Archived from groups: comp.periphs.printers (
More info?)
I can comment a bit on the Epson models.
The 1280 is probably going to be replaced soon, but it has been a
popular model. Many people outfit them with continuous ink systems to
save money on ink. They will work with pigment ink, although they were
designed for dye. Epson doesn't make a pigment inkset for them, so it
means either refilling or third party product.
The 1280 has been know to suffer from a premature head failure. This
was a greater problem with the 1270 and it's younger brother the 870 models.
The 1520 is a quite old model, although still sold. It is four color,
but the dot size is large enough that if you have very critical work
that people will scrutinize at very close range, it may appear too
grainy for their liking (or your). The cartridges, for a printer of
that size, are too small, and so if you don't refill it will become
costly. Again it is a dye colorant ink printer, but pigments could be
installed. I don't know of many people who did so however.
The 2200 is about one generation old now. It uses the Ultrachrome inks
which are pigment colorant. It uses seven colors (CcMmYKk) and has two
types of black ink that can be interchanged. One is designed for glossy
prints, the other black. Changing cartridges back and forth use up a
medium amount of ink. Most people are very pleased with the 2200. Some
put a continuous inking system on it, or use 3rd party inks.
Currently, the newest model is the 4000, which also uses Ultrachrome
inks. It is costly, and come in two versions. It has two head sets,
and can either be used with two repeating sets to make it very fast. or
can have red and blue and an extra black added. The printer is still
developing its market, due to the cost.
There is a new printer on the horizon. I understand it is already
available in Japan. It is using the same technology in the R800, an
system using red and blue inks, and a gloss optimizer to make the
pigment inks look glossier and more even relative to the blank paper
areas. Not yet available in North America, etc. The R800 (letter size)
had received very high praise from reviewers, but it has a high initial
cost and cost of upkeep is high (ink costs).
Art
RaggedMagnet wrote:
> I've been looking at options for 13" x 16" inkjet printers, and the
> following are in my range and seem attractive:
>
> HP DeskJet 9600 Series ($399.00, up to 4800 x 1200 dpi)
> HP Color Inkjet cp1700 Series ($499.00, up to 2400 x 1200 dpi)
> Epson Stylus Photo 1280 ($399.00, up to 2880 x 720 dpi?)
> Epson Stylus Color 1520 ($499.00, 1440 x 720 dpi)
> Epson Stylus Photo 220 ($699.00, 2880 x 1440 dpi)
>
> Is there any standout recommendation here?
> Also - does dpi really mean anything when comparing image quality here?)
>
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