Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX Ink-jet Printer

The Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX may be the best value photo inkjet printer around based on its hi-res six color printing (for showing fine gradations in color and contrast) reasonable price, useful features, and high-quality prints. Epson’s 785EPX is the first printer designed specifically for digital photography and at $200 this mid level unit performs like it cost much more (industry standard HP PhotoSmart 1215 costs twice as much) The 785EPX comes standard with a CF type I slot (and a coupon to exchange that option for either a Smart Media or Sony Memory Stick option). The Stylus Photo 785EPX supports the CF type II/IBM Microdrive and SD memory cards, but you’ll have to buy the optional adapter.

Features

Print Image Matching PIM technology (digital camera works directly with the printer to produce automatically optimized digital prints)

Variable Ink Droplet Technology (for tack sharp detail, improved clarity, and contrast/depth nuances)

Printing without a computer

Fast and simple set-up

Technical Specifications

6-color printing for photo-quality prints
Resolution: 2880X720 DPI
Compatibility: CF type I & II, Smart Media, IBM MicroDrive, Sony Memory Stick, and Secure Digital
Maximum Print Size: 8.5X14
1-year warranty
PIM: Print Image Matching compatible
Ink Cartridge: Dual (black/color) T007201/T008201

Included


Drivers & Utilities, EPSON Software, T007201/T008201


Optional

1.6” Print Preview monitor (attaches above printer control panel) $99.00

Ink Cartridges

Epson "smart" ink cartridges have a computer chip that keeps track of the ink levels. In real terms, this means that a partially used cartridge can be removed (and then replaced later) without confusing the ink level readouts in the printer driver. This can be important if you have a big job and ink levels are running low. The Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX inkjet printer uses Epson cartridges T007201/T008201 (or cheaper compatibles).


Nuts & Bolts

I have a good friend who has been teaching me the intricacies of Adobe PhotoShop. He asked me if I would like to help him test a couple of new printers (he sells and distributes cameras and photo equipment) and since I love playing with new techno toys, I agreed immediately. We got together and printed images from the Nikon Coolpix 5000, the Olympus E20N (both five megapixel digital cameras) and Minolta Dimage Five and Canon Powershot S30 (bothe 3 megapixel cameras) and images from the Canon Powershot S40 and the Sony DSC S85 (both 4 megapixel digital cameras) that we had shot on earlier photographic outings. When used with an Epson color cartridge and photo grade paper the images are very good, in fact, they’re as good as ninety per cent of the ink jet photo printers currently available. The 8X10 Prints my friend and I made with the Epson Stylus Photo 785EXP are some of the best that I have seen. They were as good as Kodak ISO 100 print film enlargements and in some cases on par with Elitechrome ISO 200 slide film inter-negative prints in terms of color, contrast, and dynamic range. The printer did yeoman work with all images, creating prints that contained enough detail and resolution/contrast/color subtleties to distinguish the relative merits (and faults) of the individual cameras

How it Works

To use the Stylus Photo 785EPX (without a computer) insert your camera's memory card into the printer's CF slot. The printer will list the photos on its small (but adequate) LCD panel. You can't view photos on the LCD panel. To see the images direct from the CF card, you'll want to purchase the optional $99.00 1.6” color preview monitor (a tiny LCD screen that sits atop the printer's control panel) that permits users to view and select images directly from CF/SM cards. The images are shown on the monitor and the menu allows you to select paper type, image size, print resolution, and more without a PC. My friend and I filled a 32Mb CF card with a variety of shots (taken under differing light conditions) and then printed out 4x6 and 8x10 images without a computer. It was a slow process, but everything worked very well.

The 785EPX works fine without a computer, but for lots more control (and much larger images) you’ll need to connect the printer to your PC. Installation only takes a couple of minutes and the CD-ROM includes drivers for Windows 98, 2000, and ME and Mac OS 8.5 or later. Epson doesn’t include a USB cable (a strange omission) so you’ll have to purchase your own. The CD-ROM includes Epson's Film Factory and ArcSoft's PhotoImpression applications for image editing/manipulation/management. The Stylus Photo 785EPX allows users to tweak settings and images can be brightened, darkened, color-balanced, or sharpened. You can turn a color photograph into a B&W image or add sepia tone, all without a computer. The 785EPX is pretty slow (it takes about twice as long to print an 8X10 as with the HP PhotoSmart 1215) but the 785EPX can produce sharp, perfect color 8x10 photographs (especially if you use Epsons Premium Glossy Photo paper).

