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Epson Unveils the Essential Printers for Digital Photo Enthusiasts: The EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M (10/22/03 - Press Release)
Epson has announced a new 6 ink photo printer which comes in two versions, both with faster photo print speeds, individual color ink tanks, direct printing including PictBridge support and USB Host support, Memory Card slots, borderless printing at all popular photo print sizes (up to 8.3 by 44 inches or panoramas), and direct printing onto DVDs and CDs for high quality labelling. The Epson Stylus Photo R300 is essentially the same printer as the R300M model however the R300M comes with an included 2.5 inch color preview monitor which allows viewing, editing, and selecting pictures before they are printed. Both printers are capable of printing at a resolution of 5760 by 1440 resolution, and they have USB 2.0 connectivity with PCs, as well as the option to connect via BlueTooth with a $69 add-on adaptor. The Photo R300 will sell at a suggested price of $179 and the Photo R300M with the included monitor will sell for $229. We will post a few additional specifications as they become available and we hope to test the print output on models very soon. These look like excellent offerings for digital camera owners to print their photos at home so be sure to check them out! Both models are said to be available immediately at major Epson dealers both online and at retail outlets. Here is the full press release by Epson about these new printers just announced here in the USA this morning.
Update 9:00 am pst: Information up at the Epson Web site confirms these new printers are using Dye-Based inks and that they can achieve an ink-jet drop as small as 3 picoliters, however there is no information that these may be newly formulated inks (as suggested on the Epson Japan Web Site - see Epson story below). 4 by 6 inch prints can be made in as little as 37 seconds. These printers do not support roll sheet printing, however there is less need for this now that Epson is providing 100 cut-sheet 4 by 6 inch Premium Glossy Photo Paper for under $15. The Specifications indicate that the new printers can accept with appropriate adaptors in some cases virtually all types of digital camera memory cards for direct printing without need of a computer or cable, and you can crop and resize etc...in the printer control panel. The website information also confirms that you can UPLOAD images from the printer memory card slots to your PC or DIRECTLY to portable Zip drives and CD-R drives, and at USB 2.0 speeds thus allowing you a faster way to get images from your camera and backed up! There really are fantastic sounding printers, we do hope to test them out very soon!
New Direct Photo Printers Offer Convenient Photo Printing With or Without a Computer, and the Capability to Print Directly onto the Surface of CDs and DVDs
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Oct. 22, 2003-- Epson America Inc. has added two new photo printers to its product line -- the EPSON Stylus® Photo R300 and R300M. The EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M are perfect for digital camera owners who want a flexible and easy to use photo solution. Both printers offer the same convenient and innovative features such as printing directly onto the surface of ink jet printable CDs and DVDs, and being able to print photos with or without a computer. The EPSON Stylus Photo R300M includes a 2.5" color preview monitor for viewing and selecting images before printing them. The preview monitor is not available on the EPSON Stylus Photo R300. These printer models are perfect for the digital photographer who uses a digital camera and wants to share photos with friends and family.
"People are sharing memories now more than ever, and with a printer like the Epson Stylus Photo R300/R300M, anyone can pop in their digital memory card and print out amazing looking photos even without a computer," said Steve Semos, product manager, consumer ink jet printers, Epson. "These printer models not only make it easy and convenient to print photographs, but customers can even personalize CD layouts and print directly onto ink jet-printable CDs and DVDs."
Convenient Photo Printing -- With or Without a Computer
The EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M are designed for digital camera owners and offer up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi for creating images with incredible detail, beautiful skin tones, sharper contrast and an ultra-wide color range and are designed specifically for photography customers. Customers can print beautiful, frame-ready, BorderFree images in all of the popular sizes, including 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", 8.5" x 11", and panoramic size photos.
These printer models make it easy for anyone to crop, resize, save and print photos directly from memory cards or picture CDs without having to use a computer. Customers can also save images from their memory cards directly onto a CD-R or a Zip Disk without using a computer by utilizing the printer's front access host USB port. This port makes it simple to connect the printers to a CD-R drive, Zip drive or PictBridge-enabled digital camera. Additionally, both models are equipped with built-in memory card slots that support CompactFlash® Type I and II, MultiMediaCard, IBM Microdrive(TM), xD-Picture Card, Sony Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, MagicGate(TM) Memory Stick, SmartMedia®, and Secure Digital memory formats.
The printers each have a convenient control panel, which provides customers with the flexibility to make selections such as paper type, paper size and number of copies without having to use a computer. The panel gives users the ability to choose from nine paper types and eight different photo layouts, plus manual adjustments, filters and frames. The control panel also gives users the ability to save their favorite print settings with a simple "one touch" button.
Printing Directly on Ink-Jet Printable CD-R and DVD-R Recordable Media
With the EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M, customers can print directly onto the surface of ink-jet printable CD-R and DVD-R media thus eliminating the expense, inconvenience, and risk of using adhesive labels. Customers can easily design professional-looking CDs and DVDs with customized text, colorful backgrounds and images by using the included CD software. Printing out the CDs is quick and simple with a front loading CD tray that comes standard with the printer models.
Preview Monitor Included with the Stylus Photo R300M
For viewing photos and layouts without using a computer, a 2.5" color preview monitor is included with the EPSON Stylus Photo R300M. This monitor enables customers to review and select images before printing without a computer. It includes a screen saver function, brightness adjustment knob and a tilt mechanism. The monitor also provides an easy way for EPSON Stylus Photo R300M customers to view their cropping selection.
Ink and Media for the R300 and R300M
For the first time in Epson's consumer photo printer line, individual ink cartridges are being utilized to provide an even more affordable home printing solution. With the combination of Epson's exclusive ink technology and high-quality, value-priced papers, customers can reap the benefits of an affordable home printing solution.
The printers also use Epson's fast and convenient quick-drying inks for prints that are immediately dry to the touch and water-resistant on EPSON Premium Photo Papers.
PRINT Image Matching
The EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M both support PRINT Image Matching (P.I.M.) technology to create the best possible prints automatically, without complicated color corrections. Currently there are over 130 P.I.M.-enabled products from 20 manufacturers of digital cameras, printers and software. Exif 2.2 (Exif Print) digital camera standard is also supported by these printer models. More information on P.I.M. as well as a complete and current list of P.I.M.-compatible products is available at www.printimagematching.com.
Bluetooth Printing
An optional Bluetooth Photo Print Adapter is available for use with the EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M. This adapter allows users to print directly from a variety of Bluetooth enabled devices including mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and Windows laptops and desktop PCs. The adapter is currently available for an estimated street price of $69.
Print Speeds and Connectivity
The EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M have fast photo print speeds with a 4" x 6" photo printing in approximately 37 seconds. The printer also handles text with ease and can produce a black text document at up to 15 ppm(a) (pages per minute). The printers are both Macintosh and Windows compatible and offer USB 2.0 Hi-Speed connectivity when using a computer with the printer and a separate USB 1.1 host connection for use with CD-R drives, Zip drives and PictBridge-enabled digital cameras.
Pricing, Availability, Warranty and Support
The EPSON Stylus Photo R300 and R300M are available now for estimated street prices of $179 and $229, respectively, and can be purchased through Epson authorized dealers, mail order, computer superstores, photo specialty stores and on the Epson retail Web site (www.epsonstore.com). The printers carry a one-year warranty and are supported by the EPSON Connection(SM),a customer support and technical assistance line. For more information on Epson and its products, call 1-800-GO-EPSON or visit www.epson.com.
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