Keith Cooper has emailed me today with some more information about the Epson 4000 printer that Michael Reichmann first mentioned on the Luminous Landscape website a few days ago. Keith has kindly let me re-publish the photo of the printer here, and his Northlight Images website has more details about the new printer. Apparently the Epson 4000 first appeared in the 17th September issue of the Dutch magazine Grafisch Weekblad (Graphic Weekly).

Website: Northlight Images - Epson Stylus PRO 4000 Printer

Website: Grafisch Weekblad

UPDATE 28/09/03

Adri de Groot has helpfully translated the full article from Grafisch Weekblad into English. Click the Read More link below.

A quick translation of the main points of the Epson Stylus Pro 4000:
On September 16, Epson made the press announcement.
Will print A2 and A3 (around 12 x 17 inches)
Duncan Ferguson, director of the European Business Unit of the pro Graphic Division of Epson made the announcement
The market segment it has right now is only 19%; they want to increase that to 35% in 2004.
It replaced the PRO 5000 series.
It has an 8-color ink system with automatic switching between black-matte and black ink.
Borderless color and b/w prints are possible.
Maximum width of paper is 43 centimeters (almost 17 inches)
Maximum print speed for an 8-color mode color print at A2 size is 1.0 minute and for a 2 x 4 color mode 0.6 minute.
Prints are possible on substrates for a maximum thickness of 1.5 millimeters
Monochrome prints are easily variable in neutral, warm and sepia tones.
Old-fashioned style duotone and sepia tone are now possible and are given a new life here.
It is easy to change the ink cartridges that have a content of 220 milliliter.
The ink levels are monitored on a the user panel
Also, a system prevents the cartridge to be inserted in the wrong slot.
The same is true for the maintenance tank
There are three versions:
Stylus PRO 4000?C8 is a 8?color version for photographers, artists, advertisement and design bureaus and pub kosher
Stylus PRO 4000?C4 is a 2 x 4 (CMYK) color printer for 3D-CAD, industrial design, GIS and POP.
Stylus PRO 4000?PS is a Postscript version for the graphic arts world
Epson micro pi?zo?technology:
A meniscus technology prevents dot gain and bleeding between dots and colors, assuring true dot size prints.
The machine is less sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.
Maximum resolution is 1440 x 2880.
The ink drop size is supposedly variable up to the largest 3 picoliters.
Inks” Ultrachrome assures high stability and longevity.
When the prints are covered with glass: more than 70 years for high-grade glossy photo paper and more than 75 years for textured art paper.
The Museum for East Asian Art in Berlin made an agreement with Epson recently for cooperation. The first 50 art works are being displayed as Epson prints, because the original are extremely light sensitive and the Museum wanted to make copies that look just like then original, so that people can appreciate the art works. Now these art works can be scientifically and artistically examined by anyone, as the originals would be too delicate for such research.
The new printing system assured a much higher gamut of colors; higher than that achieved by offset printers.
Also, the prints have a much higher than normal D-Max (range) eve in matte prints.
Will accommodate rolls and sheets
No mention is made on maximum length of print; one would hope it can do panoramics up to 44 inches.