UPDATE:
12th November: Epson UK press release, click
here
New Epson R800 is more than just a baby Stylus Photo 2100/2200
Thanks to sharp-eyed dpnow reader,
Jason, we can bring you some exclusive Epson printer news from the USA.
You won't yet find it on the Epson USA Web site's main list of photo printers and it's not going to be available, according to Epson USA, for another three months at least, but information about an interesting new R800 photo ink-jet printer is on their site if you look hard enough. For anyone on the look out for a smaller format version of the A3 Epson Stylus Photo 2100 (aka 2200 in some markets), the R800 is clearly aimed at them. But it's not just a shrunken 2100.
Pigment inks get the glossy treatement
The R800 is interesting for a number of reasons – it's a pigment ink photo printer using a new ink formulation called Ultrachrome High Gloss and, unlike the Epson Stylus C84, which is also a pigment ink printer, the R800 is specifically designed to print photos using extra inks colours. And those colours are a surprise too as, besides the standard cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the additional photo colours are not the usual light cyan and light magenta, but red and blue, with a matte black option.
Why are pigment inks so important? Most consumer ink-jet photo printers use dye-based inks. These are great for glossy paper but are susceptible to atmospheric fading agents and UV fading. Pigment inks are much more resistant to both. However, pigment inks don't print well on glossy papers, which are popular with consumers.
8 ink cartridges, inc. red & blue, and a gloss optimiser
On the R800 there is space for no less than 8 separate ink cartridges, one of which contains a gloss optimiser. This sounds rather reminiscent of a Canon idea from a few years back, used in the BJC-7000 and BJC-7100 models, where a clear base was applied to the paper in order to receive the ink and keep the droplets well-defined. With the R800, however, it appears that the gloss optimiser is used as the final finish, fixing the problem characteristic of pigment inks that tend to dry without a shine.
1.5pl ink droplets and CD printing support
Ink droplets produced by the R800 can be as small as 1.5 picolitres, beating the previous smallest droplet sizes of 2 picolitres. Other notable features are built in support for both IEEE1394 Firewire and USB 2.0 Hi-Speed connections, plus standard support for printing onto CD/DVD discs that have a printable surface. There is roll paper support but no mention of a built in or optional paper cutter that is featured in other Epson models.
Pricing
Epson USA's official list price is US$399, which translates to about UK£235 (EUR€342), though with VAT and the usual eastern side of the Atlantic price inflation probably indicating a £300 here.
Epson UK would not officially acknowledge the existence of the R800 for the European market but unofficially we're told to "watch this space".
Click
here for Epson USA's detailed info on the R800.
