Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: Zachary Goulko on April 25, 2010, 03:53:22 pm

Title: Epson 4900
Post by: Zachary Goulko on April 25, 2010, 03:53:22 pm
After speaking with a couple of Epson retailers, it appears that Epson may have the new 4900 in works, as early as June.
Has anyone heard of anything about this yet?
Title: Epson 4900
Post by: k_p98 on April 25, 2010, 11:39:18 pm
Who wants to start taking but that they...

a) Kept exactly 8 color channels and make you change carts to change blacks and waste lots of ink.
 Do it like the Epson 7900 or 3880 where both blacks are loaded but you still waste ink to change which one flows into the head, but apparently trigger a clean cycle each time so you're still wasting ink, or
c) Actually change the printhead to have like 10 color channels so you can switch blacks on the fly without wasting a drop???  This then of course also leaves being able to add one more ink.

I would almost put my money on A or B!!!
Title: Epson 4900
Post by: Randy Carone on April 26, 2010, 08:58:45 am
When I switch blacks from the menu on my 3800 it does NOT do a cleaning. I have turned off the Automatic Nozzle in the Nozzle check section of the driver. I'm not certain if this is why the printer does not do a cleaning after the black ink switch. Wayne and others have mentioned that the 3800/3880 are the "least clogging Epson printers ever made" and mine can be added to the list that proves the point. I have had mine since October and have not had a clog (or a dropped ink channel).
Title: Epson 4900
Post by: Wayne Fox on April 26, 2010, 08:07:03 pm
Quote from: k_p98
Who wants to start taking but that they...

a) Kept exactly 8 color channels and make you change carts to change blacks and waste lots of ink.
 Do it like the Epson 7900 or 3880 where both blacks are loaded but you still waste ink to change which one flows into the head, but apparently trigger a clean cycle each time so you're still wasting ink, or
c) Actually change the printhead to have like 10 color channels so you can switch blacks on the fly without wasting a drop???  This then of course also leaves being able to add one more ink.

I would almost put my money on A or B!!!
Well, they can't keep 8 colors, they have to add at least 2 (green and orange). Most likely they would opt for B, since 95% of Epson printers never do an ink swap so hard to justify adding a lot of cost for the 5% that do.  However,  the 7900 head physically can't fit into a 4880, so they have to engineer an entire new head so maybe they would consider adding MK nozzles. (either that or make a new printer that is much larger).

The 3880 is such a solid machine that does everything except roll paper that a 4880 does I have always wondered if we would even see an upgrade to the 4880.  I haven't heard any rumors and 4880's are much easier to get than they were a few months ago.  Guess we'll see.
Title: Epson 4900
Post by: Zachary Goulko on April 26, 2010, 08:12:40 pm
According to Northlight (http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/printers/epson4900.html)
10 ink carts, no black swap and pressurised carts were the big features heard discussed at the UK Focus Show
Hopefully they will finally update the body...