Quite some time ago these printers were announced.  I was disappointed that Epson USA didn’t have one in the booth at the recent Photoshop World in Las Vegas, but they did have several prints made with one.   While the prints were outstanding in every manner (as is typical with prints used in Epson trade show booths), there is no side by side comparisons with the xx80 series of printers.

I don’t think that would have been of any use anyway ... current Epson printers are outstanding.  Despite not having additional inks, Epson printers have a great gamut, and print quality is as good as you can get.  I don’t think the new printers will add much for a photographer that tends to stay in natural colors.

What do these new printers bring to the table?  A good question, and anyone thinking of buying a new printer would be well served to figure this out.  I spent a brief time with an Epson rep today at a local trade show, and got some pretty direct answers. Keep in mind these are his opinions, not Epson’s official stand ... but it does indicate what internal chatter has been.

1. 1.When will these printers be available?   Sounds like Epson USA will start distributing at the first of the year.
   

2. 2.Will the current printers be cleared out when the new printers ship?  Surprisingly, this probably won’t happen, at least at first.  The reason is pretty simple, the 79/9900 printers are not replacing the current 78/9880 printers, but instead an expansion of the Epson line to serve broader needs, especially in the pre-press market.
   

3. 3.How much will the printer cost?  Each printer will be available with or without the onboard spectro/ profiling solution.  It sounds like without the spectro they will run around $1,000 US more than the 78/9880 equivalent printer.  He wasn’t sure about the spectro/profiling package, but it sounds like it will add another $1,500 to $3,000.  (That wide of a price range means he’s pretty much blowing smoke there ... total guess).
   

4. 4.So exactly how does the MK/PK ink work?  This printer works pretty much like a 3800 ... both inks are delivered to the head, but feed the same channel of nozzles.  So when switching, only the ink in the head needs to be cleared.  He claims he has “heard” it will be faster and take less ink than the current 3800 to switch.
   

5. 5.How does the expanded ink setup affect gamut?  Gamut on some papers may be increased as much as 30%.  However ... and this is a big however ... many of those colors are not natural but man made, and thus will be of no benefit to photographers that tend to stay in natural colors.
   

6. 6.So what’s the deal with the spectro? He stated the spectro really isn’t designed to profile papers.   As consistent as current printers are, manufacturers are making better profiles that work great, and in fact many make better profiles than end users can make.  The target market for this printer isn’t photographers but as a proofing printer (that’s why the orange and green inks), even though the quality of the printer should be the best Epson offers, so it will still be ideal for photographers.
   

Altogether it sounds like a great printer.  We’ll see if they stick with their strategy of maintaining the two xx80 series printers ... to me the entire MK/PK thing is something they should really put to bed, and they will lose some business to Canon and HP.  The 7900 solves that problem sufficiently, but will be priced quite a bit more than a Canon ipf6100, so those needing both inks may not choose Epson because of price.

I’ve got one on order ... as with any new printer I’m excited to put it through it’s paces.