Looks like they are just around the corner.

good find!

11 individual high capacity ink cartridges (available in 350 or 700 ml capacity)

Damn that will cost more than a few months of gasoline fill-ups!

Yes, I pay about $82 for a 220ml cartridge. Can't imagine what the 750ml cart would go for. The ink alone would be several thousand dollars to outfit a printer.

Which is why unless you run a very busy photo lab for a large metropolitan area or are a big kahuna photog with many clients and a sizeable studio staff, you're not going to be buying these things. Or perhaps if you're a seriously well-heeled photog/printer like Michael Reichmann or Bill Atkinson who can apparently afford to burn through money like a rap star.

No mention of PK/MK switching!

Scotti

www.photographyblog.com/index.php/weblog/comments/epson_stylus_pro_9900_and_stylus_pro_7900/

* Automatic switching of photo and matte black inks

* Automatic switching of photo and matte black inks


Well, hallelujah!

I wonder if 16 bit drivers will actually make any visible difference on paper?

Scotti

You buying Scotti?

I have two Epson 7600's and an Epson 9600. I have been having a blast playing with them lately. Loading and testing different ink sets, etc.

I sold my 7880 because I am still off work for at least 9 months. I plan on buying a 9900 when (if?) I ever go back to selling prints or other final output.

Until then I am wading through the last 10 yaers worth of images and making a lot of large proofs, just for myself.

I did load the K3 inks in one of my 7600's, minus the LLK of course. Looks great! Maybe about 2/3 of the gamut gain bewtween the 7600 and the "normal" 7800.

Michael,

I know you're off work so I'm guessing you have a pretty large living room.

I will most likely get a 7900 or possibly a 9900 when they arrive. I think my 7600 will hang in there until then. It's had a lot of use, but not the kind of use a print shop would demand of it.

It appears Epson has stopped treading water and is now swimming full speed ahead.

Scotti

Just remember with all of this though, Epson is no longer selling replacement heads and a lot of parts to the end users. They are only going to qualified repair technicians so those of us who know a little something about maintenance and repair or who are in remote areas are screwed. I'm thinking of a Canon or even an HP as most of their parts are user replaceable.

quote:

Originally posted by O. Bisogno Scotti:
I know you're off work so I'm guessing you have a pretty large living room.

Yeah, I whine about that enough, pretty hard to miss!

I'm actually starting to have fun being off. My 9 year old son gets out of school in 5 days, we are going to Chicago and then going wandering to visit family after that for a bit.

My computer/printer room (spare bedroom) looks like a python that swallowed a pig! What a mess.

I got the 9600 from a friend for $500, so I couldn't pass it up. It has about 25,000 ml through it - print shop machine. The two 7600's each have about 2,000 ml of use, they are almost new.

The "den" is stuffed so full of studio equipment - power packs, heads, softboxes, etc. -that I can't even get in anymore. I really miss my studio!

quote:

I will most likely get a 7900 or possibly a 9900 when they arrive. I think my 7600 will hang in there until then. It appears Epson has stopped treading water and is now swimming full speed ahead.

They look like nice machines! Finally something we can live with for the long term.

quote:

Originally posted by skinshooter:
Epson is no longer selling replacement heads and a lot of parts to the end users. .... I'm thinking of a Canon or even an HP as most of their parts are user replaceable.

It will be interesting to see what HP and Canon come out with, or at least announce, before the Epsons start to ship.

I am going to hang on to all 3 of the 7600's/9600's to use for spare parts. So I should be set there. Those are great machines for running 3rd party inks - B&W, fabric inks, other non-Epson stuff. They are wide open and easy to hack. I'll keep those for years.

The newer machines are getting complicated enough - and locked down enough - that they are getting beyond being user servicable. I guess you bite the bullet and do the service contract for a 3-4 year life cycle, then pass them on?

The guy that sold me the 9600 just bought a Canon ipf8100, I'll see how he makes out with that. Big beast!

I'm thinking of a Canon or even an HP as most of their parts are user replaceable.

skin,

Yeah, who knows what will be available by next spring. I'll go with the printer that makes the best prints. I've learned how to do a lot of maintenance over the years (I have the shop manual for the 7600), but I hate doing it. I'd much rather have someone else take care of it.

Scotti

Yes, I pay about $82 for a 220ml cartridge.

Every time I see an ink light comes on I say, "Ouch!"

Scotti

quote:

Originally posted by O. Bisogno Scotti:
[qb] I'm thinking of a Canon or even an HP as most of their parts are user replaceable.

skin,

Yeah, who knows what will be available by next spring. I'll go with the printer that makes the best prints. I've learned how to do a lot of maintenance over the years (I have the shop manual for the 7600), but I hate doing it. I'd much rather have someone else take care of it.

Scotti [/qb]

The thing is Epson is basically "sealing" up their printers so you can't get in nor can you buy any parts. They are bringing all that part of the business back to them. I don't really know what to do (there is a 1st for everything); Canon I like their prints, HP is quirky but I have heard great things and Epson has the R&D. Whatever system I go for the big requirement after being user friendly is that there must be an outside supplier of ink, a la Lyson. I won't ever go through the headaches of being lassoed by Epson every time I need ink, into their 220ml (less the 10ml you can't get to) $80 carts. I know it will void the warranty but I don't really care, most of this stuff is so robust and I have never had any problems with any of my big Epsons. I like the feeling of security of printing on a late Saturday night, not worrying about ink because the paint can size inks Lyson supplied barely have a dent in them. Keep those prints rolling.

When I go back to LA next month I should really have Samys print me out a file of my own on all three printers (HP, Canon and Epson) as well as an older Epson 9600 or 9800. It's my hunch that those printers in the coming years will be the ones to keep your eyes on; with all the hacks out there for the 7600/9600 I'm sure those same people will work out some cool hacks for the 9800's.