Which Epson printer model to get?

[pesphoto]

Can anyone recommend an epson printer for me?
My wife, a wedding shooter, would like to be able to print on different types of art papers and even canvas for clients. What printer would you choose with a somewhat limited budget. It diesnt need to be able to print huge prints, just up to say 8.5" by 11". Thanks!

 

[Dektol Dan]

I have an R800 dedicated photo printer. I think they are still current, and street prices can be quite low now. I paid $200 for mine. Ink is quite high (aren't they all?) but they are pretty miserly. Of course Canon's have removeable print heads.

I swore I would never go Epson again for their record of clogging if not used regularly, and no real way to clean them, but this one has been pretty good and the ink colors are exceptional. The blacks are really black (not dark green), b & w is great, and gloss looks very good. I print to heavy weight matte paper and my prints look better than stuff I used to send out to have done.

 

[2tcreative]

epson printer

epson printer

if you are doing commercial wedding photography then you should only consider the pigment ink printers, i.e. R1800 or R2400. The R2400 is the more useful of the two. Epson's seem to handle a wider variety of papers and the following of these printers is so substantial that almost any question regarding them can be found on some forum or another.

 

[bigdog]

I agree, the R2400 is a good choice especially if you want to print black and whites and use art papers and canvas. The 1800, I believe is more suited for color output and glossy papers. If you plan on doing any volume of printing, consider the ink cost as much as max. print size. The additional cost of ink supply on smaller printers can end up costing more than the up front investment in a wider printer when printing in volume.

 

[myoptic3]

I would go w/ an Epson 1280 printer. They can be found for around $125 to $175 used and can print up to 13x19. As others have said, it isn't necessarily the initial cost so much as the price of ink. The 1280 uses just 1 black and 3 color inks, so there are less inks to purchase, and you can use clear, chipped refillable cartridges to cut down on ink costs. The 1280 also can use a wide selection of papers, although I am not 100% sure on the canvas issue.

I swear, I cannot see any noticeable difference in prints between my 4 ink cartridge 1280 printer and the newer ones w/ 6, 8, or even 9 inks, and think a lot of this is just marketing hype to get people to spend more and more money on inks. The 1280's have a tendency to clog on occasion, but a daily 4x5 trial print will take care of that. For B&W archival prints the 1280 has been a proven printer for many years. The newer models are as good or better, but the prices are 3 or 4 times as much too.

 

[__hh]

Does it have to be Epson?

 

[Bob Michaels]

Another vote for the 2400. Prints are great, and you can find support from users ever where. There is a reason this printer is so popular.

I had 4 different 1280's and made great prints with them using aftermarket pigment inks. But they are high maintenance with pigment inks. The Epson 1280 ink is dye based. Don't consider selling a dye based ink wedding print. They do fade. Now I realize than the average marriage doesn't last too long these days but why risk someone's memories.

 

[Tuolumne]

The R1800 is a dye printer, not pigment. I don't think it really matters that much. The 2400 seems to be more versatile at printing B&W. Both of these printers take 3rd party bottle ink systems that have much cheaper inks and require only infrequent refresh of the ink bottles. B&H sells them. I haven't used them yet but they seem worth looking at if you do much printing.

/T

 

[kuzano]

R2400 new or R2200 used/refurb

R2400 new or R2200 used/refurb

I picked up a used R2200 a 5 months ago for $150.
Well taken care of
8 cartridge for high range of color
Cartridges about $10 each on-line
13X19 tabloid size print
Pigment Ink
Very high quality images
replacable heads
after market external ink supply capable

I make sure to print something color every few days to avoid clogging.

I have a friend who bought a new R2400 a couple of years ago and loves it. Uses the newer Chroma Inks. He sells images professionally from this printer. He's been an art history professor and photographer for over 40 years and very discriminating in his equipment choices. His photography is fine art work and the epson suits him.