We began shipping the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 printers today to some of our early pre-order customers who gave us a $100 deposit. More will go out next week. If you are one of these depositors, you can expect to receive an email message letting you know where you stand in the queue.
LIKE GETTING A FREE PRINTER UPGRADE... This is a terrific printer for the price. Although the Epson 3800 is $445 more expensive than the Epson R2400 ($850), the 3800 comes with $450 more ink than the R2400 (and at a lower cost per millimeter) -- so it's almost like getting a free printer upgrade when you're willing to buy the Epson 3800 (17") over the Epson R2400 (13").
In addition, ink use costs for this printer is significantly lower than for the Epson R2400, because of the 3800's much larger 80 ml cartridges. Our latest tests show that you can print a letter size (8.5" x 11") print on the Epson 3800 for less than $0.59 (at MSRP) - that's less than $0.91 per square foot (most Epson 2200 and R2400 users are estimating ink use costs of about $2.00 to $3.00 per square foot).
If you haven't made a deposit on an Epson 3800, do so now! We are one of Epson's top dealers, and we are receiving a large allocation of these printers.
On Saturday, November 11th we were at the Epson Print Academy here in Salt Lake City, Utah. As part of the show, Epson set us up with one of the very few Epson 3800 Pro printers in the country BUT we had to give the printer back at the end of the show. We tried to learn as much about it as we could in the 12 hours that we had it. Read our report:
For a limited time, Epson and InkjetART are offering instant rebates on several consumer and prosumer inkjet printers. These printers are shown on our Web pages with their regular prices, BUT when you click on "Buy one," you will automatically be shown the reduce price in your shopping cart!
Good light allows your prints appear as beautiful as they can be. If your prints are viewed under improper light, all your efforts to make great prints may have just been sabotaged!
Attendees to the Epson Print Academy learned about a revolutionary light source. According to Kevin McGuire, the inventor, no other light source in the world matches daylight more closely than SoLux (incidentally, they arrived late and we had stolen their table so they had to get a new one).
SoLux is a patented new light bulb that simulates daylight far better than any other light bulb on the market. It is a high performance halogen type bulb (rated to last 4000 hours) that currently comes in the low voltage (12 volt) MR-16 format (2 pin socket). SoLux uses a multilayer thin film coating on the reflector to reflect the desired daylight spectrum forward and pass unwanted light out the back yielding the closest match to daylight. http://www.solux.net/graph.htm
In addition to accurate color rendition, SoLux has been engineered to have very low heat (IR) output and ultra-low UV output. This means that with SoLux, you will have the brilliance of daylight without the negatives aspects of UV and IR. The result is a superior presentation that won't cook or bleach the subject being illuminated. http://www.solux.net/uv.htm
Some light manufacturers market their bulbs as "full-spectrum" light sources. Full-spectrum can be a misleading term. Technically, a candle can be considered full-spectrum. What is implied is that the light provides ideal light for rendering colors. This can only really be determined by looking at the spectral power distribution graphs for a given light source. SoLux is the only daylight simulation product that emits a full and even spectral power distribution equivalent to daylight. http://www.solux.net/comparison.htm http://www.solux.net/d50plot.html
SoLux lights are also being used for reading, studying and to help suffers of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The FDA issued a "Health Fraud Notice", stating claims for a full-spectrum lamp were a "gross deception of the consumer". Full-spectrum light sources often are no more than glorified incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. http://www.solux.net/solux_for_study.htm http://www.solux.net/sadtextpage.htm
SoLux bulbs come in four different color temperature (3500K, 4100K, 4700K, & 5000K). Independent experts agree, the SoLux 4700K is the light that best simulates the D50 standard. The reason is the spectrum from the SoLux models D50 more accurately than any fluorescent "daylight" tube.
Photographers and other artists can set up their own color proofing lighting system for under $200. Most 4-color printing and proofing houses, as well as some photographers, choose the SoLux 4700K (D50) light for critical color proofing. http://www.solux.net/colorproofing.htm
John says he uses the 3500K bulbs for my studio and gallery. He evaluates and displays prints under the same light. He also uses four SoLux Gooseneck fixtures for portable light sources: two with 3500K bulbs to evaluate display conditions and two with 5000K bulbs to evaluate color management issues, monitor calibration and soft proofing. (We'd suggest the use of the SoLux 4700K bulbs, which are the D50 standard used in the calibration and proofing industry, rather than the 5000K -- which is used more for reading lights and SAD therapy. However, after talking to other SoLux experts, you may even want to simplify your life and try using 3500K for everything, even monitor calibration - unless you also use your monitor for color balancing your images for 4-color offset printing and publishing.)
