Only 720 dpi with Epson 1280?????

Ok,

I'm considering the Epson 2200 and the Epson 1280.

I'm aware that some people have had problems with clogging
ink heads with the 1280. And some people don't like the archival
inks on Premium glossy paper with the 2200.

And i know that most things printed over 300 dpi don't really
matter to the naked eye...so why does the 2200 go up to 1440 and the
1280 only up to 720 dpi if it "doesn't matter"?

Anyone with either of these printers is encouraged to add
any comments.

Slick

 

It matters. The 1280 does 2880 dpi.

Dithering is the answer to your question. Inkjets are not true continuous
tone devices. Each ink droplet is full intensity of one of 6 colors. The
diffusion screen is 2880 dpi, allowing the printer to build up the color.

 

Make that 300 *pixels* per inch.

"Dots" do not equal "pixels." A pixel is the smallest unit of the image
that comes from your camera. It can have any one of thousands or millions
of colors. A dot is the smallest speck of ink that your printer can lay
down. It can be one of four or six colors, or however many different ink
colors your printer uses (count the number of tanks in your ink
cartridges). It usually takes several/many printer dots to reproduce one
image pixel in reasonably accurate color.

 

I've had a 1280 for about 2 years and love it. I print photos at 1440 DPI.
I tried 2880DPI but could not see the difference, and 2880 prints much
slower than 1440. I've read it also uses more ink, but i have no idea if
this is true.

The best thing I did for my 1280 was buy a continuous ink flow system (CFS)
for it This eliminates worrying about running out of ink in the middle of a
print (I do 12" x 36" panoramas o nroll paper), fussing with refilling
cartridges (you'll learn to get real good at this) and it pays for itself
in about a year.

I did have to have the printhead replaced once due to clogged nozzels. Some
people say this is a result of using 3rd party ink in my CFS system. I have
no idea if this is true or not. Others have reported clogged nozzles with
Epson cartridges.

Whichever printer you get be sure to use only paper manufactured by the
printer maker.

 

Someone already pointed out that PPI is the file size you send to the
printer, whereas DPI relates to the actual dot pattern the printer
lays down.

When I first got my 1280, I ran a bunch of tests using a very high
resolution file available from David Chien:

http://www.silverace.com/dottyspotty/

What I found:

Printing beyond 300 PPI showed some improvement, but not enough to get
excited about. Most of my real-world pictures are fine at 200-300.

From 720 DPI to 1440, I saw a noticeable difference. Even so, I print
most snaps at 720---saves time an ink

At 2880, I did see a slight improvement in banding. If I am dong
something really critical, I'll do a test to see if 2880 adds
anything. Otherwise, 1440 is fine.

No clogging issues so far
**************************
Mark Herring, Pasadena, Calif.
Private e-mail: Just say no to "No".

 

over 300 dpi DOES matter - not so much in sharpness and resolution, but
there's a hell of a difference in color rendition. just make an experiment:
print the same pic (preferably in mute pastel shades) at 300 and 1200 dpi,
and you'll be amazed!

 

I've been reading the replies and I think all the answers are correct, but the
original poster is confusing image ppi and print dpi. Images don't need to be
more than 300 ppi. In fact, for a lot of printers, 200-250 may be all that is
required. Prints that have more dpi, are sharper. Above 1440 dpi and the
difference is starting to become hard to tell plus, you are using more ink, so
I think 1440 dpi may be the most practical unless the prints will be displayed
in a gallery.
Lynn

 

Read this:

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Epson_Stylus_Photo_1280/4507-3167_16-4775997.html

At least in one direction, the limit is 720 dpi.


Slick

 

What do you mean by "Banding" exactly? Like the "blocks" i saw
on
a Canon i9000 printout?

Read this:

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Epson_Stylus_Photo_1280/4507-3167_16-4775997.html

The limit is 720 dpi in one direction.

So if you saw a "noticable difference" in the direction that can
go to 2880, then the Epson 2200 should be noticably different from the
1280.


Slick

 

Banding is what you get from any inkjet if the nozzle patterns are not
totally randomized. It will show up as periodic stripes across the image (in
the same direction that the print head moves.) In the extreme, if one nozzle
is clogged, there will be very obvious banding.
In the example that I quoted banding was just BARELY visible in areas of
smooth tone--like a face. At 2880, it was gone

--
******************
Mark Herring
Pasadena, CA, USA
private e-mail: just say no to "No"

*

 

Bottom line: the 1280 is a good printer. I've stopped looking for flaws
through the 10x loupe. They're there to be found, and you don't have to look
very hard. But even knowing what to look for, I can't find it with the naked
eye, let alone find it objectionable.

I don't have any experience with the 2200. I doubt either one would
disappoint, unless you like dye ink on glossy. You won't like the
ultrachromes then. I expect that it compensates with a wider gamut, or is it
simply lightfastness?

Any way, both are good. Shopping features and numbers can be confusing, even
if exhilarating. The nice part is that doesn't have to end even after you
buy. You can think about ink systems, papers, profilers...