The Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printer.

The 9900 printer was being demonstrated. It is a very large printer measuring 1356mm (W) x 667mm (D) x 1218mm (H), and this would occupy a sizeable chunk of any studio space. The printer is relatively easy to assemble as only the stand needs to be put together. However, at 116 kg it needs two or three very fit people to lift the printer onto the stand.

Paper feed is fully automated, just feed the front edge in and the printer takes care of the media alignment to avoid skewing. When removing the media a bar code is printed on the leading edge. The bar code contains information of media type and how much paper is left on the roll (this removes any possibility of sending a 5 meter print job to a media roll that only contains 3 meters of paper). Epson missed an opportunity to include information about the profile required for the media roll and then let the driver automatically select it for the printing process. I’m sure this could be easily included in the bar code. The printer supports card media up to 1.5mm in thickness.

Although the actual printing noise was kept down to a minimum, the fans in the printer were much louder than expected. The printer uses fans to dry the media as it exits and also uses suction to keep the media flat, the combined noise is obtrusive, especially in a smallish room. Printing was very fast due to the 360 nozzle TFP print head, once completed the fans returned to silent mode.

Martin Johns from Epson states, “The 7900/9900 with its hexachrome equivalent inkset is clearly aimed and marketed at the proofing industry, although the new printers will also appeal to the photographer and Fine Art artist who demands high colour accuracy and an expanded colour gamut”. The new printers will run alongside Epson’s current range of products, namely the 7880 and the 9880.

The 7900 (24 inch) retails at £3195 or £3995 with the spectrophotometer.
The 9900 (44 inch) retails at £5595 or £6995 with the spectrophotometer.

The spectrophotometer, if purchased as an optional extra, would cost
£1595 for the 7900, or £1995 for the 9900 printers.

Both printers should be available mid to end November 2008.

Epson has a product loyalty scheme, whereby owners of qualifying products can claim £400 discount on the 7880, or £500 on the 9880. This offer is valid until the end of March 2009 but unfortunately doesn’t apply to the 7900 or 9900 printers.

In conclusion.

The new printers are certainly state of the art in every respect. Epson has nailed the technology and produced a machine that not only exudes style, but also delivers print quality to die for. The colour prints I produced in one afternoon are nothing short of stunning - I have not seen colour on this level before. Although these printers are marketed and designed for the proofing market, there is no reason why a photographer should not consider them as an essential tool for their trade, especially when producing limited edition fine art prints.

If you want the very best, then look no further. However, for 90% of all photographic needs, the 7880 or 9880 printers with the UltraChrome K3 inkset, incorporating the new Vivid Magenta, is also a very hard act to follow. This is certainly true when it comes down to value for money.

Landscape photographer of the year 2008 - Gary Eastwood

If you need proof of just how good the 9900 printer is then visit the Lyttelton Exhibition Foyer at the National Theatre (South Bank, London) and take a look at the Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards 2008. All the prints were produced by Epson using the 9900 printer. The exhibition runs from 17th November 2008 to 17th January 2009.

Public Information:

National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX

Information: 020 7452 3400 / www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/exhibitions

Nearest tube: Waterloo

Admission: Free

Opening times: 9.30am – 11pm Monday – Saturday,

Full exhibition details here