>Your approach of using an inkjet is very interesting. I recently bought
>a 360dpi Apple inkjet. It was just awfully slow for image output, but the
>output was acceptable. I wonder how long it takes on your Epson printer..
>BTW, what is the exact model number, so I can make enquiries..
 
On a full-size (8.5 X 11) print at 720dpi, it takes about 15 minutes to
print with 'weaving' turned on and 'high-speed' turned off. These settings
seem to produce the highest quality output. You can speed things up by
changing the density (others available include 360x360 and 180x180), or
by turning off the weaving or turning on high-speed. Weaving produces a
print by overlapping the new print line partially over a previously
printed line and high-speed prints bi-directionally. All of these options
are set in the printer setup window.
 
The printer is officially known as the Epson Color Stylus inkjet printer.
It has been available locally for about two months now. Initially there
was a lack of supplies (ink & special 720dpi paper) but Epson seems to
be catching up on demand and most major computer stores have a stock
of supplies now. The printer comes with both a parallel and a serial port
as standard. There will also be an Appletalk port available as an option.
 
The special paper that is recommended for 720dpi printing is similar to
the clay-coated paper recommended for all inkjets, however, it seems to
be somewhat 'whiter' (i.e. brighter) in its finish. The colors are vibrant
and black&white printing is outstanding.
 
To review the costs, the printer retails locally for between $550 and $600.
The special 720dpi paper costs between $22 and $25 per pack of 200 sheets.
This is 8.5 by 11 paper, but I believe other sizes will be available. The
black ink cartridge sells for between $16 and $20 and the color cartridge
sells for around $30. I have gotten just over 200 copies out of the first
set of cartridges, printing primarily full-size, color prints of scanned
photographs. This is about $0.40 per finished page.
 
Jeff Ingeman
Department of Anatomy
University of California - Irvine
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