Inkjet Printer Update
March 2010 Technology Update
All the buzz in the first quarter of 2010 has been for Epson's new A2+ photo printer - the Stylus Pro 3880. The Epson 3880 replaces the highly successful 3800 model, which was a favourite among photographers and artists who required the highest quality prints up to 17 inches wide. The new 3880 expands upon the features of the 3800, adding Epson's new Vivid Magenta technology for a wider colour gamut and more vibrant prints. The 3880 also utilises the same three black cartridges (Matte or Photo Black, Light Black, and Light Light Black) that made the 3800 such a great black and white photo printer. As opposed to typical inkjets with only one black ink cartridge, the 3880 doesn't have to mix in colours to create shades of grey, so you don't get the colour casts that plague many inkjet photo printers. Also boasting a print resolution of 2880 x 1440dpi (maximum resolution) and 8 colours (using either photo black or matte black) the 3880 offers the best quality prints in it's class.
The Stylus Pro 3880 also features high-capacity 80ml ink cartridges, which provide much better running costs than typical desktop printers. In fact, if you were to buy the equivalent Epson model in A3+ size (the Epson Stylus Photo 2880, which comes with approx. 10ml ink cartridges), plus the equivalent amount of ink that comes standard with the 3880 (an additional 6 cartridge sets) you'd be up for a total of around $2,380 - which as of March 2010 is around $530 more than you'd pay for the brand new 3880. If you look at it this way, you're actually saving over $500 to go up to an A2 size printer! With a price tag well south of two grand, the 3880 opens up wide format printing to a whole new market.
If you only require printing up to A3+ in size and can't justify the initial outlay of the 3880, the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 is still a strong performer. With 8 colours (including the gloss optimiser) and a print resolution of 5760 x 1440dpi (optimised) the Epson 1900 delivers excellent quality colour photos. Thanks to a bit of wheeling and dealing by the team in Hot's own warehouse, we're also able to offer heavily discounted genuine Epson ink sets for the R1900. With an RRP of over $180, stocking up on these discount sets can drastically cut your running costs - and if printing is your business, this provides a much greater return on investment. Be quick, as this special offer is limited to current stock and these bad boys will move fast!
While we're on the topic of unbelievable value, let's not forget the Kodak ESP 3 all-in-one printer. The ESP3 multifunction offers colour print, scan and copy modes at a price point of around $140, making it excellent value for home use. The good people at Kodak also believe in lower running costs. The Kodak ESP 3 will save you up to 50% in ongoing costs when compared to similar consumer inkjets - so while there are several multifunction printers available for less than $200, the Kodak may provide the cheapest total cost of ownership.
At the other end of the scale, Canon are leading the way with wide-format and specialist printers. In-built features such as colour calibration and nozzle cloggage detection systems, combined with Canon's 12 colour pigment ink systems make Canon the undisputed leaders of large format printing. The Canon ImagePrograf IPF5100 is the big gun of professional A2 printers. The IPF-5100 is much faster than it's competitors, allowing businesses to do more work in less time - which brings more money through the door. With built in colour calibration it also delivers constant and reliable colour day after day. The advanced cloggage detection system also saves you from disaster's half-way through a print, which on any other printer would result in wasted time and media. These features are carried on throughout the Image ProGraf 12 colour range, which is comprised of the Canon ImagePrograf IPF6100, IPF8100 and IPF9100.
Read the rest of the March 2010 technology update.
