First test
PRICE: £678 EPSON.CO.UK Epson SureColor SC-P700
Epson’s latest A3+ pro printer has three paper paths, accepts 13in roll paper and there’s a new violet ink for the best, truest blues. Black ink swapping is a thing of the past, too
SPECS › Prices SureColor SC-P700 £678 Ink cartridges £27.99 each Maintenance tank £19.99 › Maximumprint size 13in wide › Maximum resolution 5760x1440dpi › Printingmethod Variable-sized droplet technology › Ink system UltraChrome Pro 10 › Colours Cyan, vivid magenta, photo black, matte black, grey, light grey, yellow, vivid light magenta, light cyan, violet › Ink capacity 25ml › Nozzle configuration Black/grey: 180 nozzles for each tank (4). Colour: 180 nozzles for each tank (6) › Control panel 4.3in LCD touchscreen › Paper handling Cut sheet – 3.5in to 13in › Paper thickness Front thick media path: 0.3-0.7mm Front straight path: 0.7-1.5mm Roll path: 0.12-0.70mm › Roll paper unit Built in › Power consumption 22W during printing 1.1W sleep mode › Dimensions 51.5x38.8x18.5cm (closed) 51.5x76.9x42cm (open) › Weight 12.6kg without cartridges Contact epson.co.uk TPP. I was also happy with my more subtle mono images too. Colour output was equally pleasing and my sample prints were saturated and accurate, and that was across the various media types I used. The SC- P700's expanded blue gamut certainly made the most of my blue sky shots. Handling was generally very good and the tilting touchscreen worked well and I didn’t have any misfeeds, although loading the roll took a couple of attempts. The printer did emit a variety of sounds during use. A really neat innovation was the internal LED lights so you can check that the print is being made in the correct orientation immediately and you can cancel if not. In my test, I made about the equivalent of 25 A3-sized images and the most-used ink was light grey, which was about 50% down, while light cyan was about 10% down. WC
Epson has added the SC-P700 and SC- P900 printers to its range, replacing the highly regarded SC-P600 and SC-P800. The newmodels bring along several significant improvements, both in handling and in performance. In this test ,we look at the SC-P700, a printer that can produce A3+ size prints or 13in wide by any length via its integral roll paper holder. Other handling benefits include a large, 4.3in LCD, three paper paths and both photo and matte black inks constantly available, so no more ink-wasting, time-consuming changeover needed. My test sample arrived with initial set-up done, so all I had to do was replace several empty cartridges, clean the printing head and connect it up to my network, all done with the help of the LCD panel. I tried a range of media in the SC-P700, including Traditional Photo Paper (TPP), Premium Lustre, Fine Art Cotton Textured Natural and a roll of PremiumGloss, all from Epson. I made custom profiles using an X-Rite i1 Studio kit. Epson makes bold claims for the SC-P700’s black performance, with a claimed D-Max value of 2.91 with the help of black enhance overcoat technology and a Carbon Black mode, so I picked some gutsy monochromes, as well as a fewmore delicately toned images. Epson also claims true blues,so I selected a few skyscapes, too, in addition to a selection of portraits, nature and landscape images. I enjoyed using the SC-P700 and was happy with output, both colour and mono. I like contrasty mono images with gutsy blacks and clean highlights, but without losing mid- tones, and the SC-P700 delivered in this respect, especially with Epson’s
ABOVE No problem with the test scene, with a lively an accurate colour rendition, clean highlights and deep blacks
Epson has addressed one issue from the previous generation and that’s not having to switch to black inks, which used to take time and cost money. That’s great news – so is having a built-in roll paper unit and having three paper paths to cope with a multitude of media. Add a superb printing performance and you have in the SC-P700 an awesome performer Verdict
perfect for serious enthusiast and pro
users. Its price makes it pretty special, too. Highly recommended.
PROS No black ink swapping, all round printing performance, black enhancement features, accepts 13in roll paper CONS Makes quite a bit of whirring and whining during printing, although it’s not loud
ABOVE Scenes featuring blue skies came out accurately and with good saturation, too. Printed on Epson Traditional Photo Paper
ABOVE Both photo and matte black inks are available, with no need for a changeover
30 Photography News | Issue 81
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