Pixiq

Epson Stylus Photo R3000. Photo courtesy Epson America

For more than 10 years, I've been using 13-inch-wide desktop inkjet printers. They have steadily been improved, and have matured to the point in which print quality and longevity are on par with or exceed high quality traditional color and black and white photofinishing. Epson has been a leader in this segment, and It's been a few years since the company launched a new 13-inch-wide printer with three separate black inks (multiple black inks help improve the quality of black and white output). The company's newest printer, the Epson Stylus Photo R3000, looks to be a great addition to their line. For this article, I've decided to post the press release in its entirety because there are so many specs outlined in it, followed by my overall comments about the printer. 

SAN ANTONIO (Imaging USA, Booth #200) – Jan. 17, 2011 – Epson America today introduced its most advanced 13-inch printer to date – the Epson Stylus^® Photo R3000. Designed for professional photographers and fine artists, the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 draws from the advanced technology of Epson Stylus Pro-series printers to deliver gallery-quality black-and-white output and vivid color prints. This printer also includes new features such as high-capacity individual ink cartridges, advanced media handling to support a wide range of paper types, and Ethernet and wireless-N connectivity.

Featuring Epson UltraChrome K3^® with Vivid Magenta ink technology and an advanced MicroPiezo^® AMC^™ print head, the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 produces exhibition quality prints on a wide variety of glossy, matte and fine art papers up to 13-inches wide using advanced media handling capabilities. Its innovative pigment ink set delivers an extremely wide color gamut with more dramatic blues and violets, while AccuPhoto^™ HD2 image technology provides smoother color transitions and better highlight and shadow detail.

“The Epson Stylus Photo R3000 represents the next generation of 13-inch professional printers with its advanced features and design,” said Richard Day, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America. “Epson is always striving to anticipate the demands of professionals while pushing the boundaries of technology to provide the level of quality expected from Epson. We’ve integrated new productivity features that will have a big impact on design workflows, including superior media handling, wireless connectivity, larger ink cartridges, and auto-switching black inks.”

 More about the Epson Stylus Photo R3000

Designed to provide unmatched performance, exhibition quality and professional media support, the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 delivers several innovative features, including:

 -       Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta Ink: Professional eight-color ink set with Vivid Magenta and Vivid Light Magenta provides more dramatic blues and violets for an expanded color gamut. Built on Epson’s heritage of professional ink technology, this pigment ink set offers instant color stability and exceptional print permanence ratings for color and black-and-white prints.

 -       Advanced Media Handling: In addition to a main top-loading, high-capacity tray, this printer features a new front-in, front-out media path designed for fine art media up to 1.3 mm thick, including Epson’s line of Signature Worthy^® papers. It also offers broad media support with BorderFree^® cut-sheet media handling, roll paper printing up to 44-inches long and CD/DVD printing.

-       AccuPhoto HD2 Image Technology: Created in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Munsell Color Science Laboratory, this complex mathematical architecture and advanced screening technology ensures precision placement of each individual ink droplet for smooth, grain-free images. This technology optimizes ink usage to maximize color gamut and provide smooth transitions and gradations, and reduces the metameric index to achieve consistent color under different lighting conditions. 

 -       MicroPiezo AMC Print Head: The eight-channel, high-precision print head produces a maximum resolution of 5670 x 1440 optimized dpi and variable-sized droplets as small as 2 picoliters and places them with precision and accuracy. For decreased maintenance and increased reliability, the print head also incorporates an ink repellent coating.

-       Intelligent High-Capacity Ink System: Nine individual 25.9 ml ink cartridges with pressurized ink technology ensures reliable ink delivery at all print speeds.

-       Auto-switching Black Inks: The Epson Stylus Photo R3000 automatically switches between Photo and Matte black inks to produce the deepest blacks and richest color on glossy, matte or fine art media.

-       Unparalleled Connectivity: Built-in Ethernet^®, wireless 802.11n and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 provide flexible options for fast connectivity to multiple computers in a home or studio.

 -       Advanced Black-and-White Photo Mode: Professionals can choose from one of four pre-set modes – neutral, warm, cool, or sepia for stunning neutral or toned black-and-white prints. This feature provides intuitive and consistent control through custom slider bars and a color tone wheel for advanced tone adjustment. In addition, customized settings can be saved and recalled to achieve consistent prints.

