Stylus Photo 2000P for quality prints

Stylus Photo 2000P for quality prints

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): We have taken quite a close look at high-end
photo printers from HP and Canon, so it would be unfair to Epson
if we didn't check their newest photo printer, the Epson Stylus
Photo 2000P.

At a launch at the Hilton Hotel earlier this month, Mr. Elia
Nagaria, business manager at PT Metrodata, shared technical data
on Epson's new printer, of which there are a number of
technological breakthroughs. PT Metrodata has been the
distributor of Epson's products in Indonesia for many years.

At US$1,200 (recommended retail price) the printer certainly
belongs in the high end of the market.

The eye-pleasing silver and black printer has A3 capability.
Although it also prints color graphics, it's not for you if what
you need is a printer for desktop publishing.

Features

Epson has adopted a different way from HP and Canon in placing
the ink dots on the media. Their technology is called Micro
Piezo. Unlike the technique used in an HP or Canon printer, the
ink in an Epson printer is not heated before it is squirted onto
the paper. Instead, a vibrating meniscus is used to control the
ejection of the ink droplets.

In addition to the high resolution (1440 by 720 DPI), the
printer also employs variable sized droplet technology. With this
technology, larger dots are used to print large areas with
uniform colors but a dot can be made as tiny as 0.1 micron. This
helps the printer produce very fine photo details. It is also a
bi-directional printer, so it sprays the ink as the print head
travels from one end to the other.

One of the breakthroughs in the SP 2000P enables it to print a
bleed on both the vertical edges. What it means is that this
printer can print all the way to the left and right edges of the
media. Epson achieves this by placing a spongy cleaner on both
sides of the paper roller. However, both on the top and at the
bottom there will still be a small margin of 3 millimeters.

Like HP, Epson has also addressed the issue of color stability
of printed photos. In fact, Epson claims that, if printing using
their new inks and special media, a photo can be expected to last
more than 200 years. Elia was a little more conservative during
his presentation and put the figure at "over 100". Although 100
years would certainly meet the requirements of most museum
exhibits, it's more than what we care to prove. The figure was
arrived at through a series of simulations involving the use of a
special light source with high intensity and controlled
temperature, humidity and so on.

Regardless of whether we need to save our photos for the next
century and beyond, now that photos can be stored in digital
format virtually forever, it is good to know that at least they
will not fade in a month or so after they are printed. And,
besides light-fastness, which is the ability of the inks to
retain their colors after a long period of time, Epson has also
addressed the issue of water resistance. A high quality photo
print means that the inks will not dissolve and it will not smear
when touched.

What is new in Epson's ink is the use of pigment instead of
dye. HP started to use pigment-based ink a few years ago, but
Epson has gone one step further by wrapping every single pigment
particle with resin. The result is better color durability and
resistance to rubbing. The pigment particles are also made more
uniform to improve print quality further as they reflect light
with less diffusion. Other color improvements are made possible
through the use of QuickDry inks, AccuPhoto Halftoning
technology, a color look-up table as well as a new Gamma value.

Another great new feature in this printer is its ability to
use rolls of paper. "It allows us to print jumbo-sized photos or
panoramic pictures very easily," Elia said. Now we can even print
photos with full bleed, panoramas or very tall portraits.

Chip in tank

It would be better had Epson adopted the use of separate tanks
for each of the six inks. This would prevent ink waste, as we
would only have to buy the ink that had run out and be able to
use each tanks until it was empty.

Unfortunately, Epson still uses one cartridge to hold the five
ink tanks (black is stored in a separate cartridge). However,
they have tried to reduce wastage by inserting a chip into the
tank, and this is another innovation introduced in the SP 2000P.

"The chip will keep track of the volume of the remaining ink
in each tank, and the user will be able to see, for example, how
much yellow ink is left. If your print job doesn't use much of
the yellow color, you can go ahead without having to worry that
the print job will have to stop halfway because the yellow ink is
out. If it does, you can change the cartridge temporarily with
one that still has a lot of the yellow ink in it," explained
Elia. The print cartridge, which is called Intellidge, costs
about Rp 300,000. The printing cost, according to a ZDNet report,
ranges from $1.40 to $1.89 per 8-inch by 10-inch page.

Another benefit from the chip in the cartridge is that it
helps you avoid using counterfeit or refilled inks. "Once the
chip registers that the ink has dried out, it will not change. So
if someone tries to refill it, the Intellidge will not work."

The Stylus Photo 2000P is a recently introduced printer, but
several editors and early users have given their thumbs up to it.
If you're looking for a wide format printer that can print great
photo quality reproduction with bleeds on both sides or full
bleed with rolled photo paper, this one is currently your only
choice.

During the event, Epson also launched a low-end color inkjet
printer, the Stylus Color 480. This $85 printer, which is
intended for home use, is also called Epsonmatic. It has no
button, no panel, not even an on or off button. It will shut down
automatically when not in use for some time, and will power
itself up the moment it receives a printing signal from the
computer. All functions, such as clearing paper jams and cleaning
the printer head, are done through the software.

All Epson's high-end printers, such as the SP 2000P, are made
in Japan. What many people may not know, however, is that Epson's
largest printer factory in the world is located here in
Indonesia. In fact, Epson made the biggest contribution to
Indonesia's total electronics exports last year. During an
interview with Fumihiko Maeda, MIS Manager at PT Indonesia Epson
Industry last month, I learned that his factory, which is located
in the EJIP Industrial Park in Lemahabang, Bekasi, supplies more
than 90 percent of the world's impact printers, like the LQ
Series. That's certainly no small feat, and if you ever visit
their factory you'll get a clear idea of the size of Epson's
operation in Indonesia. (zatni@cbn.net.id)