181 of 187 people found the following review helpful:
State of the Art
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...
219 of 236 people found the following review helpful:
Think twice about buying this printer.
I'd think seriously before buying this printer. I purchased this printer about 6 weeks ago after NAPP members were offered a discount. I purchased it directly from the Epson Store. I watched the video tutorials on how to get the best results using the R1900 and printing out of Lightroom that were provided on www.photoshopuser.com. I was DELIGHTED at the output and the...
This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
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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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
I'd think seriously before buying this printer. I purchased this printer about 6 weeks ago after NAPP members were offered a discount. I purchased it directly from the Epson Store. I watched the video tutorials on how to get the best results using the R1900 and printing out of Lightroom that were provided on www.photoshopuser.com. I was DELIGHTED at the output and the quality. Never had my printer output so closely matched that of my calibrated monitor, and the 13x19 inch glossies were stunning. I was THRILLED...
UNTIL...about 5 weeks after purchasing the printer I had to replace the Gloss Optimizer cartridge. This runs out fairly quickly as it is applied to the entire photo regardless of colors. Fine, I had extra genuine Epson cartridges I had purchased from a national retailer. Even though it was the correct cartridge the printer would not recognize it, then remembering that Epson had sent an extra Gloss cartridge, I dug it out thinking I had indeed bought the wrong one. I replaced it with the one Epson sent and all was good. I confirmed I had the RIGHT cartridge, and chalked it up to a defective cartridge. No biggy, it happens...THEN the Cyan ran out. I replaced it with a cartridge that I bought directly from the Epson store and had the same issue. The printer says it's an incompatible cartridge. IT is NOT. I called Epson support on Friday and they said they would send me a new cartridge and that it would be 3-5 days. Fine, but in the meantime I had prints that needed to be printed, so I again went to a retailer and bought a cyan cartridge. Not recognized. I googled the issue and found that other users had had the same issue, and that Epson had replaced their printers with brand new ones. I called Epson again. They said that they would only replace with a refurb since I was past the 30 day mark since I purchased, AND according to the Epson Warranty, I'LL be on the hook for shipping the defective printer to them. Problem is, I'm sure this printer was defective from day one, but since I didn't print a WHOLE lot right away, the cartridges didn't need replacing until after the 30 day return was up,and consequently I didn't find the defect until then. I'm extremely upset. I now have a bunch of defective cartridges and/or printer, no way to print the work I need to get out, and the best I can hope for is to get a REFURBISHED printer to replace the BRAND NEW printer I paid for. Do yourself a favor, look at the Canon and HP equivalent printers. If you search for issues on Epson cartridges, you'll find TONS. Not necessarily with the R1900, but with almost all Epson printers. This is the first, and LAST Epson I will buy.
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
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.
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
I have had 3 incidents of this printer failing to recognize newly opened cartridges. The printer will give you the "out of ink status" and will not function at all at that point. I called Epson and was told that the cause was a faulty computer chip in certain ink cartridges (matte black, magenta were my culprits) and that they were working on it. The printer is only good if you have cartridges that work and Epson is knowingly selling defective cartridges. If, like myself, you miss a deadline because you naturally assumed you were being sold something that worked, you are out of luck. I will be sending this printer and all my useless cartridges back.
Update:
Was told that I could not get my money back, only another printer. This solves nothing. I was told to call Customer Relations (another toll call). After this person spoke with her higher ups, she admitted that there was a problem with a "batch" of ink and that they corrected it and they would send me more ink. If you notice, the first review of this ink problem on this site was back in August. That is a pretty long batch run wouldn't you say? I asked for verification of the problem and the date it was resolved. She told me she couldn't give me that. I told her about the missed deadline and that I could not accept jobs with this printer unless she could guarantee that I would not experience this problem again. She told me she could not do that and then graciously told me there are no guarantees in life. Remember, they knew about this at least back in August and I just bought my defective ink therefore they have been selling this ink knowing it was defective and this is the response I get from Epson. I told her I wanted to speak to someone who could verify the resolve date of this problem and I am expecting a call back.
update:
Rep calls and thinks I am concerned with tracking my new ink. I explain (again) the whole story and that I was waiting for verification of the resolution date of the ink cartridges so I could make a paper trail of my communication. He says this sounds like a satisfaction problem and he will forward to correct department and get back. This is the fourth department I have been handed to. Where is the "we tried to *&^% you and got caught so we will give you back your money" department?
update:
just got my replacement cartridge for the two defective matte blacks. They sent me a red cartridge.
I will update if I hear back about the exact date the ink was resolved.
update:
I had to call them back and was told basically the same thing: a bad batch, hardly ever happens, won't get your money back, and yes, there are no guarantee's in life( should be their slogon), and that she could not give me the resolve date. I told this woman about all your bad reviews here about the ink and she said that you are welcome to your opinion!
She is sending me a whole set of new ink as a bandaid to this problem.. and if one is defective, that's a whole set of worthless ink.
shame on you Epson!
If you must have this printer be prepared to have a supply of cartridges on hand and make a lot of toll calls to get replacements. Also, the roll paper feature is terrible. You must have it perfectly square to feed and it is very difficult to cut canvas square due to the fabric grain. Expect a lot of wasted hours and wasted canvas.
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
I bought the Epson 1900 to back up a old 2200 I have and have had nothing but problems since. To start off it eats through inks getting half the total square inch coverage I get on my 2200. I have had continuous paper feeding issues using Epson papers. Every now and then in the process of printing a image it dumps a ton of ink on the paper making the print worthless. Now in switching ink cartridges it won't recognize the new cartridge. In fact it won't recognize any of them. I've re-booted the printer several times, re-installed the software several times and am ready to trash it. In the 5-6 years I've had the 2200 I've never had a issue. I even recommended Epson to another photographer and they've had nothing but problems. Obviously Epson cares nothing about quality anymore and this will be the last Epson I buy. To top it off the customer service number is not a 1-800 number.
