PUBLICATION CENTER

Epson has announced that the new Stylus Photo R2880 printer will replace the R2400 as the flagship of its 13-in. printer lineup. Like the 24-in. Stylus Pro 7880 and 44-in. 9880, the Stylus Photo R2880 uses Epson’s  MicroPiezo AMC printhead and UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta inks.

Unlike Epson’s recently introduced Stylus Photo R1900, which uses orange and red inks and a gloss optimizer for vivid color prints on glossy and luster photo papers, the  Epson R2880 is designed to produce exhibition-quality prints in both color and black-and-white.

The printer driver on the R2880 includes Epson’s advanced black-and-white mode for precise control of neutral or toned black-and-white prints. When printing in black-and-white, you can choose from one of four presets (neutral, warm, cool, or sepia), or use the custom slider bar and color wheel to further fine-tune images.

 One feature Epson’s R1900 and R2800 have in common is Radiance Technology, a mathematical architecture that optimizes how individual inks are mixed to improve color transitions and reduce grain. Built into the printer software, Radiance Technology allows for improved highlight and shadow detail as well as more consistent color under different lighting conditions.

The R2880 can create prints from 4 x 6 in. to 13 x 44 in. on glossy, luster and matte papers. It also supports 1.3 mm art boards, roll media (including canvas), and fine-art papers. And like the R1900, it can print directly on inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs.

Because the R2880 has two high-speed USB 2.0 ports, you can keep two computers simultaneously connected for seamless printing from either computer. The Stylus Photo 2880 is expected to be available later this month for an estimated street price of $799.