Latest Epson info

2011 November

• 21st UK 'discounts'
• "Existing Epson Stylus* customers can save up to £850* on the RRP when purchasing selected Epson Stylus Pro printers.
• Loyal customers can save £350 on the 24 inch Stylus Pro 7890 and 7900 Series, £650 on the Stylus Pro 9890 and 9900 Series, and £850 on the 64 inch Stylus Pro 11880.
• *Check which printers qualify for the loyalty discount and for terms and conditions on www.epson.co.uk/loyalty. This offer is available for purchases made between 1st October and 31st December 2011."

October

• 23rd Full SP4900 review

September

• 5th Full R3000 review

August

• 30th Don't expect any big advances from the x900 printers for quite some time.
• We're told (thanks) that Epson believe that the x900 series are pretty much reaching the limits of some aspects of print technology, and that any significant improvements are some way off.
• 19th Epson UK announce a £60 cashback on the 2880 - runs during September/Occtober 2011

June

• 2nd Epson announce a series of rebates in the US and Canada
• The printers eligible for instant rebates, and the rebate amount:
  • Stylus Pro 7890 Standard Edition, $500
    Stylus Pro 9890 Standard Edition, $1000
    Stylus Pro 7890 Designer Edition, $750
    Stylus Pro 9890 Designer Edition, $750
    Stylus Pro 7900 Standard Edition, $500
    Stylus Pro 9900 Standard Edition, $500
    Stylus Pro 7700VM, $750
    Stylus Pro 9700VM, $1250
• The printers eligible for mail-in rebates, and the rebate amount:
  • Stylus Pro 4900 Standard Edition, $500
    Stylus Pro 4900 Designer Edition, $500
    Stylus Pro 11880 Standard Edition, $1000
• Rebates run for this month (US site)

May

• 3rd Epson announce the R2000 printer in the US. A3+ HDR inks with gloss optimiser and larger cartridges

April

• 21st Two 'Printing Masterclass' videos from Epson

Professional digital photo printing masterclass - Photokina - Epson Masterclass tutorial for image productions - Photokina - Epson

January

• 17th The Epson R3000 A3+ printer is announced. As ever, we hope to have a full review in due course.
  • Looks as if Epson was just a bit ahead of our thoughts on the 2880 ;-)
• 11th Epson to announce new printers/scanners at the BETT show in London this month, however we've had no hints of any changes in the lineup of larger printers, with the 2880 perhaps most looking like a replacement announcement later this year.

2010 October

• 21st I paid a visit to Epson UK yesterday to have a look at the 4900 and see more about the Epson Digigraphie launch in the UK

September

• 

  
  29th We're told by Epson that the 4880 will remain a current product and available alongside the 4900.
• Site updates are delayed a bit since I'm currently in the US
• 24th No sign of the new printers yet at Epson sites outside of Europe. New printer info pages updated.
• 21st Epson announce the 9890/7890 and 4900

August

• 6th Epson rebates in the US - running until 31st Oct. 3880, 4880, 7900, 9900, 11880, GS6000
• Details at Epson [click on promotions tab above 4880]

July

• 30th Epson are to announce 3 professional printers at Photokina.
• I'd suspect a 11900, 4900 and 'CAD/volume printing' version of the 4900 (4500?)

April

• 24th We've had several comments that the HDR inkset will appear in an 11900 this year - a
• 22nd Full Epson SP3880 review
• 10th We've an Epson 3880 on loan from Epson and will have a full review later this month.

2009 September

• 9th Big UK price rises on the way next month

Model	Curent Price	New Price	Increase
Epson Stylus Pro 4880	£1,345	£1,695	£350
Espon Stylus Pro 7880	£1,755	£2,595	£850
Espon Stylus Pro 7900	£2,475	£3,495	£1,020
Espon Stylus Pro 7900-S	£3,195	£4,295	£1,100
Espon Stylus Pro 9880	£3,595	£5,195	£1,600
Espon Stylus Pro 9900	£4,135	£5,995	£1,860
Espon Stylus Pro 9900-S	£5,035	£6,995	£1,960

July

• 30th A suggestion that the 3800 will be replaced with the 3880 this summer.

