Short Report: Epson Stylus Photo R1800

Printing on CDs with the Epson Stylus Photo R300 was quite satisfying. I enjoyed creating CDs for slideshows or a DVD of video footage and then printing a professional-looking label directly on the disc. The photo prints looked great, too, but the R300 was limited in size of prints to 8.5x11 inches. Thankfully, the Epson Stylus Photo R1800 came along. It offers quality printing up to 13x19 inches (13x44-inch panoramas), a new set of inks and even disc printing.                 

What a combination! This overachieving device prints images quickly, with the prints rated for lightfastness as long as 100 to 200 years. It’s a higher-priced printer ($549 street price), but its excellent features make it well worth the investment for the digital photographer.
   
Three things stand out for me: its ability to make large prints plus print on CDs and DVDs, its speed and its superb print quality.

I’ve already mentioned the versatility of making photo prints and disc printing. I use CDs in varied ways, like sending CD slideshows to friends and family and using them for my workshops and books. Printing an attractive image on the CD is a classy way to go, and the R1800 does a beautiful job of it.

I love this unit’s speed. I timed an 11x14-inch photo at one minute, 55 seconds, which is close to Epson’s claim of one minute, 51 seconds. It’s hard to believe that such a print once took 15 minutes with early photo printers! Under two minutes is a time you can deal with (smaller prints are obviously faster). The unit connects to the computer with USB 2.0 or FireWire, so the transfer of data from computer to printer isn’t slowed.