Pricing, Availability and Support

The Epson Stylus Photo R3000 will be available in March 2011 through authorized resellers for $849 (MSRP). The printer is supported by a one-year whole-unit exchange limited warranty plan and specialized technical support staff. For more information on the Epson Stylus Photo R3000, visit www.epson.com/R3000.

About Epson America, Inc.

Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader dedicated to exceeding the vision of customers worldwide through its compact, energy-saving, high-precision technologies, with a wide lineup ranging from printers and 3LCD projectors for business and the home, to electronic and crystal devices. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises nearly 80,000 employees in 102 companies around the world. Epson is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates and has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria, for the third year in a row. Epson America, Inc. based in Long Beach,Calif. is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: www.Epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica), Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonTV).

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Epson Stylus Photo R3000 with the ink cover open, showing its 9 ink cartridges (each with 25.9 ml capacity). Photo courtesy Epson America

Initial Comments

The first thing I noticed when looking over the specs and photos was that the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 closely resembles the Epson Stylus Pro 3880. Features it shares includes its ink set, HD2 screening, cut sheet feed paths, and type of cartridges. However, they do not contain the same quantity of ink (80 ml cartridges for the 3880 vs. 25.9 ml cartridges for the R3000). Also, the R3000 weighs in at 35 lbs. vs. the 3880's 43.2 lbs.

Added Features

While I'm comparing the Stylus Photo R3000 and Stylus Pro 3880, the Stylus Photo R3000 has a few features not found on the 3880, including: roll feed, CD/DVD printing support and built-in wireless 802.11n. Built-in wireless is a great feature, and one I look forward to testing. Also, I noticed in the specs a minimum dot size of 2 picoliters on the Stylus Photo R3000 vs. 3.5 on the Epson Stylus Pro 3880. The Stylus Pro 3880 already has outstanding print quality and can produce images with invisible dots to the naked eye at most resolution settings. It will be interesting to see what the smaller minimum dot brings to the quality and/or speed equation. The print speeds listed in the specs on the Stylus Photo R3000 are considerably faster than the range of print speeds for the Stylus Pro 3880, but different driver or RIP settings result in very different speeds, so the final test will be in actual "hands-on" print tests, which I hope to do in the not-too-distant future.

Who's it for?

The Stylus Photo R3000 is clearly targeted at professional photographers and other artists, as well as advanced amateur photographers. I think it fills a gap in the Epson line, and will appeal to many people who chose not to spend about $1000 on a Stylus Pro 3000 or Stylus Pro 3880. The MSRP (US $849) should help convince many people to purchase the printer since they won't have to use it quite as much as the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 to keep the inks fresh.

It's common for many pros and non-pros to print a lot (20-100 11x14-inch prints for example), then wait a few months, then print a lot again, then repeat that cycle. The 25.9 ml ink cartridges, as long as they are competitively priced per milliliter (compared with the 80 ml ink cartridges on the 3880), should provide a more affordable and more user-friendly experience compard with the smaller ink cartridges used on the Epson Stylus Photo R2880, Stylus Photo R1900, etc. This assumption is based on the experience I've had with the 80 ml cartridges on the Epson Stylus Pro 3880, which is superior to the ink switching procedure needed with the smaller cartridges on the Epson R2880. That's primarily because when switching from Matte to Photo Black (or vice-versa), the R2880 requires user intervention and the removal and exchange of a Matte or Photo black cartridge by hand. The Stylus Pro 3880 and new Stylus Photo R3000 have a hands-free internal switching procedure that uses some ink and takes a few minutes, as you can see below. You'll also see that the new Stylus Photo R3000 uses a bit less ink and less time switching from Photo to Matte Black: 

Recent Video

I also noticed this video posted on YouTube that offers a good look at the Stylus Photo R3000. It was recorded at the Imaging USA 2011 conference in San Antonio, TX:

Conclusion (for now)

From what I've read and seen so far, the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 looks like a fantastic printer. The combination of features makes it a strong competitor in its segment, and I look forward to putting it through its paces in a hands-on review sometime soon.

To read my hands-on review of the 17-inch-wide Epson Stylus Pro 3880, visit this page on ImagingBuffet.com. And if you are wondering what the differences are between the Epson Professional Graphic Arts Edition and Standard Edition of the Stylus Pro 3880, visit this page on ImagingBuffet.com.