Epson quietly unveils three new photo printers in the USA

First products to use new Claria inks

29 August 2006 11:43 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Epson has quietly launched three new printer models that it describes as “Ultra Hi-Definition” and that use a new set of inks.

The Stylus Photo R260, R380, and RX580 all-in-one operate with Claria ink, which, according to Epson, deliver “superior image quality with Ultra Hi-Definition richness, depth and clarity”.

They also incorporate a speedy new print head that promises even faster photo print speeds to deliver borderless 4 x 6-inch photos in as fast as 30sec, and produce ink droplets as small as 1.5 picoliters.

The R260 is budget Ultra Hi-Def printer, offering “outstanding” print quality for low price, and prints, like all the printers, direct to CDs and DVDs. It uses individual ink cartridges and has a PictBridge port on the front for easy access.

The R380 is a cut above the R260, and adds a 3.5-inch LCD and built-in memory card slots to the range of features. It allows printing direct from video clips, lets you view and print images by date, and supports Bluetooth with an optional adaptor.

The RX580 is an all-in-one featuring a 2.5-inch LCD panel, photo-quality scanning at 48-bit, 1200 x 2400 dpi resolution, and scanning direct to PDF. It also offers one-click Colour Restoration so that old photos can be scanned in a improved without a PC, and creates copies of prints directly as well.

The R260 will be available in September for around $130, while the other two models will be out in October, both for about $200.

Pocket-lint will bring you photographs of the new printers when they become available after the UK launch next week.