Epson 1400 or 1800?

I now have an HP 8250, did a fine job before I had to buy a new computer with Windows Vista. HP can't seem to get the driver/profiles right. Just can get what is on the calibrated monitor (could before Vista).

Anyway I am about to give up on HP (terrible support), and more to an Epson.

I have heard nothing but good things about the R1800 ($500). But now I am starting to hear really good things about the new R1400. And it is a lot cheaper ($316 after rebate). But how do the two printers compare.

Can anyone tell the difference in printed images? What is the difference between the two printers.

Assume the R1400 will have a much better result than my current HP 8250??

you can find good deals on the r1800. i bought mine from microcenter.com for $439..$389 once i get my rebate back. that deals over though.

i can't tell you the difference between the two though, but i can say that my r1800 is as good...if not better than anything i've gotten from mpix.

adam75south wrote in post #3353627
you can find good deals on the r1800. i bought mine from microcenter.com for $439..$389 once i get my rebate back. that deals over though.

i can't tell you the difference between the two though, but i can say that my r1800 is as good...if not better than anything i've gotten from mpix.

What about ink usage. I am hearing some day that both the 1400 and 1800 use a lot of ink.

My cheap HP photo printers don't use the ink evenly. Uses more of a couple of colors than others. Assume this is true on your 1800 also?

How many 5x7's would you say you get before replacing any of the ink and hom many to you have to replace at a time

canon shooter wrote in post #3346474
I now have an HP 8250, did a fine job before I had to buy a new computer with Windows Vista. HP can't seem to get the driver/profiles right. Just can get what is on the calibrated monitor (could before Vista).

Anyway I am about to give up on HP (terrible support), and more to an Epson.

I have heard nothing but good things about the R1800 ($500). But now I am starting to hear really good things about the new R1400. And it is a lot cheaper ($316 after rebate). But how do the two printers compare.

Can anyone tell the difference in printed images? What is the difference between the two printers.

Assume the R1400 will have a much better result than my current HP 8250??

The main difference is that the 1800 uses pigment ink and the 1400 uses dye ink. This means that prints from the 1800 will have a much longer life before the colours start to fade. The 1400 prints will probably have a slightly larger gamut (i.e. more vibrant colours). You can get fairly decent life out of dye ink prints, but you will need to use specific types of paper; these prints will take ages to dry properly, and will not be very water resistant. Properly framed, however, such prints would last a good few years. Be wary of claims of, say, 100 years life for dye ink prints - these are generally specified for conditions where the print is kept in a vacuum and complete darkness

The R1800 (pigment) colors will probably not fade in your lifetime. The dye prints, unless mounted behind glass and protected with sprays etc... will fade in short order (months in office lighting).

With any printer, it is not about the cost of the printer, it is about the cost of the ink. The inks are all outrageous and come out to be some of the most expensive liquids on the planet (something like $2500/gallon at retail prices).

I have the R1800 and I run mediastreet inks in it with a CIS. That cuts my ink costs by about 80-90% and I get results at least as good as the OEM inks - and in many cases better.

J

The Epson 1400 using the fairly new Claria dye inks. It does not use the same dye inks as used in the old 12xx series which had very poor fade resistance. As per www.wilhelm-research.com a print using the Claria dye inks has fade resistance comparable to a print using pigment inks under the same conditions.

However, I agree that the Epson 1800 is a better buy if only because prints using the Claria dye inks take about 5 or 10 minutes to dry down. There is a very very noticeable difference in appearance from a print right out of the printer and 10 minutes later.

On average you should get about 25 8x10 prints from a set of 6 cartridges for an Epson 1400 or its little brother the Epson R260. From Best Buy or Staples the 6 cartridges will cost $90.00. This works out to around $3.60 per 8x10 print on an Epson 1400 or an Epson R260.