3500K IS THE NEW FINE ART LIGHTING STANDARD. An independent paper by Weintraub, Gordon, Scuello, and Abramov confirms that 3600K (which virtually matches the SoLux 3500K) as the preferred lighting condition to illuminate art work (although some black and white photographers claim that the SoLux 4100K bulbs give them the purest whites).
http://www.solux.net/ies_files/MuseumLightingStudy.pdf
SOLUX 3500K MAKES ART ROCK. Originally, the only SoLux bulb available was the 4700K. However, later experiments like the one above showed that 3500K makes art rock! An experiment (to illuminate Vermeer paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington) was set up so the proper amount of footcandles illuminated each painting. Seven curators from the Van Gogh Museum were allowed to adjust the lighting to the most preferred color temperature using SoLux at 4700K while maintaining a stable footcandle level. The color temperature that was most frequently chosen was 3500K! Most thought the lighting was such an improvement that it appeared as if the paintings had been recently cleaned. Under the SoLux full spectrum light source, the paintings appeared significantly brighter, clearer, and more saturated; and the 3500K color temperature was most pleasing to the eye.
PRODUCT OPTIONS: SoLux bulbs are the heart of their lighting system, and many artist will use low-voltage track lighting systems. But there are many other fixture options and accessories besides track lighting.
https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore/trackfittings.html
QUESTIONS: If you have questions about SoLux, talk to Philip Bradfield the Vice President of Tailored Lighting, Inc. (the manufacturer of SoLux): 1-800-254-4487 or Email: phil@solux.net. Phil told your editor that most artists should choose 3500K (unless we plan to do serious color proofing for 4-color offset printing). While many photographers have been brought up thinking that 5000K to 5500K simulates daylight - this is the color of daylight at high Noon on a clear day. Photographers should remember that there are different "shades" of daylight, and that the SoLux 3500K simulates that "sweet" period of daylight that many photographers prefer to do their shooting. Even at 3500K, SoLux bulbs simulate the Spectral Power Distribution Curves of that shade of real daylight. http://www.solux.net/edu15.htm
PURCHASING SoLux bulbs, fixtures and accessories: InkjetART does not sell SoLux, but you can buy them direct from their online store at prices that are comparable to other MR-16 halogen bulbs (as low as $6.95 each, when buying 10 or more). SoLux also carries the "Black Back" bulb with no light escaping out the back. Bulbs are available in 4 beam spreads (10, 17, 24 and 36 degrees). https://www.solux.net/cgi-bin/tlistore
REVIEW - HP DESIGNJET Z2100 PHOTO PRINTER
We've had an HP Z2100, 24" model on loan from HP for a little over a week now. The HP Designjet Z2100 Photo Printer (24" and 44" models) is an 8-ink wide-format printer, similar in ink technology to the 13-inch wide HP B9180. However, where the B9180 has a built in densitometer for calibration, the HP Z2100 goes one better, with the first-ever embedded spectrophotometer -- allowing one to easily create and edit ICC profiles, saving one the time and expense of outsourcing the ICC creation. The Z2100 24" model has a list price of $3,395.00, and the Z2100 44" model has a list price of $5,595. We have sample prints available for this printer and others on http://www.inkjetart.com/custom/
BUILT-IN MEDIA PROFILING: Our first task was to have the Z2100 create an ICC profile from its built in Eye-One spectrophotometer, and compare its profile with our top of the line ($6,000+) X-Rite DTP70 stand-alone spectrophotometer. Creating a custom media profile takes about 30 minutes with the Z2100 - and 10+ minutes of this is for ink drying time. The process was relativity simple, and the results were quite good. Compared to the our X-Rite (with 1728 color patches), the Z2100's spectrophotometer (with 464 color patches) produced very accurate colors. The only thing we noticed was a little lack of contrast and some minor banding or posterization, which we attest to the fewer number of color patches (this minor posterization would probably never show up except in some delicately, gradated image areas). NOTE: For a more detail discussion on the setup and built-in profiling process, see Chris Bair's comments at http://www.inkjetart.com/hp/Z2100/
NOTE: The contrast on these gradient comparisons has been exaggerated to reveal the banding or posterization in the Z2100 built-in profile. Actual banding is very minimal, and would rarely show itself in most prints.
