The UK website Photo-i, run by Vincent Oliver, has conducted a very personal test of the waterproof qualities of prints made with the new Epson Stylus Photo R800 printer. Vincent took a print into the bath with him! There’s even a picture to prove it…

“The print was left to soak in the bath with yours truly for 20 minutes. There wasn’t any ink run, smudging or surface scratches. As a bonus the Glossy paper dried without any wrinkles - also works with Premium Semigloss paper. I didn’t try the watercolor paper.”

The R800 printer costs around ?399 and is available now. Cartridges cost ?11.90 each and ?6.35 for the Gloss Optimizer cartridge (inc. VAT).

Website: Photo-i - Epson Stylus Photo R800 Waterproof Test

Epson UK Press Release 17/02/04

EPSON(r) increases quality and control standards with new colour measurement device

EPSON’s latest Stylus Photo 2100 model includes the new Eye-One( DISPLAY from GretagMacbeth, which allows the user to create individual display profiles for their monitor, enabling them to work with colour more accurately.

February 2004:  The EPSON Stylus Photo 2100 offers semi-pro and professional photographers new standards in photographic output.  Based on EPSON’s commitment to building upon its established A3+ industry benchmark and following customer feedback, this latest model provides imaging functionality to meet the needs of today’s photographers.  The Stylus Photo 2100 combines a revolutionary inkjet system, high-resolution printing and flexible media handling to deliver premium quality photo prints that rival traditional silver-halide results.

The latest improvement of the popular Stylus Photo 2100 includes the new Eye-One DISPLAY from GretagMacbeth. This colour management solution allows the user to easily calibrate and profile all types of CRT or LCD monitors, making it the ideal solution for professional and semi-pro photographers who need consistent, accurate colour.

Kodak Press Release 12/02/04

New KODAK Photo Printer 6800 Delivers Durable, High-Quality 5x7 Photos for Professional Photographers

High-Speed System Offers ‘While You Wait’ Printing at a Competitive Price

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 12 Eastman Kodak Company brings even more speed and exceptional performance to thermal printing technology with the introduction of its KODAK Photo Printer 6800. The robust, transportable system delivers a high-quality 5x7-inch photo in only 20 seconds and as many as 375 5x7 prints without operator intervention.

Kodak?s new thermal output system operates faster than similarly priced competitors? thermal and inkjet printers. Reflecting its dry, thermal technology, the 6800 printer meets the demanding needs of event photographers and photographic studios.

“The 6800 printer delivers high-quality photos faster than the photographer can set up the next image,” said Sue Gringer, Worldwide Marketing Manager, Studio Solutions. “It’s ideal because it blends exceptional printing speed with the outstanding quality and durability of KODAK prints.”

Pantone Press Release 12/02/04

Pantone Introduces ColorVantage Inks for Canon Desktop Printers; Offers Professional-Quality Color to Consumers

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 12, 2004 Now Offers Digital Photographers Expanded Choices With Support for Additional EPSON(R) Wide-Format Printer Models

Pantone, Inc., the global authority on color and 40-year provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced new PANTONE ColorVantage(TM) dye-based inks for the popular Canon brand of desktop printers, bringing professional-quality reproduction to consumers and photo hobbyists. In addition, the company announced expanded support for EPSON wide-format printers with its ColorVantage pigmented inks designed for the professional market.

Pantone began shipping the PANTONE ColorVantage family of products in November 2003 with support for several wide-format EPSON printers. At PMA, Pantone will showcase these and the newly supported Canon and EPSON models in its booth and demonstrate how to achieve accurate color from input to output. As part of this demonstration, the company will also highlight the Spyder(TM) monitor calibrator from the PANTONE ColorVision(R) product line working in conjunction with the PANTONE ColorVantage inks and papers to deliver vibrant, true-to-life output.

Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies Press Release 12/02/04

Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies introduces New Large Format Printer at Las Vegas - See the ultimate in quality and value

Las Vegas, Feb 12th , 2004 - A global leader in thermal transfer technology, Hi-Touch Imaging Technologies will be demonstrating its line of consumer dye-sublimation photo printers this week at the 2004 PMA Show in Las Vegas. The new large format printer will be targeting more home use end-users as well as professional event photographers. Hi-Touch has aggressively introduced their cost per 4?x6? print at a competitive 40? per print. A 50-Photopaper pack comes with a ribbon cartridge and 50 sheets of photo paper good for 50 prints carrying a retail price of $20. This compares favorably with other dye-sublimation brands whose costs per print are in the 55-85? range. Hi-Touch will be releasing specifications for its new photo printer capable of 5x7 and 6x8 inch prints at Las Vegas PMA 2004. The specifications and demonstrations of the new digital photo printers will be available at the Hi-Touch booth (#H94).

