Epson UK Press Release 18/06/04

EPSON launches three new printers designed to improve the quality and cost efficiency of home and small office printing

June 2004 - The EPSON Stylus C46, EPSON Stylus C66 (pictured), and the EPSON Stylus C86, are the latest additions to EPSON’s range of general-purpose inkjet printers. All models are ideal for all kinds of home projects and small business use.

The new products benefit from EPSON’s latest PhotoQuicker 3.5 and EPSON Web-To-Page software. PhotoQuicker 3.5 allows users to modify and print photos more easily, while Web-To-Page software allows web pages to be automatically condensed to paper size, so the printed version reflects what users see on screen.

Richard Baylis, Sales and Marketing Manager, Consumer products at EPSON UK, “EPSON is committed to the home printing market and these three new products are a great addition to our existing inkjet range. We are constantly looking at how we can improve the quality of our products and we think this latest range offers great performance through our superior technology and fantastic value for money”.

Epson Press Release 17/06/04

Canon, Epson, HP, and Lexmark, Support New ISO Standard that Helps Customers Evaluate Printer and Print Cartridge Yield

- Consensus-driven standard for measuring monochrome toner print cartridge yield is technically robust, international in scope -

- TOKYO, Japan; PALO ALTO, Calif.; LEXINGTON, Ky.; June 16, 2004 -

Canon (NYSE: CAJ), Epson, HP (NYSE: HPQ), and Lexmark (NYSE: LXK), today announced their support of the new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard, ISO/IEC 19752, for monochrome toner cartridge yield in monochrome laser printers. Canon, Epson, HP, and Lexmark are leading proponents of industry standards and believe a single, rigorous, worldwide ISO standard to measure monochrome toner cartridge yield will help customers more objectively and accurately evaluate printer and print cartridge yield.

About.com have reviewed the Epson Stylus Photo R200 Printer, which offers direct CD/DVD Printing for only $99.

“Photo printers are becoming much more common as digital camera enthusiasts decide to print their own photographs rather than send the to a retail developer. As a result, print vendors are looking for ways to distinguish their products from the rest. Epson has found one way with their Stylus Photo R200. This compact, well-engineered, printer brings two advantages to the table: it’s inexpensive, and it has the ability to labels directly onto printable CD/DVD discs.”

Website About.com Reviews Epson Stylus Photo R200

Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies Press Release 05/06/04

A global leader in digital imaging output, Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies will be demonstrating their new digital photo printing behavior LinkPrint during the Computex 2004, from 1st to 5th June, Taipei. Throughout series of dynamic and static demonstrations, HiTi Photo Printers will bring you the brand new journey of true-color presentation. Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies will also present you the results of 3-years research and development in Thermal Transfer Technology and total solution of digital photo printing.

Luminous Landscape have published their review of the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 17” wide desktop printer.

“Of course everyone wants to know - How’s the image quality? The answer is, pretty much what we’ve been seeing for the 2100/2200/7600/9600 series of printers that have used Ultrachrome inks for the past couple of years. There really isn’t any significant difference. What does differ are printing speed, paper handling, ink capacity and operating costs.

Image permanence is of course a concern, and Epson’s Ultrachrome inks are among the best out there in this regard with rated life scans before noticeable fading (depending on paper used and display conditions) of between 70 and 150 years.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Epson Stylus Pro 4000 Review

A-Digital-Eye have reviewed the 8-colour Canon i9900 printer, which can create a 13 x 19-inch borderless photograph in under three minutes and has a maximum resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi. The printer is available now for a suggested list price of $499.

“Canon raises the bar for creating a printer with 2 picoliter, 6,144 nozzles, and an eight-color print system. With the addition of red and green ink, this allows the i9900 photo printer to create prints with an increased color gamut and more true-to-life colors. The large format output that the Canon i9900 Photo Printer creates is striking. The glossy prints that the i9900 outputs are truly indistinguishable from lab prints. Now you have the flexibility to create your masterpieces at home at a price that is hard to beat at $499.”

Website: A-Digital-Eye - Canon i9900 Printer Review

In an interview on TheStar.com, Dell’s chief executive officer, Kevin Rollins, has targeted HP and specifically the high cost of inkjet printer ink. An aggressive strategy from Dell could mean a price reduction for printer ink in general, which is considered to be more expensive than champagne!

“Just one year into the printer business, Dell has developed an ambitious long-term strategy to lower the price of ink.

“It’s going to take a little while,” Rollins admits. “We have to get an installed base of ink-jet printers and laser printers. Then we can start to impact the price of consumables.”

