First impressions: Epson 1400 + Ink2Image Trio + Lyson Fotonic

<p>Some of you may remember some <a href="http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00USHU">recent</a> <a

href="http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00UVMQ">posts</a> I have made about getting a new printer. Well,

it’s finally arrived and I’ve made my first “real” prints.</p>

<p>The short version: I’m pleased. Basically, I wanted an inexpensive printer with decent quality and low

operating costs, and that’s what I now have.</p>

<p>Before I continue, I should point out that I build my own ICC profiles with an i1 Pro and Argyll CMS. To do

what I’ve done without something comparable would be an exercise in futility.</p>

<p>On the advice of somebody at Ink2Image, I did the initial setup on the Epson 1400 with the original Epson

cartridges that came in the box. I did the usual sorts of setup prints — nozzle check, head alignment, a

page of text — and then replaced them with the Trio cartridges.</p>

<p>The Trio cartridges are a two-piece system. There’s a refillable ink tank and a sleeve that the tank

snaps into. The sleeve has a self-resetting chip. Each color comes with three tanks. The idea is that you fill all

three with ink; when a tank runs dry, you quickly swap it out and keep printing. When you’ve accumulated

enough empty tanks for it to be worth your time (but, of course, before you’re about to run out in the

middle of a job), you refill all the empty tanks. The kit also includes a set of syringes, rubber stoppers, a pair of

disposable globes; the usual, with nothing left out. I had no trouble filling the tanks.</p>

<p>As I mentioned in the subject, I went with the Lyson Fotonic ink.</p>

<p>After replacing the Epson cartridges with the Ink2Image ones, I ran a few sheets of the classic “purge

pattern” — wide cyan, magenta, yellow, and black stripes filling the page — to clear out the

Epson ink in the system.</p>

<p>Next up was profiling. First, I profiled a 400-patch target on plain paper (Epson Bright White, as it happens; it

was what was on sale the last time I needed paper). The first print I made from the resulting profile looked

miserable — until I realized that I had switched paper types in the drive. Once I re-selected the proper

paper, I got as good a print as one can hope for on plain paper.</p>

<p>Thus encouraged, I made 1800-patch profiles of Canon Photo Paper Pro (their ultra-gloss paper) and Red

River Premium 65# Matte. The resulting prints are actually pretty good. Shadow detail is excellent, and skin

tones look correct. These are prints for a purpose — <a href="http://patinabrass.com/">tuxedo-clad

musicians</a> — and I haven’t really tried to put the printer through its paces. But, since

I’m getting good prints of a challenging-though-typical scene, I feel confident that I’ll be able to use

the printer as I had hoped I would.</p>

<p>One thing I should mention: this thing is <em>slow.</em> Granted, I’ve got all the quality settings cranked because I nearly always can afford the time it takes to print and would rather have the better quality. When I’m making single prints, there’s nobody standing over my shoulder, and I can afford the luxury of letting the printer run all day for large print runs. But if you’re in need of a high-speed printer, look elsewhere.</p>

<p>If I run into any problems worth noting, I’ll post a follow-up here. I just hope I don’t have

to….</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>b&</p>

<p>P.S. The total cost was $400, split evenly between the printer and the ink kit. b&</p>