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Macky-Mac

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 18, 2004
3,491
2,533
I'm considering upgrading my wide format ink jet printer. I've been using an Epson Stylus Photo 1270 for almost 7 years and it's been really good for what I need (which isn't really for printing photos).....but now a friend wants to print a bunch of 11 x 14 photos and so I'm thinking I might make a deal with him and take the opportunity to upgrade to one of Epson's current models.

There's the Stylus Photo 1400, the R1800 and the R2400 to choose from. I see that they have different ink configurations and that the R2400 seems to have the same ink set that Epson's bigger printers use. Printing speed isn't that big an issue.

Any recommendations, advice and opinions would be helpful in making a decision as to which to buy......it's really a matter of what would be best for printing his photos so what do you think?

btw; my friend's photos are color as opposed to B&W, and the color tends to be soft, muted and subtle as opposed to bright and vivid
 

BanjoBanker

macrumors 6502
Aug 10, 2006
354
0
Mt Brook, AL
R1800

I have had an R1800 for a little over two years and I love it. The colors are great and the speed is reasonable for the sizes I print. My wife prints 11x17 scrapbook pages that she has laid out in Quark and they look great! I print mostly 8x10 photos and everyone tells me they are great. I highly recommend the R1800. I am not sure if the 2400 is worth the extra money, but I have not used one so I can not say for sure.
 

ethernet76

macrumors 6502a
Jul 15, 2003
501
0
I'm considering upgrading my wide format ink jet printer. I've been using an Epson Stylus Photo 1270 for almost 7 years and it's been really good for what I need (which isn't really for printing photos).....but now a friend wants to print a bunch of 11 x 14 photos and so I'm thinking I might make a deal with him and take the opportunity to upgrade to one of Epson's current models.

There's the Stylus Photo 1400, the R1800 and the R2400 to choose from. I see that they have different ink configurations and that the R2400 seems to have the same ink set that Epson's bigger printers use. Printing speed isn't that big an issue.

Any recommendations, advice and opinions would be helpful in making a decision as to which to buy......it's really a matter of what would be best for printing his photos so what do you think?

btw; my friend's photos are color as opposed to B&W, and the color tends to be soft, muted and subtle as opposed to bright and vivid

It seems the r2400 has more features, and better ink, but not better DPI.

I'd ask yourself how long you plan to keep this printer and do the features justify the cost. In your case I don't believe it does.

We have a large format printer at work. It's nice when I want to print banners 3'x18' but it's a novelty. I believe a lot of the r2400 features would be the same way for you. It'd be nice to have the features, but when are you going to use those 3 different paper paths?
 

mperkins37

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2007
579
0
Phoenix, AZ
I have an 1800, It has been wonderful for me also, I like the DVD/CD printing features also. Individual inks rule!
The 2400 came out after I bought my 1800, so I am not familiar with its specs.
I can vouch for the 1800's quality & Speed.
 

Macky-Mac

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 18, 2004
3,491
2,533
It's good to know that people like the 1800.......has anyone used the 1400? Any complaints about it?

The printing speed isn't a big issue and it looks like the resolution of all 3 printers is the same, so I guess it's a matter of how well the ink configuration performs
 

GoKyu

macrumors 65816
Feb 15, 2007
1,169
23
New Orleans
I have the R1800 also and love it - I just recently started printing 13 x 19 shots, and they look great :)

The biggest difference you'll find between the R1800 and R2400 is the ink:

The R1800 and R2400 both use the same Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Black and Matte Black (although the 2400 forces the user to switch between the Photo and Matte Black cartridges.)

The remaining inks for the R1800 emphasize a wider color gamut with the addition of Red and Blue cartridges, and a Gloss Optimizer cartridge assures an even glossy finish (only used for glossy paper, of course.)

The R2400 replaces the Red, Blue and Gloss cartridges with a Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Light Black, and yes, a Light Light Black. These cartridges give you much better black & white images and help keep the grays neutral.

I've found that the R1800 does excellent black & whites (for my purposes), and while they do look very nice glossy, I actually prefer them on matte paper.

I always recommend Epson paper on these printers - I've gotten nothing but high quality prints by sticking with Epson.

Hope this helps!

-Bryan
 
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