In the interim, Dell has introduced a new line of high-volume ink cartridges that hold more ink. “Basically, you get some economies of scale when you buy more.”

Thanks to Sanj for the link.

Website: TheStar.com - Dell sees ink as key to success in printers

New KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper Delivers Exceptional Color, Detail and Quality for Pros, AdAm Photographers

Universally Compatible with Dye, Pigmented Ink Printers; Instant Drying Media

Rochester, Jun 01—Eastman Kodak Company today introduced KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper for professional and advanced amateur (AdAm) photographers.  The high quality, instant-dry paper, available in glossy and lustre finishes, is compatible with all inkjet printers and represents the first KODAK PROFESSIONAL branded inkjet- media in the market.

Featuring a true photographic base with high-quality pulp and state-of-the-art paper chemistry, the new instant-drying cut-sheet inkjet photo paper delivers outstanding image quality, whiter whites, accurate flesh-tone reproduction and a wide color gamut.  With a range of recommended and custom color profiles developed for popular inkjet printers, the paper delivers a bright, saturated color and sharp detail.  The competitively priced paper will appeal to commercial, portrait/social and AdAm photographers.

A-Digital-Eye have reviewed the 4800x1200 dpi Canon Bubble Jet i80 high speed mobile printer. The Bubble Jet i80 is available now for around £199 inc VAT.

” took this little printer with me on a recent trip. Since it supports PictBridge compatible cameras, all I needed was a cable for my Canon 10D camera. No need to lug along a laptop. For true portability, the i80 printer has an optional lithium ion battery pack for $99. or a charging cradle with battery for $139. Another option is a car power supply. I simply used the included power supply which supports 120 and 240 volts for those traveling abroad. Printing couldn’t be simpler. When browsing photos on your camera’s LCD, simply select the photo’s you want printed, and how many copies of each. Cropping is even supported. Hook up the cable between your camera and printer, go to the print setup menu on your camera, choose paper size, bordered or borderless, and let it print. 2 minutes 40 seconds later you’ll have a nice sharp 4x6 inch borderless print all without the use of a computer!”

Website: A-Digital-Eye - Canon Bubble Jet i80 Review

PC Magazine have published a review of four of the newest printers on the market; the Epson Stylus Photo R800 (pictured), Canon i80 Color Bubble Jet, Sony DPP-EX50 and the Epson PictureMate.

“From the steady stream of ever-better, ever-cheaper printers, we’ve rounded up reviews of four that will satisfy your demanding and impatient nature. All but the Epson Stylus Photo R800 let you print without a PC. Two are dedicated photo printers: The portable Epson PictureMate ink jet has a built-in carrying handle and produces up to 4- by 6-inch photos that look as good as anything from a drugstore lab for only about 29 cents a shot; the Sony DPP-EX50 is a compact dye-sublimation printer that turns out film-quality prints in three sizes, to a maximum of 4-by-6 inches, at about 50 to 67 cents a pop.”

Thanks to Sanj for the link.

Website: PC Magazine - Personal Photo Labs

Mitsubishi Press Release 24/05/04

Mitsubishi Photo Imaging Introduces CP-9500DW Digital Color Thermal Printer With Ultra-Fast Print Speed And High Volume Capacity
 
IRVINE, Calif. - May 24, 2004—- Mitsubishi Digital Electronics’ Photo Imaging Products
has added the CP-9500DW Digital Color Thermal Printer to its extensive line of high quality photo printers. The CP-9500DW combines an ultra-fast print speed and large capacity print roll to provide an exceptional revenue generating source for professional event photographers.

Building on Mitsubishi?s established reputation for quality dye sublimation thermal transfer printing, the CP-9500DW features a unique roll-type mechanism for jam-free reliability and a color reproduction system developed specifically for digital printing technology. This new technology utilizes built-in Color Imaging Chips to accurately control color characteristics and deliver consistent print quality, regardless of ink sheet. A 346 dpi thermal head further enhances print quality at superior resolutions.

Dell isn’t the first name that springs to mind when photo inkjet printers are mentioned, epsecially here in the UK, but Michael Dell is apparently going all out to change that preconception. CNET News.com have taken a look at the forthcoming battle between Dell and HP in the printer marketplace.

