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Our Recommendations on the Epson 13" Wide Inkjet Printers (1270/1280 vs. 2000P; vs. the 1200 and the 1160) What's the difference between the 1270 and the 1280 models? (See our printer output comparisions on these four printers) The Epson 1270/1280 vs. the Epson 2000P (jump to 1200 vs. 1160) Ever since the 2000P was introduced in the Summer of 2000, the number one question we are asked every day: "Which would you recommend, the 1270/1280 or the 2000P?" There is not a simple answer without knowing your needs and priorities. There are so many variables to consider, we've decided to put together a comparison chart, along with our recommendations:

Question: Which is the best printer for longevity?
Epson Stylus Photo 1270/1280: This might seem to be a no-brainer when you look at the advertised longevity ratings between the two printers, but we're going to dig a little deeper for you... Advertised lightfastness for the 1270/1280 inkset is up to 26 years with the Epson Matte Paper Heavy Weight. The glossy, "Photo Paper" comes in at 6 - 7 years, and the even glossier, "Premium Glossy Photo Paper" weighs in at 9 - 10 years (if you keep it away from ozone gas). While the above longevity figures may not seem like much to some of you newbies, consider that up until the 1270/1280 hit the market in March 2000, Epson's "standard" 6-inkset was often lucky to last 6 months to a year on their Photo Paper before noticeable fading occurred (and HP inks are lucky to hit 2 - 3 years). Epson does not test or advertise the longevity of the 1270/1280's "lightfast" inks with various 3rd party papers (are you surprised?), but as you can tell by the above spread of figures, the longevity of this ink is very media-dependent. That is because dye-based inks (yes, the 1270/1280 is a dye ink) can be quite susceptible to chemical reactions between the dye and the chemicals used in the media's coating. This means that we don't really know how long other media will last on the 1270/1280, until it is has been tested, and there are so many ink and paper combinations out there now, that it may be quite some time before independent testing labs like Wilhelm Imaging Research get around to your favorite combo! Your best solution is to do some of your own testing against known combinations (like the ones above). However, as a rule-of-thumb, it appears that matte papers do better longevity-wise than glossy papers, and the figures are nearly as good as or better than Kodak photo papers (14 - 18 years).	Epson Stylus Photo 2000P: With advertised longevity figures of about 140 years for Epson's semigloss paper and 200 plus years for their Archival Matte paper, the 2000P is definitely the longevity winner. By comparison, the 1270/1280 inks are called "lighfast", and the 2000P pigment inks are termed, "Archival Inks." Pigment inks are not as media-dependent in order to get decent longevity figures. As basically, "ground up rocks" or minerals, pigments are fairly "bullet-proof" to chemical reactions between the coating components found in various media. Most experts agree, that even the worst papers or canvas will probably give at 25 - 50 years of longevity with these pigment inks AND you may not even have to place the paper or canvas behind glass in order to get these lower numbers, as you would have to do with the dye-based inks, like the 1270/1280 inks. This is why some inkjet paper companies, like Luminos, feel confident that their papers will have a "lasting" effect with the 2000P inks, and are willing to issue longevity statements.
Question: Which is the best printer for image quality?
