OK, so HP have let the cat out of the bag. HP has just announced on its web site the new HP B9180. I must confess that I have been using this printer since last November and it is a monster of a work-horse. The printer uses 8 cartridges which are stored in the bottom left panel as you look at the picture above. The four print heads are accesed via the top panel on the left hand edge. I will publish a series of photographs on Friday - although I will resist publishing any results, a new driver together with new profiles is en-route to me and it would not be fair on HP to publish pictures that are not representative of the final quality.

Just to whet your appetitie, I am impressed with the printer - come back on Friday and I will give you a guided tour.

Follow our review - click here

HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer

Overview

The HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer delivers exceptional image quality and the best photo permanence on the market.

HP Vivera pigment ink technology, combined with the printer’s professional colors, enables accurate and consistent color reproduction. HP’s third-generation gray ink printing technology is more neutral than ever before, allowing for exceptionally smooth transitions and detail.

Eight individual high-capacity ink cartridges enable high-volume printing with efficient printing speeds – producing 4 x 6-inch photos in as fast as 10 seconds and 13 x 19- inch photos as fast as 1.5 minutes – making the printer ideal for professional photographers and advanced amateurs. Users can print exceptional photos on digital fine art media including canvas, photo rag, watercolor, stiff pre-matte and film up to 1.5-mm thick, as well as improved HP Advanced Photo Paper.

Key Features and Benefits

• New 8-color HP Vivera pigment inks produce gallery-quality photos and offer users excellent image quality, durability and performance on a broad array of media

• Exceptional durability – Waterproof photos (1) that resist fading for more than 200

years (2)

• HP Photosmart plug-in for Adobe Photoshop® automatically synchronizes

Photoshop and printer driver for single user interface and color management

• Efficiently designed individual ink cartridges allow users to replace only the ink

colors used – ideal for high-volume printing

• Fast printing speeds – print 13 x 19-inch photos as fast as 1.5 minutes and 4 x 6-inch photos as fast as 10 seconds

• Closed loop calibration system keeps photo color consistent, print after print

• Electrostatic drop weight detection system automatically compensates for a nozzle not working, alerting users when the printhead needs cleaning or in the unlikely event of it needing to be replaced

Additional Features

• RIP software option provides access to enhanced color management tools for

professional printing

• Plug the printer into network using Ethernet port

Technical Specifications

• Photo Pigment 8 color IIT

• 4,800-optimized dpi (3)

• 3.5 x 5-inch up to 13 x 19-inch prints with or without borders

• Supports Adobe RGB and sRGB

Supported Supplies

• Vivera Inks: HP 38 Matte Black Ink Cartridge, HP 38 Photo Black Ink Cartridge, HP

38 Light Gray Black Ink Cartridge, HP 38 Cyan Black Ink Cartridge, HP 38

Magenta Ink Cartridge, HP 38 Yellow Ink Cartridge, HP 38 Light Cyan Ink

Cartridge, HP 38 Light Magenta Ink Cartridge

• Printhead: HP 70 Matte Black & Cyan Printhead, HP 70 Light Cyan/Light Magenta

Printhead, HP 70 Magenta/Yellow Printhead, HP 70 Photo Black/Light Gray

Printhead

• Media: HP Advanced Photo Paper Glossy (B+/A3+, B/A3, 8.5x11/A4, 5x7,

4x6), HP Advanced Photo Paper Soft-gloss (B+/A3+, 8.5x11/A4), HP Photo Paper

Matte (B+/A3+), HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art Paper, 265gsm (B+/A3+), HP

Hahnemühle Watercolor Paper, 210gsm, (B+/A3+), HP Aquarella Art Paper,

240gsm, (B+/A3+), HP Artist Canvas Matte, 350gsm, (B+/A3+)

• Dimensions/Weight

o 26.6-inches (w) x 16.9-inches (d) x 9.2-inches (h)

o 37.7 lbs.

o Support/Connectivity

o USB 2.0 and Ethernet to PC or Mac

o Microsoft Windows® 2000 Professional, XP Home, XP Professional, XP64; Mac OS X v 10.2 and higher

o HP offers a comprehensive support package for the HP Photosmart Pro

B9180 Photo Printer that includes one-year limited hardware warranty

backed by HP Customer Care, service and support; one-year technical

phone support

Pricing and Availability

Estimated U.S. street price of $699 (4)

Expected to be available for purchase May/June 2006 in North America.

(1) For details on waterproof and water resistance performance with HP Advanced Photo Paper and with other HP-recommended papers, see www.hp.com/go/printpermanence . Waterproof capabilities are contingent on using HP Advanced Photo Paper upon printing.

(2) Fade results based on preliminary display permanence testing under glass by Wilhelm Imaging Research using HP Advanced Photo Paper, HP Matte Photo Paper, HP Hahnemühle Smooth Fine Art Paper and HP Hahnemühle Watercolor Paper; similar display permanence with and additional HP-recommended papers. Preliminary results, to be updated as test progresses – see www.wilhelm-research.com .

(3) Up to 4,800 x 1,200-optimized dpi color when printing from a computer and 1,200 dpi input.

(4) Actual price may vary.

Adobe Photoshop is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.