The Epson Stylus Photo 2200's only limitation is the imagination of the user
Written: Jan 02 '05 (Updated Jan 30 '05)
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Pros: Great archival prints, lots of pro features, separate ink tanks
Cons: Cost, slower than its competition, complex, paper selection is critical
The Bottom Line: The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 takes the digital darkroom from concept to reality
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo 2200 InkJet Printer |
Like many veteran photographers, I've always regarded shooting images and printing images as two distinct and completely separate art forms. There were (and are) of course exceptions, photographers who were also great printers (Ansel Adams and Bill Brandt come immediately to mind) but many famous photographers (Man Ray, Eliot Porter, Ernst Haas, and Henri Cartier-Bresson) entrusted their most important images to master printers. Photographers in the digital age don't have to deal with this creative quandary. High-resolution digital cameras, highly adaptive Adobe Photoshop and other image manipulation/management programs, and very capable feature rich photo printers make it possible for virtually anyone to print exceptional images. The only problems facing modern day photographers are a steep learning curve and hard decisions about the plethora of product choices.
I have an old friend who sells digital and film cameras and photographic equipment. A bit over a year ago his Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX finally wore out and he bought an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 to replace it. My first experience with my friend's new printer was last winter. He'd shot some close-ups of fallen leaves glazed with heavy frost. The sun was bright and the oblique winter morning "golden" light was gorgeous, so my friend wandered around until he was able to back-light one bright yellowish fan shaped Ginkgo leaf so that it glowed and the frost crystals along the leaf edges blazed like a row of tiny diamonds. He shot several RAW exposures with a 6 megapixel Fuji S7000 digital camera (set to the Chrome color option). After converting the CCD RAW files to TIFF, he ran them through photoshop (my friend is a very skilled Photoshop user) and then sent the three best (all high contrast images with a wide dynamic range) to the new printer. The Epson 2200's 8X10's weren't quite on par with custom slide prints, but they were very good, much better than expected -- an amazing performance from a printer still at the factory default settings.
After we reviewed the leaf close-up enlargements with a Mamiya 4X loupe, we printed some 8x10s from image files captured with four digicams we'd recently tested. Over the past couple of years we've developed a simple color test that works very well and allows us to compare results from one digital camera to another. We use a large cardboard box (with the front and top panels cut away) lined with white photographic background paper. We first auto white balance the camera (using the white background paper) and then set up and shoot a selection of brightly colored (red, blue, green, purple, orange, and yellow) plastic kiddie beach toys with the camera mounted on a tripod under a very simple single overhead softbox lighting set-up. This test allows us to compare color/hue correctness and White Balance accuracy from camera to camera. Those first 8X10 Prints my friend made with the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 were some of the best digital prints that I had seen up to that point. Those prints (still at the 2200's factory default settings) contained enough shadow/highlight detail and resolution/contrast/color subtleties to distinguish the relative merits (and faults) of the four individual cameras. They were as good as most commercial ISO 100 print film enlargements and in a couple of instances on par with commercial ISO 200 slide film inter-negative prints in terms of color, contrast, and dynamic range.
My friend hopes to one day publish a book of images of "Kitschy" commercial signs that he's been shooting for the past several years. He'd always been reluctant to print those images digitally, but the Epson Stylus Photo 2200's archival pigment inks allowed him to tweak each image through a series of prints until he got just what he wanted, without his having to worry about his proof prints fading or color shifting once he got them just right.
NUTS & BOLTS
The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 generates dazzling color or B&W prints at resolutions up to 2880x1440. Epson’s engineers developed a new print head with 96 nozzles X seven colors to translate image data into more subtle and intricate spray patterns. The 2200's print heads render richer colors and more accurate highlight detail due to the tiny four picoliter ink droplets (four picoliter pigment based ink droplets are comparably equivalent to two picoliter dye based ink droplets) for crisp colorful film like print quality.
