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Photo-realistic inkjet printers are constantly improving. Image quality is
getting to the point that it's often difficult to tell whether a print was generated
on an inkjet or on a commercial photographic printer. While image quality is
the primary consideration for most serious photographers, the new generation
of inkjets goes beyond just producing good looking prints. Newer units are faster,
easier to install, and less trouble prone than earlier models. Epson's new Stylus
Photo R1800 is an excellent example. It's not only capable of generating extremely
high image quality, it's also very versatile, fast and easy to operate.
The R1800 is a sleek, metallic unit that competes in the same product category
and print size as the Canon i9900 and the Hewlett Packard Photosmart 8750. It's
an eight-color model with individual ink wells that can generate 5760x1440dpi.
It utilizes UltraChrome Hi-Gloss pigment inks with a 1.5-picoleter droplet size.
Software installation and set up was relatively easy; a quick-start guide walks
you through the process. Our only hang-up was that once the individual inks
had been loaded into the cartridge, the printer was suppose to charge the inks
for about 21/2 minutes. The first time we closed the cartridge and printer covers,
however, nothing happened. Apparently the inks weren't quite in their proper
position. After removing the cartridges and reinserting them, the automatic
charging procedure started and, once it was completed, the unit was ready to
go.
Output is possible in sizes up to 13x19. Bundled software streamlines the output
process. The software lets you specify the type of output you're generating—from
Draft to Text & Images to Best Photo. It supports borderless printing with
some—but not all—media sizes.
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We received our best output quality when using the Epson paper
inks made specifically for the Stylus Photo R1800. Model: Lauren
Hartman.
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Generating 81/2x11 prints from 8-megapixel digital files at the maximum resolution
and the highest quality took three minutes; just under six minutes for 13x19
prints.
A special tray mechanism makes it possible to print directly onto special, printable
CDs and DVDs. Simply open the front cover, place a disc into the holder and
insert the holder into the front slots. Then align the arrows and hit the print
button.
Software to create CD and DVD labels is included. The disc print software was
sluggish, at first. It bombed a number of times; took a long time to create
thumbnails; there were problems loading images, and output took a very long
time. It turned out to be that I was using too many images and those images
were too large. If multiple source images are going to be printed onto the CD
or DVD, reducing the files down to 640x480 pixels really increases output speed.
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