<![CDATA[<p><img src="../graphics/mininew2.gif" align="left" border="0" width="31" height="12"> <b>(8/11/2001)</b>
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<h2><font color="Blue">I've Got the Epson Blues, Because My Photos Don't</font></h2>
<h3>or<br><br>
<font color="#FF8040" >If There's A Hole In The Ozone Layer, Why Are My Prints Still Turning Orange?</font></h3>
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<p><img src="../graphics/mininew2.gif" align="left" border="0" width="31" height="12"> <b>(07/01/2002)</b>
It's been a long time since I've updated this site. The demands of work, familly issues and health
problems have interfered with mey ability to continue the orange shift testing process. I stand by the
accuracy of everything here, but do feel it necessary to point out that there have been many changes
in the industry since I last published a test. Unfortunately, many things haven't changed.
</p>
<p>Epson's dye based inks, as used in all the current (as of 7/1/02) photo printers, appear to
exhibit the same behavior as they did when the 870 and 1270 were first introduced. That is,
the suffer serious orange shift (or cyan fade, if you prefer</p>
<p><img src="../graphics/mininew2.gif" align="left" border="0" width="31" height="12"> <b>(8/18/2001)</b>
For the past week, I've been testing identical prints made with the newly repackaged Epson inks, and comparing
them to (nearly) identical prints made with the original version of the Epson OEM inks. The new
inks are packaged in much larger boxes (more wasted space and more dead trees). The new inks can
also be identified by a lot number beginning with the letter "A". Unlike the old inks,
which were made only in Japan, the new inks may be sourced from Japan, China or Mexico.
The prints I tested were made with "Type A" inks: the color ink was made in Japan,
the black in China.</p>
<p>There has been some anedcotal evidence that the new inks might be more resistant to orange
shift than the original inks. How did they fair in my test? <a href="typea_vs_oem.html"><strong>Take
a look</strong></a> at my scans, and see for yourself.</p>
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<a name="problem"></a>
<h3><b>THE PROBLEM</b></h3>
<p>If you've come to this site, you're probably well aware that Epson's advertising claims for the longevity
of Epson 870/1270 prints were, umm, suspect. While many people have gotten excellent results, many
others have reported problems with their prints turning orange, sometimes within 24 hours of being
printed. The images above show an example of what the orange shift looks like. Read through
this site, and you'll see many more samples.
<p> Note that the 780, 785, 890 and 1280/1290 printers use the exact same ink cartridges as the x70 printers.
In fact, I believe all current Epson 6 ink printers use the same inks,
so everything discussed on this site applies equally as well to Epson's newest photo printers.
But at least Epson's current ads don't make quite the same claims that the early ads 870 / 1270
printers did.
<p>In spite of claims to the contrary, numerous independent tests by me and by others make it
clear that orange
shift is caused by the fading of the Epson <b><i>inks</i></b>, and not by any specific paper.
Specifically, the cyan inks fade, and the black ink turns brown, in response to certain atmospheric
conditions. <a href="microphoto.html"><b>Microphotographs</b></a> of shifted and unshifted prints
show this clearly.
<p>Let me make one thing clear. Not everyone with one of these printers suffers the orange shift
problem. Perhaps a majority of users do <b><i>not</i></b> suffer from the
problem. Or at least not to a degree that is readily noticeable.
But even those users need to be concerned. Can they safely send prints to
friends and relatives in other places? Can they submit prints to photo contests or offer them
for sale? Can they be sure that the orange shift isn't just occurring very slowly? Anyone who
makes prints with these printer may be at risk.
<p>In any case, the problem is big enough that Epson redesigned (for the 2nd time) its
Premium Glossy Photo Paper, and has instituted a quiet
<b>"<a href="response.html#buyback">buy back</a>"</b> policy for users
who complain about orange shift problems. I <i>believe</i> that this buyback policy
applies <b>only</b> to the 870, 875 and 1270 printers, and <b>not</b> to any newer ones.
<p>You can view a brief <a href="history.html"><b>history</b></a> of the problem, from it's
first report on internet mailing lists and news groups to the present (or at least as close
to the present as I've had time to update). I also have a page devoted to Epson's many, and
varied, official <a href="response.html"><b>responses</b></a> to the situation.
