Adobe Community: Epson Stylus R1900 special buy

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1. (Q_Photo),

Jan 27, 2009 2:59 AM in reply to whoos1

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While I'm not a fan of jumping thru the rebate hoop, I will say that Staples is very good concerning rebates. I've gotten rebates at least a half dozen times from them and always for the full amount and in a reasonable amount of time.

I believe that is a very good printer. My R1800 is still going strong and gives great prints.

Q

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2. (john_passaneau),

Jan 27, 2009 3:47 PM in reply to (Q_Photo)

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Thanks for the tip! I was thinking about a new printer and the R1900 was
on my short list. But that price is too good to pass up so I will be
picking mine up at the Staples store tomorrow.

I sure hope it's as good as the reviews. After I had a custom profile
made for my Epson R200 I have been getting very good prints. This
printer should do much better. (fingers crossed)

John Passaneau

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3. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 27, 2009 6:03 PM in reply to whoos1

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What problems has anyone who owns an R 1900 experienced?

Numerous reviews mention various ink problems including the too-small cartridges; a huge appetite for ink; and cartridges drying up before they are empty.

Is the R1900 still worthwhile or is it being sold off to clear the way for a newer model with larger ink cartridges?

And if not the R1900, has anyone a better recommendation?

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4. (Q_Photo),

Jan 28, 2009 3:32 AM in reply to whoos1

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Ann,

Sorry I can't answer about the R1900 as I'm still using an R1800. However, there are a few facts that I'm aware of.

1. The newer printer uses MOST of the same color cartridges as the older R1800.

2. The R1900 has only been out for about a year or so. Usually Epson has a much longer run of their models. That being said, it does seem like a big discount which indicates a newer model soon.

3. I never had a cartridge dry out.

4. Cartridges are pretty small. This has been a good thing for me because my work has dropped off recently and I would hate to replace a dried out $80.00 cartridge. This is a rough estimate but I would guess that I can get a little over forty-five 8x10's from a set of inks. Inks list for $14.00 each but can be purchased for around $12.00.

Now that I've reread this I realize that it's not very informative. Sorry about that but only trying to help. I will repeat that I'm 100% satisfied with my R1800. Years ago I purchased my first Epson photo printer. After about three weeks I decided that I was not happy with it. They let me exchange it for the 1200 which was just then coming out. I thought that was rather good of Epson.

For the price, I would get the R1900.

Q

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5. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 28, 2009 8:02 AM in reply to whoos1

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Seems like a good recommendation and the Printer is only the price of 3 sets of ink!

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6. Allen Wicks,

Jan 28, 2009 10:09 PM in reply to whoos1

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>Is the R1900 still worthwhile

Probably.
>...or is it being sold off to clear the way for a newer model with larger ink cartridges?

Probably. But I seriously doubt if actual print quality can improve all that much.

As to cartridge life, I live at 6000 ft. elevation, super-low humidity. The Epson 12xx printers were problematic but the 2200 and now the 3800 have had zero issues with ink longevity. The 3800 cartridges are quite large.

If I needed a 13" wide printer I would buy the R1900 in a heartbeat.

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7. Wade S Zimmerman,

Jan 29, 2009 1:38 PM in reply to whoos1

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I will chime in here since someone is spending money, it is about as far away form post script than any other inkjet I know of that is it will not print line or vector art well from illustrator and sending the file to Arcobat will give you little help.

You can print photos and it seems to do this very well you will like the color.

Text looks good. So if you only use Photos or Photos and Text, that is not outlined, then you have a good deal. Otherwise like me you will be returning it.

B&N sells it for $474.00 plus you get the $150 rebate and if you buy it with a digital camera you get yet another $100 rebate. That last one you will have to hurry as the deadline is Jan 31.

The reason I say B&H which will come out about the same price since they will not charge sales tax like staples is that they will take it back within 15 days if you are unhappy with it.

They did not seem surprised I returned it.

So Buyer Beware.

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8. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 29, 2009 5:08 PM in reply to whoos1

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The Staples "Deal" is similar:

Price: $549.99

"Instant savings" (meaning Discount at time of purchase): $100.00

"Rebate": $150
(This is NOT cash, nor is it credited back to your credit card, but is a credit against future purchases. You have to send in for your Rebate and it only applies to purchases made between 01-23-2009 through 03-28-2009.)

