1990: Epson was the Leader of Photo for Pros. Now who else ?

In 1990, Epson was the Leader in Photo Printing for Professionals.
Only their high resolution inkjet printers could approach Photo Quality.
But now Canon has improved a lot with their Prixma.
And the others have also good new features.
But I remember HP saying that : "more than 600 DPI was just marketing stuff !...".
Indead, HP has always refused to increase their output more than 600 DPI !
But is it still the case now ? What is their actual DPI ?
Anyway, could anyone serious consider HP printers for Photo for Pro ?...
If yes, then which Models ?
And then, what about Canon : which models for Photo for Pro ?
Still, Epson is the King, dont you think ?
So, which best Model from epson for Photo for Pros :
- 5770 DPI : is it real or interpollation ? But what do you mean by interpollation, because a printer use hardware to print, and in the other hand, a scanner use memory and software, to mathematically interpollate. So, I understand interpollation in scanners, but I do really not understand what it is standing for in a printer ! Could you clear this point to me ? So, if it is interpollation, what is the real DPI of these Epson ?
- 8 separate ink cartridges hexachromes.
- A4 without borders.
- I am not interested by memory card readers, or pictbridge, or LCD screens...
And what about other type of printers : which ones would be also best for Photo Pro :
- Colour Lazer ? Which ones ?
- Sublimation ? Which ones ?
- Others ? Which ones ?
And what do you think of the multifunctions ?
Have they improved ?
Would you accept them for Photo Pro ?
And then, which ones, from epson, or Canon, or else ?
And also, which one combines a best Photo Printer as well as a best Scanner for Pro use ?
Thanks.
Frederic Laroche.

To bestofcomputers,

Thankfully I know more about printers than scanners. At the risk of making a fool out of myself because you have professional needs, I will take a small stab at some of your questions. And you might be right that in 1990 Epson was at the top of the pack---and still have a following among high end users.--but inkjet technology has improved much since 1990.

Many of the Epson printers use a piezo electric process to basically vibrate ink onto the page. Which also makes the use of pigmented ink possible. Most other manufacters use a thermal technology that vaporises an ink bubble with the implied high temperatures and that vaporised bubble shoots out on the paper.---mostly these printers use a dye based ink. But Canon now tends to rule the roost partly because their printers combine
high quality output with the users ability to gain huge photoprinting economy by the use of non-oem ink.--because the printhead is not on the cartridge itself this grants the users much freedom of choice--unlike HP and Lexmark where the printhead is on the cartridge---Epson also has the printhead seperate from the cartridge but Epsons tend to suffer from printhead clogging problems if not used frequently. Inkjets don't take kindly to long disuse but Canons have removable user cleanable printheads that seldom clog. Plus now all manufacters are going to chips to make it more difficult for users to refill their own printers. Defeating these chips are now much of the consumer isssues with inkjets

A pigmented ink tends to be more fade resistant but the colors are less vibrant. So there is a trade off there which only your eye can judge. But the type of photopaper is also a huge factor also.

In terms of dpi-----once the ink hits the paper it defuses--and even if the drops are as fine as one pico liter in some printers---the degree to which it disperses is largely governed by the paper itself and how its coated. I recommend you check out the nifty stuff forums and a poster called granddad--who has posted some microscopic results on ink dispersal in various type papers. Another good source is steves digicams.

But there are a huge pile of issues to consider in inkjets---consumable costs economy----how many different colors a printer uses---some now use eight colors----what paper to use---how large the output is --A3 or A4 size------will the user use only OEM cartridges or will the user use third party inks----getting custom color profiles for the printer and what software choices will control the printer drivers to give the user better control of the printer output.

I don't know much about dye transfer printers but will say inkjets seem to be the users choice over color lasers in terms of photoprinting.

But those are my general comments from an amateur prespective---you obviously have more professional needs.--and perhaps a matching budgit. But inkjet manufacters make their profits off the ink---and keeping consumers in the dark about issues and hiding quality information seems to be the rule.---so I recommend you do visit both the niffty stuff forums and steves digicams----just google the names----to get users perspectives----lots to digest----and you may get some perspectives from others in regard to narrowing your choices and getting an appreciation of other issues this limited post can barely cover.

But the more you study the issues----the better the choices you can make.
And you won't have buyers regret when you discover you would not have bought that turkey if you had known about this or that problem.