<p>This issue has gotten a fair bit of coverage in the mainstream press, as well. You
might find a selection of these <a href="press.html"><b>articles</b></a>
(and my responses to some of them) to be informative.
<p>Epson claims, to this day, that the orange shift is a problem only with the Premium Glossy
Photo Paper introduced at the same time as the 870/875/1270 printers. Is this argument
supportable? If you read this web site, I think you'll know the answer.
<h3><b>RECENT DEVELOPMENTS</b></h3>
<p><img src="../graphics/mininew2.gif" align="left" border="0" width="31" height="12"> <b>(8/05/2001)</b>
There are some new developments in the orange shift issue. Very recently, both Epson and Ilford have
introduced <a href="colorlife.html"><strong>new papers</strong></a> aimed at solving the orange shift problem. Epson's new paper is called
ColorLife paper, and Ilford's is called Gallerie. Both are currently available in surfaces
very close to Epson's Premium Luster Paper. Both seem to offer significantly better resistance
to orange shift (in preliminary testing) than most other papers. And both offer have some
problems. It's all a matter of tradeoffs, and deciding what characteristics are important
for the uses a print will be put to. </p>
<p>Another interesting occurance is that Epson has recently introduce a
<a href="http://www.epson.co.uk/support/ink.htm" target="_empty"><b>new ink</b></a>formulation. While
Epson claims this wasn't done in response to the orange shift problem, there is anecdotal
evidence that the new inks (identified with lot numbers beginning with "A") does not
suffer from orange shift to nearly the same degree as the original Epson inks. I've got a few
samples which will be going into the ozone chamber very soon. If these new inks <em>really</em>
are more resistant to orange shift, and the paper vendors continue to address the problem,
we may yet have the printing system we're hoping for.</p>
<p>Finally, the dreaded chipped cartridge has been defeated! There are now a number of
different ways to reset the chip, a number of different vendors selling refill kits,
and a host of vendors selling pre-filled compatible cartridges.
Click on <a href="inks.html"><strong>3rd Party Inks</strong></a> in the menu.</p>
<a name="tests"></a>
<h3><b>MY TESTS</b></h3>
<p>Initially believing Epson's claim that this was a paper problem, I started testing other
papers to see what happened. My initial
goal was simply to find a paper that produced results as good as PGPP, without the orange
shift. I've now tested more than 50 different papers, and several different inks (on both the 1270
and other printers). This web site reports on my <a href="tests.html"><b>test scenarios</b></a>,
the <a href="results.html" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'results.html');"><b>results</b></a> of those
tests, and my <a href="recommend.html"><b>conclusions</b></a>.
<a name="results"></a>
<h3><b>TEST RESULTS</b></h3>
<p>Plain and simple, Epson's claim that the problem occurs only on one paper is patently and
provably false, and Epson knows better. Orange shift has occurred on almost every paper I've tested,
including almost every Epson paper. I've sent samples of orange shift on numerous Epson brand
papers (and a few 3rd party papers) to Epson America. Epson America has to <b><i>know</i></b> that
its official position is false, yet it continues to repeat it. Follow the links to my
<a href="results.html" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'results.html');"><b>test results</b></a>, and you can see for yourself.
<p>I have found a very few papers that both resist orange shift, and are capable of producing
high quality images. </p>
<p>Of the papers that strongly resist orange shift, my favorite is perhaps the
<a href="ilford.html#semi" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'ilford.html#semi');">Ilford</a> Heavyweight Semi Matte.
It has a very smooth surface with a gloss somewhere between glossy papers and matte. Unlike most
of the so-called "semi-gloss" papers, it has no surface texture. It's not all
roses, however. It does require some tweaking of settings in your imaging software and the print
driver for optimum results, and even so it can be difficult to print images with heavy, dark blacks.
