 State of the Art |
| Review Date: March 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Howard W., Santa Clarita, CA |
I'll start with a short review since I just got the printer and have only run 5 prints through it. I will update in a week or so with more information.
Setup and installation was easy. I have it on my network for my Windows machines and it is connected directly to my Mac Pro. The install documentation said to get the latest driver for Leopard off of their site, which I did and installed with no problem. The latest Windows driver was on the installation CD.
The reason I called this review "State of the Art" is Epson developed Radiance, the new color-matching technology built into the R1900. This is the first printer with it, even the current Epson Pro printers don't have it. Printerville.net has an article about it.
The few pictures I have printed are beautiful and they printed very fast.
I printed 3 on Epson's Ultra Premium luster 8.5 x 11 paper using Photoshop CS2. I tried different settings for each print of the same standard color matching target. All three printed very nice and as expected, a little different. Using "Photoshop Determines Colors", "Printer Determines Colors" and "No Color Management", with appropriate settings on the printer driver. So it will be up to you to decide which settings you want to use.
Next, as a test I printed a photo, of my daughter, on plain HP Bright White paper. WOW, is all I can say. Plain paper and it looked great.
For my last test I picked a random paper size, 12" x 12", that I cut from a 13" x 19" sheet of matte paper. I changed the paper size in the driver and printed. No problem, it printed just fine and also was beautiful.
I plan on getting a roll of paper too. I've wanted to print some banners, something I couldn't do with my current Canon I9900.
So far it is everything I expected it to be. However, I do plan on keeping the I9900 because sometimes I know I will want a dye (not pigment) print (and I still have Canon ink and paper left).
I will post more soon.
Update 3-10-08:
I have been playing with the settings on the driver to see which I like best. It is a good/bad thing that there are so many settings to play with. I figure I will eventually figure out which I like best. There are subtle differences in color, skin tones and gray scales on the gray scales. If you are interested in the test targets, you can download the printer test images I used from http://www.drycreekphoto.com/tools/index.html
I will start printing some of my real pictures to compare with the I9900 versions. So I will post another update in a week or two.
I tried a roll in the printer. It was surprising easy to set up and use. You put the holders on the roll, mount it on the back of the printer, then feed the paper into the printer in the slot on the back. The printer recognizes you are doing it, then grabs the paper to feed in to the proper starring point.
If you print multiple images, the printer spaces them 1" apart. Unfortunately, Epson still has it's artificial limit length of 44". There are expensive RIPs (raster image processors) that will allow you to printer longer images, but unless you are going to do this a lot, it can't be worth it. The cheapest I found is $500.
I've decided that I probably will not use the "roll" on the printer. I want to printer banners every so often, but to use the roll for one print wastes about 10" of paper. That is the initial feed of about 4" and when you cut it on the back to free it, another 6". If you are printing many prints on a roll, then it will be worth it and easier. I suggest (and what I did in my second test), was just cut a 44" of paper (from the roll) and feed it though the (normal) auto paper feeder and that worked fine for the banner without any waste.
As for ink usage, I've hardly made a dent with the 10 8x10s, 1 12x12, 3 8.5 x 44 prints I've made. The banners were not printed at high resolution to save ink for my testing. I love Amazon, but it's ink prices for this printer are currently way out of line. Even the Epson store has them for way less. I hope that changes soon.
Update 3-26-08 (my last update).
After printing 25 more 8x10 high resolution (and in slow mode for better quality), I finally ran out of ink in one cartridge (and it was the gloss optimizer). After more reading, I think I used the wrong setting for the gloss and was wasting it on white area outside of the image. I'm still learning.
Some of the other inks are pretty low, so I have stocked up.
I still have not printed on a DVD/CD yet, but I'm sure that will be fine.
There is not much more for me to say except I am very happy with this purchase and expect to use this printer for the next 3-4 years, when I'm sure something else out there will get my attention.