2009 January

• 12th UK prices to rise? We've seen price rises for Canon and Nikon equipment due to currency fluctuations, but it looks as if printers and supplies may be in line for rises.
• The Epson V750 Perfection Pro scanner has just shot up last week at one UK dealer by 25% - £488 to £626

2008 December

• 5th Some initial 7900 and 9900 printers are starting to turn up in the US and UK.

November

• 20th Epson User guide for 7900/9900

October

• 23rd Epson 78 page PDF available about 7900/9900 technology
• 16th New sets of specs/prices/shipping on the 7900/9900 page

September

• 9th Photokina soon and what's expected? Still no rumours of note :-)

August

• 18th With the 7900 and 9900 due in the autumn, there are some pretty good deals around for the 7880 and 9880 - however I noticed that the 3800 is included in the discounted printers, but not the 4880.
• Is this a sign of an impending update to the 3800? The 3800 was announced in September 2006 and uses the Ultrachrome K3 ink set. Might we see a new version with the Vivid Magenta ink? Having looked at the 4880 recently, I'd have thought a 4900 was more likely - Photokina anyone? ;-)

July

• 6th We've got a report of our detailed look at an Epson 4880 - very nice prints :-)

June

• 27th Swapping black inks on the new 7900/9900 is reported to use the following amounts:
  • PK-MK less than 1ml
  • MK-PK under 3ml
• 5th A bit more info on the 9900/7900 ;-)
• 4th A bit more info on the 9900/7900 from a PDF distributed at DRUPA

2008 May 31st Stiil only 9900/7900 details from Epson Australia so far - look for availability in the Autumn.

I've heard of numerous problems downloading the plugin mentioned below. These two links seem to work at the moment

Mac version
ftp://62.41.72.157/pub/download/3210/epson321060eu.dmg

win version
ftp://62.41.72.157/pub/download/3210/epson321059eu.ZIP

29th 7900 and 9900 will have X-Rite spectrophotometers in them.

26th Epson are sending out invites to the DRUPA show which starts this Thursday. One from Epson France 'suggests' new technologies on the way, but as you'd expect - no detail ;-)

23rd looks like our guess earlier was right - we have initial info on the R2880.

Epson have also launched a new Photoshop Plug in, this is available as a free download and will support a limited number of previous Epson printers (Epson Stylus Photo 1400, R1800, R1900, R2400, R2880 and Stylus Pro 3800). The new Epson Print Plug-In will be available as a free download from Epson Europe. It supports Mac OS 10.4.3 – 10.4.10 (Tiger), Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and Windows XP SP2 and Vista.

23rd May 2008 – Imaging specialist Epson has today launched an innovative new print plug-in for the Adobe Photoshop family of products that provides users with enhanced functionality and flexibility, making colour-managed printing quicker and easier. Engineered specifically for the popular Adobe Photoshop CS and Elements products, Epson designed the software to meet the needs of the users of its Stylus Pro 3800 and its A3+ printers, including the new Epson Stylus Photo R2880. Mark Robinson, Senior Product Manager at Epson UK commented: “The new Epson plug-in provides an invaluable tool for the keen photographer, allowing them to increase their efficiency when printing a wide variety of projects. “As an independent resource, the Epson Print Plug-In allows users to switch easily between its interface and Photoshop. This allows them to add images to the multi-image print easily and keep temporary images for reprint even if the plug-in window is closed. For many users, this functionality is highly valuable and could significantly enhance productivity.” The Epson interface splits the printing workflow into three steps; image selection, layout selection/definition and printer settings and previewing, making the printing process simple and efficient. The window of each step is modular and can be minimised to optimise space on-screen. The layout function automates the layout process, allowing users to select from three layout types; template, index and free layout, which can be arranged over multiple pages. Over 170 templates, ranging from credit card sizes to A2 are available as standard and users can even create custom templates and save them for regular use. Once the layout is selected, images are simply dragged and dropped into the template and can even be cropped as needed. Colour management can be automated for both direct colour management using the printer driver, and ICC profile-based colour management. Users can also specify their own ICC profiles for specific print media. The preview function provides a fast and easy way to proof the final print layout before printing begins.