Some people report finding no settings that will give them good prints But the following settings
give me results almost identical to Epson PGPP (but not as shiny, of course) on many images: </p>
<ul>
<li>PhotoShop levels of 10 to 255
<li>Heavyweight Matte media type
<li>gamma 1.8
<li>cyan, magenta and yellow inks all set to -10 in the Epson driver
<li>1440 dpi.
</ul>
<p>So far it's been subjected to my ozone torture chamber for more than 6 months,
and shows no sign of orange shift. I think that's as close to immune as anyone
could hope for. However, you should be aware that not everyone is as happy with the image
quality as I am. Look at my <a href="ilford.html#semi" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'ilford.html#semi');">detailed test</a> for more information.
<p><a href="redriver.html" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'redriver.html');">Red River</a> Premium Gloss also works very well. It has a surface that's closer to Epson's
older Photo Paper than it is to the PGPP, but it prints very well and seems to resist orange
shift almost as well as the Ilford papers. Prints on this paper don't match the PGPP, but
they are very good nonetheless.
<p>The Ilford Heavy Weight Glossy paper is also very resistant to the orange shift.
It will also need tweaking of PhotoShop and print driver settings to get good results, and I
haven't yet run enough tests to determine the optimum settings. The printing difficulties
some people have with the Ilford semi-matte are even more prevalent with the glossy paper.
<p> There are some other papers that show promise, too. Keep checking back here, too. I'm still testing new papers, and may find something else
that works as well as or better than these three. And I'll continue to update the ongoing
tests of these papers.</p>
<a name="recom"></a>
<h3><b>CONCLUSIONS</b></h3>
<p>The current crop of Epson Photo printers (780/785/870/875/890/1270/1280/1290), with any of
several papers, make stunningly beautiful prints. Framed under glass, the prints on PGPP will
<i>probably</i> last as long as Epson claims. Pictorico High Gloss Film and Canon Glossy Pro produce
even BETTER results (if you're looking for high gloss, high saturation images).
<i>Unfortunately</i>, they shift even worse than PGPP. And framed under glass, you probably couldn't
tell the difference between papers anyway. </p>
<p>As I've stated, the orange shift is, at its heart, an ink problem (but paper characteristics
greatly affect the problem, as well). Epson has stated that it has no intention of
changing the inks to solve the orange shift problem. (But they have reformulated the
inks, and there is anecdotal evidence that the new inks <em><strong>do</strong></em> resist the orange shift
better than the old inks (check back for test results).
The <a href="newpgpp.html">reformulated PGPP</a> does <i>delay</i> orange shift by a factor of 4 to 6,
but does not eliminate it. That's not a viable solution for people who are seeing orange shift in less than a month.
<p>So far, the <a href="ilford.html" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'ilford.html');">Ilford</a>
and <a href="redriver.html" onClick="updateFrames('menu_results.html', 'redriver.html');">Red River</a>
Premium Gloss papers are the best I've tested from an
orange shift perspective. But how long will they last in general? I'm not aware of any test
results that indicate a long life, and the fact that the cyan and black dyes don't fade within
days doesn't prove that the prints will last for 8 or 10 years. Ilford papers do have a
reputation for enhancing the life of many inks, though. Be aware, however, that some people report a great deal of difficulty with the Ilford papers
in dark areas of images, seeing blotchy results and having problems with reticulation. Let me
reiterate that before you spend a lot of money on any paper, you test a small sample yourself.</p>
The new <a href="colorlife.html"> Epson
ColorLife and Ilford Gallerie</a> papers show great promise, and are probably only the first of a new
generation of papers designed to resist orange shift. And maybe Epson's new inks will help.
<h4><b>What Should you do?</b></h4>
<p>Probably the most common questions I've received since building this site are: "Should
I buy another printer instead of a 6 color Epson?"; and "I've already got an 870/1270/other
Epson photo printer, what should I do?" Those are hard questions to answer, and the answers
are going to be different for different individuals. I've taken a stab at explaining
<a href="recommend.html">my thoughts</a>, but you really need to decide for yourself.
<p>Thanks for reading! I hope you've found my efforts useful.
<a href="mailto:epson@meyerweb.net">Let me know</a>
if you have any constructive comments about my tests, or my web site.
<p>Bob Meyer
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