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Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding Epson's new archival printers, inks and papers.
Return to Epson 1270, 870, 875 photos & descriptions
Q: When will the Epson 1270, 870, and 875DC printer models be available?
A: According to Epson, all three will become available March 6, 2000.
Q: When will the lightfast inks in these new Epson Photo printer models be available for the older epson printers?
A: Epson has no plans to make the new lightfast inks backward compatible to the older Epson printers. Apparently, the head designs in the newer Photo printers are slightly different to accommodate the new lightfast inks. All future "Photo" or 6-ink
Epson printers will use this new lightfast inkset (or a future improvement of this inkset).
 I should preface that last statement by saying that all future "desktop" printers will use these new lightfast inks. According to Howard Cubell, he said this will not hold true for larger Epson models, i.e. the new Epson 7000 model. Howard wrote: "I was told by a knowledgeable Epson rep. in the Professioal Graphics Div. at the Seybold show in Boston that Epson would release two versions of the 24" 7000 printer in May in the USA. One will use the regular head technology of the 9000 with dye based inks (but not the new inks from the 870/1270); the other will use a new pigmented inkset with a archival rating >100 years. Expected price is around $4,000 without a rip." Howard said the new pigmented ink would have a color gamut of about 85% of the current Epson standard ink (according to the Epson rep). This printer would be a great alternative to the larger and more pricey 9000. You can learn more about the new 7000 at Epson's Japan web site. However, Epson USA now (as of June 19, 2000) has information on
the 7000 and 7500 at this web page
Here's some older addtional info:
Epson Releases "Archival" Ink Set and Printers
By Joseph Meehan
May 15, 2000
In response to photographers and other artists who require large format stable print image output, the Epson Corporation has released a new set of pigmented inkjet inks designated as Epson Archival Inks. Early testing by Epson indicates that these proprietary pigment materials have a light fastness "well in excess" of 100 years when used with matched Epson Media. In addition, these inks are said to have a "very wide color gamut" and to be water-resistant. The Archival ink set is intended for use specifically in a new variant of Epson's 44 inch wide format 9000 series printer, the model 9500, as well as in the model 7500, a new variant in the Epson Stylus Pro 7000 Series which was released earlier in Japan. Specifically, the model 9000 and model 7000 printers use Epson's regular Graphic Dye Ink sets which have the "lowest cost-per-square-foot" while the 9500 and 7500 models are intended for use with the new Archival line of inks.
Both 7000 Series printers have similar operational specifications as the 9000 series. That is, they use 6 color (CMYKcm) ink loads in individual 110 ml cartridges producing a maximum resolution of 1440 x 720 running from Mac OS or Windows with either Adobe Postscript or an optional Fiery RIP. The 7000 Series uses USB, and Firewire handling single sheet or roll print media up to 24" wide with a maximum print area of 23.76 inches on a very wide range of light and heavy weight paper, canvas, film and other media. Estimated US street price of the Epson Stylus Pro 7000 Series printers is $3,995.
Go here for more information on the new Epson 7000
Q: Why didn't Epson warn us that they were going bring out these new printers and lightfast inks?
A: At the 1999 PMA show the Epson reps told me that Epson would NEVER make an archival inkset because their survey's showed that less than 2% of their clients were concerned about longevity. I answered that maybe that was because Epson was not telling them that their current inkset and 6-ink printers would only produce a print on their papers that lasted less than 2 years! In June 1999, Epson's research department was ordering from us several thousands of dollars worth of their competitors "archival" ink and paper for testing, so we knew something was up!
I feel a little for those Epson reps, as they probably are in fear of losing their jobs due to company policy. If Epson reps blabbed about everything the company was planning to do, no one would buy the current products, because they'd always be waiting for something better! It's like buying your first computer -- you keep waiting because you see the prices falling and the performance going up -- but at some time you just got to jump in and start putting to good use the current technology.
I have many outdated computers and printers in my office, but I made good use of them when they were the current "thing", was able to get my "money's worth" out of them, and continue to use them even though they are outdate. Example: In 1992 I bought my first "color" computer system -- a Mac IIci (a speedy 25 MHz clock speed) for $2499; I paid another $800 for 16 more MBytes of RAM; $500 for a color graphics card and $500 for a 14" Sony Trinitron monitor (think what you could buy today for $4300)! Not only did I get a lot of great use out of that machine, today it continues to work as our network "firewall" and Internet router for 12 computers (our DSL connection is 64KB/second, so you don't need a speed-demon computer to handle that!).
Q: Are Photo 750 and Photo 1200 printers now obsolete?