Two more printer designations we keep hearing about are a revised 3800 or 3880, featuring the Vivid Magenta inks and a coated (less clogs) print head, such as seen in the x880 series and a 2880 with VM ink and an all new head (and cartridge) design.

17th Could we see some more advanced features like a built in spectro for the new large format printers for DRUPA? (9900 page)

14th Expect an R2400 replacement before long. A DPR comment from someone in Hong Kong wanting a quote says that they were told it's been flagged EOL (End of Life)

The R2400 is a bit long in the tooth (2005) so given the advances seen in the 3800 and upcoming 'x900' series it could be quite a jump (R2900 or 2880 anyone?)

Also, ink prices on the way for the UK? As of 1st June expect some rises - this info from Epson via a supplier

8% on the inks for the following printers:

Stylus Photo R800/R1800/R1900/R2100/R2400
Stylus Colour 3000
Stylus Pro 3800 and maintenance cartridge
Stylus Pro 4000/5000/5500/7000/7500/7600/9000/9500/9600/10000/10000CF/10600

18% on the inks for the following printers:

Stylus Pro 4400/4450/4800/4880
Stylus Pro 7400/7450/7800/7880
Stylus Pro 9400/9450/9800/9880

and 9.6% on the 700ml inks for the Stylus Pro 11880

1st It seems we should expect a bit more from the 7900/9900 that just an update. We're told that much of the printer design has changed with Epson seemingly wanting to move past Canon and HP in a lot of areas - just what this actually means, we'll have to wait and see ;-)

As ever if you want to share any info, just drop us a mail (discretion assured ;-)

April 29th More info on the Epson 7900 and 9900 - 10 colour printers at DRUPA? An article about the rumour gets pulled at a printing web site.

March 27th Epson are going to release a 64" 'eco-solvent' printer (the Stylus Pro GS6000) for signage work

20th Expect new Epson printers to be announced at DRUPA in Germany (May 29th - June 11th) These are likely to include an all new range of wide format printers, utilising technologies found in the 11880 (black ink switching at last? ;-) ... or at least that's the "we didn't tell you this" dealer info I'm hearing ;-)

19th Are Epson getting ready to launch an 'Ecosolvent' (sign printing) based version of the 11880?

In an interesting post on the WIP list, there's the suggestion that it might get launched at the FESPA show in April (Geneva 1st-3rd).

2008 February 18th I've seen mention of the '9888' on one forum, since no-one has a good idea on what the next set of printers will be called (49xx, 79xx 99xx are my favourites ;-)

This is a Photokina year (September), so we might yet see 3880 or 11880 black ink switching technology appear.

It's the Focus show in the UK next week, and since I've been invited (as 'Press' ;-) I'll be looking at all the latest from the main mainufacturers

14th Once again I'm seeing lots of people asking about versions of the 4880/7880/9880 that support ink swapping like the 11880. Unfortunately, asking is all I've seen so far... :-(

New papers coming out this year may make the need for using matt black less important, but many suggest that Epson sells more ink (and printers) with the current printer lineup ;-)

2007 December 6th It seems Epson have announced a whole raft of new (Beta) Mac OSX 10.5 drivers that make use of its 16 bit print architecture

3800, 4800, 7800, 9800, 4880, 7880, 9880, 11880

There are also 10.5 drivers for some older printers such as the 4000 and even my 9600 If you go to the FAQ page there is info on availability and timings

November 3rd Is this the end of third party inks and ink supply systems in the USA?