Sony Press Release 11/02/04

SONY BRINGS LAB-QUALITY PHOTO PRINTING INTO THE LIVING ROOM

New At-Home Photo Printer Offers PictBridge Technology for Printer Compatibility and Multiple Flash Memory Card Slots

LAS VEGAS (PMA, Booth # M30), Feb. 11, 2004 - With digital camera sales in the U.S. now outpacing traditional camera sales, Sony Electronics is set to answer the question, “How do I share all these pictures?” with an easy-to-use, PC-free home photo printer.

The company’s new DPP-EX50 PictureStation printer is a dedicated, at-home photo printer that, like Sony’s other printers, uses dye-sublimation technology, to create durable, lab-quality prints. The model also incorporates both Memory Stick PRO and CompactFlash media slots, as well as two USB ports - one in the front for connection to a digital camera or camcorder and one in the back for connection to a PC.

Epson Press Release 11/02/04

NEW EPSON STYLUS? PHOTO RX600 SCAN-PRINT-COPY DEVICE CREATES PHOTO CENTER FOR BOTH TRADITIONAL AND DIGITAL IMAGES IN ANY HOME

EPSON Stylus Photo RX600 Not Only Scans, Prints and Copies Photos, but also Previews and Restores Old Slides, Transparencies and Traditional Photos into Brilliant Reprints

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Feb. 11, 2004 - Epson is launching its most advanced scan-print-copy device to date with the new EPSON Stylus Photo RX600.  This photographic all-in-one is designed to not only view, scan, copy and print photographs without a computer, but also restore old slides, negatives and traditional printed photographs.  The end results are true photographic quality prints using Epson?s superior six-color photo inks at resolutions as high as 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi.

“The Stylus Photo RX600 is without a doubt the ultimate do-it-all solution for either traditional or digital photography,” said Steve Semos, product manager, Epson.  “This product offers outstanding versatility for virtually any photographic project, not to mention everyday printing and copying.  Furthermore, it incorporates several of Epson’s most advanced photographic technologies such as Easy Photo Fix color restoration software, memory card slots, and a 2.5-inch high-quality color LCD viewer, all for a very attractive price of $349.”

Epson America Inc. Press Release 11/02/04

The EPSON Stylus Photo R200 Printer Offers Direct CD/DVD Printing for Only $99; New High Quality Six-Color Photo Printer is Rich with Features and Low in Price

LAS VEGAS—(Business Wire)—Feb. 11, 2004 Epson America Inc.‘s latest printer, the EPSON Stylus Photo R200, is ideal for digital imaging enthusiasts who want to print frame-ready photos and personalize home music and movie collections at an affordable price. With an estimated street price of $99, six individual ink cartridges, ultra-fast print speeds, and direct CD/DVD printing, the EPSON Stylus Photo R200 is the perfect solution for versatile, high-quality home printing.

“The EPSON Stylus Photo R200 offers the ideal combination of quality, performance, versatility, and value for home-users, photo enthusiasts and amateur photographers alike,” said Lowell Wolf, product manager, consumer ink jet printers, Epson. “This powerful family-friendly printer brings quality and convenience home—at a truly exceptional value.”

Note: This is the UK/European version of the i9900 printer that was reported yesterday.

Canon UK Press Release 09/02/04

Canon’s Bubble Jet i9950
8-colour A3 photo printing arrives

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the world’s first 8-colour A3 photo printer - the Bubble Jet i9950. With 4800x2400 dpi and permanent 2pl droplet size, Canon’s new flagship A3 Bubble Jet introduces new ChromaPLUS technology to expand further Canon’s already broad colour gamut. New red and green inks have been added to deliver more vibrant, lifelike results. A full borderless A3 photo prints in just 65 seconds, making this the fastest printer in its class. The new look i9950 supports the vendor-independent PictBridge standard as well as Canon?s Bubble Jet Direct, with a port at the front of the printer for direct USB connection and printing with any compatible digital camera or camcorder, without the need for a PC.

