Buying a Pigmented inkjret printer - info wanted

[Rob]

At present I have EPson printers R210 and 1270 - Epson have not been a
problem. I would like a pigmented ink printer and has to be at least an
A3 size. As to print long panoramic to sell and for some sort of print
permanence.


My choices are either the 2100 or the 4000 Epsons. The 4000 is more
than twice the price of the 2100.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as
compared to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

TIA

rm

 

[CWatters]

At present I have EPson printers R210 and 1270 - Epson have not been a
problem. I would like a pigmented ink printer and has to be at least an
A3 size. As to print long panoramic to sell and for some sort of print
permanence.


My choices are either the 2100 or the 4000 Epsons. The 4000 is more
than twice the price of the 2100.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as
compared to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

I like my Epson 2100 but I suspect it would be expensive to run if used a
lot. If cost is an issue try a CIS.

Good but old review here..
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/printers/Epson2200.shtml

Some people printing panorams have hit restrictions on the length of the
print around 44" on the 2100 and other A3 printers - this appears to be a
photoshop limit. Others report printing upto 129" from other applications is
possible on the 2100. Might be worth reading the all the replies to this
thread for example as there appears to be a solution..
http://dpnow.com/cgi-bin/forum/forum.pl/noframes/read/6477

 

[Caitlin]

At present I have EPson printers R210 and 1270 - Epson have not been a
problem. I would like a pigmented ink printer and has to be at least an A3
size. As to print long panoramic to sell and for some sort of print
permanence.


My choices are either the 2100 or the 4000 Epsons. The 4000 is more than
twice the price of the 2100.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as compared
to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

TIA

rm

Have you investigated the new R1800? Seems to be the one everyone is hanging
out for at the moment (in an A3 pigment printer) Review in progress here:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/

 

[BILL]

At present I have EPson printers R210 and 1270 - Epson have not been a
problem. I would like a pigmented ink printer and has to be at least an
A3 size. As to print long panoramic to sell and for some sort of print
permanence.


My choices are either the 2100 or the 4000 Epsons. The 4000 is more
than twice the price of the 2100.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as
compared to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

TIA

rm

And what about the R1800..??

 

[Jon O'Brien]

I would like a pigmented ink printer

FYI, pigmented inks are dye inks with added pigments. What you're looking
for is a pigment ink printer.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as
compared to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

I can't comment on comparative running costs, not owning a 4000, but I'd
certainly recommend the 2100. I get excellent prints from it using
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. However, if you want gloss prints, you'd do better
to look at the R1800 as the 2100 doesn't do those at all well.

It's also worth noting that the choice of roll paper for the 2100 is
rather limited. The Photo Rag is available in rolls that fit the 2100, for
example, but only the 188g/m2, not the 308g/m2 which I much prefer.

Jon.

 

[Jon O'Brien]

I would like a pigmented ink printer

FYI, pigmented inks are dye inks with added pigments. What you're looking
for is a pigment ink printer.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as
compared to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

I can't comment on comparative running costs, not owning a 4000, but I'd
certainly recommend the 2100. I get excellent prints from it using
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. However, if you want gloss prints, you'd do better
to look at the R1800 as the 2100 doesn't do those at all well.

It's also worth noting that the choice of roll paper for the 2100 is
rather limited. The Photo Rag is available in rolls that fit the 2100, for
example, but only the 188g/m2, not the 308g/m2 which I much prefer.

Jon.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

For price, value, permanence, and print quality, your best bet will
probably be the Epson R1800 printer. It uses the new Ultrachrome and
gloss optimizer ink set (red, blue, magenta, cyan, yellow, matte and
photo black, gloss optimizer), and output is rated at 100-200 years, is
fast, and the printer costs about $550 US, without taking up your whole
desk.

The 2200 is large, but the 4000 is absolutely huge. I couldn't believe
it's size. It is fast, and allows for several different ink
configurations, and it save on ink because it uses the large cartridges,
but your initial outlay is also large, and I suspect soon their will be
a CIS for the R1800 and larger cartridges made.