Such concerns are all over print related forums, based on a recent ITC ruling. At the moment it 'only' applies to smaller printers, but large format systems can expect to be next (More info at WFO)

Epson have set up a specific site with their interpretations of what this means...

2007 October 21st

I've seen several questions on forums about just how long it will be before the 4880/7880/9880 are replaced with new designs allowing black ink swapping like the 11880 and 3880. The lack of black swap certainly came as a surprise, but the smaller x880 series were only announced at the end of July and are only now shipping in any quantities.

The picture is of the 11880 head with its 9 sets of jets. Maybe we'll get the 4900/7900/9900 next year at Photokina, but I suspect 2010 is more likely, since having a major revision of the pro printer line is not something the large format market wants too often.

The 3800 is being widely discounted at the moment, with various offers such as the current one at the NY Photoplus, with Epson offering discount vouchers for show purchases.

If you've not updated your printer drivers for a while, it's worth checking different Epson sites to see if new ones are available. I generally check Epson UK, US and Australia, since there is some considerable variation in what's present in different countries' sites.

An example I noted from the Wide_Inkjet_Printers yahoo group would be:

For the 10600arc printer: EpsonNet Config Utility v2.0bE, Macintosh OS X (v10.2.x - 10.4.x),epson12357.dmg - 3MB - posted on 10/19/07

Epson are updating their printer drivers for OSX Leopard - no details on whether these will support its 16 bit print system, but larger printer models are due before long

This from Epson (UK)....

Inkjet Printers

Stylus colour Series
Stylus colour 680, 740, 880, 900, 980	In-Box
Stylus Photo Series
Stylus Photo 810, 830, 830U, 870, 890, 895, 895EX, 900, 915, 925, 935, 950, 1270, 1290, 2000P, 2100, 1400	In-Box
Stylus C Series
Stylus C70, C90, C91, C43, C44, C60, C62, C63, C64, C70, C79, C80, C82, C83, C84, C86, C87	In-Box
Stylus D Series
Stylus D68, D88, D92	In-Box
Stylus D78, D120	October
PictureMate Series
PictureMate, Picturemate 100, Picturemate 500, PictureMate 280	In-Box
PictureMate 240, PictureMate PM260, PictureMate PM290	October
Stylus Photo R Series
Stylus Photo R200, R220, R240, R300, R320, R340, R360, R265, R285, R800	In-Box
Stylus Photo R1800, Stylus Photo R1900, Stylus Photo R2400	November

Large Format Printers

Stylus Pro Series
Stylus Pro 4000	In-Box
Stylus Pro 7600, 9600, 10600	October
Stylus Pro 3800, 4400, 4450, 4800, 4880, 7400, 7450, 7800, 7880, 9400, 9450 9800, 9880, 11880	November

Laser Printers

Most current Laser Printers are supported using existing printer drivers. Please check back in November.

Multifuction Devices

Stylus CX Series
Stylus CX3200, CX3500, CX3600, CX4100, CX4200, CX4300, CX4700, CX4800, CX5200, CX5400	In-Box
Stylus CX6400, CX6600	October
Stylus DX Series
Stylus DX4200, DX4400, DX4800	In-Box
Stylus DX4000, DX5000, DX6000, DX7000F, DX7400, DX8400, DX9400F	October
Stylus Photo RX Series
Stylus Photo RX420, RX500, RX520, RX600, RX620, RX640, RX700	In-Box
Stylus Photo RX560, RX585, RX685	October

Scanners

All current scanners will be supported using existing drivers in OSX Leopard

OSX Leopard changes

This is what Apple has to say about printing in Leopard (and some macworld notes)

Enhanced Precision Printing
Get the best quality from select Canon and Epson printers. Leopard can use enhanced numerical precision to unlock the printing potential of pro-level colour ink jet printers, using up to 16 bits per colour channel.

Printer Drivers via Software Update
Make sure you always have the latest printer drivers. Download directly to your system using the familiar capabilities of Software Update.

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