Epson Stylus pro 4800 A2 - Large format printer

This page contains specific Epson Stylus Pro SP 4800 info that we get. All our latest info will go on the Epson rumours and new product info page

Topics

SP 4400 info

SP 4800 info

SP 4800 tips/fixes (short article)

SP 3800 full review

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Latest articles (not rumours... :-) on our site: >> Spyder3 Print V3.5 review The latest ICC printer profiling system from Datacolor (aka ColorVision) is reviewed. Featuring faster operation and a wide range of profile generation options, it can be used for building printer profiles for colour and (with additional measurements) Black and White printing. For more experienced users it offers multiple version profile building (from the same set of measurements) and profile editing.

Stylus pro 4400 and 4800 info

Epson have announced a cashback programme in the US for buying 'pro' printers (until the end of July 07)

Buy any Stylus Pro printer (4800, 7800, or 9800) with a minimal amount of Epson paper and get cash back.

Epson 4800 + $200 paper = $300 rebate

Epson 7800 + $300 paper = $400 rebate (or $780 if you are a loyalty customer)

Epson 9800 + $400 paper = $500 rebate (or $980 if you are a loyalty customer)

A loyalty customer is one who currently owns a Pro series printer and from the claim coupon even the current 48/78/98 qualify as loyalty, not just prior models.

There is an excellent comparative review of the gamuts of K3 and other ink sets at http://dpnow.com/1867.html

epson 4400 printer

The stylus pro 4400 - Note only 4 Cartridges

epson 4800 printer

The stylus pro 4800

The full manual for the printer has become available (this link may not work when Epson UK finds out that someone goofed :-).

Some quick info is as follows:

Stylus pro 4400

Print Heads: 2 Matt black, 2 Cyan, 2 Magenta, 2 Yellow

Note that the 4400 only has 4 cartridge positions (p296 of ref manual) Presumably each cartridge is connected to 2 print heads for extra speed.

ink cartridges from the 4000, 7600 and 9600 can be used (ordinary Ultrachrome)

From the 7400/9400/4400 announcement - 10 May

"A new range of printers brings POS, CAD and GIS markets high productivity, good quality output, flexible media support and ease of use at a low cost of ownership.

The new line of printers combines a unique set of features to make it one of the most cost-effective, fast and flexible range of printers for design professionals in the Point of Sale (POS), Computer Aided Design (CAD), Geographic Information System (GIS) and corporate markets. Professionals can print most types of applications including precision line drawings and vibrant colour presentations. Furthermore, the range supports a variety of media, including 1.5mm thick card on sizes ranging from A2 to A0+.

For large print jobs when time is of essence, the speed with which professionals can deliver finished jobs is critical. By employing a combination of unique Epson technologies, these printers allow large print jobs to be printed and delivered quickly. For instance, Epson’s Micro PiezoTM technology precisely controls the amount of ink delivered, resulting in finely detailed images and less wastage. Print speeds are further enhanced by Epson’s Variable-sized Droplet Technology, which automatically adjusts the size of the ink droplet depending on the image content. This in turn allows the range to deliver fast printing speeds up to 26m2/Hr to enable professionals to work to tight deadlines, and still provides a high resolution output of up to 2880 x 1440 dpi.

These new printers offer design and corporate professionals a high-end solution at a low cost of ownership. Featuring an intuitive control panel and a user-friendly interface, the range can be used by less experienced employees, allowing design professionals to concentrate on their core competencies. The range is robust enough to handle a large number of print jobs without supervision, whilst the large capacity ink cartridges allow users to deliver large print jobs without interruption.