Howard
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Better than I hoped
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| Review Date: June 29, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Dwight R. Schofield, Fort Myers, FL USA |
I have had this printer for a week now and all I can say is WOW! I was concerned after I read the reviews here but decided to buy anyway because of past experience with Epson, and I am so happy I did.
When the box arrived I picked up the 'Start Here' booklet and within an hour and three prints (13"x19") I was getting better results than the stuff I had paid a professional lab $15.00 each for! No more, I just fired my lab.
I am printing from Photoshop CS3 using Adobe RGB color space and ICC information. The prints are incredibly color saturated with great contrast to really 'pop'.
I am absolutely in love with this printer!
Another week:
No change in my opinion, other than I like it even more. I printed 20 8x10 and 7 13x19 before having to add ink (Yellow and Cyan). Prints on Epson's fine art paper are fantastic! This is my last review. |
Amazing results
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| Review Date: March 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Newport Reader, Newport, California US |
The Epson R1900 is an amazing piece of hardware. I wanted to print lab quality prints at home with the facility of exploring the digital darkroom potential of my favorite photographs. I was looking at the HP 8850 but decided the gloss coating that only the R1900 applies was essential to a lab quality finish - this proved to be very true. I printed on both machines and, although they were both excellent, the color rendition on the Epson was superior and there were no flat spots on any prints.
The setup was super easy and I was printing beautiful images from the very first try. I first printed on Epson paper by just following the instructions included in the box. I loved every print and replaced several I had already matted and framed that came from a professional lab. It could not be any simpler if you simply want great results and don't want to fuss with the printer.
I subsequently purchased additional papers and downloaded the ICC profiles from the manufacturers' websites to experiment further.
I have used Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss (terrific for color) and Gold Fibre papers (beautiful for color photographs and toned B&Ws) to great effect and exhibition quality results. These are beautiful papers and exemplify why you want to purchase a machine of this quality to be able to choose all aspect of your media.
I have also printed on Red River Papers including Arctic Polar Gloss and Luster. (they are terrific people and have a nice sampler pack to try different papers). Definitely try their papers as they are a great value and the results are wonderful. Their help site is great and you can call for further support on their products.
I have been recently using Qimage software for printing in addition to using Photoshop CS3. Qimage worked beautifully after a long learning curve and some difficulty communicating by email with the wacky genius behind the product and its unusual interface. I do highly recommend this software if you are serious about printing but first use the helpful info on how to set up Qimage provided by Red River Papers to get started.
The only concerns I had about this product were reports of a color cast when printing B&W and some reports of issues with the printer recognizing the ink cartridges. I have seen a very slight magenta color cast on the B&W prints. I found no cast when printing B&W with Museo Silver Rag and their ICC profiles (the finest paper I have used).I actually liked the slightly warmer tone on some B&W prints so I have printed without the grey setting using just the ICC profiles and the settings recommended on the printer. Finally, the printer does have a Gray tone setting that virtually eliminates casts on most prints.
This issue is one that you will not have to think about too much if you are printing primarily color. If you print primarily B&W I would recommend a printer designed especially for that with special grey inks. I found no good choices without spending thousands more to get both color and B&W perfectly.
I have been downloading and using specific ICC paper profiles (see Red River for help) for each manufacture's photo paper in B&W (and color) and couldn't be happier with the color and B&W results. I would recommend mastering this process for the very best results and much greater flexibility in output. It is not difficult.
I have purchased a complete set of replacement inks ($94) and have replaced all of them successfully so far(the gloss several times but the package includes 4). All the inks came from 2 Amazon vendors that are very well regarded in New York. The inks were manufactured in Japan and Indonesia. I did purchase the extended printer warranty for $70 for three years just in case though. The consumption of ink has been fine and should not be a worry. The cost for the cartridges is just too high from Amazon. You should be able to find genuine replacements for less than $12.00 a cartridge.
I think you will be pleased with this printer and I believe there are some rebates still available via the internet. |
An Incredible Printer!
