Monday, October 4, 2010

Printing Series: Epson Announces Much-Anticipated Epson Stylus® Pro 4900


The 4900’s new design is super sleek

If you’ve been following my printing series, you know that I’ve enjoyed my 3880 but that I was less excited about the 4880. The Epson Stylus Pro® 4880 was long overdue for a replacement, but it seems it was well worth the wait.

Finally you can get the TFP print head and HDR Ink set from the top of the line printers in a 17” wide printer that supports rolls and cut sheet via a paper cassette (holds up to 17x24” sheets) – woohoo!!!! For as much as I love my 3880, you can’t beat having roll support once you get used to it. Sure the rolls can lead to more wasted paper sometimes, but this is the perfect solution because it can also handle cut sheet paper very well. This is truly the best of both worlds and can print your huge panos!

I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to see one in real-life, but I hope it is soon. I’ll be sure to report back when I do because if it is as good as the 3880, but with all the new improvements, then I should be a very happy camper!

Here’s the link for the new web site for the 4900:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Pro/SeriesStylusPro4900/Overview.do

For those looking for a good deal on the outgoing 4880, learn more about the 4880 here or buy one today at Amazon, B&H or Adorama. For help in choosing the right Epson printer be sure to follow my printing series.

UPDATE: You can read my review of the Epson Stylus® Pro 4900 here.

Epson Press Release

New 17-Inch Desktop Printer Incorporates Epson’s Latest Technology for
Photographers, Graphic Designers and Proofing Professionals

CHICAGO (Graph Expo, Booth 617) – Oct. 4, 2010 – Epson America is once again redefining the standard for photographic print quality with the introduction of the Epson Stylus® Pro 4900 17-inch printer. Leveraging Epson’s latest engineering technology featured in the award-winning Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900, the Epson Stylus Pro 4900 combines the precision of Epson’s MicroPiezo® TFP® print head with the performance of Epson UltraChrome® HDR ink to deliver high quality prints, fast print speeds, and an extremely wide color gamut.

“The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 incorporates the most advanced technologies Epson has to offer in a robust 17-inch mechanism,” said Larry Kaufman, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “Whether producing sellable color or black-and-white photography, fine art reproductions, or color accurate commercial and flexographic proofs for client approvals, the Epson Stylus Pro 4900 provides creative professionals with a powerful and productive tool in today’s competitive market.”

Utilizing ten colors, including Orange and Green, Epson UltraChrome HDR ink technology produces the widest color gamut ever from an Epson Stylus Pro printer and is certified by Pantone to cover 98 percent of the PANTONE® FORMULA GUIDE solid color palette1. Combined with Epson’s AccuPhoto™ HDR screening technology, this ink dramatically raises the level of print quality. The one-inch wide, 360 nozzle Epson MicroPiezo TFP print head excels in dot shape accuracy, dot placement and producing high quality prints at fast speeds. In addition, it features the latest ink-repelling coating and auto nozzle verification technologies that virtually eliminate clogged nozzles.

The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 is designed to offer professionals a powerful combination of performance, flexibility and ease-of-use. It includes automatic switching between roll and cut-sheet media, allowing users to have both the front paper cassette and roll feeder loaded with different media types and automatically switch between them with a simple driver selection. In addition, the high-capacity paper cassette holds up to 200 sheets of 8.5”x11” to 17”x24” sized sheets.

The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 is available in two configurations – the base model for photography and a Graphic Design Edition including an EFI® eXpress RIP.

Additional Epson Stylus Pro 4900 Features

  • Epson UltraChrome HDR Ink: 10-color pigment based ink system provides outstanding short-term color stability for mission-critical proofing applications and longterm display permanence for photography and fine art; uses 11 high capacity 200ml ink cartridges with automatic Matte and Photo Black switching
  • MicroPiezo TFP Print Head: One-inch wide, high performance print head with 360 nozzles per channel capable of handling ten separate ink channels; low vibration meniscus control provides highly accurate dot shape and placement and ink repelling coating dramatically reduces nozzle clogging
  • AccuPhoto™ HDR Screening: Advanced screening algorithm produces extremely fine blends and photographic transitions with accurate highlight-to-shadow details and ensures consistent color balance, resulting in prints with superior color and clarity and incredibly sharp text and line art
  • PreciseColor™ Manufacturing: Evaluates and adjusts each printer’s performance at the manufacturing stage, ensuring consistent color output from printer to printer and print to print, eliminating the need for internal calibration devices
  • SpectroProofer®: Developed jointly with X-Rite®, optional  SpectroProofer delivers automation of color management related tasks for proofing applications when driven by industry leading supporting RIP technology; consistency between the Epson 4900 and the 24- and 44-inch Epson 7900 and 9900 make it ideal for remote proofing applications
Pricing, Availability and Support

The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 Standard Edition and Graphic Design Edition will be available in December 2011 through Epson Authorized Professional Imaging Resellers for $2,495 and $2,995 (MSRP) respectively. The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 is supported by a standard Epson Preferred (SM) Limited Warranty, a one-year program that includes toll-free advanced telephone access Monday through Friday and unit exchange service in the unlikely event of any hardware failure. Optional Epson Preferred(SM) Plus Service Plans are also available, offering one or two additional years of protection. For additional information on the Epson Stylus Pro 4900, visit www.proimaging.epson.com.

About Epson America, Inc.

Epson America, Inc. is a leading provider of an extensive range of printers, 3 LCD projectors, scanners and point-of-service printers that are renowned for their high quality, functionality, innovation and energy efficiency. Epson America is a U.S. affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation, which employs more than 70,000 people in 106 countries around the world. To learn more about Epson America, please visit: www.Epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica), Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonTV).

1 = Based on Epson Proofing Paper White Semimatte printed with the Epson driver at 2880x1440 dpi; PANTONE coverage may vary when printed with a third-party RIP

Note: Epson, Epson Stylus, Epson UltraChrome , MicroPiezo, TFP, and SpectroProofer are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corp.  AccuPhoto and PreciseColor are trademarks of Epson America, Inc. Epson Preferred is a service mark of Epson America, Inc.  All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

More Info

See my review here.

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