Digital Help
Q&A For Digital Photography Page 2

Choose A Paper For The Kind Of Ink Your Printer Uses, And Vice Versa
Q. I have followed your reviews for many years. I rely heavily on your judgment of various products. I greatly appreciate your findings and objectivity. After my Epson 1280 (my home printer) quit working, I bought the Epson R1800 for printing my personal photos at home. I bought it on the basis of your recommendation. I have not been disappointed.
At the office where I work, we still use a 1280. We use it for printing product photos, mainly for our sales force and as guide prints for four-color offset printing by outside printers. But we need to replace it to gain speed and longer print life. We were considering an R1800.
We normally use both Epson Premium Glossy Paper and their Heavyweight Matte. Our next major project is printing several dozen 13x19" prints to hang on the walls of our new offices. They will not be framed, but will instead be mounted on 1" Gatorfoam board.
After reading your review of the Epson 1400 in the June 2007 issue of Shutterbug we are wondering if we might be better satisfied with the 1400 instead of the R1800. Our concern for photo quality, print life, and printing speed is more important to us than the cost difference. I was particularly struck by your statement that you are a little burned out working with pigment-ink printers. So, would you choose the 1400 over the R1800, which is a pigment-ink printer? Could you shed some light on that?
Frank Eley

A.
In the case you described for your office, and on Epson papers, I would think the R1400 with its dye-type ink would be the more satisfactory choice. Now, with the new Claria ink the R1400 makes prints that will last almost as long as those made with the R1800 and its pigment inks.
Simply put, the R1800 with pigment inks does best with matte, fiber-based papers and the R1400 with dye ink will do best with photo paper and glossy or near glossy luster, as well as RC (Resin-Coated) papers.

Good Scanners Are Now Affordable So Rental Is No Advantage
Q. Can you please provide a source for renting a digital scanner capable of scanning mounted 21/4 slides?
J.E. Houchin

A.
I am sorry to say that although there are rental services for special-purpose scanners for x-rays and bar code scanning, photo film scanners, as far as I can find, are not available for rent. I think a part of that is the fact a very good performing Epson Perfection V700 Photo scanner is just $550 (list price), and it is the best Epson makes in performance.

ANNOUNCEMENT
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