Epson Stylus Pro 4400/7400/9400 features summary:

Fast printing speeds up to 26m2/Hr (on plain paper in draft mode)

High resolution printing up to 2880 x 1440 dpi

Highly suitable for anything from precision line drawings to high quality visualisations

Flexible media handling from A2 to A0+ with sheet and roll feed capability

Intuitive control panel for easy operation

Large capacity ink cartridges for uninterrupted productivity

4 colour UltraChrome inkset featuring independent cartridges, resulting in lower running costs

Micro Piezo print head technology for greater quality and productivity

PC and Mac compatible with USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connectivity and optional Type B Ethernet interface"

Stylus pro 4800

Downloadable product brochure (UK) is at http://www.epson.co.uk/products/inkjet_printers/Stylus_PRO_4800.htm

Photo black or Matt Black, Light black, Light light black, Cyan, Magenta, Light cyan, Light magenta, Yellow

Uses K3 Ultrachrome inks and rather ominously says that -only- 4800 cartridges can be used (110 and 220ml)

Note that this is not the same as the inks in the R800 and R1800 where there is red and blue, along with the gloss optimiser

On the B/W side the driver offers neutral, cool, warm and sepia toning options, along with a custom setting for your own choices.

There is also a special black ink change conversion kit/cartridges included with the printer (p300, 386), the manual devotes several pages to the process and points out that quite a bit of ink ($$$) gets used. This sounds suspiciously like the official way I could change inks on my 9600.

From page 306 of the reference manual

"Because ink charging after black ink conversion consumes a large quantity of ink, you may need to replace the ink cartridges soon"

On our info page we have a copy of the technique that does not waste so much ink

Something makes me think that this will not be a popular feature of the new printer :-(

The cartridge details below are from the 4400/4800 reference manual

Epson Stylus Pro 4400 ink cartridges

Matte Black	110 ml: T5438
	220 ml: T5448
Cyan	110 ml: T5432
	220 ml: T5442
Magenta	110 ml: T5433
	220 ml: T5443
Yellow	110 ml: T5434
	220 ml: T5444

Epson Stylus Pro 4800 ink cartridges

Photo Black	110 ml: T5641
	220 ml: T5651
Matte Black	110 ml: T5438
	220 ml: T5448
Cyan	110 ml: T5642
	220 ml: T5652
Magenta	110 ml: T5643
	220 ml: T5653
Yellow	110 ml: T5644
	220 ml: T5654
Light Black	110 ml: T5647
	220 ml: T5657
Light Cyan	110 ml: T5645
	220 ml: T5655
Light Magenta	110 ml: T5646
	220 ml: T5656
Light light black	110 ml: T5649
	220 ml: T5659

Note that the part numbers for the inks are not the same as above

C13T614800	Matte Black 220ml
C13T606100	Photo Black 220ml
C13T606700	Light Black 220ml
C13T606900	Light Light Black 220ml
C13T606200	Cyan 220ml
C13T606500	Light Cyan 220ml
C13T606B00	Magenta 220ml
C13T606C00	Light Magenta 220ml
C13T606400	Yellow 220ml

Note that the Matte black for the 4800 is the same as the 4400 (ie ordinary Ultrachromes)

There was some question as to whether the printer driver supports sRGB or Adobe98 from its driver.

If you use the 'automatic' setting in the driver then you have the following options:

EPSON Vivid. Select this setting to produce vivid blue and green tones in printouts.
Note: Bec-use this setting reproduces blue and green tones that cannot be displayed by your monitor, your printouts may differ from the screen images when this function is selected.

Charts and Graphs. Intensifies the colors and lightens the midtones and highlights of an image. Use this setting for presentation graphics, such as charts and graphs.

EPSON Standard (sRGB)
For EPSON Stylus Pro 4800 only: Increases the contrast in images. Use this setting for color photographs.

Adobe RGB
For EPSON Stylus Pro 4800 only: Matches image color to Adobe RGB.

Of course, for photo printing (unless there has been a -complete- revolution in Epson printer drivers), you would not normally go near any of the colour adjustment options in the driver :-)

The B/W settings

B/W printing driver settings

Range of adjustments available for B/W printing

From Epson US

Features & Benefits

The Future of Print Head Technology

All New 8-Channel Print Head Technology
• Print head design capable of handling eight separate ink channels
• 1-inch wide high-performance print head with 180 nozzles per channel
Maximum Resolution of 2880 x 1440 dpi
• Incredibly sharp text and line art
• Extremely fine blends and photographic transitions

Variable-Sized Droplet with AMC™ Technology
• Produces variable-sized droplets as small as 3.5 picoliter to greatly decrease print times while optimizing photographic quality
• Proprietary Active Meniscus Control (AMC) technology precisely controls the curvature of every ink droplet within each nozzle before releasing it onto the media. The result is extremely sharp and accurate placement of ink droplets for outstanding photographic print quality.

