Epson announced a breakthrough in professional printing technology with the introduction of the 13-inch SureColor P700 and 17-inch SureColor P900 desktop photo printers. Replacing the SureColor P600 and SureColor P800 printers — released in 2014 and 2015, respectively – these new printers draw from over 20 years of experience to incorporate the same large format printing technology used by the world’s leading photographers into a sleek, compact design, allowing for the creation of exhibition quality prints from the convenience of the desktop.

“Fifteen years ago, Epson stunned the industry with the Stylus Pro 3800 that provided unprecedented creative control for photographers, allowing them to print up to 17-inches wide without a darkroom,” said Reed Hecht, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America. “With the introduction of the SureColor P700 and SureColor P900, a new generation of photographers will experience another breakthrough in printing technology – truly redefining not only the photographic print but also the printing workflow.”

The new SureColor P700 and SureColor P900 are the smallest professional 13 and 17-inch printers in their class, with a 30 percent size reduction from Epson’s previous generation printers, and are designed for use in photography, graphic design, fine art, and illustration.

The printers tout a new 10-channel MicroPiezo AMCTM printhead to increase productivity, with dedicated channels for both Photo and Matte Black ink types – no ink switching necessary. Featuring new UltraChrome PRO10 pigment ink with Violet, the SureColor P700 and SureColor P900 deliver an extremely wide color gamut and support Advanced Black and White Mode to create unparalleled, professional black and white photographs.

According to Henry Wilhelm, director of research at Wilhelm Imaging Research, the world’s leading independent print permanence testing laboratory, Epson’s new printers and inks are currently undergoing comprehensive ten-factor testing with a range of papers and canvas, with both color prints and B&W prints made using Epson’s Advanced Black and White Mode. “Preliminary data for the Epson 10-color UltraChrome PRO10 pigment inks in the new SureColor P700 and SureColor P900 create stunning museum-quality prints with WIR Display Permanence ratings that we believe will equal the ratings achieved by the current UltraChrome PRO12 inks of up to 200 years for color prints and up to 400 years for B&W prints. Prints framed with UV-absorbing acrylic – and those displayed under LED illumination – will achieve significantly higher ratings.”

For the first time, users can easily print directly from iOS devices to the SureColor P700 and SureColor P900 in a color-managed workflow. Using an updated mobile version of Epson Print Layout software, full support, and color management tools are provided for iPhone and iPad printing. These printers also feature a new print driver mode – Carbon Black – which dramatically increases Dmax by up to 11 percent, for best-in-class black density and reduced bronzing and gloss differential on glossy papers.

The SureColor P700 can accommodate both roll and cut-sheet media, and the SureColor P900 accommodates cut-sheet media, and an optional fully enclosed roll media adapter supports both 2-inch and 3-inch rolls and roll printing up to 10 feet long. Additional features include a 4.3-inch customizable touchscreen, upgraded wireless connectivity including 5GHz and an interior LED light to watch the progress of a print.

To summarize, the key features of the new Epson SureColor P700 and P900 printers are as follows:

• UltraChrome PRO10 10-color ink technology with up to a 6 percent wider color gamut than the SureColor P600 and P800 printers
• New MicroPiezo AMC print head with dedicated channels for photo black and matte black. This means no more black ink switching when changing paper types
• Carbon Black Overcoat technology results in improved black density on glossy media
• Dramatically smaller physical size compared to the P600 and P800 printers
• New 4.3″ touchscreen control panel
• Improved media feeding options

The Epson SureColor P700 and P900 printers are now available to order with shipment expected to begin in early May. The estimated price for the new P700 and P900 printers are $799 and $1,195 respectively.

More info on Epson’s website.