However Staple's offer expires on 01/31/09 and Staples is now OUT OF STOCK of the R1900.

http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/StaplesProductDisplay?storeId=1 0001&noredir=true&langId=-1&partNumber=735344

:(

But, if they had one, shipping would be free!

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9. (john_passaneau),

Jan 30, 2009 7:56 AM in reply to Ann Shelbourne

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Ann:
The rebate is a Visa prepaid card. You can use it any were you could use
a Visa check card. I would have liked cash in some quick manner but this
is OK.
I had trouble getting mine as they held up the order to call and check
with me about a credit card problem. The problem was I had a different
shipping address than my billing address. I was having it shipped to my
local store to get the free shipping. It was annoying that no one at
Staples could see the stupidity of that! When you go to the store to
pick it up you are asked to show picture ID and have a copy of the email
that was sent confirming the order. But calling me and asking if I
really wanted to ship to a different address was still required, go figger!
Anyway my printer is in for pickup this afternoon at the store. If I
have any problems I'll report to the forum.

John Passaneau

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10. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 30, 2009 8:29 AM in reply to whoos1

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I think that you will be delighted with it, John.

I managed to get in under the wire too and Staples actually delivered it to the house for free (via UPS) yesterday evening.

I printed this test file:
http://www.outbackprint.com/printinginsights/pi049/essay.html

using the advanced Premium ICC Profiles which you need to download from:

Profiles

and the first test print was spot-on! Beautiful quality and a wonderful printer for photographs.

I do still have my Epson 1270 for PDF, InDesign and Illustrator output and it uses much less and cheaper inks.

I also downloaded the latest Driver for the R1900 from Epson UK.

R1900 Drivers

Epson USA never seems to have the newest drivers for some unfathomable reason.

Downloading the ones from the UK solves the problem many people had with getting dark prints when printing to Epsons from CS4.

Oh, do register IMMEDIATELY with Epson because there is a 10% discount offer on your first purchase and the offer is about to end! Good opportunity to stock-up on ink!

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11. (Q_Photo),

Jan 30, 2009 9:54 AM in reply to whoos1

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Ann & John,
I hope both of you are happy with the R1900.
I'm a little envious. But not maliciously so...
Q

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12. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 30, 2009 10:01 AM in reply to whoos1

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Q:
I am thrilled with it at the moment but I am not so sure that I will be so thrilled with its reported appetite for ink particularly as the temptation is now to want to print every shot at full size!

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13. (Q_Photo),

Jan 30, 2009 12:22 PM in reply to whoos1

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Ann,

When printing photos, on my R1800, there are two settings. They are called "Photo" and "Best Photo" The "Best " setting prints at a much higher dpi and therefore uses a lot more ink. I honestly believe this to be overkill. I simply always just use the "Photo" setting. I see no difference unless checking with a magnifying glass.

Just my opnion...

Q

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14. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 30, 2009 12:40 PM in reply to whoos1

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I think that you get much smoother gradations of tone and color on the "Best" setting.

This becomes more apparent in smooth tones, out-of-focus or blurred areas. It is also true on the Epson 1270. However, if I am printing a long run of something (like my Christmas cards), I am afraid that they get the 720 dpi treatment.

The R1900 lets you print at one level better than "Best" if you want to: to "Photo RPM" (which they recommend for printing on Canvas) but I haven't tried it yet.

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15. (Q_Photo),

Jan 30, 2009 12:53 PM in reply to whoos1

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Ann,

I know we're comparing apples and pears with R1800 & R1900. However, on my printer "Photo" = 1440dpi. "Photo Best" = 2880dpi. I think Best setting on 1270 (I had one) was 1440 and second best was 720.

You are seeing the results of your printing so I certainly can't argue with you. Nor, would I want to. Smiley goes here...

Q

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16. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 30, 2009 4:34 PM in reply to whoos1

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I can't find any official figures for the R1900 but Maximum Resolution (dots per inch) is being quoted as:

"5760 x 1440 optimized dpi" (which I am guessing is what is deployed for "Photo RPM".