IMAGE QUALITY: The Z2100 uses exactly the same print heads and ink (in larger cartridges) as the HP B9180, so we were not surprised that the image quality was also identical. Colors seemed as rich as prints from Epson UltraChrome K3 inkjet printers. Close examination (10X) showed very accurate dot placement that rivals the Epson Stylus Photo printers. The HP Vivera pigment inks deliver exceptional fade resistance, producing prints that resist fading for over 200 years (certified by Wilhelm Imaging Research). Grayscale neutrality on a color print appeared similar to Epsons. We felt Epson only excelled in producing slightly less noticeable gloss differential (called "bronzing" in some circles) on glossy, semigloss and luster surface papers.
PRINTING SPEED: Our tests showed the HP Z2100 to be 11% to 29% faster than current comparable Epson Stylus Pro models.
INK USAGE: One thing that has concerned some potential users of the new HP Z2100 was how much ink it consumed when making a print. This data is easily obtained from the printer driver software, and a complete history of all print jobs is maintained. Information on the media type used, the size of the printing area, the printing duration time and ink usage (as well as other data) are all given. Epson Stylus Pro printers give similar information (except media type), but organization is different and access is not quite as easy in our opinion as it is with the Z2100.
Our tests showed that the HP 2100 used an average of only 2% more ink on the same print jobs as comparable Epson Stylus Pro printers - so close as to not be an issue.
INK USE & COST: The HP Vivera pigment inks are a little more expensive per millimeter ($0.58/ml) than the Epson UltraChrome K3 inks when using the Epson 220 ml cartridges ($0.51/ml), but less expensive when using the Epson 110 ml cartridges ($0.64/ml) -- all prices at MSRP.
After running 20 - letter size test prints through each printer, and checking the ink consumed, we came up with the following average ink cost per 8.5" x 11" print:
$0.41 - HP Z2100 (130 ml cartridges)
$0.44 - Epson Ultrachrome K3 Pro printers (using 110 ml cartridges)
$0.35 - Epson Ultrachrome K3 Pro printers (using 220 ml cartridges)
Even when using the 220 ml cartridges, the Epson printers were not significantly less expensive to operate. And when one adds the ink lost from changing black inks (from matte to photo and back again) that is required with most Epson printers, the HP make be even more efficient.
If HP's "electrostatic drop detection" system really works as well as they say it does, the HP Z2100 could also waste less ink by way of clogging and cleaning than Epson's piezo ink droplet delivery system. Remember, the HP Z2100 does not have a "Replacement Ink Maintenance Tank," like Epson wide-format printers. The pads in the Epson tanks are provided to absorb the large amount of ink that is pumped through the Epson piezo print heads to keep the nozzles clean and when changing black inks.
TO ORDER an HP Z2100 24" or 44" model printer, call 1-800-777-2076, and ask for any of our sales people
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"Inkjet NEWS & Tips" is published by
Royce Bair, Editor royce@inkjetart.com
Inkjet Solutions for Photo-realistic & Archival Fine Art Printing
http://www.inkjetART.com/
Inkjet Art Solutions
8100 s. 1300 w., Suite A
West Jordan, UT 84088
Phone: 801-256-0360 Fax: 801-256-0369
(c) Copyright 2006 The Stock Solution, All Rights Reserved
No portion of this publication may be reproduced or re-published
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All longevity estimates should be treated as such, Inkjet Art Solutions is not liable for pre-mature fading of prints or damage to printers through use of our products. Be sure to properly research your purchase and follow the directions given. If you need help, please contact us.
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SoLux is a patented new light bulb that simulates daylight far better than any other light bulb on the market. It is a high performance halogen type bulb (rated to last 4000 hours) that currently comes in the low voltage (12 volt) MR-16 format (2 pin socket). SoLux uses a multilayer thin film coating on the reflector to reflect the desired daylight spectrum forward and pass unwanted light out the back yielding the closest match to daylight.
SoLux Art Light:
