My new baby, the Epson SP9900, recently arrived at the doorsteps of my studio. The main difference when compared to my previous SP11880 is that this one takes a max roll width of just 44". In most cases that will be plenty enough. For me the main benefits of this newer model is not so much the extended color space, but rather the ease of operation.
This printer can cut any canvas with its off- carriage, built-in cutter. Which for me means that I no longer have to do cumbersome manual cutting with scissors, and this cutter being off- carriage means that you have less dust- build-up inside the printer, which translates to fewer cleaning cycles, and less waist of expensive ink. Also loading paper rolls is now much easier with the new spindle- less system. With this one I only pop on an adjustable and lockable “plug” in each end and put the roll in. Paper- feed and paper removal is also much easier and more automated.
As for the extended color space, it is not just a marketing gimmick which does not show up in the final print. During the making of my custom color profiles, I have been able to compare the Icc- profiles with my previous ones for the SP11880. By the aid of a very geeky and accurate 3D- comparison in X-Rite's iPublish software solution, I was able to measure a larger than expected increase in color space. I'm currently printing a bunch of canvas prints with this one for upcoming exhibitions, and the prints are coming out looking better than ever.
