The problem associated with the 2000p was/is metamerism. This is something that all pigment-based inks suffer from to one degree or another (in other words the problem is not specific to Epson, it's the nature of the inks and how they absorb/reflect light). More than anything metamerism in the 2000P was the result of Epson's color profile being off. If you go to Chromix and buy their 2000p profile, my understanding is it takes care of the problem to a large extent.
Printers like the 5500 Pro, which also uses pigmented inks, has virtually no occurances of metamerism because it's profiled much more accurately (among other things)....
Never heard of the orange-shift (ozone) problem on any of Epson's pigment-based printers. I think maybe someone at photonet is getting their "Epson urban legends" mixed up.
seems the 2000p suffers from a yellow shift, due to the pigments being suspended in a lacquer that yellows with age. at least that's what wilhelm research and RIT are saying now.
Wow. Different problem but equally as bad sounds like. I don't know about those Wilhelm guys. I've heard their "reviewer ethics" have been called into question from time to time. Anyway, I don't really care if my prints last 100 years (I'll be dead) but it would be nice to know they'll last 10+ without having to be locked in a dark room.
Finally had a chance to print something with the Epson PM-4000cx other than quotes and invoices.
I printed a bunch of mixed text, graphics and images from Quark Express and a digital camera image from Graphic Converter, all on matte paper.
1. Compared to previous printers this one did not soak the paper with ink. There was no visible distortion of the paper.
2. The feeling of the printout is very nice. There is no tackiness, stickiness or roughness to betray that this was printed on an inkjet printer. This is really a big help. I like to make custom or short run brochures that we can give to customers. If the inks smear or feel odd it detracts from our product.
3. The resolution of the fine lines in black ink is great. Much better than before. One print included a tiny caption in Chinese characters about two millimeters high. They were perfectly readable with no printer artifacts.
4. The image print looked very nice (to my untrained eye). It was not a great image to start with so it is a little hard to judge (digital camera with the compression set to normal). But the greys look very soft and natural. If you looked very closely there was a trace of banding visible in one part of the image. At arms length it disappeared.
5. It seems faster than the PM-3000C it replaced. Each page (A4) printed in about three minutes.
Overall I'm very impressed. This solves several of my complaints about the previous printer.
The matte paper seems interesting. It is not as white (a little warmer) than typical high end ink jet paper.
Comments
there are some long-term tests made with coated prints... they are fading too.
Printers like the 5500 Pro, which also uses pigmented inks, has virtually no occurances of metamerism because it's profiled much more accurately (among other things)....
Never heard of the orange-shift (ozone) problem on any of Epson's pigment-based printers. I think maybe someone at photonet is getting their "Epson urban legends" mixed up.
[ 04-02-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ? ]</p>
[ 04-02-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ? ]</p>
I printed a bunch of mixed text, graphics and images from Quark Express and a digital camera image from Graphic Converter, all on matte paper.
1. Compared to previous printers this one did not soak the paper with ink. There was no visible distortion of the paper.
2. The feeling of the printout is very nice. There is no tackiness, stickiness or roughness to betray that this was printed on an inkjet printer. This is really a big help. I like to make custom or short run brochures that we can give to customers. If the inks smear or feel odd it detracts from our product.
3. The resolution of the fine lines in black ink is great. Much better than before. One print included a tiny caption in Chinese characters about two millimeters high. They were perfectly readable with no printer artifacts.
4. The image print looked very nice (to my untrained eye). It was not a great image to start with so it is a little hard to judge (digital camera with the compression set to normal). But the greys look very soft and natural. If you looked very closely there was a trace of banding visible in one part of the image. At arms length it disappeared.
5. It seems faster than the PM-3000C it replaced. Each page (A4) printed in about three minutes.
Overall I'm very impressed. This solves several of my complaints about the previous printer.
The matte paper seems interesting. It is not as white (a little warmer) than typical high end ink jet paper.