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BUYER'S GUIDE
2004
PRINTERS
>
THE BUYERS: PHOTOGRAPHERS AT ALL LEVELS CAN NOW AFFORD TOP
PRINT QUALITY AND MAJOR-LEAGUE FEATURES
R
ight now, the big picture in
is mounted behind glass or exposed to
inkjet photo printers is that the
contaminants in the air.
three leading brands have
Your buying decision may hinge on
achieved a comparable—and
other features, such as borderless prints,
extremely impressive—level of
roll-paper handling, and the ability to
output quality.
print onto the surface of a CD or DVD.
Previously, Epson had the edge, but
You'll also find pricey large-format inkjet
recent entries from Canon and Hewlett-
models, as well as inexpensive combo
Packard have leveled the playing field so
units that double as scanners and copiers.
that now, all high-end (and many less
Of course, inkjets aren't the only
expensive) models turn out beautiful
photo-quality game in town. Olympus,
continuous-tone prints. And aside from
Kodak, Mitsubishi, and Sony make letter-
subtle differences in hue, sharpness, and
sized dye-sublimation printers that use
saturation, color prints from a top Epson,
resin-coated papers closer in look and feel
Canon, and HP look very similar.
to conventional photo paper and more
On the other hand, there are signifi-
resistant to scratching and moisture than
cant differences in terms of speed, paper
most inkjet prints. (In fact, many snap-
handling, available media variety, and
shot-size printers are dye-subs.)
print longevity. The premium Canon
These fast printers, which use red,
machines use six colors with individual
green, and blue dye ribbons, plus an over-
ink tanks, which means less waste. Epson's
coat, let you apply a choice of texture
top pigment printer, the Stylus Photo
finishes without changing papers. Under
2200, packs seven colors. Recently, HP
a loupe, you'll notice that dye-sub prints
raised the bar with an eight-color system
are smooth (no inkjet dots), the result of
in the Photosmart 7960. The HP 7960
the dye being vaporized and absorbed
and Epson 2200 also employ special inks
("sublimated") into the paper rather than
for better black-and-white reproduction,
lying on the surface. The downside? Dye-
something Canon needs to work on.
subs typically don't produce sharp text in
Meanwhile, Canon printers are still the
small font sizes.
fastest, but Epson gives you the widest
Many printers (both inkjet and dye-sub)
choice of papers. Epsons come in two
have built-in media-card slots, and most
flavors: those using higher-gamut, dye-
can print directly from a digital camera.
based inks, and those with longer-lived,
For best results, stick with the same
pigment-based ones. But understand that
brand of printer and camera, or make sure
the life expectancy of any inkjet print
they use the same print-matching lan-
depends not just on the ink, but on many
guage, which embeds the camera's unique
other factors, including whether the print
imaging profile within each picture file.
Some manufacturers support Epson's
Photo-quality inkjets are so
PRINT Image Matching (P.I.M.) II; others
good and cheap that everyone
use Exif (Exchangeable Image Format
can afford one.
File) 2.2. A new one called PictBridge
debuted this year, which also allows print-
Digital photofinishing is giving
ers and cameras from different companies
the do-it-yourselfers a run for
to work together.
their money.
>
BILLBOARDS MADE EASY
Most of us are thrilled to make 13x19-
inch prints. But what if even that big
isn't big enough? Enter the Epson
Stylus Pro 7600, which produces
monster-size, borderless blowups (up
to 2x100 feet!) on a variety of papers,
with a life expectancy of about a
century. The 7600 provides superb
prints with its seven-color Ultra-
Chrome pigmented inkset. Although
its color range is much better than
that of earlier models, the 7600 also
comes in a
dye-ink version
(print-display
life up to 26
years) with an
expanded color
gamut and bet-
ter black den-
sity. The 7600
costs (only)
$3,000 street.
>
KINKO'S—WATCH OUT!
Tired of desktop clutter? New all-in-
ones from Epson and Hewlett-Packard
squeeze a photo-quality inkjet printer,
color scanner/copier, and fax into a
single compact package. The Epson
Stylus CX5200 boasts fast printing,
48-bit, 1200x2400-dpi, letter-sized
scanning, plus faxing via your PC.
Using four DuraBrite pigmented ink
cartridges, it makes water-resistant
color copies and prints (single and
double-sided). The even fancier HP
PCS 2410 Photosmart (shown) offers
six-color output,
direct printing and
proofing from
media cards, and
color faxing. The
CX5200 streets at
about $150. The
HP 2410 is $300.
