Blog Number One
Welcome to my first blog post. It is a little intimidating staring at a blank screen and wondering what I can write that would be of interest to fellow photographers.
So I thought I would explain why I made a recent equipment purchase. Now I know photographers can suffer from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) but I think in this case I can fully justify my purchase.
I love printing images, to me it is a much more satisfying and hopefully long lasting way to share and display images. I have always used Epson printers that have produced great results and been super reliable. Using my SureColor SC P800 A2 printer I had produced some great images that I have displayed on my walls and also given to my friends. However it had two annoying issues as follows:
It only has one black ink channel so if you want to switch between glossy and matt inks you have to purge the current ink and refill with the ink you want to use. This is a costly and time consuming activity. There is also a possibility of forgetting which ink you have selected and using the wrong paper thus wasting more time and money!
The other is that when loading a heavy fine art paper the procedure for doing so was a little awkward and could end up with a lot of frustration.
So I guess you have worked out what I am leading up to I have replaced my printer. When Epson announced the replacement of the P800 model with the P900 I was intrigued to check out what it could offer.
I was delighted to see that the new P900 addressed the two main issues I had with the P800 and what’s more they had added their New Ultrachrome HD Pro 10 ink. This newly developed ink set, built on from the already hugely successful Ultrachrome HD now has the additional violet ink. This addition of the violet ink has expanded the gamut into the blue area of the spectrum as well of course avoiding black ink swapping.
The loading of fine art paper is very straight forward in the usual top feed as well as a front loading option for art board and an optional paper roll feeder.
All this in a much more compact size (23% smaller) than the previous model.
So I bit the bullet and decided to purchase one. Then Covid-19 happened and the closure of the Suez Canal meant that they were not available for some time so patience had to be exercised!
I am now in possession of mine and my initial thoughts are very positive. I have had profiles for my papers built (thank you Fotospeed) and the quality of the prints is excellent. The paper loading is very straightforward and having the ability to print on both glossy and matt papers at will is great and I think I am falling in love with matt paper!
The much larger LCD screen makes adjustments much easier and the improved WiFi means I can connect without messy wires.
My only gripe is one common to all Epson printers is that they are not supplied with full ink cartridges, so I will be having to buy new cartridges soon (sharp pain in the wallet!)
I hope you have enjoyed my first attempt at a blog and will continue to read them in the future.
Regards,
David