Set Up & Printer Controls
The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 provides a logical and minimal control array, and basic operation is relatively simple. Initial setup is similar to other inkjet printers. Begin by installing the 7 ink cartridges -- Photo Black (or optional Matte Black), Light Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta and Yellow. Next, follow the printer setup instructions, wait about 90 seconds for the printer to run through the initial pump up and charging cycle, install the MS-Windows/MAC driver for your Work Station's OS, and run a Head Alignment test to make sure the 2200 is ready to rock and roll.
Users must first calibrate their monitors; this is an essential step in getting absolutely accurate color. Then they will need to decide whether to run printing from Photoshop with color management ON, or from the Epson printer window with color management ON. If you run from Photoshop, Epson color management must be turned OFF or prints will have a purplish/magenta cast. The 2200's biggest drawback is its complexity (this printer is not for neophytes). Photographers will need to invest some quality time in getting to know the printer to get the most out of it, but the steep learning curve (once mastered) pays off in consistently exceptional prints, not to mention savings in time, paper, and ink.
Ink
The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 uses 7 (Photo Black, Light Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta and Yellow) pigment based inks (plus one optional/interchangeable alternative Matte black ink) to produce hue accurate, fade resistant, and water resistant archival prints with incredible shadow/highlight detail, beautiful skin tones, and an incredibly broad color range.
Epson's "smart" ink management system uses a computer chip in each cartridge (that counts each ink droplet used) to continuously measure ink levels. In real terms, this means that a partially used cartridge can be removed (and replaced later) without confusing the ink level readouts in the printer driver, which can be important if you have a big job and ink levels in some cartridges are running low.
The 2200 features two standard black ink cartridges — Photo Black and Light Black (gray) -- the Photo Black cartridge can be replaced at any time with an optional matte Black cartridge, which is designed to improve shadow detail when printing on matte paper like Epson Enhanced Matte or Epson Velvet Fine Art. Each cartridge costs between $10.00 and $14.00, and some merchants offer package deals (all seven cartridges) for $79.00 to $90.00. Photo Black, Cyan and Magenta cartridges drain quickest, so it is a good idea to have extra cartridges in those colors on hand at all times.
PIM Technology
Epson's Print Image Matching (PIM) technology utilizes digital camera processing parameters to maximize the print information written to each image file (color space, contrast, sharpness, brightness, saturation, shadow and highlight detail, and color balance) the printer can then 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) there were obvious differences between the prints, in terms of contrast, color, and sharpness. The differences are subtle, but they are noticeable and consistent.
Connectivity
IEEE 1394 (FireWire), bi-directional IEEE 1284 (parallel), & USB 2.0
Printing
Start the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 up and you'll notice immediately how quiet it is in comparison to earlier Epson Ink Jet printers like the EPX785 (really noisy operation and loud pump up and nozzle clean cycle). Epson ink jet 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 permanent print heads do a better job of rendering fine detail than the thermal heads that come with many ink jet printers. This difference in design/function is the reason for the pump-up and nozzle-clean cycle that all Epson printers go through when first turned on.
My friend insists on turning the printer off after each use, because he left his Epson Stylus Photo 785EXP on 24/7, and he had nozzle-clogging problems until he started turning it off after each use. His 2200 has never had a single clogging episode, but I don't know whether this is because Epson corrected the problem or if it really is important to turn off the printer when it is not in use.
The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 is a reasonably fast printer (a basic 8X10 can be printed in under 4 minutes), but it is not as fast as the Canon S9000. A 2880X1440 resolution image printed at 13X19 inches print takes thirty minutes plus (depending on paper choice), but a 300 dpi TIFF 8x10 can be printed at the (almost as good) 1,440X1,440 resolution in about 15 minutes. The 2200's UltraChrome pigment based inks dry faster than dye-based inks, so prints are very close to dry when they exit the printer.
