Should I replace my Epson Photo 700?

Hi all,

I recently bought a 4 megapixel digital camera and would like to print some
photos at home in A4 size.

With my Epson Photo 700 the prints look pretty good, but I'm wondering if a
newer Epson or other brand would produce noticably better prints.

Should I upgrade or stick with my 700?

Any advice greatly appreciated.
--
Ben Thomas
Melbourne, Australia

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:42:12 GMT, BenOne© wrote:

Hi all,

I recently bought a 4 megapixel digital camera and would like to print some
photos at home in A4 size.

With my Epson Photo 700 the prints look pretty good, but I'm wondering if a
newer Epson or other brand would produce noticably better prints.

Should I upgrade or stick with my 700?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Things have improved a fair amount since the 700, but possibly not
enough to warrant replacing it. I would look at some print samples.

I went a LONG time with a 4-color ESC 600 before finally getting my
1280. That was much more of a change than you will se going from the
700 to a newer printer.
**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

The ink in the 700 has no archival properties. So if you want your photos
to last I would upgrade to a newer model.



"Mark Herring" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:42:12 GMT, BenOne© wrote:

Hi all,

I recently bought a 4 megapixel digital camera and would like to print
some
photos at home in A4 size.

With my Epson Photo 700 the prints look pretty good, but I'm wondering if
a
newer Epson or other brand would produce noticably better prints.

Should I upgrade or stick with my 700?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Things have improved a fair amount since the 700, but possibly not
enough to warrant replacing it. I would look at some print samples.

I went a LONG time with a 4-color ESC 600 before finally getting my
1280. That was much more of a change than you will se going from the
700 to a newer printer.
**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

Good point

Is the ink in my 1280 better than in the 700?

Of course, you can always get 3rd party ink and refill the carts.

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 09:23:12 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

The ink in the 700 has no archival properties. So if you want your photos
to last I would upgrade to a newer model.



"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:42:12 GMT, BenOne© wrote:

Hi all,

I recently bought a 4 megapixel digital camera and would like to print
some
photos at home in A4 size.

With my Epson Photo 700 the prints look pretty good, but I'm wondering if
a
newer Epson or other brand would produce noticably better prints.

Should I upgrade or stick with my 700?

**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

Yes the ink in the 1280 has archival quality inks. The inks in the 700 will
only last several years.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
...
Good point

Is the ink in my 1280 better than in the 700?

Of course, you can always get 3rd party ink and refill the carts.

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 09:23:12 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

The ink in the 700 has no archival properties. So if you want your
photos
to last I would upgrade to a newer model.



"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:42:12 GMT, BenOne© wrote:

Hi all,

I recently bought a 4 megapixel digital camera and would like to print
some
photos at home in A4 size.

With my Epson Photo 700 the prints look pretty good, but I'm wondering
if
a
newer Epson or other brand would produce noticably better prints.

Should I upgrade or stick with my 700?

**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

Well, it depends on what you mean by archival....

Here is a reference to the Epson site that I posted to another thread:

Here's the link to Epson archival info. If this does not work, go to
Epson site, click on Paper and Media. Then click on any of the paper
types, and click the link that say's "Print Permanence Ratings"

Caution: long URL:

http://www.epson.com/cmc_upload/0/00...n%20Papers.pdf


For the 1280 and similar printers they claim 27 years with colorlife
paper. The real "archival" printers are much more.

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:13:53 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

Yes the ink in the 1280 has archival quality inks. The inks in the 700 will
only last several years.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
Good point

Is the ink in my 1280 better than in the 700?

**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

We are splitting hairs. There is no archival qualities for the 700. 27
years is much longer than nothing. Also if you use the Epson scrapbooking
paper you can get 200 plus years of archival life with dye based inks. This
has been certified by Wilhelm.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
...
Well, it depends on what you mean by archival....

Here is a reference to the Epson site that I posted to another thread:

Here's the link to Epson archival info. If this does not work, go to
Epson site, click on Paper and Media. Then click on any of the paper
types, and click the link that say's "Print Permanence Ratings"

Caution: long URL:


http://www.epson.com/cmc_upload/0/00...n%20Papers.pdf


For the 1280 and similar printers they claim 27 years with colorlife
paper. The real "archival" printers are much more.

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:13:53 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

Yes the ink in the 1280 has archival quality inks. The inks in the 700
will
only last several years.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
Good point

Is the ink in my 1280 better than in the 700?

**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

WOW---200 years for dye. Do you have a reference, URL, etc.??

Did not mean to split hairs. I understand that 1280 is better than
earlier dyes, but pigment is better still---n'est-ce pas?

