Last week Epson announced 7 new printers, all featuring a new inkset called Ultrachrome K3. This week, the completely independent body Wilhelm Imaging Research tell us that black and white prints from the large format Stylus Pro 9800 printer have a lifespan of 325 years under glass on Epson Enhanced Matte - yes, that’s right, 325 years! Apparently the three black inks that the 9800 uses (and all the other printers that use the K3 ink) are extremely stable carbon pigments, resulting in the dramatic increase in longevity. You don’t have to pay thousands to get this level of performance either - the £600 A3+ sized R2400 uses exactly the same inkset as the larger models. The improvements for colour prints aren’t so great - they’re comparable with the older Ultrachrome range - but black and white photographers should be grinning from ear to ear…

Website: Wilhelm Imaging Research - Epson Stylus Pro 9800 Permanence Ratings