Finally! A true, *archival* photo inkjet printer, with 200+ year fade resistance!
Page 1: Intro and Highlights
Review First Posted: 1/25/2002
MSRP $899 US
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Amazing lightfastness, rated at 200+ years for framed prints on Epson Archival Matte Paper.
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Border Free photo printing on some paper sizes.
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True, six-color photo printer using pigmented inks for long print life.
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1440 dpi for smooth, sharp photos.
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Manufacturer Overview
Epson America Inc. has been at the forefront of inkjet printer technology for many years. Best known for its MicroPiezo technology, which played a major role in the launch of photo-quality inkjet printing, Epson continues to innovate in its race to be the number one printer manufacturer. In 2001, Epson introduced a range of inkjet printers (most of which I've now reviewed) that introduced true borderless printing on standard photo paper sizes, dot resolutions as high as 2,880 x 720 dpi, ultra-small four-picoliter droplet sizes, and rated print lifetimes of up to 26 years on Epson media, when mounted in a glass-fronted frame. (To protect from atmospheric contaminants like ozone.)
For professional photographers though, the issue of print life remained an insuperable obstacle to widespread adoption of inkjet printing for commercial output. Even with a 26-year print life rating, inkjet prints still weren't in the same league as the best conventional photo processes, making most pros reluctant to use them for revenue-producing work.
Epson once again came to the rescue though, with the introduction of micro-pigmented inks, which used microscopic particles of solid pigment, rather than organic dyes as colorants. The result was prints that just don't fade. It turns out that the 200+ year print life is actually limited by the life of the paper substrate, more than the ink pigments, meaning that the life span could likely go even longer if the paper itself didn't yellow over time.
The Stylus Photo 2000P is the first photographic inkjet printer to use micro-pigmented inks, and I have to say it's a pretty impressive device. I did find that it requires more care and attention to color management than the garden-variety dye-based inkjet machines, and does exhibit some metamerism (more on that big word later), but if you're a practicing professional looking to maintain control over your creative product all the way to the final print, the Stylus Photo 2000P is the printer to have. Read on for all the details...
High Points
"On Demand" ink jet printing.
Monochrome, 48-nozzle printing.
Color, 240-nozzle printing (48 nozzles each for cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, and light magenta).
Five color inks and separate, "true" black ink cartridge.
Maximum 1,440 x 720 dpi resolution.
13 x 44-inch maximum printable area. (Less three millimeters from sides and top, 12 millimeters from bottom)
256KB print buffer.
Paper capacity of 100 sheets, 10 envelopes, or 30 transparencies.
USB interface for high-speed connection to a computer.
Printer drivers compatible with Windows and Macintosh platforms.
