>Another thing to keep in mind is that inkjet prints do not last as
>long as dye-sub prints.

The new Epson P2000 uses pigmented inks and its prints on archival
paper have been rated for 100-200 years stability by an independent
institution - that's about 5x-8x that of normal photographic and
dye-sub prints and 2-3x that of the best archival photo prints as
rated by the same institution. The printer cost around $800 and
prints full A3 size.

In my opinion, prints made the latest line of Epson photo printers
(870, 1270, P2000) rival the best dye-sub prints I've seen if printed
on the right paper. Sure, they do not produce not continuous tone,
but the dot patterns have become so fine you can only see them with a
magnifying glass or your nose on the paper. Plus they seem to have a
wider color gamut.

Just my two cents

Beat


P.S. We do have Epson printers somewhere in our product portfolio,
but we haven't sold a single one so far so I think I can say I have
only a minimal commercial interest in Epson :-)


LIFE IMAGING SERVICES
               - visit our web site at http://www.lis.ch
+-----------------------------------------------------------
| Dr. B. Ludin
| Life Imaging Services     fon ++41 (0)79 235 7154
| Muehletalweg 22           fax ++41 (0)860 622 963 160
| CH-4600 Olten             [log in to unmask]
| Switzerland               http://www.lis.ch