That would probably mean that Photo Best is "2800 x 1440 optimized dpi" and
Photo is "1400 x 1440 optimized dpi".

You are right about the Epson 1270: the two Photo settings are 1440 and 720 with a 360 choice for quick and dirty proofing on plain paper (which I have never used because I am still running a REALLY ancient HP 1200C/PS for that sort of thing.

(It must be nearly 20 years old but I just can't bear to throw out equipment that still works!)

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17. ,

Jan 30, 2009 4:40 PM in reply to whoos1

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Speakin' of which, Ann, if/when you get a chance, could you pop me an email at: rsts REMOVE @ REMOVE sheppardandstaff DOT com . I have something for you, if you're interested.

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18. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 30, 2009 5:14 PM in reply to whoos1

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Sure! It's on its way

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19. (john_passaneau),

Jan 30, 2009 5:55 PM in reply to Ann Shelbourne

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Well I got my R1900 this afternoon, hooked it up, loaded the drivers and
the first print (thanks for the link to the test print and the latest
drivers Ann)ran my first print and the color, sharpness and brightness
was spot on. But (there is often a "BUT") it's putting a number of what
looks to be scratches about a 1/10 inch apart the length of the short
side of the paper on the end that comes out of the printer last. It
messes up the last 1" to 2" of the print. I tried every printing paper I
have and all the feed paths and they are still there. So I called Epson
(Nice, they are on the left coast and were still open) and talked to a
tech. After describing the problem he said "Oh my, there is nothing you
can do about that! I will send you a new printer Monday by over night
express" Good service, but I hate to have to wait. I should get the new
one Tuesday. I asked him if I could keep the Ink I put in the old
machine. He said, sure but don't use them as the first carts in the new
printer as charging the head takes 1/3 of the first carts and if a cart
run out of ink while charging the new heads, you have to start over
again and lose another 1/3 of the next set of carts you use. He
suggested that I just keep the old carts and use them up as the new set
runs out. As they seal themselves when you remove them from the printer
it's safe to just store them in a zip lock bag.
I hope that is of some interest to everyone.

John Passaneau
PS I do have to return the old one.

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20. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 30, 2009 6:25 PM in reply to whoos1

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What great service! And isn't it nice when a company behaves like that?

I have obviously been lucky no scratches on my prints.

Check the Manual concerning storage of removed inks because you need to store them spouts-down as well as keeping them in Ziplocks.

Meanwhile, perhaps you could carry on printing until Tuesday by making square pictures that just occupy the first 8.5" of the sheet?

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21. Nick Decker,

Jan 31, 2009 5:00 AM in reply to whoos1

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John, sounds like the "pizza wheel" issue that I've occasionally heard about with some Epson printers. I've never had the problem with any of the Epsons that I've owned, but I think it has something to do with the rollers in the paper path being assembled incorrectly at the factory.

Glad to hear that Epson is taking care of you.

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22. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 31, 2009 9:44 AM in reply to whoos1

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One thing that I forgot to mention: I am printing 16-bit ProPhoto RGB images through Photoshop CS4 (with Photoshop managing colors using the Epson Premium profiles) and the smoothness of tones, lack of banding and incredible image detail in the results are outstanding.

Unfortunately it is only CS4 on a Mac that lets you print at 16 bits that technology is not available to Windows-users at this time but if you have CS4 on a Mac, do try printing ProPhoto RGB with 16-bits.

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23. whoos1,

Jan 31, 2009 9:53 AM in reply to whoos1

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I also received the R1900 very quickly and so far am very happy with it. I went back to Staples site today and it says they are now out of stock. Staples is also a good place to order ink. Orders over $50 are delivered next day and free. Epson Store also has free shipping and next day service for orders over $35 (I think). My ink purchases over the last 4 years have probably helped keep Staples afloat! (kidding)

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24. shoot me now-d3u3se,

Jan 31, 2009 1:06 PM in reply to whoos1

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http://www.atlex.com/epson-stylus-inkjet-printer/photo_r1900_printer_p aper_ink.htm

I used to buy all my ink and paper here. I don't know how prices compare lately but it might be worth checking out.

