Epson America Inc. today announced two new USB-based direct photo printers: the Epson Stylus Photo 925 and the Epson Stylus Photo 825. Both printers have features that make them easier to integrate with digital cameras, according to the company.
Both printers feature six-color ink printing and resolution up to 5760 x 720 dots-per-inch and can output 4 x 6 inch photos in under a minute; black text prints at up to 8 pages per minute. The black ink used by both printers is optimized for richer blacks than traditional photos, producing up to 20 percent greater black density than other printer brands, according to Epson. Both printers also support the use of an optional 1.6-inch Preview Monitor that enables you to examine images without needing to use a computer.
The Stylus Photo 925 sports an automatic roll paper cutter that makes it possible to print more than 50 borderless 4 x 6 inch snapshots from a single roll — the cutter trims the photos as they’re being printed, according to the company. An integrated control panel supports more than 20 photo templates and a large number of paper types, along with “one-touch” printing buttons. You can output digital photos to “Photo Stickers,” glossy photo greeting cards and iron-on transfer sheets without even booting up the computer.
The printer features built-in card slots that enable it to accept various flash media including CompactFlash Type I and II cards, IBM MicroDrives, SmartMedia and Sony Memory Stick. The printer can also accept an optional Zio! card reader if you want it to read Secure Digital or MultiMedia Card media. It can also store and backup files to a Zip drive or other USB storage medium. The card supports Direct Connect Compatible-digital cameras, which enable you to print directly from the camera via USB.
The replacement for the Stylus Photo 785EPX, the Stylus Photo 825 is similar to the 925 although it’s been simplified for novices, according to the company. The 825 features a built-in PC card reader that can be used with any kind of digital camera memory card via included adapters.
Users can adjust paper type, paper size and copies from the 825’s control panel, as well as determine photo layout or make manual adjustments, apply filters like black and white and sepia tone, and add frames. The printer also supports roll paper printing.
Both printers ship with Epson Software Film Factory, ArcSoft PhotoImpression 3.0 and a Print Image Matching plug-in for Adobe Photoshop 6 and 7 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 1 and 2. All software — as well as the printers themselves — are Mac and Windows compatible.
Look for the new Stylus Photo 825 and 925 to hit store shelves this September for US$199 and $299 respectively.