“Lately, Dell has been making up for lost time. Since it started selling Dell-branded printers a little over a year ago, shipments have risen at an encouragingly rapid pace. The CEO predicts “tremendous growth” for his company’s computer printer business over the next five to 10 years and vows to change the economics of the industry. This week, Dell plans to announce that it will begin selling printers for the corporate and home market that it claims will reduce the cost of some printing jobs by 30 percent or more.”

Thanks to Sanj for the link.

Website: CNET News.com - The distributor vs. the innovator

Photo-i are reporting that Epson have made their Gray Balancer software available for purchase for £39.99. This software allows you to precisely calibrate the Stylus Pro 4000, 2100 and 2200 printer for black and white output. Epson 2200 owners will be interested because Epson don’t ship the Gray Balancer with that printer in the USA, whereas here in the UK it is shipped with the 2100 (the 2100 and 2200 are the same printer).

Website: Photo-i - Epson Gray Balancer

ePhotoZine have lots of exclusive news today, starting with the release of the Sagem Photo Easy 150 Printer in the UK. This is an affordable dye-sub printer that is very compact and can create 10 cm by 15 cm borderless prints in 120 seconds. The Sagem Photo Easy 150 has a suggested RRP of £139.99.

Website: ePhotoZine - Sagem Photo Easy 150 Printer

Steves Digicams has reviewed the dye-sublimation Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer, which produces a photo-lab quality 6x4” print in less than 45 seconds. The Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer has a street price of $199.

“The P-10 is a very fast 4x6” dye-sub printer with an average printing time of just 45 seconds (not counting data transmission time.) That puts it in a tie with the HiTi PhotoShuttle and the HiTi 730PS which also produce 4x6” prints in 45 seconds. Most other 4x6” dye sub printers take anywhere from 75 to 100 seconds per print. Another nice feature is that the prints do not come out of the printer with the usual tear-off tabs on both ends, they’re 100% borderless and ready to be shared.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer Review

ePhotoZine are reporting that the price of Kodak’s dye-sub printer, the 8500 Professional Digital Photo Printer, has been cut by £100 in the UK. The new RRP is £699.

“The arithmetic makes great sense for photographers keen to increase their revenue at photo sessions and events. Now we have taken the decision to reduce the price by £100 we calculate that at an approximate cost to the photographer of just £1.00 per print, and at an average retail price of just £15 for an 8x10 with mount, the user can pay off the printer cost with just 50 sales - and that is achievable at just one wedding function”

Website: ePhotoZine - Kodak 8500 Digital Photo Printer

The Hungarian website Index Digicam have posted a review of the Sanyo DVP-P1 EX printer, which uses the dye-sublimation process to create prints up to a maximum size of 10x15cm. The DVP-P1 EX supports the PictBridge standard, so you don’t need a PC to use it. The new printer is available now with a suggested retail price of ?349.

Website: Index Digicam - Sanyo DVP-P1 EX Printer Review

ByteSector.com has reviewed the dye-sublimation Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer, which produces a photo-lab quality 6x4” print in less than 45 seconds. The Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer has a street price of $199.

“The pictures printed from the P-10 are clean, vivid, and free of noise and distortions. If you are worrying about seeing lines or distortion, rest assured you will not find any downsides in print quality.”

Website: ByteSector.com - Olympus P-10 Digital Photo Printer Review

Vincent Oliver over at Photo-i has now completed his interactive review of the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 17” wide desktop printer.

“This printer is going to appeal to many photographers - pro and amateur. For the professional it will give total control on every stage of the picture creation process, quality can be closely monitored. Amateurs who want something bigger than an A3, the 4000 will fit the bill. For the art photographer, this printer is an affordable means of producing limited edition prints and limited doesn’t mean the amount of time the print is going to last before fading. The success of this printer is already assured, there is already a large demand for this printer.”

Website: Photo-i - Epson Stylus Pro 4000 Interactive Review

Steves Digicams have reviewed the 8-colour Canon i9900 printer, which can create a 13 x 19-inch borderless photograph in under three minutes and has a maximum resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi. The printer is available now for a suggested list price of $499.

“Everytime I think that it just can’t get any better - it does!  Canon has improved the color gamut, the output resolution and made print even faster.  I personally own the Canon i9100 and the output from the new i9900 is noticeably more impressive, especially the reds and greens. It’s not the same as using the vivid printing effect or increasing the overall saturation, these prints just have more visual “punch.”  There’s no doubt that the addition of the Red and Green inks have expanded the already photo-realistic output of Canon’s 6-color printing system. The only downside is that you now have to buy more ink tanks, eight versus six, but thankfully they’re replaced individually and only when needed.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Canon i9900 Printer Review