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 01:44:59 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

We are splitting hairs. There is no archival qualities for the 700. 27
years is much longer than nothing. Also if you use the Epson scrapbooking
paper you can get 200 plus years of archival life with dye based inks. This
has been certified by Wilhelm.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
Well, it depends on what you mean by archival....

Here is a reference to the Epson site that I posted to another thread:

Here's the link to Epson archival info. If this does not work, go to
Epson site, click on Paper and Media. Then click on any of the paper
types, and click the link that say's "Print Permanence Ratings"

Caution: long URL:


http://www.epson.com/cmc_upload/0/00...n%20Papers.pdf


For the 1280 and similar printers they claim 27 years with colorlife
paper. The real "archival" printers are much more.

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:13:53 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

Yes the ink in the 1280 has archival quality inks. The inks in the 700
will
only last several years.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
Good point

Is the ink in my 1280 better than in the 700?

**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".



**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

Yes you are correct that pigment is better than dye for archival but dye
still gives a better looking print.


http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/P...aper+%26+Media


Overview
a.. Top quality, 100% cotton photo paper that is coated
on both sides
b.. Our most archival paper! Independently tested to
last up to 200 years in dark album storage conditions¹, as tested with Epson
inks
c.. Perfect for photo albums: Natural white color, Acid
free, Lignin free and Buffered
d.. Easy-to-use bonus software included with both sizes
e.. Guaranteed to work with ALL ink jet printers

The ideal paper for printing beautiful quality, matte
photos and scrapbook-safe elements for your pages. Use it to print clip art,
headlines, borders or journaling, for full page backgrounds, or patterns
from the Print Lab Series "Spectacular Scrapbooks" options. Custom design
entire digital pages, printing photos and text, all on one sheet. We make it
easy with bonus software from ArcSoft. The letter size paper comes with
Collage Creator, a program that makes it simple to print either colorful
elements or create complete customized pages. The 12" x 12" size paper
includes Panorama Maker, a program that enables you to easily scan your 12"
x 12" pages with a letter size scanner and to print or save copies in their
original 12" x 12" size. It's the perfect choice for making photo-quality
copies of your 12" x 12" layouts or books.




* The prices displayed on this Internet site are for
purchases directly from Epson. Dealer Prices may vary.

¹ Album storage ratings based on accelerated testing by
Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. with Epson ink that simulates storage of
prints kept in archival sleeves in a high-quality photo album protected from
light and stored at 72°F and 50% RH. Actual print stability in an album will
vary depending on relative humidity, temperature, light exposure and
atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee longevity of prints. See
www.wilhelm-research.com for details.




More Information

Overview

Specifications









"Mark Herring" wrote in message
...
WOW---200 years for dye. Do you have a reference, URL, etc.??

Did not mean to split hairs. I understand that 1280 is better than
earlier dyes, but pigment is better still---n'est-ce pas?

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 01:44:59 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

We are splitting hairs. There is no archival qualities for the 700. 27
years is much longer than nothing. Also if you use the Epson
scrapbooking
paper you can get 200 plus years of archival life with dye based inks.
This
has been certified by Wilhelm.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
Well, it depends on what you mean by archival....

Here is a reference to the Epson site that I posted to another thread:

Here's the link to Epson archival info. If this does not work, go to
Epson site, click on Paper and Media. Then click on any of the paper
types, and click the link that say's "Print Permanence Ratings"

Caution: long URL:



http://www.epson.com/cmc_upload/0/00...nce%20on%20Eps
on%20Papers.pdf


For the 1280 and similar printers they claim 27 years with colorlife
paper. The real "archival" printers are much more.

On Fri, 09 Jan 2004 22:13:53 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

Yes the ink in the 1280 has archival quality inks. The inks in the
700
will
only last several years.


"Mark Herring" wrote in message
.. .
Good point

Is the ink in my 1280 better than in the 700?

**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".



**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 12:27:39 GMT, "Safetymom123"
wrote:

Yes you are correct that pigment is better than dye for archival but dye
still gives a better looking print.

Ageed--especially on glossy


http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/P...aper+%26+Media


Overview
a.. Top quality, 100% cotton photo paper that is coated
on both sides
b.. Our most archival paper! Independently tested to
last up to 200 years in dark album storage conditions¹, as tested with Epson
inks

Thanks for the info.

"Dark storage" is the key.

It occurs to me that the community worries a lot more about print life
than we ever did with "conventional".

Pre-digital, I did a lot of B&W darkroom work and got VERY into
archival processing. For color developed at the drugstore, I never
thought about it. Now I have MANY old snaps that are faded.

I also now have prints from my old Epson 600 that have NOT faded.
**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".