Printmeister general Epson has announced five all-in-one devices, a new budget printer a mid-market scanner and even a new paper stock.
The new £129.99 Stylus Photo RX585 and £199.99 RX685 both use Epson's new six-colour high-definition Claria inks, with individual cartridges costing just £6.99 each. The two PictBridge models also sport Epson's oddly-named REALOID image processor and have a 6.3cm colour preview LCD. The Stylus Photo RX685 adds considerably improved paper handling and allows access to Epson's PhotoEnhance system without need to wake up the PC.
Epson has also announced two super-budget all-in-ones, using the company's DURABrite Ultra inks. Once again, the price of £6.99 has been suggested for each of the four ink cartridges featured in the £79.99 Stylus DX7400 and £99.99 Stylus DX8400. Both are PictBridge units and promise up to 5760dpi resolution in print and a 1200dpi scanner. The DX8400 adds a 6.3cm LCD screen. A more up-market £129.99 Stylus DX9400F brings a fax to the party and there's a WiFi version available for £199.99.
The company's PictureMate series has also been enhanced with two new models. The £99.99 PictureMate PM 260 and £129.99 PictureMate PM 290 can print 6”x4” prints at 5760dpi resolution in just 37 seconds and the PM 290 includes Bluetooth connectivity and a built in CD-RW/DVD drive (the PM 260 has an optional Bluetooth adaptor).
Epson's new V500 Photo scanner delivers 6400dpi optical resolution and is the first CCD scanner to use a white LED light source. It offers a scan to PDF facility and is claimed to have next to no start-up time. The V500 Photo also has a built-in transparency unit.
Finally, Epson has rationalised its consumer photo printer range, as 'good' (190gsm Photo paper), 'better' (225gsm Glossy Photo paper) and 'best' (250gsm Premium Glossy Photo paper). Epson has made the selection process easier by pricing all 'good' paper sizes at £5.99 per pack, all 'better' grade at £7.99 per pack and all 'best' at £9.99 per pack, irrespective of paper size. What changes between them is the number of sheets per pack; for example, an A4 Photo paper pack has 25 sheets for £5.99 where the same Premium Glossy Photo pack has 15 sheets for £9.99.
Everything Epson will be in the shops September 2007.