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| Review Date: October 22, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kathy Parsons, Florence, OR United States |
I have to say that this printer has been blowing me away! I have been thinking about getting a larger-format photo printer for some time, as my Epson Stylus CX5200 is getting tired and outdated. I am using the R1900 with an iMac and OSX 10.4.9. My camera is a Canon PowerShot SD900 (10.0 MP).
I expected the printer to come with some paper samples to try, so I didn't order large-format paper until I received the printer and found that there were NOT any samples. So, I played around with some paper I had on hand until the bigger paper came. First, I printed out a flyer for a concert that contained both text and a color photo. Like another reviewer, at first I didn't realize how many different settings there are for print and paper quality. Using bright white paper and a "photo paper setting" on the computer, the photo was disappointingly flat. I looked around the menu options on the computer, and under the "print settings" menu, I could go with "Plain/Bright White Paper," and then the print quality was excellent.
One application that I haven't seen mentioned here (it's specialized, I know!) is printing sheet music. My CX5200 often splits the lines or gets kind of fuzzy if the ink is starting to get low, but with bright white paper or heavier, the R1900 prints out incredibly clear music notation - something I will use it for often.
The large photo paper I ordered in sheet form is Ilford Premium Photo Pearl Paper in 13"X19" size. Two shots were of the beach and one was of an iris that I took on a macro setting. All three came out spectacular. The detail of the flower is just incredible, as is the purple color.
Next I tried some Epson borderless 4"X6" premium glossy photo paper. I printed out some color shots and a black and white one - all superlative. I didn't encounter any drops of ink on the edges of the photos as was mentioned by someone earlier.
Then I tried a shot of my black and brown dog on the beach on Kodak Premium Picture Paper that is 8 1/2"X11". That's the only print I'm a little disappointed with, but, to be fair, this is an older package of photo paper that might have been improved over the past several years. All of the rest of the prints have been dry to the touch as soon as I took them out of the printer, but this print still feels kind of damp after more than an hour.
I'm still in shock (GOOD shock!) about the last three prints I did, which were on Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper on a 13"X32.8' roll. One is a shot I took with the zoom on my camera of a harbor seal sunning itself in the surf. The details on the animal and the water are eye-popping. The second one was of two brown pelicans flying over the surf (I live on the Oregon Coast and that's where I take most of my photos!) - again, breathtaking detail in the wings of the birds as well of the movement of the water. The third is again of the ocean, but this one is almost all blues of varying shades and large areas of sky. This was a good test, because often on other printers, large areas of smooth textures end up with lines or other imperfections in the prints. This one is perfect.
I just checked the ink levels, and not surprisingly, the blue and black are low, but I've printed quite a few very large prints without any problems. It would be nice if the ink levels stayed high forever, but for the money I'm saving in not having to send out for enlargements, I'm happy.
I feel very confident that I could enter these prints in a competition and do well. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas! I give this printer both thumbs up and highly recommend it. My only word of caution is to be sure your camera has enough MPs to enlarge the prints to the maximum level. One of the reasons I bought this particular camera is that the prints are supposed to be clear up to 16"X20". Not all digital cameras can do that. I'll keep my CX5200 for everyday printing, but all of the important things will go through the R1900. Love it!!! |
This is a stunning printer
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| Review Date: June 28, 2008 |
| Reviewer: R. Durham, western new york state |
I was hesitant about purchasing this printer after some of the reviews here, but, I'm so glad I got it.
I spent some time studying the manual before I set it up. I knew to download the proper ICC profiles and use Epson paper, and use the settings specified in the instructions. I also calibrated my monitor so the colors would be true from monitor to paper. Some of the other reviewers have mentioned problems with paper size and ICC profiles, and I had absolutely no issues.
My first print was velvety, the colors were rich and the blacks solid. There is a small amount of noise in the shadow areas but it's the least I've ever seen in all my years of digital printing, noticeable only if your face is a few inches away from the print. I showed some prints to family and the response was a uniform "wow".
I don't have the space for the larger 2400 but I'm so happy with the R1900 (and saving a few hundred dollars) that I don't care. I can't wait to try different art papers and experiment. |
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