Epson PreciseColor™ Technology
In order to ensure consistent printing between multiple Stylus Pro printers of the same model, Epson has enhanced the production process to include colorimetric calibration. This system evaluates and adjusts each printer’s difference at the manufacturing stage, assuring you of consistent color output from printer to printer.

Automatic Print Head Alignment Technology
• Built-in sensor reads printed data for highly precise alignments of all color channels
• Aligns both single and bi-directional print modes.

Automatic Print Head Cleaning Technology
• Built-in sensor reads nozzle check pattern and automatically cleans print head if any problems are found – even partially clogged nozzles

Epson UltraChrome K3™ Ink Technology

All New 8-Color Pigment-Based Ink System
• High-density pigments for an extremely wide color gamut
• Professional print permanence ratings for truly sellable quality prints > High-gloss Microcrystal Encapsulation™ Technology for reduced gloss differential
• Superior scratch resistance from improved pigment and resin chemistry
• Color is stable immediately after printing – no short-term color shifting
• Depending upon media – produces a black density up to 2.3 with an L* value of 4.1*
*Data based on Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper (250)

New Three-Level Black Ink Technology
• Simultaneously uses Black, Light Black, and Light Light Black inks
• Significantly improves the printer’s gray balance while eliminating color casts
• Impressive midtones and highlights for a smoother tonal range
• Virtually eliminates the metamerism and bronzing of basic pigment chemistry
• Enhances the ICC profiling process for ColorSync™ and ICM™ workflows

New Advanced Black and White Printing Technology
• Unique driver technology taking full advantage of our three-level black system to produce professional black and white prints from color or grayscale image files
• Proprietary Epson screening technology developed specifically for black and white printing
• Produces a truly consistent image with no color crossover or color cast
• Produces sellable quality neutral and toned black and white prints from a single ink set

Two User-Exchangeable Black Ink Modes
Printer can utilize two different black ink modes – Photo Black or Matte Black. This innovative solution optimizes the black ink density for various media types, dramatically improving the final print quality.

The standard Photo Black ink mode can be used for any media type with professional results. However, for certain Epson media types such as Velvet Fine Art, Enhanced Matte, and UltraSmooth Fine Art, using the optional Matte Black ink mode instead, will dramatically increase your black optical density for even better print quality.

Unique 17" Wide Print Engine Technology

Professional Media Handling
• Prints on virtually any media type, in roll or cut sheet, from letter up to 17" wide
• Built-in high-capacity paper tray handling up to 250 sheets of plain letter-sized paper or up to 50 sheets of photographic media up to 17" x 22"
• Supports printing on both sides of the media without damaging the previously printed side
• User-adjustable Roll Media Spindle accepts either 2" or 3" media cores
• Four built-in media paths including roll feed, cut-sheet tray, front-top manual feed, and a straight-through front manual feed handling weights up to 1.5mm thick posterboard
• Built-in automatic media cutter

True BorderFree® Printing
• Capable of printing off both left and right edges of roll based media, while automatically cutting top and bottom edges to produce a full-bleed print on all four sides
• Fully trims your finished prints more accurately and safely than by hand

High Performance Print Engine Speeds
The Epson Stylus Pro 4800 utilizes our latest print head technology – making it one of the fastest printers ever made by Epson. The following information represents the highest quality print modes for three popular print sizes.

