Seeking advice on printer and where to buy ink

I'm going to purchase a new printer and I'm looking at the Epson r1900, Canon i9000 pro and the i9500 pro. I'm currently leaning towards the r1900 due to having a wider color range than the i9000 and costing less than the i9500. I'm nervous about going to Epson due to head clogging issues (my Canon i960 has removable heads and are quite easy to clean in case of major problems) though it seems the pigment inks in the Epson offer better color reproduction especially in the depth of blacks. If anyone has any opinions on the above three printers, please feel free to share.

If I go with the Epson r1900, does anyone know of an online site offering a good price on genuine Epson ink carts? The least expensive I've found is $12.95 each though shipping costs become a pain.

Thanks.

A good site for Epson ink is www.atlex.com. Been buying there for years without a problem

Atlex is where I buy my R1900 ink. They have very good support and have had no problems with them. I love my R1900. There have been no clogging problems or any problems for that matter. I have been using mostly Ultra Prem lustra and matte and really love the results. I use the epson R1900 paper profiles with great results.

I have been buying from www.2filters.com for years. Fast service, no shipping for orders over $60 and no tax (if outside CT). Fast quality serivce.

Hi Richard,

I had an exhibit last December and used my R1900. The quality is amazing if you use a good workflow.

I get my ink from Epson.com.

Good luck!

Thanks to all for your input. I'll check out the three sites listed.

I'm still on the fence with the Epson r1900 or the Canon 9000 Pro MkII. I've used a Canon dye printer for years and haven't experienced any fading issues as long as I used encapsulating paper (Ilford Galerie Classic). The r1900 does have a wider color gamut and the ability to use roll paper though I dislike the small ink tank size (11 ml as compared to 13 ml for the Canon) and the non-removable printer head. Whether I get 60 years or 200 years in print life makes little difference to me... I don't take myself that seriously. :) Plus I had a horrible experience with an Epson C-80. I know it was old technology but the head cleaning issues drove me crazy. That experince is still fresh in my memory. With ink prices at somewhere around $4278 a gallon for the r1900 ($13 a cart average) - yes, you read that correctly - I want as few cleaning cycles as possible.

Richard might want to consider the Epson 3800 With the larger cartridges will be cheaper at the end.... plus you can print 17 wide !!!

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Originally Posted by Alfred Forns

Richard might want to consider the Epson 3800 With the larger cartridges will be cheaper at the end.... plus you can print 17 wide !!!

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Alfred,

Thanks for the suggestion as the bigger tanks save about $5 for every 11ml. I checked out the specs and price and at the moment, the 3800 is out of my price range though it sure looks like a beautiful printer... 17" wide prints would be wonderful.

As it stands now I think the purchase is going to be either the r1900 or the 9000 pro mark II. This will be one more step up before the purchase of a more expensive, pro model. I just don't have the volume of printing to justify a $1000 purchase at this time.

I finally made my decision... may the universe have mercy. :) I purchased an Epson R1900 from Atlec.com along with some premium photo glossy 4x6 and 11.7x16.5 to get acquainted. I hope I don't regret this as it's far more cost effective to outsource the printing to Miller's or Mpix though I enjoy being in control of the process from camera to the final print. Let the fun begin! Thanks to everyone for your input and advice.

Hi Richard --

I have just bought an Epson 2880, but hwat follows applies to the 1900 as well. An experienced printer friend recommended ink2image.com. Check them out. He calculates that the cost of their Trio ink system will pay for itself very quickly (he does a lot of printing). He figtures the cost of a cartridge equivalent to an Epson cartridge is $3.50! The inks are, he claims, perfectly matched to Epson's inks.

I'm not experienced enough to know how accurate the above is, but I think it is worth looking into.

I hope this is accurate, because it sure cuts the cost of printing significantly.

regards,
kent wilson