What They're Saying About: The Epson Stylus Pro 4000

Most desktop printers won't take paper any wider than 11 inches -- which can be frustrating for photographers, who often work with wider media. As a result, the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 proved highly popular, especially among reviewers from photography sites. They praised it for its ease-of-use, high-quality color and grayscale printing, and its ability to use rolls of paper, which is less expensive than using sheets. Even PC Magazine was enthusiastic -- it gave the printer a rating of 5 out of 5.

Price: $1,795
Type: Inkjet printer
Max. Print Speed: Letter prints from 50 secs; 13 x 19-inch prints from 1 min. 44 sec.
Max. Print Resolution: 2880 x 1440 dpi
Special Feature(s): Prints to 17 inches wide; accepts paper rolls, uses seven colors

The Luminous Landscape Review

Rating: N/A

Liked: Setting up this printer is simple and straightforward. In over two months of heavy daily use I have never had to run either a manual alignment or cleaning cycle. Every print thus far is as perfect as the next one. The paper tray on the model 4000 is the best design that Epson have come up with yet. For non-critical applications this is very good B&W quality.

Disliked: It only does this [charges the link lines and calibrates itself] once, but when it's done you'll find that nearly one third of the inks in the eight cartridges provided have been used up. Just be prepared for a shock when you see the cost of buying eight 110ML cartridges at one time. It also has a somewhat noisy built-in fan that runs continually while the head is in operation.

In Short: It's hard for me to find anything negative to say about the Epson 4000. It is big, built like an industrial tool, fast, and so-far at least, totally reliable. Image quality is as good if not better than any inkjet printer that I've ever used. Though expensive compared to a 2100/2200, for anyone doing production printing or who needs prints larger than those capable from smaller printers, the Epson 4000 seems like an ideal solution. Highly recommended.

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MacWorld Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Liked: Automatic nozzle alignment and an eight-ink printhead save you time; print quality rivals that of photo labs; fast performance; no cartridge swapping; extensive paper-handling options, including borderless printing.

Disliked: Driver setup could be simpler.

In Short: Excellent print quality, efficiency, and smart design make the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 a winner. If you want to sell your photos, or if you work in a high-volume environment and need the fastest output possible, there's no better large-format printer on the market today.

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PC Magazine Review

Rating: 5 out of 5

Liked: An intelligently designed, rock-solid device that can output over 20,000 8.5- by 14-inch prints -- more than two years of 24/7 operation -- before requiring factory servicing. The Stylus Pro 4000 can accommodate virtually any type of media up to 17 inches wide, including rolls, sheets up to 17 by 22, and card stock up to 1.5 mm thick. The printer is designed for maximum workflow and is both fast and quiet. Image quality is outstanding, with a very wide color gamut, great detail, true blacks, and excellent, accurate color.

Disliked: N/A

In Short: The Epson Stylus Pro 4000 is far and away the best, fastest, most versatile printer in its class, capable of producing superb exhibition-quality photo prints, graphics arts proofs, posters, and just about any other output one could possibly want. With a 17-inch-wide carriage, the printer will barely fit on your desk, but who wouldn't sacrifice desktop real estate for this gem?

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