Epson Stylus Photo 1270/1280: The 1270/1280 has a slight edge over the 2000P in sharpness and smoothness, but you'll only notice it upon close examination. (In fact, it and the 870 are the sharpest printers Epson makes -- slightly surpassing even the sharpness of a true color photo print (if you send the proper information to the printer). It can also produce greater color saturation (especially in the red tones) than the 2000P pigment inks. The 1270/1280 ink has the richest black of any printer (or ink) we've ever tested. If you like rich, glossy prints (especially with the Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper) -- this is the printer printer for you. For a close look at the output quality of this printer, compared to the 2000P, the 1200 and the 1160, go to our output comparison page. When you archive your digital image files, be sure to use the most reliable CD-R: the Kodak Gold Ultima CD-R. They cost a little more, because they use a REAL GOLD reflection layer, and a special archival dye layer that resists fading from office florescent lights and sunlight - but aren't your images worth it? Click here to learn more about the features of this unique CD-R.	Epson Stylus Photo 2000P: There is a reason Epson did not introduce a glossy paper with this printer, but chose instead to show it off with their Premium Semigloss. The semigloss surface helps to break up the "gloss or reflection differential" that comes with using pigment inks (the new Epson Luster surface does an even better job in hiding this differential). This is because the duller pigment inks (even with Epson's swanky resin and "MicroCrystal Encapsulation") tend to stay more on the surface of the paper's coating, instead of soaking into the coating like dye inks do. This results in less color saturation and a lowering in the color gamut. Are the prints acceptable? We think so. If you compared the 2000P semigloss, luster and matte prints with comparable photo print papers, you'd say the 2000P does as good or better than a true photo print (especially in color gamut -- except for some red hues, which are not as deep and vibrant on the 2000P). Overall, the 2000P is very media dependant when it comes to getting a great print. About 50% of the papers and other media on the market will not give good results with pigment inks. Some watercolor papers like Luminos' Woven Fiber and their Genuine Pearl (semigloss) really pop on the 2000P. Many other papers look dead with this printer. If you compare a glossy 2000P print with a true photo glossy paper, the later would win. If you compared a 1270/1280 semigloss, luster or matte print with the 2000P, you'd notice slightly duller colors and duller blacks in the 2000P prints. If you compared a 1270/1280 Premium Glossy Photo Paper print with a 2000P glossy print and a true photo paper print, the 1270/1280 PGPP would blow them all away. Another consideration is "metamerism". With the 2000P, you must print for the type of light that the print will be displayed under. Example: If you were to take a 2000P print, a 1270/1280 print and a true photo print and view them under various light sources (i.e. reflected daylight, tungsten and florescent), the 2000P print would change in color the most under these various lights.
Question: Who should use this printer?
Epson Stylus Photo 1270/1280: If your main concern is showing your work in the best possible way, and longevity is only a secondary concern, this is your best printer and ink combination. (The Epson 1200 printer and Epson standard inks or Epson compatible inks would also be a good choice as long as your work was kept in a portfolio book, and not displayed on a wall.) As one user put it, "I'd rather have a few years of supreme beauty, than decades of mediocrity." Prints from this printer can be sold for decor or even fine art, but prints must always be displayed under glass. As fine art, these prints could not be considered an "investment" that might appreciate in value over time, because it's doubtful they'd last that long -- you'd need to go to the 2000P for that. One final consideration is printing speed. The 1270/1280 (as well as the 1200 and 1160) is 2X to 3X faster than the 2000P, depending on the media you use (glossies and semi-glossies are the slowest in the 2000P). See our features comparisons under "Printing Speed".	Epson Stylus Photo 2000P: If your main concern is longevity, this is your best printer. This is the choice for the fine art and museum quality prints. This is the choice for the artist who feels his prints might have investment value (or at least wants to limit his editions and play to that market). This is also the choice for the landscape photographer or artist that needs to have his work displayed in harsh lighting environments (i.e. strong florescent lighting or even reflected daylight conditions) that would rapidly fade even "lightfast" 1270/1280 prints. This is the choice for the portrait and wedding photographers who wishes to set themselves apart by offering "heirloom" prints that will last for "generations". This is also the choice for the artist who wants to print on media that begs NOT to be covered by glass, i.e. as canvas. (Although Epson does not carry a canvas for this printer, we have found that the Quickjet canvas works extremely well!) Other more specialize considerations for this printer might include: Genealogy and time capsule projects, short term outdoor signage and short term window display prints.
