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Epson Stylus Pro 7600 and Epson Stylus Pro 9600
Questions and Answers
- Q: How good is the quality from these new printers?
A: Even at 720 x 720 dpi resolution, their quality is equal to the
output of previous Epson printers at 720 x 1440 dpi. People who have
seen these prints, tell us that the quality is equal or better than
photo lab quality prints coming off of a Fuji Frontier system. This is due to the additional 7th color, small droplet size and variable droplet technology.
- Q: How neutral are the black & white prints from the UltraChrome inkset?
A: I just returned from Epson dealer training on the 7600/9600 printers. One of the interesting items we saw there were a couple of B/W prints on Epson's new Somerset Velvet 505gsm fine art paper. Talk about neutral. They were gorgeous! Both were printed with the UltraChrome pigmented inkset, using all 7 inks.
We also saw a video click interview with Mac Holbert, master printer for Nash Editions in Manhattan Beach. Holbert said that his 9600 gave him "beautiful black and white right out of the box." He felt the 9600 prints were "good enough to sell as B/W", and that he had yet to meet a customer that was unhappy with the B/W output of the 9600. (Keep in mind that the 7600's output is identical to the 9600 -- just 24" wide, and $2000 less.)
- Q: Why are you rating the new UltraChrome pigmented inks only 80 -
100 years with fine art papers (compared to the 100 - 200 years
rating of previous Epson pigmented inks)? Are these new pigment inks
that much different than the pigmented inks in the 2000P, 5500, 7500,
9500 and 10000 -- other than the addition of a "7th" color (light
black)?
A: The UltraChrome inks are different. Epson was willing to give up some longevity in order to achieve much higher color gamut, better black and white printing neutrality (using all 7 colors), and reduced metamerism. The main difference (besides the addition of the Light Black ink) between the older Epson "Archival" inkset is the yellow ink. The new yellow in the UltraChrome inkset is the main reason for the increased color gamut, but also the reason for the lower longevity. There are 3rd party software RIP's that can remove the yellow ink (as well as the dark magenta and dark cyan) when printing monchrome images. The removal of the yellow effectively doubles the longevity (up to 200 years or more). The removal of the dark magenta and dark cyan reduces metamerism even more (practically non-existent) and virtually eliminates any color cross-overs, allowing for super neutral monochrome prints. Even with the yellow, dark magenta, darker cyan missing, a great deal of tinting and toning is still available because of the light magenta, light cyan and yellow available within the black inks.
- Q: Just how good is the color gamut of the new UltraChrome pigmented inks?
A: The UltraChrome pigmented inkset almost approaches Epson's
Photographic Dye inkset in color gamut. As an example, Epson quotes a RIP manufacturer that claims
the UltraChrome ink is capable of reproducing "Kodak" yellow and
"Coca-Cola" red exactly!
- Q: Are the UltraChrome pigments as water-resistant as the previous
Epson pigmented inks?
A: Yes. However, the UltraChrome pigments inks are not quite as lightfast as Epson's original "Archival Inks" that are used in the 2000P, 5500, 7500, 9500 and the Archival Ink version of the 10000. The yellow pigment in the UltraChrome inkset was changed in order to gain more brilliance and color gamut, at a slight sacrifice in longevity. Instead of an indoor rating of 100 to 200 years, the UltraChrome inkset is rated up to 100 years. The new yellow is more suitable for photography and fine art (according to user surveys). The yellow in the previous Epson Archival Inks is more suitable for outdoor signage. (In fact, Epson is working on a program with 3M where they will give a 5-year replacement warranty on the Epson Archival Ink prints laminated with 3M's film, but they will not offer this warranty on prints made with the UltraChrome inks.)
- Q: Can these printers use cut sheet paper as well as roll paper?
A: The 7600 and 9600 printers can print on both roll paper stock and cut sheets as small as letter size (8.5" x 11"). They can handle very thick paper stock (up to 1.5mm), such as Epson's Enhanced Matte Posterboard. Their only limitation on cut sheets, is that ulike a desktop printers that have a paper tray (holding many sheets), these printers can only handle one cut sheet at a time.
- Q: When will these new printers be available - realistically?
A: Although Epson had targeted "June 3" as product availability date, the first shipments didn't arrive until the end of that month (June 2002). Supplies of these printers were spotty all summer. Many customers had to wait over three months for a printer. Epson had vastly underestimated the populaity of these printers (they are priced $2K to $5K less than the previous models they replaced, yet their printing technology and printing speed has greatly improved). Because orders on these printers have already exceeded 8X last years sales for previous models, these printers still remain (as of November 2002) on allocation from Epson. Although we have a direct account with Epson (most dealers must buy through an Epson distributor), you can still expect a wait of one to four weeks to get a printer. Call 1-800-777-2076 to place your pre-order or check availability.
