2880 vs 2400 – Gamut Comparisons

Printing, Store - DVDs, Workshop  Comment
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Today, Mac Holbert and I started teaching The Fine Art of Digital Printing at the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turners Falls, MA. Epson shipped in new 2880 printers for this special event. Epson’s new 2880 uses UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta. How much does Vivid Magenta expand the gamut? Check out these diagrams – 2D, 3D, and 3D looking at Dmax. The 2400 is in white and the 2880 is in full color. Both are graphing Epson Premium Luster Paper. The graphs indicate warm blues, magentas and greens are where it pays off. Slight increase in Dmax. It’s not a dramatic increase but in specific images (polarized skies and saturated foliage, it can be significant. There are also slight tradeoffs in other areas of the spectrum (wherever the white volume extends beyond the color volume).
Words and pictures can work together to tell a fuller story. These diagrams were made with Chromix’s ColorThink. I use it to graph ICC profiles and compare substrates and to compare inksets. Doing this more clearly illustrates the pros and cons of each.
It’s something I do in all of my color management sessions (like the whirlwind tour of color management participants in the FADP workshop got this morning and the sessions you’ll find on my DVD 6 Simple Steps to Color Management).
Check out my Review of Chromix’s ColorThink used to make these graphs.
Check out Chromix here.
Check out my earlier post on the 2880 here.
Check out the 2880 here.
Check out our workshop the Fine Art of Digital Printing here.
Check out my Fine Digital Print workshop series here.
Check out Hallmark’s post on today’s session.

Epson 2880 Printers at The Fine Art of Digital Printing – Workshop

Workshop  Comment
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See it first and use it at Caponigro & Holbert’s The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop series. Epson’s newest 13″ photo quality printer, the Epson R2880 (list $799)(“The world’s best 13″ printer.”) will be available for participant use at the Hallmark Institute of Photography July 20-25.
Last fall, at the Brooks Institute of Photography, participants were able to use the recently unveiled Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper. Special guests often appear, like Gregory Heisler and Vincent Versace. There are always many surprises in these workshops!
Gregory Heisler said, “Together, Mac and John Paul cover all aspects of fine art digital printmaking in a logical, easily understood format. They generously share their time-tested techniques, sure-fire shortcuts and invaluable personal observations while patiently demystifying the process of digital printmaking at its highest level. Yet they never lose sight of the ultimate goal: to realize the vision of the artist. The image remains paramount.”
Vincent Versace said, “Rarely, if ever do you get the oppertunity to have a teacher show you something that changes the way think and create. Even rarer is when lightening strikes twice. I have never had workshop experience effect me and my work as profoundly as the workshop taught by John Paul Caponigro and Mac Holbert.”
This premiere workshop is the chance of a lifetime. Learn from two master digital print makers at the same time, fresh off their highly successful tour in the Epson Print Academy. The workshops will be held in the state-of-the-art labs of today’s premier photographic educational institutions. This workshop will expose you to a world of new possibilities. The workshop translates photographic language and practices from traditional to digital and exposes participants to a world of new possibilities.
Only a few spaces in both venues are left. Register today!
And if you want to get priority status for next year’s FADP workshops sign up for the Waiting List.
July 20-25, 2008
Hallmark Institute of Photography
Turners Falls, MA
October 26-31, 2008
Brooks Institute of Photography
Santa Barbara, CA
Find out about the Epson R2880 here.
Find out more about The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop here.
Find out about The Fine Digital Print workshop series here.

Epson R2880 Printer – Equipment

Tools  Comment
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Epson announced it’s newest 13″ photo quality printer, the R2880 (list $799), May 27. It began shipping June 2. Epson’s Patrick Chen calls it, “The world’s best 13″ printer.” And he’s right.
The 2880 is a step up from the 2400.
1 It’s fast.
2 It handles diverse media types, both cut sheet and roll, up to 1.3mm thick, and can print directly on CD/DVDs.
3 It uses Epson’s most advanced ink available today – Epson Ultrachrome K3 with Vivid Magenta. This is the same ink available in the 4880, 7880, 9880, and 11880. Three black inks deliver superior exhibition quality black and white printing. Vivid Magenta extends color gamut, particularly in reds, purples, and blues.
4 It has an improved print head (similar to the 4880/7880/9880) that creates extremely fine ink droplets and is specially coated to dramatically reduce nozzle clogs.
5 The new 16 bit compatible driver gives users more control with one screen setup and customizable menus. Not only can you save presets but you can also eliminate paper settings.
6 It incorporates radiance technology, a new mathematical architecture, developed at Munsell Color Science Laboratories at Rochester Institute of Technology, to improve ink selection and dot placement, maximizing color gamut, producing smoother gradation, and reducing metamerism.
7 Its mist collection system sweeps up stray ink droplets, reducing the number of nozzle checks and cleaning cycles necessary, and prolonging the life of the printer. This technology was actually inspired by printers on the space shuttle where stray droplets in zero g can become a significant problem.
It’s rocket science for your desktop.
Read more about the Epson R2880 here.