Epson 950 printer update

17th March - 2002
By Ian Burley

UPDATE 7th April - DPN preview: click here

There has been considerable interest in the new Epson 950 printer, officially called the Stylus Photo 950 in the UK, we spotted at CeBIT earlier in the week (click here). We now have the official Epson UK press release and it’s reproduced in full below. It’s not very detailed and doesn’t add a lot to our original story, but it does confirm the UK price (£322.55 excluding VAT) and confirms that the so-called seventh colour will be just black. That gives the odd combination of five colours plus two blacks.

The latter is a bit of an anti-climax after we were told it might be grey by the staff of the Epson staff at CeBIT and of course we know that in Japan the seventh colour is yellow (a darker yellow, according to our DPN correspondent in Tokyo, Hiroyuki Kamijou).

Here’s the Epson release:

Home users can now achieve the highest quality

photo output ever

12th March 2002 - A new addition to the EPSON photo range will provide the amateur or semi professional photographer with an unparalleled digital photo printing solution for the home. The EPSON Stylus Photo 950 is the first printer in its class to offer a two-picolitre dot size for even finer detailed prints, and includes an automatic paper cutter and catcher. The revolutionary photo printer will also print directly onto CD’s and features simultaneous roll paper and cut sheet handling. EPSON Quick Dry dye ink has been specially formulated to deliver vibrant colours, smoother tonal ranges and superb colour expression.

The Stylus Photo 950 features a new EPSON printhead with a higher nozzle count to create faster photo printing at resolutions up to 2880dpi. To enhance the photographic output, EPSON has developed a two-picolitre dot to create detail virtually invisible to the naked eye.

It is extremely cost effective to produce a photo collection using the Stylus Photo 950. Separate cartridges use EPSON’s Intellidge Chip to store print data and allow each colour to be replaced as required. In addition to the five separate colour ink cartridges, twin black cartridges are used to offer high-speed mono printing.

Running costs are further reduced with EPSON’s roll media. The cost to provide a collection of prints from the roll is equivalent to the cost of silver halide prints, but without the hassle of unwanted prints, and with the luxury of being able to edit images if required and complete the entire process at home.

Hiromi Taba, EPSON’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing of Finished Products for EMEA says, “EPSON photo printing has once again created a new standard. The addition of the Stylus Photo 950 to the EPSON photo printer range brings traditional photo-bureau standards directly into the home. The new inks ensure the best quality, and the cost makes this digital printing solution the most efficient way to produce photos.”

EPSON Stylus Photo 950 Features Summary

High Print Resolution 2880dpi x l440dpi

EPSON 2pl Ultra-Microdot for maintaining high definition detail particularly in areas of highlight and soft tonal ranges

Individual High Capacity Ink Cartridges

EPSON PRINT Image Matching for faithful digital image reproduction

Paper roll holder for continuous print included as standard

Paper Cutter and Catcher for automatic trimming of roll media included as standard

Front loading CD-ROM utility that prints directly onto the CD face

20 Years Light Fastness with EPSON Photo Media

Borderless edge-to-edge printing for instant photo-lab style prints

Thick media printing up to 1.3mm

Simultaneous roll paper and cut sheet handling