Technical Specifications
PC and Mac compatible
7+1 color Pigment based Archival inks
Media: Bond, Luster, Matte, Watercolor, and Glossy Photo Paper
Maximum Resolution: 2880X1440 dpi
Maximum Print Size: 13X19 inches
PIM: Print Image Matching with compatible digital cameras
Ink Cartridges: Separate cartridges for each color
Warranty: 1 year
Street Price Range: $549.00 - $649.00
Included
AC power cord, seven ink cartridges (cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, light black, photo black), roll paper holder, roll paper cutter, and paper catcher, Software CD-ROM, (printer cable not included)
Print Quality
We've printed images with the 2200 over the past year from a broad selection of digital cameras ranging from three to eight megapixels in resolution and this printer consistently created prints that contained enough shadow/highlight detail, and resolution/contrast/color subtleties to easily distinguish performance differences between the various cameras.
The 2200's performance right out of the box is excellent, but color print quality with a little skillful tweaking is downright exceptional. What is just as amazing is the 2200's ability to print stunning fine art B&W images. I have never been impressed with digital B&W prints before, but the 2200's Photo Black and Light Black inks allow this printer to produce classic looking B&W prints (they're even better with matte paper and the optional Matte Black ink instead of the Photo Black ink).
Prints my friend and I made with the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 are some of the best digital prints that I have seen to date, consistently as good as custom ISO 100 print film enlargements and generally comparable to custom ISO 200 slide film enlargements in terms of color, contrast, and dynamic range.
Print Longevity
Archivability (print longevity) is a very important consideration for serious amateur and pro photographers, especially those who sell fine art prints of their work. Silver based images from slow speed slide film or fine-grained B&W films (with proper display/dark storage) have a minimum life span of from fifty to one hundred years. Digital prints from most ink jet printers begin to fade the moment the print is finished. Nobody really knows what sort of life span can be expected from standard digital prints (they haven't been around long enough to establish any verifiable longevity parameters), but most printer manufacturers claim an optimistic life span of 15-25 years (under ideal dark storage conditions). The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 is an archival printer that utilizes Epson color accurate and fade resistant UltraChrome pigment based inks, for prints that Epson claims will last up to 80 years without appreciable fading or color shifting.
Paper
Photo paper comes in many different varieties, but the most important single consideration is whether the paper is porous or non-porous. Porous papers have micro-porous coatings, which soak up ink. Porous papers allow for faster printing, but inks never dry completely and that means images begin to fade and color shift as soon as they are exposed to environmental factors such as heat, light, moisture, and chemical fumes. Non-porous papers are coated with an ozone resistant polymer, which means they don't absorb ink (so they dry completely) and are much less likely to fade.
A Few Concerns
Prints from the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 look much better when printed on matte/luster paper. Images printed on glossy paper just do not look as good, I'm not sure why this is the case, but it IS the case.
Some units from the first production run of this printer generated user complaints about roller marks in the image area, a problem that Epson has evidently corrected. My friend and I haven't seen this problem.
The 2200's most serious fault is its complexity. Users who don't invest the time, paper, and ink to learn how to tweak the very best out of this printer will be disappointed in the output.
It is pretty chintzy of Epson not to include a printer cable with a six hundred dollar printer.
Conclusion
The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 ink jet printer is a serious professional level unit best suited for serious amateur or pro photographers who want to set up a home or small business digital darkroom, owners of small volume graphics/design/color printing businesses, and medium scale sellers of fine art photographic prints. The Epson Stylus Photo 2200 ink jet printer is not the best choice for text printing or everyday use (like making quick snapshot enlargements), but professional photographers, serious amateur shooters, and other committed photography enthusiasts searching for a printer that can produce images to match their creative vision will love this printer.
Awards & Prizes
Best Magazine --- Epson Stylus Photo 2200 -- "Best" printer award
Mac Design Magazine -- Epson Stylus Photo 2200 --"Editor's Choice" award
Photo Trade News -- Epson Stylus Photo 2200 -- "Top Product" Award
PC Magazine -- Epson Stylus Photo 2200 -- "A" rating
For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 334
Trusted by: 1276 members
About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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