Studio printer: Epson R1800 or other?

[freedom1500]

Does anyone here do their own printing?
Any thoughts on the Epson Stylus R1800, archival quality, pigment ink studio printer?
Cheers!

Robert

[Loupey]

Robert, funny you should ask. I just purchased this exact same model. It is still in its box in my car.

I hope to make some sample prints tonight. If no one else gets back to you, I'll write up my results here.

[freedom1500]

Robert, funny you should ask. I just purchased this exact same model. It is still in its box in my car.

I hope to make some sample prints tonight. If no one else gets back to you, I'll write up my results here.

Yes, what an amazing coincidence! I chatted with some photographer buddies this morning and they spoke very highly of the R1800. Seems to be THE printer for small studios and advanced hobbyists. Let me know if the nozzles/print head clog a lot. That was an on-going problem with an HP Photosmart printer I've had for a couple. I was spending loads of money on replacement ink cartridges just cleaning the heads. I just gave up on it.
The Stylus R1800 seems to be in a totally different class. I'm thinking of trying it. Let me know if you like it.
Enjoy your new toy.

R

[Peter_AUS]

For colour prints the R1800 is better than the 2400, but if you want b/w then the 2400 is better than the R1800 as it has different blacks in it than the R1800 has.

I have the R1800 and it is a very good printer, but you have to have your monitor calibrated correctly and the work flow setup correctly as well to get the product you are wanting from it. If you don't you might not be that impressed. Seeing your buddies are happy then maybe they could resolve any issues for you regarding it. All printers clog, so does the R1800, although it has a much better cleaning process which is automatic if you haven't used the printer in a while. It also uses up a lot of ink doing this process. When you change over an empty cartridge it goes through a complete recharge and uses up other inks unnecessary which gets expensive.

I would suggest not using any other inks with this printer or papers not recommended by Epson as you will strike problems.

[freedom1500]

For colour prints the R1800 is better than the 2400, but if you want b/w then the 2400 is better than the R1800 as it has different blacks in it than the R1800 has.

Peter, thanks for pointing out the difference between the R1800 and R2400. I'll mainly be printing colour so I don't think it's necessary to spend the extra dollars for the 2400.

I just found an interesting review on the R1800:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...800/page_1.htm

I use a Mac OSX platform. Has anyone had any issues using the Epson with a Mac?

Robert

[Loupey]

OK I'm back. I printed off 30 client 8x12's and a few for my own enjoyment and they all look great! Right out of the box, there were some very faint banding in the dark regions. However, the banding issue disappeared shortly thereafter.

The colors are vibrant, print time is very fast (even at the highest quality setting), and resolution is excellent. I am always skeptical of the sample prints they wave at you at the store. Now having compared my own files printed myself with prints made from labs, I am satisfied so far.

With my recent Photoshop upgrade and now this printer, I think I got the biggest bang for the buck in terms of improved output quality and efficiency. It should take no time at all to recover the cost since I was sending my prints out to have enlarged and subsequently reordering as I made slight color/contrast/saturation corrections.

I chose the Epson over the Canon (i9900?) because of the roll feed capability. I wouldn't be able to get full-frame 8" x 12"s (I prefer to give my customers the entire frame so that they can decide how to trim it themselves for their particular use) using 8 1/2 x 11 paper. It also allows you to print panoramic aspect ratios.

Oh, so that you'll know I wasn't BS'ing you before, photo attached

[freedom1500]

Loupey, wow that a quick setup time. Obviously, no steep learning curve. Sounds like it's just what I need. I'm thinking of picking one up this afternoon---I hope they have some in stock. Thanks for posting your feedback. I'll be checking here regularly to see if you or others have additional info/tips.
Robert

[Loupey]

Well, did you get it? What are your initial thoughts?

I also heard that the R2400 was better for B&W work. But I printed off a B&W test print and it looks darn good. Actually rivals some of my darkroom work. And without all the work, mess, etc....

My biggest problem right now is trying to get the curl out of the prints made on roll paper

[Peter_AUS]

just put them somewhere and they will unfold is what I have been told and read.

[freedom1500]

Well, did you get it? What are your initial thoughts?

Loupey, I just picked up an R1800 this morning at my local photo retailer. Really excited. I have to make room for it (it'll fit on my desk, I just have to get rid of some clutter - LOL). I bought a box of 8x10 Matte Heavyweight. The paper is surprisingly inexpensive (for 50 sheets) but I'm told the machine slurps up the ink pretty quickly. I read through the Quick-start guide and the information is very straightforward. What I especially liked were the separate (and detailed) sections for Windows and Mac (I'm using Mac OSX). I haven't quite decided whether I should connect it via Firewire or USB2. I always thought Firewire was the faster but the store clerk recommended using the USB2 connection. Hmmmm. Any thoughts?

