The Ultimate Photographic Printer
Written: May 27 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Paper Handling: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Archival printing, photographic quality, excellent color fidelity, included roll paper handling, quiet, easy setup, warranty
Cons: Optimum settings for color-managed work flow not obvious; slow printing for max quality
The Bottom Line: If you print digital photographs and want the ultimate in archive quality prints, look no further.
|
|
|
| richardsimon's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Inkjet Printer |
If you are like me, you spend a lot of time behind the camera, and a lot of time in front of the computer, producing images to match your vision of the world. After all that time, and expensive equipment, you want the ability to produce prints that accurately reproduce your images, and you want those prints to last. If that describes you, then this may be the printer for you.
After considerable shopping around and comparisons of on-line reviews, I settled on the Epson 2200. My reasons:
- I wanted 13x19 capability, and panoramic capability
- Accurate, vibrant color was an absolute requirement
- I wanted a good selection of media
- I wanted archival prints - the longer the better
- Read the photo magazines! Epson printers are popular with dedicated amateurs and pros.
- Print speed was not a critical factor for me
I looked hard at Canon's competing 13x19 printer, but was swayed by the results of print lifetime tests for the Epson. I found the reviews at www.steves-digicams.com extremely helpful, as well as the extensive information at the Epson web site.
My experience thus far:
Prior to my purchase of the 2200 I upgraded my monitor so that I would be able to accurately produce images for printing. Especially critical, I believe, is calibrating the monitor, using something like the PhotoCal Spyder, so that the colors in the image are accurately displayed. If your monitor is mal-adjusted, your prints will never match what is displayed. Even so, expect to spend some time and paper as you experiment with various options, working to get the prints to match what you see on the screen. In the end though, the results are spectacular - the bright, vibrant images displayed on my screen are closely matched by the prints.
The mechanics of printing with the Epson couldn't be better. Single sheets feed through without problems (I have tried everything from 5x7 to 13x19), with borderless printing with selected papers. I haven't tried single-sheet 4x6 prints; the documentation is not clear if that size is supported. One nice feature of the Epson 2200 is that it includes everything you need to handle printing from roll paper - including roll holders, paper cutter, and catch basket. The roll paper handling with this printer seems reliable and works well. Ink cartridge handling is easy; it is also easy to switch between the regular black and the matte black.
The image quality of prints from this printer is generally spectacular - everything I expected and hoped for.
Some limitations:
This is not a high volume printer. Printing 25 4x6 color prints, borderless, from roll paper with automatic cutting, took about 40 minutes. To keep that in perspective - I spent several hours taking those photos, and several hours editing, adjusting, and cropping.
Print costs seem reasonable - around $.50 for a borderless 4x6? I printed an 8x44 panorama and I estimate that the materials for that print were roughly $9-10. The frame is going to be much more than that!
Many people have reported color shifts ("bronzing") in prints left exposed to the air, on some types of paper. I haven't seen anything noticeable (I live in an area with no air pollution or salt air).
The maximum print size appears to be 13x44 - I haven't seen anyway to print a panorama longer than that.
My conclusions:
I am quite pleased with my experience thus far. I am amazed at what I can do with this printer - far more than I ever accomplished in a color darkroom. This will be all the printer I need for many years.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 599
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
richardsimon
|
|
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.