—Jonathan Barkey
5
PRIMEPICKS
PRINTERS
CANON i9100 PHOTO PRINTER
>
WIDE-CARRIAGE SPEED DEMON
THE SKINNY: Terrific color output and blazing
speed, with 4x6s in about 37 sec, 8x10s in 1
min 13 sec, and borderless 13x19s in 6 min 7
sec. Image quality and resolution have improved
over the earlier S9000.
FEATURES TO LIKE:
VITAL
User-replaceable print-
STATISTICS
head. Low-ink sensor
>
4800x1200 dpi
warns you when one of
>
3,072 nozzles
the six individual Think-
>
4-picoliter
Tank ink cartridges is
droplets
running low. Borderless
>
Borderless prints
prints right up to 13x19.
to 13x19
>SIMILAR AND RECOMMENDED
Very quiet operation.
>
$500 street
Epson Stylus Photo 1280 ($380)
EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 900
>
A BARGAIN THAT ALSO PRINTS CDS AND DVDS
THE SKINNY: Letter-sized inkjet with high per-
formance and a low price. Beautiful image qual-
ity thanks to six photo inks. Borderless 4x6s,
5x7s, and 8x10s. Template and software for
direct printing onto CDs and DVDs. Two large ink
cartridges (black and
VITAL
color) offer extended
STATISTICS
printing, but we'd pre-
fer six separate tanks.
>
5760x720 dpi
FEATURES TO LIKE:
>
4-picoliter droplets
Accepts 4- and 8.3-in.
2 ink cartridges—
>
CcMmY plus
roll paper, prints ban-
black
ners up to 44 in. long.
>SIMILAR AND RECOMMENDED
>
$185 street
Love that price!
Epson Stylus Photo 960 ($330)
EPSON STYLUS PHOTO 2200
>
BIG BEAUTIFUL PRINTS THAT LAST AND LAST
THE SKINNY: Seven-color, junior version of
the Stylus Pro 7600 is much better than the
earlier Stylus Photo 2000P . Faster, wider color
gamut, neutral b&w output, banishes color
shifting under different
VITAL
lighting. Great paper
STATISTICS
handling. Lower price.
>
2880x1440 dpi
FEATURES TO LIKE:
>
4-picoliter droplets
Takes roll paper up to
>
7 individual
13 in. wide. Auto paper
UltraChrome
cutter and catch bas-
pigmented ink
ket for easy batch print-
cartridges
ing. Optional Matte
>
Borderless prints
Black ink gives better
>SIMILAR AND RECOMMENDED
up to 13x44
matte and watercolor
>
$700 street
In a class of its own
prints.
HP PHOTOSMART
7960 PHOTO PRINTER
www.hp.com; 800-752-0900
>
EIGHT COLORS AND B&W, TOO
THE SKINNY: A new level of dedicated photo
printing. Eight-ink system matches others in
color, and beats all in black-
Tested November 2003
and-white with Photo Gray
www.usa.canon.com
ink. Print directly from built-in
800-652-2666
media card slots, as well as
>
4800x1200 dpi
4 cartridges hold
from compatible HP cameras.
>
8 inks
Downside: slow.
Direct printing
>
FEATURES TO LIKE: 2.5-in.
from Photosmart
swiveling LCD screen. Border-
cameras and 6
less prints up to 8.5x11.
media formats
Separate 25-sheet tray for
>
$290 street
4x6s.
Tested October 2003
www.epson.com
>SIMILAR AND RECOMMENDED
800-463-7766
Canon i900D ($250)
OLYMPUS P-440
www.olympusamerica.com; 800-622-6372
>
LIKE HAVING A MINILAB IN A BOX
THE SKINNY: Dye-sub prints
from this new machine (as
with the earlier, slower P-400)
rival lab prints for smooth-
314 dpi
>
ness, feel, durability. Border-
>
Continuous tone
less 8x10s, 1.8-in. color LCD
>
16.7 million colors
>
3-pass CMY ink
monitor. Downside: uses only
ribbon plus clear
Olympus paper.
overcoat
FEATURES TO LIKE: Print
Borderless 8x10s
>
from built-in xD card slot,
$499 street
>
other media via PCMCIA slot
Tested October 2002
and adapters. Glossy or
www.epson.com
matte overcoat without
800-463-7766
changing paper. Video-
out lets you view and
edit on your TV.
>SIMILAR AND RECOMMENDED
Kodak Professional 8500 Digital Photo Printer
($900)
VITAL
STATISTICS
VITAL
STATISTICS
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