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
For this review, I'll be comparing to my designed-for-matte-paper Canon Pixma Pro9500 photo printer. The Epson R1900 photo printer is designed more for glossy prints, so it's interesting to compare the two.
Test bed:
MscBook Pro, OS X 10.5.5
Apple Cinema Display 23", color-calibrated with a Spyder2 Pro.
Adobe Photoshop CS3
Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl paper
Ilford Inkjet Glossy Photo paper.
The box is packaged as you might expect. Tape all over the place. Once you get the printer de-taped, you'll find an assortment of ink cartridges, and, *generously*, an extra gloss optimizer cartridge. I purposely put an asterisk on either side of that work, because this cartridge is notorious for running out rather quickly.
After getting the printer set up, cartridges installed, it's time to install the drivers. This goes smoothly - stick the CD in the drive and you're away.
OK, let's move on to printing. After editing a few shots in Photoshop with a very specific color cast, I printed them on both my Canon Pixma Pro9500 and the Epson R1900 with the correct paper profiles for each, and using both paper types listed above. The difference was not huge, but being able to compare the two, it was obvious which was more accurate: the Canon. No question. The Epson added a slight yellow cast to each photo, which drives me nuts. The Canon was spot on each time. Interestingly, I purchased the Ilford glossy paper specifically for this review, and was blown away that the Canon had no trouble at all printing to it, and produced a much more pleasing tone compared to the original image. This said, and to the Epson's credit, the actual print quality is VERY comparable between the Canon and the R1900.
But, frustratingly, the Epson R1900 seems incapable of properly printing borderless. First, it crops a little off all four edges, whereas the Canon crops an almost unnoticeable amount by comparison. But worst of all, every Epson borderless print left a few ink spots on the very right hand edge of every landscape shot. I called Epson directly and they said it was "normal" for borderless shots to get an excess of ink on the edges. Fair enough, but the Canon has no such trouble, so this is disturbing to those who want to feed a 4x6 and end up with a 4x6 print without a border to trim.
Lastly, the printer was used a few times this week, and as of the morning this review was written, the prints coming out were disastrous, akin to a Polarioid halfway through its "transformation" process. I ran a nozzle test, and indeed, the ink must have somehow dried out overnight. I had to a run a full head clean, which resolved the issue. Again, I can't help but make the comparison that the Pixma Pro9500 has never had this issue since the day I got it, many months ago. Not impressive that the Epson has this issue after several days...
Overall, I can't really recommend this printer. It crops the edges too much, gets ink on the edges on borderless prints, doesn't print accurate colors even after calibration, and eats ink like you wouldn't believe. And the jet clogging has just left me paranoid...
2/5
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
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.
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
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!!!
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
I really wish I'd read this before I bought my R1900 a few months ago. Not only does it use ink at a horrific rate, more than half the time the new, Epson replacement cartridge isn't recognized. I've called Epson several times and they are really helpful and friendly and are very quick to send me a replacement cartridge when i tell them i've already gone through the troubleshooting procedures (I've become an expert by now). 3 days ago it happened again. Cyan ran out 3/4 of the way in printing a 13x19 print for a job i needed the next day. Neither of the remaining TWO cartridges will work. It wasted the print and the job didn't get done. I am going to demand a refund on the piece of junk. DO NOT BUY EPSON PRINTERS unless you have deep pockets for ink. The ink for the R1900 can only be purchased, as far as I can tell, from Epson. They don't even want the defective carts back for review which tells me a whole lot about their quality control.
Purchased in Sept 08
9/23: ordered ink
10/1: called tech support and ordered Cyan replaced
10/9: called tech support and ordered Gloss replaced
11/3: called tech support and ordered Yellow replaced
12/9: ran out of Cyan (two replacement carts not recognized.
Will be talking with Epson Monday about a refund on printer.
NEVER AGAIN WITH EPSON.
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This review is from: Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Photo Printer (C11C698201) (Electronics)
I have long been invested in a competitor's brand when it came to high-quality inkjet printing, and making the switch to not only a new printer but also a new vendor was a tough decision. As a professional photographer (Member, NPPA), I carefully coordinate ICC color profiles for true color fidelity from lens to monitor to print. No sub-$2000 printer - until now - has ever satisfied me. Epson's R1900 is a STEAL even at full retail price. The color fidelity, gamut, and smooth skin tones are unmatched and are more true to life than the professional digital printing service that I formerly used (and have since fired). You operating costs are not going to be as cheap as if you purchase a big-box-storestyle photo printer - you'll go through ink faster than with other brands (especially the Gloss Optimizer, which covers the entire print with a fantastic gloss coat when turned on, but whcih if fortunately sold in a low-cost 4-pack). Even with higher ink costs, if you're looking at this product you're probably already ready to take your game to the next level. Although this printer will produce stunning prints on any media, you really need to try printing on Epson paper with Epson's ICC profiles installed - words cannot describe the quality of the prints produced. The first 11x14 I printed took not only my breath away, but that of the fellow professional photographers staring over my shoulder. The Gloss Optimizer cartridge and newly formulated inks are a clear improvement over this model's predecessor (R1800) and produce fantastic glossy prints. You have to see it to believe it - you will not be disappointed. Also consider purchasing paper and ink directly from the Epson store - the prices are better than I have found elsewhere online - and there are frequently sales on their higher end papers.
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