Print Mode
• Fine — 720 dpi HS produces an 8" x 10" in 1:28, 11" x 14" in 2:27, 16" x 20" in 4:07
• SuperFine — 1440 dpi HS produces an 8" x 10" in 2:00, 11" x 14" in 3:25, 16" x 20" in 6:07
• SuperFine — 1440 dpi produces an 8" x 10" in 3:17, 11" x 14" in 5:35, 16" x 20" in 9:46
• SuperPhoto — 2880 dpi HS produces an 8" x 10" in 3:54, 11" x 14" in 6:35, 16" x 20" in 11:40
• SuperPhoto — 2880 dpi produces an 8" x 10" in 6:25, 11" x 14" in 10:55, 16" x 20" in 18:57.
Print speeds are shown in min:sec. HS = High Speed Print Mode (Bi-directional Print Mode)

Epson Intelligent High-Capacity Ink System
• Eight individual 110ml or 220ml ink cartridges
• Greatly increases productivity by allowing you to replace ink cartridges on the fly, even during the middle of a print job
• Utilizes both 110ml and 220ml ink cartridges simultaneously to optimize ink usage

Epson PrintJob™ Information System
• Built-in printer memory automatically tracks key print job statistics, such as ink and media usage, remaining media, data file and user names, print times and more
• Reports can be download from printer memory or printed

Superior Connectivity
• Includes one USB 2.0, one IEEE 1394 (FireWire®) and one Epson Expansion Slot for installing the optional 10/100 BaseT Ethernet card
(Ethernet included with Pro Edition bundle)
• Professional Epson Photographic Drivers for Macintosh® and Windows®
• Optional PANTONE® licensed and SWOP® certified PostScript® Language Level 3™ Compatible RIP by ColorBurst® (included only with Pro Edition bundle)
• Fully supported by most leading third party RIPs and workflows – the Epson Stylus Pro series printers are used within the most demanding commercial printing environments

World Class Service and Support
• Free one-year of coverage under the Epson PreferredSM Protection Plan with toll-free telephone support available Monday through Friday and usually next-business-day full unit exchange service
• Optional one or two-year Epson Preferred Plus Service plans available

Specifications

Printing Method
• 8-Channel Print Head Technology
• 8-Color (C, Lc, M, Lm, Y, Lk, LLk + PK or MK) pigment based ink
• Variable-Sized Droplet Micro Piezo drop-on-demand ink jet with AMC™ technology

Nozzle Configuration
• Color and Monochrome heads: 180 nozzles x 8

Epson Ink Technology
• Epson UltraChrome K3™ Ink Technology

Droplet Technology
• Smallest droplet size: 3.5 picoliter
• Variable Droplet Technology can produce up to three different sizes per print line

Resolution
• 2880 x 1440 dpi; 1440 x 720 dpi; 720 x 720 dpi;
720 x 360 dpi; 360 x 360 dpi; 360 x 180 dpi

Print Engine Speed
• 8" x 10" prints from 50 secs to 6:25 – Normal is 3:17?
• 11" x 14" prints from 1:44 to 10:55 – Normal is 5:35?
• 16" x 20" prints from 4:07 to 18:57 – Normal is 9:46?

Acoustic Noise Level
• Approximately 50 dB(A) according to ISO 7779

Printer Language / Drivers
• Epson ESC/P2 raster photographic drivers standard
• Optional PANTONE. licensed and SWOP. certified PostScript. Language Level 3™ Compatible RIP by ColorBurst. (included only with Pro Edition bundle)
• Supported by most leading third-party RIPs and workflows

Operating Systems Supported
• Macintosh. Panther 10.3.9 or higher, Tiger 10.4 or higher
• Windows. 2000 or XP (Pro or Home Edition)

Printer Interfaces
• Includes one USB (1.1 and 2.0 compatible), one IEEE1394 FireWire® and one Epson Expansion Slot used for installing the optional internal 10/100 BaseT Ethernet card (Ethernet included in Pro Edition Bundle)

Physical Dimensions
• 33.4"(W) x 14"(H) x 30"(D)
• Printer weight: 83.7 lb

BorderFree Printing
• Left and right borderless “bleed” printing for the following roll media widths:
8.3", 10", 12", 13", 14", 16", 17"
• Top and bottom edges can be automatically cut to any length three different ways during printing on roll media

