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Conclusion
This
is the page you have all been eagerly waiting for. Go on, admit it, on
most reviews isn't this the first page you look at?
I
have had this printer for just over two weeks, it has been busy printing
on most days and in this time there were no problems at all. Well, just
two small hiccups - I put a sheet of Photo Gloss Paper in the wrong way
around (i.e. coated surface to the back). The printer didn't like this
at all and the ink/paper combination didn't react well, in fact the rollers
were covered in ink (the Mystery tool I mentioned earlier in the review
came in handy). The second problem actually happened today whilst testing
the Firewire timing. I forgot to turn the Gray Balancer software off and
printed a colour picture with a Sepia tone - Take
Note EPSON, people are going
to want a warning message on the Main print dialogue panel.
Overview
The
Epson Stylus Photo 2100 A3 printer is a replacement to the 2000P printer.
Epson has learnt a lot from some of the shortcomings of the 2000P and
has addressed the issues. The 2100 now uses 7 separate ink cartridges
filled with a new pigment ink called UltraChrome™. The seven inks
are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Light Black and
a choice of either Photo Black or Matte Black. The two Blacks are intended
for either glossy or matte papers and they are easily interchanged at
any stage. UltraChrome ink doesn't have such a long life claim (45 - 75
years), compared to the 200 year claim for the 2000P pigment ink - I think
that figure was over optimistic. Colour wise, the new inks have a wider
Colour Gamut than previous inks (including dye), and Epson claims it even
has a wider Colour Gamut than silver halide.
The
printer is supplied with a roll paper holder which accommodates media
sizes of 100mm, A4, and A3 widths. To make things easier when using roll
paper, there is also an Auto Paper cutter that attaches to the front plus
a paper catcher that fits on to the front of the cutter. Can it get better?
Yes, if you live in the UK. There is a CD printing option. This is a tray
that will take blank ink jet printable CD-Rs, you can go in to full production
by publishing your own CDs with your own logo printed directly on to the
discs. The CD printing feature is not available on the US 2200 version.
Construction
This
printer is big in every respect, make sure you have enough desk space.
The overall construction of the 2100 is solid with a great deal of attention
to small detail. Despite my initial feelings that certain bits would part
company from the printer, nothing broke. Some of the accessories are awkward
to fit, namely the Paper Roll holder and re-fitting the front paper tray.
I still have doubts on the output tray with its four extensions, this
does seem to be vulnerable. The paper guides, for top loading and rear
roll loading, feel positive and slide smoothly into position.
There
are three paper paths, top loading, rear roll loading, and matte card
loading. The roll paper path is not the same as the top loading path,
you can leave the roll holder with paper in place whilst using the top
sheet feeder. The matte board loader path is located at the rear of the
printer and will accept media with a thickness of between 0.4mm to 1.3mm.
The board media feeds in from the rear and ejects from the front. The
printer needs a lot of rear space clearance in order to use matte board.
The
inks are easily accessible, press the ink button on the top of the printer
and the ink cradle moves into position. The interior is minimal, but there
doesn't seem to be any compromise on build quality here either. Connection
to a computer is via USB 2.0, Firewire, or Parallel ports.
Performance
Most
manufacturers over-hype their products. If you believe everything you
read, then even the most basic of digital equipment will sound like it
was sent down from heaven. So does this printer live up to expectations
and claims?
In
the two weeks test period the printer has performed flawlessly producing
results that are certainly better than anything I have seen before. I
have compared the prints next to a Canon A3 print, and yes, the Canon
prints have more impact. But when you look closely at the information
contained in the Epson print, the Epson has a lot to offer and room for
more.
Printing
speeds are still far too slow, taking nearly 20 minutes for an A3 print
and 7:40 for an A4 print using the USB port. Using Firewire the A4 print
took 8 min 58 sec (A3 not tested). The CD printing option is disappointing
with colours looking washed out and the Epson Print CD software doesn't
do much to inspire. The print dialogue panel is visually much the same
as on other Epson printers - also in need of a total overhaul. Epson has
been using this for a number of years now and it's starting to show. The
Photo Quicker 3.1 software is well designed, but better suited to entry
level printers. The jewel in the crown for Epson has to be the Gray Balancer
software. This is sophisticated software that will help you remove colour
casts in monochrome pictures, or let you create your own tones. With the
Balancer set to neutral it will also work on colour images. The only problem
is to remember to turn it off for normal colour printing (see second paragraph).
The
colours obtained from UltraChrome inks are outstanding. Without fail every
print I have created over the last two weeks has been perfect in colour
- no tweaking, other than normal adjustments to the images in Photoshop.
The printer faithfully gave me what I saw on screen. I had intended creating
custom profile, but on seeing the prints, I thought it would be a pointless
exercise. If I were testing third party papers then that's another story.
The papers for the 2100 are, at the moment limited (there are only five
types available), but I am sure this will expand, especially from third
party manufacturers.
Metamerism
has been dealt with too, it has now virtually disappeared. For exhibition
work and achieving accurate tones under known lighting, you should calibrate
the reference prints under similar lighting conditions. This may mean
visiting the display location with your reference prints and jotting down
the adjustment figures.
Who
needs one?
A3
printers are not mainstream, not everyone wants one of these desk huggers.
This printer is for those who are serious about their photography - namely
fine-art photographers, social & wedding photographers, and dedicated
amateur photographers. Professional photographers will love the subtle
colours and will still have the option to create strong stark colours.
For high volume work, the 2100 is not going to fit the bill. Epson has
its 7600, 9600 and 10,000CF wide format printers for that job.
This
printer has so much potential and capability, it would take a month or
more to write down all the permutations. Don't just take my word for it,
see what other reviewers say. I'm confident they are going to confirm
my own findings.
www.photo.i.co.uk
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