Epson replaces Stylus Pro 4900 with 17-inch SureColor P5000, offers 10 inks and precision printing
posted Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 3:00 PM EDT
The final Epson Stylus Pro printer in their lineup, the 17-inch Stylus Pro 4900, has now been replaced. The new 17-inch SureColor P5000 printer offers numerous improvements upon its predecessor while building upon the same foundation of a precision printhead and set of UltraChrome inks. Epson America’s product manager of Professional Imaging, Larry Kaufman, says of the newest addition to Epson’s lineup, “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 [Epson] has to offer.”
The UltraChrome inks at the heart of the P5000 are 200 milliliter UltraChrome HDX 10-color ink cartridges, which utilize new core pigments, including new orange and green inks in addition to new black inks which are 1.5 times denser than previous UltraChrome inks. The PrecisionCore printhead has a refined design as well, including new ink-repellant surface coating and improved dust and static control, which is engineered to result in less nozzle clogging and required maintenance for users. Further, the printer supports printless nozzle checks, so you won’t need to waste ink and paper.
Interestingly, the P5000 supports two different ink configurations. The first, included in the Standard and Designer editions of the printer, uses Light Light Black ink to offer “twice the overall print permanence, smooth and neutral tonal transitions and support of the Epson Advanced Black and White mode,” which makes it the better configuration for photographers. The second ink configuration is available in the Commercial Edition and foregoes Light Light Black ink for a Violet ink, expanding the color gamut and delivering an “industry-best 99 percent Pantone Plus Formula Guide solid-coated color matching.”
Regarding media handling, the P5000 is versatile, including auto-switching between the high-capacity front paper cassette and the roll media feeder. The roll media feeder has a power-driven spindle, which Epson states makes it ideal for roll printing up to 100-feet. It also includes an internal high-speed single pass rotary cutter. The front paper cassette can hold up to 100 sheets of premium paper and can hold sheets up to 17” x 22”. For fine art papers, there is also a front feed straight path for media up to 1.5 millimeters thick. Due to its ability to auto-switch between media, you can have the front cassette and the roll feed loaded at the same time, saving time for users who regularly print from both feeds.
Further improvements and features include: up to twice the overall print permanence compared to the previous generation; 360 nozzles per channel with ink drops as small as 3.5 picoliters; Epson Precision Dot Screening Algorithm, engineered to provide accurate control of ink droplet size; boderless printing at common widths, including up to 17 inches wide; optional SpectroProofer UVS spectrophotometer, developed with X-Rite; and a 2.7-inch full-color LCD control panel.
The Epson P5000 is available for order now and its pricing is as follows:
Epson SureColor P5000 Standard Edition (UltraChrome HDX with Light Light Black), $1,795
Epson SureColor P5000 Commercial Edition (UltraChrome HDX with all-new Violet), $1,795
Epson SureColor P5000 Designer Edition (standard edition plus additional software), $2,295