Summary
Until recently Epson has really only had one professional printer, with 17”, 24”, and 44” variations. I think it’s testament to the success of their design that they were able to dominate the fine art markets and large portions of the proofing market. Over the last ten years they have continued to refine the pro line to the current X880 series. Starting this year epson has begun to expand from their single printer line, first with the eco solvent GS6000 and now with the 900 series printers.
This new model line inherits many traits from the X880, and while it includes numerous advantages, still man- ages to feel distinctly Epson. For this I’m glad. They managed to take fairly significant evolutionary step with- out completely starting from scratch. The black swapping has been successfully resolved to make using both blacks practical for the first time since the Stylus Pro 4000. I like the paper feed system immensely, and the heavy duty paper cutter is a real time saver as well.
Almost all of the modifications on this printer have been done with an eye to improving the efficiency, speed and operating costs, so it was surprising to see the new ink set incorporated into the printer as well. The result is arguably Epson’s best photo printer. I think it’s equally appropriate to categorize the X900 as an extremely fast photo printer, or an extremely high quality production printer.
That said, the Epson x880 is still an excellent product, and the X900 is clearly going to be competing with the lower cost model. In this case, the X900 will be the clear choice for any high volume production environment. The ability to use the larger sized 700 ml cartridges is a clear advantage, as is the printer’s improved speed.
The fact that the benefits of speed are accompanied by easy switching between blacks and an improved cutter make them
I really like the X900 series, and I’m at a bit of a loss to find any profound weaknesses with the printer. Com- pared to the HP Z3200 with it’s gloss enhancer, the X900 still has some lingering issues with bronzing. Also, while the X900 has a larger color gamut overall, the HP Z3200 is still stronger in some regions. In terms of color gamut the two printers are so capable as to make general gamut comparisons somewhat academic. What really makes the Epson X900 printers stand out is that they are able to blend speed and quality without compromising in either aspect.
Strengths
Lowered Ink Waste - No need to manually swap black cartridges. Color Gamut - About as good as it gets for pigment inks.
Black and White Print Quality - Very good using advanced black and white mode. Print Quality - Very deep blacks, works well with 3rd party papers.
RIP Support - Epson printers are supported by virtually every RIP vendor. Speed - Very fast printer while still producing photo quality.
Ink Tank Size - 150ml, 350ml, 700ml tank sizes provide options and help reduce cost.
Paper Feed System - Best roll handling system I’ve worked with, roll length tracking works well. Cutter - Cuts through just about everything!
Weaknesses
Maintenance - Printer still has a few head clogs and wastes small amounts of ink when swapping blacks. SpectroProofer - Device works well but limited software package and price reduces value.
No 17” version - As of this time there is no indication that a 17” model will be released. Bronzing - Minor but still present.
