Epson R1800 gets the picture on printing

Since I started using computer technology to edit and print my own photographs almost two decades ago, Epson photo printers have done well for me. My expectations have risen over the years, and their photo printers have improved at about the same rate.

On the other hand, to print black-and-white text, I use a Hewlett-Packard laser printer. The letters and words look crisp and clear, and I can print hundreds of pages on standard white paper much cheaper than printing with an inkjet printer. Laser printers are generally more expensive than inkjets, and so are the ink (toner) cartridges, but the printer and toner cartridges last a lot longer than inkjet printers and ink.

However, this column is about printing color photos, and for that I use an inkjet printer designed to print on high-quality photo paper and reproduce colors and image details exactly, so the photos look great. Every year or two, I try the latest photo printer (or printers) to see if they produce even better prints and, generally, I've been pleased with the improvements.

Recently, I requested the Epson Stylus Photo R1800 printer to see if it does even better than previous photo printers. It arrived while I was on medical leave, so I didn't try it until recently.

After reading the printer manual, plus the Photoshop manual's section on printing and experimenting with the multiple settings available, I'm happy with the results. Over time, I've learned that a critical part of producing good prints is choosing the right printer settings; it can make the difference between OK photos and great ones.

Here are the settings I'm using for the Epson R1800 and Photoshop software on a Macintosh: In Photoshop, when I'm ready to print, I click to the File menu and choose Print with Preview; then Document Profile: Adobe RGB (1998); then Color Handling: Let Printer Determine Colors; and Rendering Intent: Perceptual.

I press the Print button and that takes me to the printer menu (on a Mac) where I choose the R1800 printer, click on Copies & Pages, and under Print Settings choose the type/quality photo paper I'm using, press Advanced and uncheck High Speed. Finally, I press the final Print button and the R1800 prints the image.

I get far better looking photos when printing on good-quality photo paper, and it's less risky (though not essential) to use photo paper made by the company that makes the printer being used.

So far, the photos I've printed on the R1800 look good. I like the wide range of colors and smooth variations from rich brilliant colors to more muted ones.

One of the features I particularly like about the Epson R1800 is that it enables me to print large photos (panoramas or banners) up to 13 x 44 inches. Occasionally, I want to print my best photos big and have printed a few with the R1800 on paper that's 13 x 19 inches. The results are excellent. There's something about a good-quality photo printed large that makes it more dramatic and captures a viewer's imagination. If you haven't yet, try it.

Printing disc labels: Besides printing on paper, I've been looking forward to trying this printer's capability to print labels directly on discs. I like giving friends CDs and DVDs with labels that look really good, and I've heard some computers and TV disc drives don't handle affixed-paper labels very well (though I've never had trouble). This printer's direct-print capability alleviates that potential problem.

To print directly on a CD or DVD, the R1800 comes with a special tray that holds a standard-size (or mini) disc firmly in place for printing. The printer's installation disc includes software for designing labels that can include photos and text. Be sure to print on discs with plain white tops. Epson suggests using ones made for direct printing.

The first task for this project is to gather files from the computer to burn on a disc. I choose a collection of photos and go through the usual process of transferring the photo files to the disc space and burning the disc. Then, I open Epson's label-making software and create a simple design with the disc title and a few pictures. It's not hard. It's also possible to use other disc-label-design software, so if you have a favorite, try using it for this project.

Finally, I place the disc in the printer's special disc holder, load it into the printer and begin printing. The disc is soon ready, and the results look quite good. With a little practice and creative inspiration, I imagine myself producing original, eye-catching labels.

Finally, the ink ...

The one thing I don't like about the R1800 is that it requires eight little color cartridges (which cost a total of $114), rather than two larger cartridges (which cost a total of $55). The Epson 1280 that I tried a year or so ago uses two cartridges (black and color), and the printed results are also excellent.

However, if you can handle the price and don't mind monitoring eight ink cartridges — plus, if you want to print labels directly on discs, the Epson R1800 ($549) is an excellent choice.

Write Linda Knapp at lknapp@seattletimes.com; to read other Getting Started columns, go to: www.seattletimes.com/gettingstarted