$1000 for a printer...

[jdear]

Greetings all,
Hope you all had a great holiday break!

Somehow ive managed to persuade my wife to let me buy a photo printer around the $1k mark!

My last experience with a photo printer was a cheap epson stylus 830. Im after something higher quality, something that will almost rival minilab prints so i can frame them and sell them. (im paying $15 for 8x10 prints atm) and will last years to come. (830 was notorious for fade)

Can anyone recommend something around this $1k?

I am quite interested in the kodak professional dye - sub printers (1400, 8500) which both do 8x10" prints. (8500 on vanbar is $1700)

1400 printer and 8500 printer

Many thanks,

JD

[AlistairF]

J,

I have the epson R800 A4. It uses Epson archival ultrachrome inks and is capable of both matt B&W photos and perfect gloss color. The printer also uses what's called a gloss-optimiser that varnishes as it prints to remove metamerism. The quality out of this printer is truly amazing, in most cases exceeding color lab output, and it's not too bad compared to other Epson printers i've owned in terms of clogs and running costs. Depending on the paper the pigment inks will give you 100+ years life.

There's possibly the R1800 (or eqiv.) coming onto the Australian market which will handle A3+ paper and sell for (compared to US pricing) A$1000. Worth waiting for.

I'm sure other R800 owners on this forum would also vouch the same.

Alistair

[kipper]

Is the R1800 a new line of Epson coming out? I know you can get the Epson R2100 (does A3 print) for $1200-1300.

Just checking out Dye-Subs on Vanbar. I remember I read a review in english mags on various printers. Think they had 2-3 inkjets and 1 dyesub. It was only a cheap dyesub but I think it did quite well.

Found the magazine article, they took a few types of shots and printed them out to compare. The printers were:

Epson Stylus Photo R300
HP Photosmart 8150
Canon PIXMA iP6000D
Olympus Camedia P440 (Dyesub)

I feel the printers compared were a bit different across the board. The Epson was a 99gbp printer compared with 155 and 199gbp for the middle two printers, while the Dyesub was around the 380gbp mark. It's like comparing chalk with cheese. The photo displayed was that of a wedding, with the bride holding a colorful bouque (sp?) of flowers. The Dyesub came out on top after the review. Producing the best overall colors and having the ability to retain full detail in the flowers. The Canon produced the nicest skin tones out of all of them, and I think was runner up. The Epson produced the worst skin tones, slightly yellow.

[AlistairF]

Dye-ink pictures fade. Pigment inks will fade, but in about 100 years.

The R1800 (or whatever they decide to call it here) will replace the 2100. it has has the capability to print true matt photo black in addition to gloss black. The 2100 and other printers on the market such as the 7600 have to have their in lines flushed and cartidges changed, which becomes expensive when you want to switch between matt and gloss.

You also have the capability to change media, like art papers, canvas, plastic film etc.

The dye-sub i'm sure gives good quality, but looks like you're locked into buying Kodak paper and ribbon for an eternity. Also there is no capability to print on roll paper for panos. Looking at the site, the Epson pigment inks had better fade performance than Kodak.

Alistair

[kipper]

Olympus P-440E Printer A4 Dye Sub $920 at Vanbar.

[jdear]

A,
thanks for the review on the R800! I think i can pick one up for around $550 atm. How long does the ink last in the r800? Not that ive looked into it, but you could apply a bulk feed system to the R800?

I did see the R1800 and the 2200 on the USA epson site, both looked very good.

Might have to hang out to see the r1800 come to our shores... 12x12" prints is very nice, and the option to use roll paper for some nice 13x44" panarama images... drool... Current US price is $550 USD ($720 AUD)

find the r1800 here.

wish i had gone to the epson day they had in the city a few months ago.

Keep your thoughts coming

JD

[jdear]

according to this website here the R1800 is due on April 14th! unfortunatlry no price is provided.

here is a review on the R1800 by photoreview.com.au.

JD

[AlistairF]

A,
thanks for the review on the R800! I think i can pick one up for around $550 atm. How long does the ink last in the r800? Not that ive looked into it, but you could apply a bulk feed system to the R800?

I did see the R1800 and the 2200 on the USA epson site, both looked very good.

JD

I can only compare it to my 2000P and my old 890, by comparison it appears quite economical with the independant colour tanks. I've not yet seem bulk feed systems yet, but i'm sure it can only be a matter of time for a company to replacate the inks.

I mainly use Ilford and GicleeMedia media and have custom ICC profiles and just can't fault the quality.

Alistair

[boxerboy]

I've been tossing around various printer options for a few months and finally decided I'd go with the R800 - until I've now seen the R1800. I've seen the output from the R800 and it's very impressive. I'm in to pano's, so roll feed is a must. If the R1800's under $1K I think that will be the go.

Cheers
Peter

[pippin88]

(im paying $15 for 8x10 prints atm)
JD

It might be worth finding a cheaper lab also. (Certainly in the mean time).

Kodak labs seem to charge $13 for an 8x12 except when you print 10+ and then it comes down to $4 each. Lots of more pro style labs do 8x10 ans 8x12 for 5 or 6 bucks.

[BBJ]

Yeh pippin, I would be looking at another lab and for prices maybe. These are the prices i get from my local shop here and are not bad deals i spose considering you are paying $15 an 8x12.
8x12 $7
8x10 $6
6x8 $5
I get all my printing done there, as an order comes in.