With Epson’s new Print Image Matching (PIM) technology, which utilizes digital camera parameters (to maximize the print information written into each image file) such as gamma level, color space, contrast, sharpness, brightness, saturation, shadow and highlight detail, and color balance, the printer can produce macro photos that emphasize sharpness and clarity, or portraits that feature soft focus and subtle flesh tones (without Photoshop). Does PIM actually work? We printed a selected image twice (once with PIM turned off and once with PIM on) and there was a difference between the prints in terms of contrast, color, and sharpness. The differences are not stunning or unbelievable, but they are obvious and consistent.

Handling & Operation

Start the printer up and you’ll notice how noisy the pump up and nozzle clean cycle is. While some users will find this time consuming start up cycle irritating, it is necessary for the piezo printing technology that Epson uses to properly prime the feed lines and ensure that all of the nozzles are clear. The process does waste a small amount of ink but results in more accurate printing and fewer clogging problems. The Epson Sylus Photo 785EPX is reasonably fast unless you are using the 2880dpi mode, which greatly extends print times and increases ink usage exponentially. The 2880dpi Resolution mode can only be selected with Photo Paper, Premium Glossy Paper or Glossy Film media settings and cannot be used with the borderless option. The 1440dpi and 720dpi modes will probably meet most of your needs.

Be sure to turn the printer off as soon as you finish using it, this moves the cartridges over the printhead and seals it closed, which helps cut down on clogging and reduces the amount of ink used during the start-up cycle. Epson printers have permanent print heads, rather than the more common (and less expensive) thermal heads that are a part of the ink cartridge. The Epson print heads are prone to clogging if the unit isn’t used frequently, but they do a better job of rendering detail than the thermal heads that you throw away when the cartridge is empty. This difference in design/function is the reason for the pump-up cycle that all Epson printers go through when first turned on. We did forget and leave the printer on for an extended period (several days) which rendered the unit temporarily un-usable. If you forget to turn the unit off after each use you’ll find the heads so clogged that the EPX 785 can’t be used until after some serious user maintenance.

Print Quality

Print quality was consistently very good. While the prints from this (or any home photo printer) unit will not equal “custom” prints, the output from the Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX has the best balance of features, print quality, and price currently available. When used with an Epson color cartridge and Epson photo grade paper the images are exceptional, as good as ninety per cent of the ink jet photo printers currently available. 8X10 Prints my friend and I made with the Epson Stylus Photo 780 and Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX were some of the best digital prints that I have ever seen, easily as good as Kodak ISO 100 print film (mass market) enlargements in terms of color, contrast, and dynamic range.

We printed images (over a two month period) from the five megapixel Nikon CP 5000 and Olympus E20N the four megapixel Sony DSC S85 and Canon Powershot S40, the 3 megapixel Minolta Dimage five and Canon Powershot S30 and the two megapixel Canon Powershot A20 and Fuji Finepix 2600. The printer did superb work with all of the cameras creating prints that contained enough detail to distinguish nuances in color, contrast, and overall resolution. Differences between the various cameras were clearly discernible and overall print quality (using a Mamiya 4X loupe designed for inspecting medium format prints) was incredible for a two hundred dollar ink jet printer.

Color Ink Jet Printers vs Photo Quality Printers

Photo Quality ink jet printers differ from standard color ink jet printer primarily in the ability of the printers brains and print heads to translate image data into more subtle and intricate spray patterns. Complex print head capabilities render richer colors and more accurate highlight detail.

Paper

While photo paper comes in many different varieties, the most important distinction is whether the paper is porous or non-porous. Porous papers have micro-porous coatings, which soak up ink like a sponge. Porous papers allow for faster printing and drying but the inks never dry completely, which means they are more likely to fade when exposed to environmental factors like light. Non-porous papers are coated with an ozone resistant polymer which means they print and dry more slowly, but are less likely to fade.

Ink

Photo Quality printers customarily use pigment based inks which portray colors more accurately (and are more fade resistant) than the dye based inks used in standard color printers.

Print Longevity

One very serious concern with digital prints is longevity. Silver based images (with proper display/storage) from slow speed slide film or fine grained B&W films have a life span of from fifty to one hundred years plus. Digital prints begin to fade the moment the print is finished. Nobody really knows what sort of life span can be expected from digital prints (they haven’t been around long enough to establish any verifiable longevity parameters) so it is very important to maximize the potential life span by using non-porous papers, the best quality inks available, and framing the prints behind glass as soon as they are completely dry. If you plan to use your photo quality printer to buzz off some snapshots for Aunt Mary then this may not be an important consideration. However, if you plan to print larger prints for display or preserve family memories, then you’ll need to carefully print and display your images using materials that are likely to prolong the life span of your images.