- Q: Your PDF brochure says the Photographic Dye ink models, using two
Photo Black inks, produces "Epson's highest ever D-Max level of 3.0".
How is this achieved?
A: This may be an error on our part. We'll have to check with our
technical people, because the "2.0" D-max produced by the UltraChrome
models (using the Photo Black ink on certain media) is already equal
to the D-max of a silver-halide B/W print. A D-max of "3.0" is
approaching film or transparency densities! [Epson executives said
they'd look into this possible discrepancy, and get back to us.]
May 17th update: Epson technicians are holding firm to their "3.0" D-Max claim for the Photographic Dye ink. However this D-Max is achievable with only one paper: the Epson ColorLife. They're saying that even the Epson SP 10000 Photographic Dye ink model can achieve near almost a 3.0 D-Max with the ColorLife Paper. The 7600 and 9600 Photographic Dye ink models can hit almost 3.08 or 3.09 D-Max with the ColorLife Paper.
- Q: Will the new print head technology of the 7600 / 9600 printers be
licensed to Roland, Mutoh and etc., as you've done in the past?
A: No. These new DX3 "ASIC" print heads will not be licensed to
others. This will be exclusive to Epson. These new heads are more
consistent than previous heads, with the "ASIC" technology even
adjusting the nozzles for changes in humidity temperature and ink viscosity.
- Q: Will the 7600 printers be able to use the larger 220ml cartridges
like previous 7000 series printers?
A: YES (updated on 11/05/02)! Epson had orginally indicated that the 7600 Pro Stylus printer could only use the 110 ml cartridges, and not the larger, 220 ml cartridges. One of the advantages of purchasing a 9600 printer is that allowed one to use either size cartridge (even both sizes at the same time), and that the 220 ml cartridge gave one a 22% ink cost savings. Internet discussion groups, like the Yahoo Epson 9000 list, have often hinted that the larger cartridge could be used in the 7600 printer, but some members of the group have worried about compatibility, print head damage if the cartridges dried up due to improper ink monitoring, causing warranty issues, and etc.
A recent discussion with Mark Radogna, Epson's Senior Product Manager of Professional Graphics, cleared the air on this controversy. Epson's 220 ml cartridges can be used in the 7600 model printers, and their IC chips will tell the printer that they are a 220 ml cartridge, and the printer will accurately monitor the ink levels (both via the firmware driver and via the LCD panel). If you want to start using the 220 ml cartridges in your 7600, you can start replacing the 110 ml cartridges as they go empty (its O.K. to mix cartridge sizes).
Why didn't Epson ever tell us this in the first place? Because, using the larger 220 ml cartridges in your 7600 printer is a LEGAL LIABILITY ISSUE. Epson cannot (and does not) recommend (or even suggest) that the larger cartridges be used in your 7600 printer because they could cause the printers to tip over and damage the printer or worse, injure someone. When you install 220 ml cartridges in your 7600 printer, they stick out further, and create greater unbalance, especially if the printer does not have an Epson stand. Without the stand, leaning on top of the cartridges or placing a heavy object on the cartridges could tip over the printer. If the printer was on the edge of a table it could fall to the floor, causing damage to itself or injury to a person. The 7600 with a stand is better balanced for use with the 220 ml cartridges. Greater caution should be used if one decides to use the 220 ml cartridges in a 7600 printer without the use of the optional Epson stand. (I personally see no "balance" problem, even using the printer without a stand, but it appears Epson wants to remain very cautious.)
- Q: How economical are the 7600 / 9600 printers compared to the desktop 2200?
A: On average, the 7600 and 9600 printers are about six (6) times
more economical than the Epson 2200. Even though the 2200 uses
individual cartridges, they are VERY small in capacity, even when
compared to the 7600's 110ml cartridges. Epson noted that their
Premium Luster Photo Paper will also be available in 10" and 20"
rolls (in June), making it very convenient to make borderless 8" x
10", 16" x 20" and 20" x 24" prints (with their auto borderfree
cutter system). Epson claimed that 8" x 10" borderless Luster prints
would cost only about $0.55 each for ink and media. [Inkjetart
interjected that Epson's "Bicycle" test print used for these ink
consumption figures had only an average of 22% ink coverage per
color, whereas real-life images often use about about twice that
average ink coverage per color. Inkjetart estimates that if Epson is
using a cost of $0.41 for the Luster media, and $0.14 for the ink
consumption, the "real-life" ink consumption on most prints would be
closer to twice this amount, or $0.28 -- making for a more realistic
cost of $0.69 per 8" x 10" borderless print. But even $0.28 for ink
consumption on an 8" x 10" print is still great (about $0.50 per
square foot). Most desktop users are often finding that ink costs
run about $1.50 to $1.80 per 8" x 10" image, or around $3.00 per
square foot!]
