Epson to present newly upgraded line of photo printers at GITEX 2007

The PictureMate 260 and PictureMate 290, which will be available in September 2007 in time for GITEX, are portable, lightweight and feature a contemporary design for the home environment. With the Advanced Variable Sized Droplet Technology, borderless 10x15 prints are delivered at lab-quality in just 37 seconds.

To achieve optimum results, the PictureMate 260 and PictureMate 290 utilize Epson's Claria Photographic Ink, which produces premium quality photo printing that is even better than traditional photo lab prints. When used in tandem with genuine Epson photo paper, Claria Photographic Ink produces prints that last up to 200 years, and can resist fading or water damage.

Further, for added convenience the Claria Photographic Ink is available in an Epson PicturePack, a convenient solution that also includes paper, therefore providing everything required to print premium quality photos. The PicturePacks are available in 50 or 150 sheet packs.

Aside from the high-performance Claria Photographic Ink, the PictureMate 260 and PictureMate 290 also come with Epson's PhotoEnhance technology for easy enhancements of prints. The printers also feature different photo effects such as black and white, sepia, clip art, and red-eye reduction, while their 5760x1440 dpi resolution achieves vivid, lifelike images.

The PictureMate 260 and PictureMate 290 are also ENERGY STAR compliant, which means both products reduce energy wastage. They are also very easy to operate and do not require a computer, printing directly from a digital camera memory card, Pictbridge digital camera or USB DIRECT PRINT. They also offer better viewing and editing of photos through a 9.1cm LCD colour screen.

Other features are the Epson PictureMate battery pack for greater mobility when printing, a CD-RW/DVD drive (for PictureMate 290) to view photos from a disc or save them in a CD, and Bluetooth technology, which allows printing directly from a mobile phone.

The Stylus Photo R290 is an A4 printer that also features Epson's six-colour Claria Photographic Ink for an extra wide colour gamut and smooth graduations, delivering photos that look better and last longer. Developed as an ideal partner for the latest D-SLR and mega-pixel cameras, the Stylus Photo R290 creates prints that last up to 200 years in an album and up to 98 years in a photo frame.

Other features are direct printing on CDs and DVDs, Epson's PhotoEnhance, which allows improvements on skin tones, landscapes, skylines and night scenes, Advanced Variable Sized Droplet Technology for smooth tones and fast print speeds, and wider options for creative printing with the Epson Easy Photo Print.

Epson has developed the Stylus Photo R800 to surpass the flexibility and quality of darkroom photos, producing supreme archival-quality matte or gloss prints and allowing excellent creative control to achieve the most desirable results.

Equipped with Epson's UltraChrome Hi-Gloss pigment ink, the Stylus Photo R800 delivers premium quality and extended durability for over 80 years for archival photo prints on gloss and matte papers. It also features red and blue inks for increased colour gamut similar to silver halide, adding life to sky, sea, sunset and autumnal scenes.

With a resolution of up to 5760x1440 optimized dpi on suitable media, the Stylus Photo R800 can easily deliver excellent reprints and enlargements. The printer's tiny 1.5 picolitre ink droplet captures the finest photo detail, while it also features Epson's Gloss Optimizer technology, which enhances fine tuning for high-gloss print.

Other features of the Stylus Photo R800 are borderless printing with popular photo print sizes up to A4, separate matte and photo black cartridges, professional cataloguing with high-resolution direct printing onto CDs and DVDs, high-speed FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity, and eight individual cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, red, blue, matte black, photo black, gloss optimizer) for maximum efficiency.

Commenting on the high functionality of the new products, Khalil El-Dalu, General Manager, Epson Middle East, said,

"With greater mobility and more advanced features incorporated in the latest digital cameras, photo enthusiasts now also want more control over their photo prints. This has created a demand for easy-to-use, consumer-oriented photo printers that feature essentially the same capabilities and even deliver better results than lab prints. Epson will present at GITEX Dubai 2007 our latest line of Stylus Photo and PictureMate photo printers that have been meticulously developed to address the requirements of this burgeoning market segment of professionals and amateur photo enthusiasts."