A: Epson plans to continue to make the Photo 750 and the Photo 1200 for a little while longer. Now that the 1270 is out, the 1200 is NOT as obsolete as some may think. Third party ink manufacturers like MIS Associates and Xtreme Gamut will fill the void and actually provide a greater combination of choices (paper and ink) in the end. The only serious advantage of the 1270 is that the ink/media profiles are built into the printer's driver software, so that one gets beautiful out-of-the-box plug-n-play results. With a little custom profiling and future profiles provided by the paper and ink manufactures (they will eventually start offering this service to stay competitive), you'll be able to get similar or even better results.
Q: The longevity rating of the New Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper of 9-10 years does not seem to be that great to me -- what's the BIG deal?
A: With the standard Epson inks in a 4-ink printer, Wilhelm was rating the Epson Photo Paper at 4-5 years, but with the standard Epson inks in the 6-ink "Photo" printers, the longevity dropped to only 2 years! This is because the dilution of the magenta dye (to make the light magenta) greatly reduces the stability and lightfastness of the 6-color inkset. In a recent conversation with Henry Wilhelm, he mentioned that he was very impressed that Epson had been able to increase the longevity of a 6-ink system using a dye-based ink. Combining the new Premium Glossy and the new lightfast inks, Epson was able to jump from 2 years to 10 years -- a 500% increase in longevity IS quite impressive! Add the Epson Matte Heavyweight paper and one can expect 24-26 years of longevity with this new inkset.
Q: When will the Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper be available?
A: It is supposed to be released with the new printers -- on or after March 6, 2000. The Epson product codes I was given were:
- S041286 - 8.5" x 11"
- S041290 - B size (11" x 17")
- S041288 - A3 size (11.69" x 16.54")
- S041289 - Super B size (13" x 19")
- S041302 - 4" x 26' (100mm x 8m)
The Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper is a 10.4 mil thick paper (thicker than the Epson Photo Paper, which is about 9 mil). This new paper is little white, smoother, and glossier (I think) than the Photo Paper.
Q: When will the Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight be available?
A: The Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight is available now. This paper is rated at 45 lb. (167 gsm), and looks VERY similar (texture, weight, and front/back side brightness) to the Lysonic Photo Matte (170 gsm) and the Luminos Lumijet Soft Suede (170 gsm) "Preservation Series Media"!!! However, both Luminos and Lyson both carry their paper in 17" x 22", and in 36" rolls -- Epson does not (Epson even has difficulty keeping the Super B (13" x 19") in stock).
Q: Can the Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper and the Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight be used in older Epson printers?
A: The Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight has shown fairly good compatibility with the older printers. Epson said that the Premium Glossy (when it becomes available) can be used on the older printers with limited success -- because it is an RC type paper.
Q: Will the Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper and the Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight improve my longevity using the standard Epson inks in my older Epson printers?
A: There should be a slight improvement, but only the matching of the new lightfast inks with these new paper will give you the longevity numbers posted by Mr. Wilhelm.
Q: How do the new 870 and 875DC Epson printers print "edge-to-edge" on the roll paper?
A: These printers include Epson Digital PhotoLab System software which enables you to print continuous edge-to-edge 4" x 6" snapshots on roll paper, with very little ink spray or splatter over the edges of the 4" wide paper (there are two sponges on either side of the paper track that absorb the over spray of ink). The software also prints each 6" butted up against the next 6" print, with no white space in between each print -- just like they come out of a mini-lab photo processor. No trimming of the 4" width is necessary, the only cutting needed is between each 6" print -- which is best done on a small rotary paper cutter (which you will need to purchase separately, and is not an Epson product).
Q: Does the Epson Photo 1270 also come with a "roll paper holder" like the 870 and 875DC models?
A: The 1270 does NOT come with a roll paper holder -- however, this can be purchased as a "Professional option" or accessory.
Additional
information from the United Kingdom, where they are already using
the Epson 1270 and 870 printers
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 | Xtreme Gamut - a NEW Photo-realistic paper and Ink.. This is a revolution in digital inkjet printing. An exciting new product from Charles Berger (of UltraStable fame) is his new "Xtreme Gamut Gloss Xtra White" inkjet media. This product truly looks like the original "Cibachrome" gloss. The new "paper" has a special gelatin inkjet receiving layer on a 7 mil super white polyester base (also available soon in a 9 mil). Matched with this new media are his new "Xtreme Gamut" inks. These new dye-based inks are estimated to last 50 - 55 years with the new matched media (both ink and media have been submitted to Wilhelm for testing). The inks will originally be available in cartridges for the 3000 (only $49.99 each) and 9000 (only $69.99 each) Epson printers. Cartridges for the smaller Epson Stylus Color printers will be available in about 8 - 10 weeks. It is not recommended that the Xtreme Gamut papers be used with any ink but the Xtreme Gamut inkset. |
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