The world’s longest and highest nozzle-density print head has 6,144 nozzles, capable of ejecting a staggering 122 million 2pl droplets per second. This gets more ink on the page in less time and with greater accuracy for grain-free prints with unsurpassed clarity, contrast, colour range and smoothness of tone.

?Canon is committed to delivering printers that deliver life-like photos at high speed,” explains Malcolm Hills, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging in the UK and Ireland. “In a field where Canon already has significant advantage, the i9950 takes yet another leap forward to provide peerless A3 photographic quality at unrivalled speed.”

The Bubble Jet i9950 will be available from May 2004 for around ?549 inc VAT.

Canon USA Press Release 09/02/04

CANON UNVEILS INDUSTRY’S FASTEST 24-INCH WIDE-FORMAT PIGMENT INKJET PRINTER

imagePROGRAF W6200; Unparalleled Speed Plus Image Quality, Archival Printing and Graphic RIP Drive New Wide Format Category

LAS VEGAS (PMA, BOOTH # E11), Feb. 9, 2004 - Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ) today is showcasing the industry?s fastest 24-inch pigment ink printer, designed to offer breakthrough wide format output speeds combined with superior image and archival quality. The introduction of the imagePROGRAF W6200 greatly expands the company’s wide format product portfolio and establishes a new market category for the imaging technology leader.

Using Canon’s singular bi-directional head, MicroFine Droplet Technology and pigment ink solution, Canon’s imagePROGRAF W6200 is able to rapidly produce highly detailed, brilliant, photo-quality archival prints and proofs up to 24 inches wide. The printer ? producing A1-sized prints in less than five minutes in standard (600 x 1200 dpi) mode ? comes equipped with the company’s own graphic PS-level 3 compatible raster image processor (RIP) software and retails at less than $3500.

Canon USA Press Release 09/02/04

CANON’S NEW i80 MOBILE PRINTER SUPPORTS WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY AND IMPROVED PHOTO QUALITY

LAS VEGAS (PMA, BOOTH # E11), Feb. 9, 2004 - Canon’s new i80 mobile printer enhances the quality and flexibility of portable printing. The world’s most advanced mobile printer features a newly designed print head, optional Bluetooth Unit* and an optional Automobile Power Unit. The i80 mobile printer will be available in mid-February for a suggested list price of $249.99**.

“Our new i80 mobile printer expands beyond the traditional road warrior applications into environments like professional photographers on assignment, educators traveling from one classroom to another, college students with limited dorm space, real estate agents, pilots, military personnel, insurance agents and many others,” said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ). “The i80 mobile printer allows all of them to print much needed documents and photographs on the fly.”

“The successor to our enormously popular i70 portable printer, the i80 model expands the flexibility and capabilities available to the end-user,” added Hashimoto. “The enhanced wireless printing capabilities allow many Windows users to print all types of data from their computers or print photos, schedules and address book lists from select PDAs, laptops or cell phones ? without wires.”

Epson USA Press Release 09/02/04

PICTUREMATE BY EPSON ELIMINATES THE BARRIERS TO DIGITAL PHOTO PRINTING

First and Only Personal Photo Lab Enables Consumers to Produce Photos with Quality, Durability and Cost Benefits of Traditional Photo Lab Prints in the Convenience of Home

LONG BEACH, Calif., February 9, 2004 - Addressing all of the barriers that digital camera owners have had with printing their photos, Epson today introduces PictureMate, the first and only personal photo lab that allows digital camera owners to easily print brilliant, long-lasting lab-quality 4” x 6” photos at home at a cost that is comparable to some of the most affordable lab print prices.

This breakthrough is made possible by Epson’s exclusive archival print technology for photos that are indistinguishable from traditional lab prints and last even longer.

With an estimated 33 million households owning digital cameras at the close of 2003, more people are taking digital photos to preserve their memories. According to the Photo Marketing Association International (PMA) Digital Imaging Survey, the majority of these owners would like to print more photos at home but feel the prints they are making don’t look as good as lab prints. The survey also indicates that owners believe 4” x 6” printing at home is difficult, too time-consuming, and cost-prohibitive.

Canon USA Press Release 09/02/04

Canon Launches Industry-First 13 x 19 Inch Desktop Photo with ChromaPLUS Eight Color Ink System for Wider Color Gamut

The first in its class to offer eight individual ink tanks, the Canon i9900 desktop photo printer creates a 13 x 19-inch borderless photograph in under three minutes. The printer will be available in May for a suggested list price of $499.

LAS VEGAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Feb. 9, 2004—Canon’s top-of-the-line i9900 desktop photo printer empowers consumers, photo enthusiasts and working photographers to make their own professional quality borderless photo prints. The 13 x 19-inch inkjet printer features new red and green ink cartridges for rich, accurate color rendition, industry leading 4800 x 2400 dpi(a) maximum color resolution, microscopic 2 picoliter ink droplets, as well as USB 2.0 Hi-speed(b) and Firewire(R) interfaces. The i9900 desktop photo printer will be available in May for a suggested list price $499.99(c).

The i9900 photo printer is the first in its class to offer eight individual ink tanks. Canon’s exclusive ChromaPLUS 8-color ink system adds individual red and green ink tanks to the cyan, magenta, yellow, black, photo cyan and photo magenta inks that are commonly found on six-color printers. The red ink tank allows for an approximately 60% increase in the orange/red gamut over six-color printing and provides for previously unobtainable orange hues and well as richer reds. The green ink adds about 30% increase in green gamut as compared to six-color printing and creates more accurate and deeper greens in grass and foliage. The resulting finished print more closely matches the color characteristics of positive photographic film.

Steves Digicams have reviewed the Olympus P-440 Digital Photo Printer, an A4 dye-sublimation printer that was first announced back in August 2003.

“The bottom line The P-440 is an excellent printer for those needing to print 8 x 10” size prints with the same archival properties as conventionally processed film prints. At a cost of around $500, the P-440 is currently in a class of it own, the nearest competitor is the Kodak 8500 at ~ $300-400 more. The P-440 performs flawlessly and produces professional quality prints when connected to a PC or operating in standalone mode. The prints come out dry to the touch and are coated to resist UV fading, fingerprints, moisture and scratching. This is a very economical alternative for the small studio professional user or the enthusiast that isn’t satisfied with inkjet prints.”

Website: Steves Digicams - Olympus P-440 Digital Photo Printer Review

Canon UK Press Release 03/02/04

Canon launches the Bubble Jet i80 high speed mobile printer

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the world’s fastest and highest resolution mobile printer: the 14ppm (mono), 4800x1200 dpi Bubble Jet i80. Key features include optional Bluetooth support , Micro-Nozzles delivering 2pl droplet size and an optional battery pack/charger. The printer is PictBridge compatible for direct USB connection and photo printing with any compliant digital camera or camcorder, without the need for a PC. At just 52mm thick and with a profile area less than the A4 sheets it can print, the Bubble Jet i80 is considerably smaller than competing printers. A sleek design and champagne gold finish match its superior performance.

With Canon’s patented advanced MicroFine droplet Technology?, the printer has 2pl droplet size and unrivalled print head density. The result is more ink on the page in less time with increased accuracy and the world’s fastest and most superior quality, portable borderless printing. A 4” x 6” photo prints in less than one minute, while documents print at 14ppm (mono) and 10ppm (colour).

“The introduction of the Bubble Jet i80 cements Canon’s market leading position in mobile printing. It combines desktop printing, power and true portability with stylish design and high specifications”, said Malcolm Hills, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging in the UK and Ireland.

The Bubble Jet i80 will be available from March 2004 for around ?199 inc VAT.

Canon UK Press Release 03/02/04

Canon’s new Bubble Jet i990 The ultimate photo printer

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology is pleased to announce the world?s most advanced desktop photo printer - the 4800x2400 dpi, permanent 2pl droplet size Bubble Jet i990. The professional series 7-ink printer introduces new ChromaPLUS technology to expand further Canon’s already broad colour gamut, utilising the addition of a new red ink to deliver more vibrant, lifelike results. A4 photo prints are produced in just 37 seconds, more than twice as fast as the printer’s nearest rival. The new look Bubble Jet i990 supports the vendor- independent PictBridge standard as well as Canon?s Bubble Jet Direct, with a port at the front of the printer for direct USB connection and printing from any compatible digital camera or camcorder, without the need for a PC.

The Bubble Jet i990 has the longest and highest nozzle-density print head of any printer with 5376 nozzles, capable of ejecting more than 100 million 2pl droplets per second. This gets more ink on the page in less time and with greater accuracy for grain-free prints of unsurpassed clarity, contrast, colour range and smoothness of tone. Documents print at 16ppm (mono) and 12ppm (colour).

“Canon is committed to developing printers that deliver life-like photos at high speed,” explains Malcolm Hills, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging in the UK and Ireland. “The Bubble Jet i990 is the new printing partner for time pressured professionals who demand the ultimate in photographic quality, and who appreciate immediate results.”

The Bubble Jet i990 will be available from February 2004 for around ?299 inc VAT.

Epson Press Release 01/02/04

EPSON(r) enhances range to deliver high quality, economy and durability to home photo printing with the Stylus Photo R200

The EPSON Stylus Photo R200 features a unique 6-colour inkjet system, high resolution and new ink formula in individual cartridges, to deliver long lasting, quality prints

1st February 2004: Launched today, the Stylus Photo R200 extends EPSON’s Stylus Photo printer range to offer a cost-effective device that delivers premium quality, durable photographs.  The device features a new 6-colour inkjet system for glossy, highly detailed photographs, an ultra-high print resolution for maximum definition and a new ink formula for long lasting quality prints. With the Stylus Photo R200, EPSON is the first vendor to bring cost saving benefits of individual cartridges and CD/DVD printing1 to the home and digital camera user at this price.

Responding to the growth of the digital camera market and the increased demand for printing photos at home, this printer has been designed for recent digital converts with an eye for premium quality at an affordable price.  EPSON’s MicroPiezoTM print head offers users an optimised print resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi - the highest in the market, combined with dot sizes as small as 3 picolitres. With 90 nozzles used per colour the results provide fine detail, smoother gradations, vivid and detailed photographs at fast speeds - a 10x15” photo can be printed in approximately 36 seconds.
   

Kodak launched a new inkjet photo paper at the end of January called “Ultima Picture Paper”. The company claims that “When used with the latest inks from various manufacturers, photos printed on the paper will last for more than 100 years in typical home display without protection from gas and humidity.” The owner of the excellent weblog Tommy Blogs has got hold of a pack and tested it with his Canon i9100 printer. Whilst Tommy obviously can’t testify to the longevity of the print, he has reported on the print quality:

“About the printing ? fantastic! I printed the target for Profile Prism around 1:00PM today and let it dry for nearly 8 hours. The profile came out great. The histogram was the best I?ve seen. The dynamic range and color space coverage numbers were slightly below the Canon Photo Paper Pro, but just barely. Although I haven?t tested a range of scenes, I have printed a photo that needs a lot of ink and the results were completely different from anything I have seen from Kodak paper in the past. It was dry to the touch when it came out of the printer and I put my straight edge on it and cut within minutes of that and had no smears, no stickiness, no problems.”

So it seems like Kodak might have cured some of the problems with their inkjet papers - now we just have to wait 100 years to see if they suffer from fading :-)

Website: Tommy Blogs

Kodak Press Release 29/01/04

KODAK Ultima Picture Paper With New COLORLAST Technology Delivers Inkjet Prints That Last More Than 100 Years

ROCHESTER, N.Y., January 29 - Eastman Kodak Company today introduced the world’s longest lasting inkjet photo paper - new KODAK Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST technology. The vast majority of prints made on this paper using photo-quality home inkjet printers will enjoy brilliant color and resist degradation longer than prints made on any other inkjet paper. When used with the latest inks from various manufacturers, photos printed on the paper will last for more than 100 years in typical home display without protection from gas and humidity.

Unlike some competitive longevity claims that only consider the long-term effect of light on prints, Kodak also factors in three other variables that play a significant role in picture degradation: heat, humidity and ozone. Based on that science, Kodak formulated its new Ultima Picture Paper with COLORLAST technology for everyday home display conditions - left unprotected on a table, placed under glass in a frame, or tucked away in a photo album - not just for highly-controlled, dark storage environments.

“People are printing their pictures at home in record numbers, and they assume those pictures will survive for generations to come. It’s taken innovation from Kodak, the world’s most trusted picture company, to meet those expectations,” said Laurie Spring, vice president and general manager of inkjet media, Digital & Film Imaging Systems, Eastman Kodak Company. “A picture is only as good as the paper on which it’s printed. Choosing the right paper is as important as selecting the right camera, the right scene, and the right printer.”

Dabs.com are now listing the highly anticipated Epson Stylus Photo R800 printer and the various cartridges. The R800 has an RRP of ?299 - Dabs are listing it for ?269.07 inc VAT. The UltraChrome pigment inks are priced at ?11.75 inc VAT for the 7 colour cartridges and ?7.05 inc VAT for the Gloss Optimizer cartridge.

Website: Dabs.com