A Few Concerns

Early production runs of this printer had user complaints about “roller marks” in the image area, a problem that Epson has evidently corrected. There may be some of these first generation 785EPX printers (with this problem) still out there, so make sure that you can return the printer if it exhibits this trait. Be very careful to turn off this printer (and it’s sibling the Epson Stylus Photo 780) after each use.

Conclusion

Over the past year prices have fallen steadily on photo quality printers, image management/manipulation software, and digital cameras; making the home digital darkroom an option for more and more photographers. Epson is aggressively seeking to increase their photo printer market share by offering great features, quality output, and bargain prices to attract new customers. The Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX is a very good mid-level photo printer that is competitive with units costing much more. The Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX is a bit slow (especially in the full-bleed mode) so if speed is important this printer is not going to measure up for you. However if you have the time and image quality and price are your primary concerns then the Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX just may be the best photo printer deal around.

Final Word

Epson Ink cartridges are cheaper than comparable ink cartridges from competitors, and they last a long time. We have printed almost thirty 8X10’s with this printer (and numerous 5X7’s as well) and the original cartridges are still going strong. The Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX was number four on the CNET Editor’s Picks list of the Top Five Ink Jet Printers for 2001*

* http://www.cnet.com


Are you considering spreading your imaging wings and setting up a digital darkroom? Check out my review of a bargain priced and very capable photo quality ink-jet printer.

The Epson Stylus Photo 780 ink-jet Printer
http://www.epinions.com/content_54223670916

For information on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:

http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1

For more information about specific Digital Camera models, please see my Digital Camera Reviews:

Nikon Digital Cameras

Nikon Coolpix 5000
http://www.epinions.com/content_52720406148

Nikon Coolpix 885
http://www.epinions.com/content_46290931332

Nikon Coolpix 995
http://www.epinions.com/content_40256769668

Nikon D1X
http://www.epinions.com/content_36023996036

Nikon D1
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-4868-E2433E5-38737CF8-prod2/tk_~CB003.1.78

Nikon Coolpix 880
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2DA8-DF21E52-39E118CA-prod5

Nikon Coolpix 990
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-3B78-3C431D90-3A345313-prod3

Canon Digital Cameras

Canon Powershot S40
http://www.epinions.com/content_59617087108

Canon Powershot S30
http://www.epinions.com/content_59041746564

Canon Powershot A20
http://www.epinions.com/content_56389701252

Canon Powershot G2
http://www.epinions.com/content_47646084740

Canon Powershot S10
http://www.epinions.com/content_7563808388/tk_~CB003.1.74

Canon EOS D30
http://www.epinions.com/content_11625991812/tk_~CB003.1.58

Canon Powershot PRO 90IS
http://www.epinions.com/content_30440001156/tk_~CB005.1.9

Canon Powershot G1
http://www.epinions.com/content_8768294532/tk_~CB003.1.70

Canon Powershot PRO 70
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-6496-25768DA-38C3E01A-prod9/tk_~CB003.1.70


Sony Digital Cameras

Sony DSC F707
http://www.epinions.com/content_60512439940

Sony DSC S85
http://www.epinions.com/content_51957567108

Sony MVC-CD 300
http://www.epinions.com/content_45591793284

Sony DSC-S50
http:http://www.epinions.com/content_15885897348

Sony Mavica MVC-CD1000
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-5F01-365BA12-3980602C-prod3/tk_~CB003.1.14

Olympus Digital Cameras

Olympus Camedia C3020
http://www.epinions.com/content_57190944388

Olymous Camedia E 20N
http://www.epinions.com/content_54953348740

Olympus Camedia C3040
http://www.epinions.com/content_42675179140

Olympus Camedia C3000
http://www.epinions.com/content_26106105476/tk_~CB003.1.30

Olympus Camedia E10
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-59FB-183DFC73-3A17388F-prod2/tk_~CB003.1.42

Fuji Digital Cameras

Fuji Finepix 2600 Zoom
http://www.epinions.com/content_58485149316

Fuji Finepix S1 “PRO”
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-5591-16816C34-39047A87-prod5/tk_~CB003.1.18

Minolta Digital Cameras

Minolta Dimage 5
http://www.epinions.com/content_49104522884


Just “cut’n’paste” the URL into your browser’s address window.





















Recommend this product? Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 199.00
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh