Epson’s latest photo printer is designed for enhanced color accuracy, particularly with skin tones — the Epson SureColor P5000 uses 10 different ink colors, including new orange and green cartridges. Announced on Wednesday, the P5000 also uses higher-density black ink for enhanced contrast over the previous generation, the popular Stylus Pro P4900.
With 10-color cartridges, the new printer offers a wider contrast ratio and optically sharper images, as well as twice the print permanence of the earlier options, Epson says. Along with the addition of orange and green inks to the cartridges, the black is now 1.5 times denser than the previous ink. While the color accuracy depends on multiple factors including media type and viewing light, Epson says the professional photographers they worked with were very aware of the color differences between the P5000 and the company’s SureColor P800, both gallery-level printers with identical black and white quality.
Along with the enhanced color accuracy, the P5000’s printhead is designed with a new ink-repellant coating and dust resistant design that helps prevents ink clogs and makes maintenance simpler. The printer’s nozzle is also behind a better gloss uniformity, thanks to new resin encapsulation technology.
The printer, designed for photography and graphic design applications, can hold up to 100 sheets varying in size between an 8 x 10-inch and a 17 x 22-inch print, or auto switch to rolled media for panoramas and other roll prints up to 100 feet long. The printer also accommodates fine art media up to 1.5mm thick, including poster board. The automatic roll feed also differentiates the printer from the SureColor P-800, which has less of the production-level speed of the roll and sheet feeds of the P5000. Borderless printing is available at all the standard widths between eight and 17 inches.
“The SureColor P5000 is a replacement to the last Epson Stylus Pro model still available – the renowned Epson Stylus Pro 4900. The Epson Stylus Pro brand was iconic, and it helped Epson build a pronounced reputation within the photography industry. We have since announced the SureColor product line, which is bringing Epson’s photographic technology to the next level,” said Larry Kaufman, product manager of Professional Imaging at Epson America. “The SureColor P5000 brings all of the SureColor printing technology into a 17-inch desktop model, providing photographers and graphic designers with the best imaging technology has to offer.”
The printer is available now in two ink configurations, one with a Light Light Black ink for smoother transitions designed for photography, fine art and graphic design, and another replacing that lighter black with violet for wider color options in commercial applications. Both configurations will list for $1,995, while a Designer edition with Adobe PostScript 3 and EFI Fiery eXpress 4.6.1 software will sell for $500 more beginning in March.