Look into the R1800 before deciding.

Art

 

[Douglas]

Well,I had an Epson 2200.It was a piece of crap.It took at least 1 cleaning
cycle each day,even though it was used each day.It went belly up 1 month
after warranty.I now own the 4000 PRO,and it is great.Cost of prints runs
about 60% of the 2200.
I also own an R800,mainly for cd printing.The R1800 might be a good choice
for you.The 4000 is great,but you must use it a lot to make it worth
while.By the way,there are specialty inks available for your 1270.

 

[CWatters]

I can't comment on comparative running costs, not owning a 4000, but I'd
certainly recommend the 2100. I get excellent prints from it using
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. However, if you want gloss prints, you'd do better
to look at the R1800 as the 2100 doesn't do those at all well.

I get quite good glossy prints using TDK PRO quality Photo Paper in the
2100. The ink seems to go into that without leaving the surface "textured"
(eg I don't get some areas matte and others gloss depending on how much ink
is deposited).

I gather some printers now have a glossy coating cart but I've not seen how
well they perform.

 

[Rob]

At present I have EPson printers R210 and 1270 - Epson have not been a
problem. I would like a pigmented ink printer and has to be at least an
A3 size. As to print long panoramic to sell and for some sort of print
permanence.


My choices are either the 2100 or the 4000 Epsons. The 4000 is more
than twice the price of the 2100.

Does anyone recommend the 2100 and what are the operating cost as
compared to the 4000. or should I just afford the 4000?

TIA

rm

Thanks for the information I have asked when the R1800 will be released
here- awaiting a reply - but this seems the choice which I hadn't
considered.

Epson are now releasing cheaper printers into there range which is
making them more accessible to buy (if you can still afford the inks)
Comparing the 1290 and the 2200 prices the R1800 looks very economical
to buy - and I must say that the R210 is cheap and does a good job (mine
has paid for itself just printing to CD's)

Did read the review of the R1800 where you have to shake the inks to
stir up the pigment, with the design of the internals how does the
pigment get onto the paper if it settles, even the sponge must filter it
let alone the traps in the other cartridges.

rm

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Your experience with the 2200/2100 printer seems to be very rare. I
hear every day about issues with Epson printers. Even if the 2200/2100
was a rarely owned printer, the number of issues that come up with it
are extremely small, but considering the number of 2200/2100 printers
out there, I'd say the design must have been a major improvement over
earlier models.

No doubt the 4000 is a major piece of machinery, certainly the bigger
brother of the SC 3000, but you also pay for that in both $ (nearly four
times the cost of the R1800, and nearly 3 times the 2200) and in office
real estate (it's huge!). It prints to 17" also, which is nice.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I have been doing testing with Ultrachrome inks from the R800 for my
cleaning manual, and have been opening up cartridges, and studying them,
etc.

The cartridges have one small filter in them. The ink seems to stay in
suspension rather well, and keep in mind the head and carriage holding
the inks are in motion during printing. But the inks really don't
settle under normal use. I think it's wise to give them a good shake
before installing them, but I don't think they will settle in normal usage.

I will tell you this, these inks must have a great deal of glycol in
them because they take weeks to dry on a non-porous surface, even with
fairly thin application. I can see why off-gassing in framed prints can
be a problem.

Art

 

[Jon O'Brien]

I get quite good glossy prints using TDK PRO quality Photo Paper in the
2100.

I haven't seen any longevity tests on that. What's the estimate?

I gather some printers now have a glossy coating cart but I've not seen
how well they perform.

The R1800 is one of them. The reviews are very good.

Jon.

 

[CWatters]

I haven't seen any longevity tests on that. What's the estimate?

Sorry no idea. The 2 year old prints in the album look ok as do the few of
similar vintage out of direct sunlight. Not tried leaving any in direct sun.