus P-11, a 310dpi dye-sub photo printer that produces borderless A6 (10x15cm) prints in 33 seconds.

“The Olympus P-11 is the smallest and THE FASTEST personal dye-sub photo printer that we’ve reviewed to date. Its predecessor the P-10 was quite fast but the P-11 is even faster!  It takes up less space than even the smallest HiTi 4x6” printer. And because it uses an external power supply, the printer itself weighs only 5.1 pounds. Like the P-10 it doesn’t have anything sticking out of the printer. The paper tray is internal, the paper is output on the top and there’s no slot where the paper goes in and out during the printing. It’s compact, stylish and doesn’t make much noise even though there’s a lot of motorized paper feeding going on inside there.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus P-11 Review

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Epson UK Press Release

HALL 2 STAND 2J12

5th – 9th February 2006 - Supported by a number of guest artists, the Epson stand will be showcasing the latest, on-demand, “scan-to-print” and Giclée printing techniques through the award-winning range of LFP products at the Spring Fair show, all of which are ideal for self-publishing artists and galleries wanting to reproduce limited and open editions of fine art prints.

Epson UK Press Release

Epson introduces the Stylus Photo RX640 – an advanced all-in-one solution for photo enthusiasts

The Epson RX640 is a sophisticated all-in-one photo centre featuring printing, copying and scanning functionality to meet the needs of photo enthusiasts who desire premium photo quality from both digital and analogue image sources.

1st February 2006: The latest addition to Epson’s all-in-one photo printer range is the Stylus Photo RX640.  With an array of features including CD-R print, a high definition 2.5 inch Photo Fine colour LCD preview monitor and a 3200dpi scanner with built-in transparency unit, the RX640 is the ideal solution for photo enthusiasts who need an advanced photo centre for their digital imaging needs. Printing at home is even more affordable with the Epson Stylus Photo RX640.  With six individual ink cartridges, you only need to replace the cartridge you have used.  Epson’s superior print technology ensures your prints are of a consistently high-quality every time. A minimum droplet size of 1.5pl with Variable-Sized Droplet Technology (VSDT) results in smooth, detailed photos.  If time is of the essence, borderless photos are created in less than a minute.

HP UK Press Release

HP Delivers the HP Deskjet 6980 and HP Deskjet 6940, High Performance Printers for the Home and Office - Increase productivity with a wired or wireless printer that offers breakthrough speeds and lasting professional-quality colour

London, UK, February 1, 2006 – HP today unveiled the HP Deskjet 6980 and HP Deskjet 6940 Colour Inkjet Printers, two performance printers that offer exceptional speed and professional-quality colour prints at an affordable price. With wired Ethernet for sharing with up to five computers, these versatile printers allow users to work more productively at home or in the office.  In addition to wired networking, the HP Deskjet 6980 Printer also offers wireless printing and built-in Wi-Fi 802.11g/b, for fast and easy networking. It also includes SecureEasySetup which allows users to connect easily with a wireless network in less than ten minutes.

PCMagazine have reviewed the Lexmark P450, a 4x6 inch photo printer with a unique feature, a built-in CD burner.

“For anyone who doesn’t want to mix photography and computing, the Lexmark P450 ($199.99 direct) provides an easy way to print and store digital photos. The P450 doesn’t even offer an option to connect to a computer. Instead, it lets you print directly from a camera, memory card, USB flash drive, or even a CD, using its built-in CD-R drive. It also lets you copy files to a CD-R disc, so you can store the photos and free up memory on a card.”

Website: PCMagazine - Lexmark P450 Review

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Kodak UK Press Release

Kodak and Ingenico sign global deal to provide chip and PIN payment when getting prints from award-winning KODAK Picture Kiosks.

LONDON, January 24 2006 - Getting prints from your digital pictures has never been easier and is now more secure than ever with the collaboration announcement between Kodak and Ingenico, the world’s leader in secure payment transaction solutions. Initially available in the UK, with plans to roll out across Europe this year, the global agreement will see Ingenico supply a chip and PIN solution for Kodak picture kiosks at retail locations worldwide.

KODAK Picture Kiosk customers will now enjoy a faster more convenient experience using the Ingenico 5100 payment terminal that will allow them to by-pass shop queues and securely pay for their pictures while awaiting prints.