I'll post more feedback here as soon as I get my first couple of prints made.

Robert

[Loupey]

Peter, thanks for the tip. But after 24 hours, they still have a nasty curl to them. I've got to deliver some tomorrow so I found a hard cardboard tube (about 100mm diameter) and stuffed them in there reverse-curled to see if I can get them to straighten up before then.

Robert, I dunno about the Firewire vs. USB connection. Seems to me that, at least between computer and printer, that Firewire would be over-kill. Probably comes down to which cable/ports do you have available. Make sure to try out both the glossy and matte papers (a sample of both comes with the kit) to see which you prefer. I can see a noticeable drop off in image detail with the matte. Change your paper type in the printer settings to match your paper.

[Peter_AUS]

Use USB to connect, I have a 5 meter cable and have no problems at all.

[freedom1500]

Good to know.
Thanks Peter.
(Five meters! That's some cable.)

[freedom1500]

Got the first 8x10 printed!
I'm overwhelmed. I'll never go back to another commercial photo lab again for as long as I live. This is too easy and the result is almost too good to be true!

I've used little cheapy printers in the past which is why I was hesitating to buy another colour printer. This one has "pro quality" written all over it. The moment I took the R1800 out of the box, I knew this one was different. It's built like an army tank and takes up half the space on my desk. From the spring-loaded doors to the LED operation buttons, you'd think you were inside a luxury automobile.

Quick notes:
- easy to set up, very clear instructions
- interfaces very well with my Mac (OSX 10.3.9)
- decided to use the USB connection (used my own cable) instead of the Firewire; no problem, my 2.8 Mb file transferred over very quickly (Epson doesn't provide a USB cable but they do provide a Firewire cable. For the price of the printer, you'd think they would include both.)

Epson provides a 10-sheet paper sample pack: 5 sheets of glossy and 5 sheets of matte. For my first print, I just went with the Standard mode--nothing fancy--on Premium Glossy Photo Paper. The quality is superb. So now, the fun starts: trying different settings and different papers.

This is so similar to the first time I made a black and white print in the darkroom (25 years ago). The image appeared on paper like magic. That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw this beautiful image come out of the printer. Today, however, magic doesn't come cheap. But I see this as a long-term investment (adds up to only pennies a print instead of the many dollars I use to pay at the photo lab). Not to mention the quality control I now have over the final and most important step of the digital photography process.

Many thanks to all of you for your assistance.

I'm going to bed.
Robert

[Peter_AUS]

Got the first 8x10 printed!
I'm overwhelmed. I'll never go back to another commercial photo lab again for as long as I live. This is too easy and the result is almost too good to be true!

I've used little cheapy printers in the past which is why I was hesitating to buy another colour printer. This one has "pro quality" written all over it. The moment I took the R1800 out of the box, I knew this one was different. It's built like an army tank and takes up half the space on my desk. From the spring-loaded doors to the LED operation buttons, you'd think you were inside a luxury automobile.

Quick notes:
- easy to set up, very clear instructions
- interfaces very well with my Mac (OSX 10.3.9)
- decided to use the USB connection (used my own cable) instead of the Firewire; no problem, my 2.8 Mb file transferred over very quickly (Epson doesn't provide a USB cable but they do provide a Firewire cable. For the price of the printer, you'd think they would include both.)

Epson provides a 10-sheet paper sample pack: 5 sheets of glossy and 5 sheets of matte. For my first print, I just went with the Standard mode--nothing fancy--on Premium Glossy Photo Paper. The quality is superb. So now, the fun starts: trying different settings and different papers.

This is so similar to the first time I made a black and white print in the darkroom (25 years ago). The image appeared on paper like magic. That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw this beautiful image come out of the printer. Today, however, magic doesn't come cheap. But I see this as a long-term investment (adds up to only pennies a print instead of the many dollars I use to pay at the photo lab). Not to mention the quality control I now have over the final and most important step of the digital photography process.

Many thanks to all of you for your assistance.

I'm going to bed.
Robert

Interesting my printer came without cables, but then I'm in the Southern Hemisphere. Didn't even get a paper demo packet either.

[Loupey]

Interesting my printer came without cables, but then I'm in the Southern Hemisphere. Didn't even get a paper demo packet either.

Sounds like strange stuff going down there in the southern half. I bet even the toilets spin the other way

Robert, sounds like you're a happy customer. Glad we did not let you down. I too used many a cheapies in the past and have never been impressed with any of them. That is why I didn't buy the R1800 earlier. But this thing is different. I think a lot of printing labs are going to feel the effects soon if they haven't already.