New Year, New Gear: Part I Fujifilm Pictrographic 3500 vs Epson Stylus Pro 4900

Here at the studio, we have one New Year's resolution- to do what we do, even better. 

So, to start, we're kicking out the (admittedly adorable) Fujifilm Pictrography 3500 and replacing it with the big, bad, beautiful Epson Stylus Pro 4900.
What's the difference, you ask?

Fujifilm Pictrographic 3500, slowly edging its way out the door 

Well, one is the size of a small fridge, while the other will print you a photo the size of a small fridge.

But, aesthetics aside, let's compare the stats;

Once considered the industry benchmark for digital photo printing, the Fujifilm Pictrography 3500 boasted a maximum dpi of 400 for black and white and 267 for color. When this printer first came on the market, it was compatible with Windows 95 or Mac OS 9. After garnering consistently positive reviews, it became an industry favorite for almost a decade. It came bundled with its own Photoshop plugin, and the product features included ease of use, variety of output material, new color auto-calibrator, and photographic quality.

Now, jump forward to 2011, and we are dealing with a whole different kind of machine. The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 is a 17-inch wide-format printer designed to deliver the absolute utmost in photo quality. It boasts the following resolutions: 2880 x 1440 dpi; 1440 x 1440 dpi, 1440 x 720 dpi; 720 x 720 dpi; 720 x 360 dpi; Draft 360 dpi. 

That's a long cry from the 267 dpi of yesteryear! Product features include High-Precision Ten-Channel Epson MicroPiezo TFP Print Head, AccuPhoto™ HDR Screening Technology, PreciseColor™ Technology, Automatic Nozzle Verification and Cleaning, Three-Level Black Ink Technology, High Performance Rotary Cutting System, lightning-fast printing speeds, and the list goes on. For a full view of the specs, visit the official page.