Comparing the Epson 1200 and 1160 Printers
Epson Stylus Photo 1200: The Epson 1200 printer and Epson standard inks or Epson compatible inks would also be a good choice as long as your work was kept in a portfolio book, and not displayed on a wall. The 1270/1280 has a slight edge on sharpness, smoothness and the deepness of its blacks. But for versatility, the 1200 wins hands down. Many artists use the 1200 with Epson compatible inks and print their portfolios and other promotions at 1/2 to 1/4 the cost of using genuine Epson inks (and with even slightly better results)! Some even prefer this more flexible option than using the 1200 with a Continuous Inking System and bulk inks. The 1200 can also be used as a "monochrome" or B/W printer, using five shades of gray or toned inks (with super longevity) and a black -- something that neither the 1270/1280 or 2000P can offer because their Epson "Intelledge" microchip prevents one from switching to third party inks. Lightfast, 3rd party color inks are also available for the 1200. We recommend pigment inks, i.e. the MIS or Generations inks, rather than going with "archival" dye-based inks like the Luminos Lumijet Platinum or Silver inks; or the Lyson Lysonic or Fotonic inks. These dye-based inks can be used with long-lasting results on the 1200, IF you stick to non-coated water color papers that have less chance of chemically reacting with the dyes. Many coated papers and the weaker, light-magenta ink (in the 1200's 6-ink set) have proven to be a short-lived combination. See our "archival ink" page for more information and recommendations. Profiling 3rd party archival color inks is not for the casual user. One advantage the 1270/1280 and 2000P printers have over the 1200 and 1160 is that the Epson lightfast and Archival Inks are very "plug-n-play" friendly, and well-balanced prints are often obtainable with your first try. The 1200 is no longer made by Epson, but refurbished printers (with one-year Epson warranties) are often available through www.electrified.com Our ink formula is preferred by professionals for their best work. Learn why many Epson 1200 and 1160 users have started using the Inkjetart Solutions replacement ink cartridges for printing their portfolios and other promotional projects that don't require an archival solution (they have the same lightfastness as standard Epson inks). These ink cartridges have been given a 99.5% plus reliability rating by our customers, and they are Epson compatible at 1/2 the price or less.	Epson Stylus 1160: The 1160 has proven to be one of the most versatile printers Epson has ever made, with exception of maybe the Epson 3000 -- although the image quality of the 1160 is far superior (with a 4-picoliter variable ink droplet vs. the 3000's 20-picoliter non-variable droplet)! Like the Epson 1200, the 1160 printer and Epson standard inks or Epson compatible inks would also be a good choice as long as your work was kept in a portfolio book, and not displayed on a wall. The 1200 is preferred for some photographic images (over the 1160) because it can produce smoother tones and gradations (especially in non-detailed areas like skies). This is because the 1160 is a 4-ink printer (CMYK), as compared to a 6-ink printer (having light cyan and light magenta inks -- CcMmYK) like the 1200, 1270/1280 and 2000P. But fewer inks can also have its advantages, too. The 1160 color cartridge's 3 ink chambers individually have a much greater capacity than the 5 ink chambers in the 1200 color cartridge -- meaning that the 1160 color cartridges can often produce about 30% more prints before one of the chambers runs dry, than a 1200 color cartridge. The 1160's 3-colors (CMY) also have greater longevity than the 1200's 5-color (CcMmY) when using dye-based "Archival" inks like the Luminos Lumijet Platinum or Silver inks; or the Lyson Lysonic or Fotonic inks. (This is due to the more fugitive nature of the light magenta dye ink vs. the full-strength magenta dye that is available in the 1160's CMYK system. Having a more lightfast dye inkset allows one to consider these "archival" color inks even for use with coated papers (Lyson has publish some impressive inhouse test results using their inks and coated papers, when using the 4-color Epson 3000 printer -- which would be comparable to the 1160.) The 1160 can also be used with a Continuous Inking System. Not only are "monochrome" or "quadblack" (or quadtone) inksets available for the 1160, but they are often preferred by some over 6-ink printers (some believe that 5 shades of gray or tone inks are an overkill, and harder to profile). At the time of this writing (Dec. 2000) the 1160 was still being produced by Epson. This is your cheapest choice for a 13" wide printer, at only $299 suggested retail (reduced from its original price of $449). Street prices are often in the range of $275 or less. One last comment: Although Epson says the S020189 (black) and the S020191 (color) cartridges are to be used in this printer, the older S020108 (black) and S020089 (color) cartridges can also be used in this printer (even though these cartridges were originally made for the Epson 800 and 1520 printers). Both sets of cartridges have exactly the same ink and ink capacity, but the older style cartridges often have the advantage of being slightly less expensive (especially the Epson compatible inks), and often more available -- especially in the case of 3rd party "archival" and "monochrome" inks. What's the only other difference? Cosmetics -- the older style cartridges use a clear plastic case so you can see the ink inside and how much ink is STILL LEFT in the cartridge (mainly in the sponge) AFTER your printer says you've run out of ink -- a disturbing fact that Epson decided to hide by using an opaque plastic in all their newer cartridges! NOTE: Although you can often get several more prints after the printer says the cartridge is empty (by lifting up the printer's cartridge blue cover/eject lever -- fooling the printer into thinking you put in a new cartridge) you run the risk of introducing air into the system (simulating a "clog") or running your print heads too often without any ink and permanently damaging the Piezo print heads.

Learn why Kodak Gold Ultima CD-R's are the best for archiving your digital image files.

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