Unlike the R2400, both matte and photo black are installed at the same time,
and the printer switches between the two based on your paper type with no ink
waste. For dedicated black and white fans though, this comes at a cost. There
is no gray or light gray included with the printer. In practice, I was pleasantly
surprised at the quality of black and white prints on both gloss and matte surfaces.
The R2400 certainly does a better job here, but it's closer than I would
have expected (#6).
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6. Although not up to the standards of the Epson Stylus Photo
R2400, Canon PIXMA Pro9500, or HP Photosmart Pro B9180, black
and white output on the R1900 is very good.
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Although I don't have an R1800 to do a direct comparison of skin tones,
the new orange and red inks in the R1900 certainly live up to Epson's
claim. The image of Karlee (#7) was my test print for this, selected because
it has good skin tones and gave me the opportunity to see how the printer did
with actual reds and strong fall colors.
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7. Looking at this print of Karlee, the Epson claim of better
skin tones due to the new orange ink holds true. Reds were equally
good, with a very accurate print.
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I was very impressed with this print. In fact, it's one of the best
I've seen from an inkjet printer. Skin and hair colors were spot on and
the smoothness of the skin tones was excellent with no visible banding or loss
of detail.
In order to test how well the R1900 did with saturated colors, I used the image
shown (#8). This shot has given me problems in the past with some printers unable
to handle the saturated purples. Once again, I was very pleased with the output
from the R1900, which showed less gamut problems than the Canon PIXMA Pro9500
or the HP Photosmart Pro B9180.
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8. The R1900 does an impressive job with saturated images as well.
The purples in this iris have given me problems on other pigment
ink printers. The R1900 beat every other printer in its class.
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Test prints done on matte and canvas papers were good, on par with the Canon
and HP. Epson gives better black output with their matte black than the other
printers, giving me better shadow detail and contrast on photo rag papers. Still,
it's clear this printer is aimed at the gloss and luster enthusiast and
that's where the R1900 pulls away from the competition.
The included Print CD application (#9) is a simple utility to put text and graphics
onto inkjet compatible media.
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9. The Epson Print CD is included and assists with layout of images
and text for printing on compatible inkjet media. The printer
includes a special tray for holding CD/DVD media for printing.
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Conclusion
Overall, the Stylus Photo R1900 is a solid upgrade to what was already a very
good printer. The new ink mix, along with the improved Gloss Optimizer, have
visibly improved the output. For black and white work, I'd stick with
the Epson R2400 or the Canon or HP printers. The additional gray inks on these
models will give you better results.
For the money, the R1900 is nearly impossible to beat. At $549 it competes directly
with the HP Photosmart Pro B8850 and the Canon PIXMA Pro9500. (Epson compares
the R1900 to the Canon PIXMA Pro9000. While closer in price, the 9000 is a dye
ink printer.) Neither of those printers give you roll feed, and at least here
in the US, the Epson is the only printer that gives you the ability to print
directly onto a CD/DVD. The Gloss Optimizer goes quickly though, so I'd
suggest stocking up if you plan to print many glossy images.
For more information, contact Epson America, Inc., Pre-Sales Support, PO Box
93012, Long Beach, CA 90806; (800) 463-7766; www.epson.com.
Requirements
· Windows 2000, XP, Vista
· Macintosh OSX 10.3.9 or later
· USB Port
Jon Canfield is the author of several books on digital imaging and printing.
A popular instructor at BetterPhoto.com,
Canfield also teaches workshops for the Panasonic Digital Photo Academy (www.digitalphotoacademy.com).
You can reach Canfield via e-mail at: jon@joncanfield.com.
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