- Q: When will the Epson 7600 and 9600 printers support Mac OS X? Your
PDF brochure says this support will only come via a RIP, yet Epson's
latest EFI Fiery RIP only runs on Windows, so how can this be?
A: Mac OS X support (via the standard Epson printer driver) will be
available sometime in July for these new printers. You will NOT have
to use a RIP to get OS X functionality! At any rate, even though the RIP software only runs on Windows machines, you can still access the printer over your network from Macs or PC's (or Linux or Unix machines as well) it simply shows up as a Postscript printer.
MAY 17th UPDATE: Epson just informed its dealers in a recent training meeting that Mac OS X driver support for the 7600 and 9600 will NOT be available in July as one high level executive had told us earlier, but probably will be available in January 2003. They claim that Apple is lagging behind in "CUP" support (OS X currently does not offer printer resolution beyond 600 dpi or the ability to do custom print sizes).
THE FOLLOWING "QUESTION & ANSWERS" HAVE COME FROM ACTUAL EMAIL
QUESTIONS to us at Inkjetart:
- Do you think the 7600 will work on a desktop or will the stand be a better choice?
The $299 stand is virtually the same stand as the one Epson was using
for the 7000 and 7500, and charging $499, so it is a better buy than
it used to be. The 7600 is virtually the same size and weight as the
rest of the 7000 series. 90% of our previous 7000 series clients
have bought their printers without a stand, and are perfectly happy.
The 7000 and 7500 we use at BairArtEditions.com are both on Office
Depot $30 folding tables. However, the Epson stand does have wheels,
and it includes a fold out canvas apron that catches prints that the
auto cutter makes; and it is very useful for unattended operation
(rather than having the prints fall onto the floor). Keep in mind,
that when printing sheets, all of Epson's wide-format printers hold
onto the bottom edge of your print after printing is completed, UNTIL
you manually release the tension, thus keeping individual sheet
prints from falling out of the printer.
- If I am printing Somerset would the photo black or matte black inks be better?
Matte Black (with the Light Black) will work best on all matte and
fine art type papers. This combination produces a D-max of up to
1.69 vs. the 1.49 D-max when using the Photo Black with Light Black
ink combination -- which comes standard with the UltraChrome
printers. Although these new printers allow for easy ink changing
and flushing (into a waste bottle, rather than expensive pads as in
the past models), Epson is still estimating a Photo Black to Matte
Black ink change (or vice versa) will cost $112 in wasted ink. For
this reason, we are planning to stock extra Matte Black ink for those
fine art printers who may want to not even bother installing the
110ml Photo Black ink cartridge that comes with the printer (7600
UltraChrome or 9600 UltraChrome).
To completely understand all your black ink options, you may wish to
read Choosing the Right UltraChrome Black Ink Mode
- Should I be using firewire or USB on my MAC G4 (or PC)?
Our 10000 is a faster printer than the 7600 or 9600, and it works just fine via USB from a G4. Epson tells us that a USB connection will not limit the speed performance of the 7600 or 9600 when it printing via Epson's own print driver. This is because Epson's print driver software compresses the data (without loss of image quality) that it sends to the printer. However, Epson does recommend a FireWire connection if you use either Epson's EFI Fiery Spark Professional 2 RIP or a 3rd party RIP, as the data being sent from the computer to the printer is uncompressed in these cases and will slow down the printer's performance speed if restricted by a USB connection.
- What is the deal with the different spindles? Does it come with one for standard roll paper?
In the past, the older printers came with only a 2" core spindle.
This is because most papers only came on 2" cores. Only a few of the
thick, fine art papers came on 3" cores. You had to buy a 3" core
spindle if you needed it. The new spindle that comes with the 7600
and 9600 are adaptable for use with BOTH 2" or 3" cores, which is
good because many papers now are only available on 3" cores. You may
still want to purchase a 2"/3" TENSION Spindle for use with some fine
art papers that tend to un-roll by themselves without the resistive
tension provided by this type of a spindle.
- Should I be getting better results in the darker/mid tones compared to my Epson 1200?
We haven't seen the prints, but we're hearing these prints are better
in these tonal areas. I'll be seeing actual output in just a few
days.
- Will we be seeing discounted prices within a few months?
Nobody I know of is going to be offering discounted pricing in the
beginning, due to the high demand for this product. Epson has told
us that they have dropped their prices to "the bone" on these new
printers, and they claim they don't have much to "play" with in the
form of future rebates or discounts. However, you may eventually see
some pretty creative "free" printer offers to heavy ink and media
users, where the users have to guarantee by contract that they will
consume certain levels of Epson media and ink in exchange for "free"
use of the printer. (This is similar to what Epson has been doing
with their "Gemini" system: a computerized, dual Epson 5500 bundled
unit that is customized for printing portrait studio packages.)
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