[jdear]

EEK!
didnt realise i was paying so much for a 10x8. Didnt even think twice! Ill have to have a look around!

JD

[MHD]

I get my 8x12s done for 6.60

Costs 10.95 for them to be delivered.. (I have had runs of up to 8 8x12 done)

[big pix]

The Espon 2100 has roll feed, also prints onto CD and dvd, heavy card can be fed from the rear as a flat surface, overall a good printer......but as with any printer a profiled screen and printer stock give the best results

big pix

[huynhie]

Here is a more in depth review of the Epson R1800


The R1800 is not replacing the 2100.

[birddog114]

Here is a more in depth review of the Epson R1800


The R1800 is not replacing the 2100.

The Epson R1800 is another extended version of the R800 with roll paper capabilities and A3 size, it's not the replacement for the 2100 as huynhie mentioned.

[huynhie]

The R1800 is classed as a high-end "consumer" printer, where as the 2100 is the base model "professional" printer.

[BBJ]

Well i had a good read and yeh seems to be ok some trouble with the yellow side of things but looks good still the same. Oneday when i get rich i might get a good printer. LOL

[AlistairF]

The R1800 is classed as a high-end "consumer" printer, where as the 2100 is the base model "professional" printer.

Even though the R1800 has better print quality than the 2100?

[huynhie]

The R1800 is classed as a high-end "consumer" printer, where as the 2100 is the base model "professional" printer.

Even though the R1800 has better print quality than the 2100?

The R1800 is a newer printer, so if it has a better print quality then the 2100 then I would expect the replacement for the 2100 should be even better. Technology advances just like the D70 compared to the D100 or even the D1

[huynhie]

The printer market at the moment is also very competitive, so Epson must make greater advances with each model in order for it survive against the competition. Just like what Canon and HP are doing.

[AlistairF]

The R1800 is classed as a high-end "consumer" printer, where as the 2100 is the base model "professional" printer.

Even though the R1800 has better print quality than the 2100?

The R1800 is a newer printer, so if it has a better print quality then the 2100 then I would expect the replacement for the 2100 should be even better. Technology advances just like the D70 compared to the D100 or even the D1

Good analogy! I guess the 2100 will become the Epson equivalent of the D100. Although I can't really see what makes the 2100 "professional" over the R1800, besides perhaps a paper cutter.

[huynhie]

Alistair,

I guess the 2100 has been around for over two years now and at the time Epson introduced it they class the quality as good enough for the professional, like I said earlier the printer market is competive at the moment so advances have been occuring at a fast pace.

[MattC]

JD

I have had my R800 for about 4 months now and loving it. With the right profiles and workflow (I only print from PS because this is the only printing workflow I have sorted) the prints are superb.

Cartridge life??? I do not print that much but I will have a go at your question. I have replaced 5 cartridges and half way through 5 of those in the printer (replaced 3 a few days ago so they are above 90%). So that is roughly one full set. Those cartridges have been used for the initial charging and one nozzle clean (both bad for cartridge life), about 30 8x10 prints and 80 or so 6x4prints. At a guess, I would say that 8 cartridges should go about 50-60 8x10 prints at a total cost of around $235, ~$145 for the eight cartridges and ~$90 for the paper. Note that all of the above are estimates based on what I have used. I assume that I have a cost of $5 for every 8x10 and $1.00 for the 6x4 (6x4 media appears to be a little cheaper per square metre). The actual cost of printing is likely to be significantly lower than this. I use Epson media exclusively. Cartridges and paper can be sourced at much lower prices than those mentioned above and I was working of approximate retail prices.

Hopefully my numbers are not too far off.

My last printer was the Epson Stylus 830. In comparison to the R800 it was horrendously expensive to run. Because I do not print frequently, the nozzles were always clogging. It was not unusual for me to have to run the nozzle clean three or four (sometimes more) times. Sometimes it would cost me $50 before my first print. Even when the thing was working properly it would chew through cyan and yellow quickly and I would be throwing away half full cartridges. None of the above problems with the R800. I will never buy another consumer Epson or anything that does not have individual tanks.

The R800 does have its own roll feed, but no paper cutter. I find no mention of the roll feed on the Epson website. It is also able to print CDs with a card that slides into the front of the printer. I still have not fully investigated what this printer can do. I bought it for 8x10 and 6x4 prints exclusively but cannot see a problem with it printing panos using precut media. The R800 will take custom paper sizes.

The R1800 looks sweet!

Cheers

Matt

[beltbuckle]

Costco does 8x10s for 2 or 3 dollars I think. I have gotten a few done their from digital and I thought they looked great. You have choice of glossy or matte, and white border or no border.

[gstark]

Costco does 8x10s for 2 or 3 dollars I think. I have gotten a few done their from digital and I thought they looked great. You have choice of glossy or matte, and white border or no border.

Although some speak highly of Costco's services, JDear's nearest Costco would probably involve a commute of only, oh, maybe 7500 miles. I suspect something a tad closer mightn't be a bad idea.

[hedge]

Apologies for going slightly OT - MHD, where do you get your 8x10/12s done and delivered? Local or online?

adam

[jdear]

seems the epson r1800 is now available.

http://www.ausmedia.com.au/epson_r1800.htm - $1249

its finally appeared on the epson australian website http://epson.com.au/products/inkjet/stylusphotor1800.asp

still not many resellers selling it at this stage...

JD