Printable Area
• Maximum paper width 17"
• Left and right margins 0 or 3mm each (0.24" total)
• Top and bottom margins 0 to 25mm each
• Maximum printable width 17.16" (full bleed 17" width)
• Maximum printable length Limited by application, operating systen and driver/rip used

Media Handling

Media Input
• Roll media size Single roll up to 17" width
• Roll media length Up to 132' (limited by core dia.)
• Cut sheet input tray size Up to 17" x 22"
• Cut sheet media input Up to 250 sheet tray, top and rear manual feed slots

Media Core Compatibility
• Media core compatibility: Handles both 2" and 3" cored media
• Max. roll media diameter 4" (2" core) or 6" (3" core)

Thickness, Weight
• Weight 12 lb bond up to 1.5 mm posterboard

Media Cutter
• Built-in media cutter: Automatic and manual cutting

Line Accuracy
• + or - 0.2% of specified page length

Epson Intelligent Ink Cartridge

Ink Cartridge Size
• 110ml or 220ml each color x 8 colors total

Ink Cartridge Life
• Ink cartridge shelf life: 2 years from printed production date or 6 months after open

Lightfastness Ratings
• Epson UltraChrome K3 Ink
• Color: Up to 108 years?
• B&W: Over 200 years?

Environmental Characteristics

Temperature
• Operating 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
• Storage -4° to 104° F (-20° to 40° C)

Humidity
• Operating: 20 to 80% relative humidity
• Recommended 40 to 45%
• Storage: 5 to 85% relative humidity (no condensation)

Safety Approvals
• Safety standards: UL1950, CSA 22.2 950 FDA
• EMI FCC Part 15 subpart B class B,
• CSA C108.8 class B
• AS/NZS 3548 class B

Reliability

Print Head Life
• First Major Maintenance Interval (number of 8" x 10" prints)
• 720 x 720 dpi 45,000 prints
• 1440 x 720 dpi 29,500 prints
• 2880 x 1440 dpi 15,200 prints
• When printing in uni-directional mode the above numbers are reduced by half

Cutter Life
• ~2,000 cuts (coated media)

Maintenance Parts
• Pump unit, flushing box, head cleaner, cap assembly

Electrical Requirements

Rated Voltage
• AC120V or (220V to 240V)

Rated Frequency
• 50 to 60 Hz

Rated Current
• 1.0A / 100-120V

Power Consumption
• Approx. 59W (operating)
• <21W (standby)
• < .7W (power off mode)
• Energy Star Compliant

Notes
• Normal mode based upon SuperFine - 1440 dpi Test results based upon print engine speed only. Total throughput times depend upon front-end RIP, file size, printer resolution, ink coverage, networking, etc.
• Ink lightfastness rating based on accelerated testing of prints on specialty media, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability will vary according to media, printed image, display conditions, light intensity, humidity, and atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee longevity of prints. For maximum print life, display all prints under plexi, glass or lamination or properly store them.

Visit www.wilhelm-research.com for the latest information

Older info on the replacement for the 4000

Epson Stylus Pro 4800

Info found on Epson support site We will put latest info on our 9600 replacement page

May 1st - More details from the Shutterbug article
The June 2005 shutterbug issue (pg. 159) describes the new UltraChrome K3 and drivers, and it says they are "in a new class." It goes on to say that they will be used in the R2400, 4800, 7800 and 9800 printers. The new inks are supposed to have a fade resistance up to 200 years for B&W and color and under proper UV display the B&W can last up to 300 years. The new printers will have 8 color pigment ink set including photo or matte black; light black; light, light black; cyan, magenta; yellow; light cyan and light magenta. These inks are supposed to take B&W to a new level and signifcantly reduce metamerism and bronzing. It is supposed to have a new "advanced black and white print mode" which will help ensure no color cast or crossover.

The costs of the printers are as follows:

13" R2400 - $849
17" Pro 4800 - $1995
24" Pro 7800 - $2995
44" Pro 9800 - $4995

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