I rely heavily on the R1800 so it gets a big thumbs up from me, mainly because of the Gloss Optimiser which "finishes" the prints beautifully.... and yes, it really is 4.30 in the morning and I'm editing photos for an urgent job (oh, it's soooooo glamorous being a photographer... yawn)
Posted by Rene de Heer on April 12, 2006 at 2:10 AM
Forget Epson and go for a HP Designjet 30 or 90. Bit more money but far more economical to run and fantastic output!
Rene de Heer
I've just sold my 2100 and I'm now looking to add a 2400 to work alongside my new 7800.
When I do buy the 2400 I will install a CIS and use the ink from the 7800 cartridges. This works out at about 1/6th of the price in ink costs and means no change in image quality.
IMHO there is no other inkjet printer that can match the dynamic range of the new Epsons with the K3 ultrachrome inks.
If you want to see how good they are get someone to print a contrasty photo from each printer that you are interested in buying.......I would be willing to bet that w/o knowing which printer printed which print you would choose the Epson K3 prints every time.
If you are doing a lot of black and white work, then the HP design Jets that Rene talks so highly of are really very good and don't cost as much as the Epsons.
Just my observations from the last few months deliberating which way to go in terms of print quality. I tried Canon's, Epsons, HPs and eventually settled on what I consider to be the best printer package for me.
John
Posted by Rene de Heer on April 12, 2006 at 7:42 AM
Rob, dont believe everything Barrie says. He is not very well informed when it comes to HP printers anyway!
Have a look at the latest HP printer. See attached link. Will be available from , i believe June. Before i bought the Designjet 30N, which i currently use, i contacted a company called Rapid group on 01252-788222 and they made a number of prints for me on both the Epson and the HP printer i was interested in. Give them a call.
Result was that the prints from the HP were much nicer. I must say that with the HP printers, the best results are with the HP paper. Also worth mentioning is the fantastic software the Designjet is equipped with. It includes a very good calibrating tool.
Its often a matter of taste, i prefer the HP mainly because it has hugh ink tanks and its far more economical to run than the Epsons.
Not too sure I'd bother with an A3 inkjet again. I've done all my recent printing through labs with the Agfa and other large format printer and am much happier with the output than from inkjets. OK, maybe not quite so easy and quick as having the printer on the desk.
If I had the spare cash (and the room) I'd buy a Frontier system .
You should try Fuji Hunt Gloss paper with any of the new Epson's Nick.
Makes printing fun again
Posted by David Kjaer on April 12, 2006 at 3:53 PM
Hi Rob
Which ever printer you decide on, if you really want quality prints that match what you see on the screen (assuming you profile your monitor) I would recommend you have a remote profile for each paper type you use.
Have a look at www.nativedigital.co.uk and look under 'printer profiles' a quick and efficient service with easy to follow instructions. Prices have come down recently to £25 + VAT per paper profiled and discounts of 25% plus for more than one paper!
David
Posted by szekiat chan on April 13, 2006 at 12:06 PM
how about just sending it to http://www.proamimaging.com/ Its £1 for 18x12. Can't quite beat that kind of price really...
Discussion
12 repliesI am thinking about getting an A3 printer. could you guys point me in the direction of what would be the best model to go for??
Regards
Rob
Phillip.
Rene de Heer
The day any other printer can produce output that looks like a wet process print is the day I'll considering chnaging from Epson
Read Vincent Oliver's in depth printer reviews on www.photo-i.co.uk
Also consider running costs. Paper and ink is expensive especially if you are regularly printing A3 size.
cheers
Sean
When I do buy the 2400 I will install a CIS and use the ink from the 7800 cartridges. This works out at about 1/6th of the price in ink costs and means no change in image quality.
IMHO there is no other inkjet printer that can match the dynamic range of the new Epsons with the K3 ultrachrome inks.
If you want to see how good they are get someone to print a contrasty photo from each printer that you are interested in buying.......I would be willing to bet that w/o knowing which printer printed which print you would choose the Epson K3 prints every time.
If you are doing a lot of black and white work, then the HP design Jets that Rene talks so highly of are really very good and don't cost as much as the Epsons.
Just my observations from the last few months deliberating which way to go in terms of print quality. I tried Canon's, Epsons, HPs and eventually settled on what I consider to be the best printer package for me.
John
Have a look at the latest HP printer. See attached link. Will be available from , i believe June. Before i bought the Designjet 30N, which i currently use, i contacted a company called Rapid group on 01252-788222 and they made a number of prints for me on both the Epson and the HP printer i was interested in. Give them a call.
Result was that the prints from the HP were much nicer. I must say that with the HP printers, the best results are with the HP paper. Also worth mentioning is the fantastic software the Designjet is equipped with. It includes a very good calibrating tool.
Its often a matter of taste, i prefer the HP mainly because it has hugh ink tanks and its far more economical to run than the Epsons.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022701hpb9180.asp
regards
Rene de Heer
John
If I had the spare cash (and the room) I'd buy a Frontier system
Makes printing fun again
Which ever printer you decide on, if you really want quality prints that match what you see on the screen (assuming you profile your monitor) I would recommend you have a remote profile for each paper type you use.
Have a look at www.nativedigital.co.uk and look under 'printer profiles' a quick and efficient service with easy to follow instructions. Prices have come down recently to £25 + VAT per paper profiled and discounts of 25% plus for more than one paper!
David