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25. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 31, 2009 1:31 PM in reply to whoos1

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Nice, Ho! VERY nice!

I will definitely be ordering from Atlex from now on too.

:)

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26. (Donald_Reese),

Jan 31, 2009 4:00 PM in reply to whoos1

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I always use atlex,and never had any troubles, plus they ship from more than one locale. They did say epson was raising ink prices feb 1st i think.

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27. Ann Shelbourne,

Jan 31, 2009 4:09 PM in reply to whoos1

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Then I got in "under the wire" on that one too because I already have extra ink on its way from Epson under their "first order discount" scheme.

:)

But after that, it will be coming from Atlex

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28. Nick Decker,

Jan 31, 2009 6:11 PM in reply to whoos1

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Atlex is good. I've been using them for years. I recently needed ink for my 3800 and buy.com was a bit cheaper, but it took forever to get the ink. Not good when you need it within a reasonable amount of time.

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29. Ann Shelbourne,

Feb 1, 2009 4:44 PM in reply to whoos1

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A few posts ago Wade mentioned that one could not print Vector objects or Illustrator files on the R1900.

I have now had time to test this and I find that you can indeed print perfectly smooth and crisp Vectors and gradients out of both Illustrator and Photoshop CS4 on this printer.

When printing from Photoshop, you just need to make sure that "Include Vector Data" is checked in the Print/Output panel.

I assume that the same will hold true for both InDesign and Acrobat but have not tested printing from them as yet.

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30. Wade S Zimmerman,

Feb 1, 2009 9:10 PM in reply to whoos1

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I was not able to print form illustrator smoothly and I do not believe there is include vector data in the Illustrator Print dialogue check your print again that yo made fro Illustrator unless you brought it into Photohop to print it.

I do not believe it will print well in Illustrator unless the drivers you downloaded from the UK are responsible for this. If the other people say it works form Illustrator I will get the printer back B&H I am certain they will be pleased.

BTW this printer solves the problem as I wrote for Color problems what you see on your screen will be the color your print will be you will not have red, magenta or green problems
and the prints are beautiful. Gray is gray!

Enjoy your printer they say Red and Cyan are the two most delicious colors for the printer so they will eat them.

When I thought about it I as kind of sorry because I do not general print from Illustrator and certainly with the output fro the bridge for contact sheets or from Lightroom I probably do not need illustrator for that as well.

And since most of what I would do with Illustrator would go to press or web or video.
The price is right at B&H. For me it actually comes out a little cheaper from B&H.

However I might buy a 17 inch wide printer you should all check out printing a black and white image. They say it is not the best at doing that but then they were trying to sell the 2880 which is more expensive but also has a $150.00 rebate.

But checkout the Black and White capabilities. Good Luck.

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31. Ann Shelbourne,

Feb 1, 2009 10:31 PM in reply to whoos1

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Wade:

I printed directly out of Illustrator CS4. I did Save with PDF capability checked (but I always do) and in the Effects menu, I set Raster settings at 300 ppi. The vectors are dead smooth even diagonals under a 10x loupe.

It could well be due to the UK drivers.

In Photoshop CS4, there is that "Include Vector Data" box and, with that checked, both Type and Vector shapes are printing smoothly too.

The Premium ICC Profiles have been very well done and the prints are matching the "Soft Proof" screen preview. As you say, the colors are absolutely luscious I have become addicted to this thing and have been printing almost non-stop most of the weekend.

"Neutrals" are very clean.

I have only printed one B/W so far the one that was part of the test print which I mentioned in an earlier post together with the black and white steps and gradients that are also on the Test Print. As you said, "Pure Grays" no color casts in them at all.

Epson would actually like to encourage us to buy BOTH the R1900 AND the 2800 of course one for color and the other for B/W!

If you can "borrow" the R1900 back from B&H again to give it a second look, you might want to keep it after all.

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32. Wade S Zimmerman,

Feb 2, 2009 12:43 AM in reply to whoos1

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I said it was a excellent printer for color photographic prints. i suspect the drivers.

I'll try again and thanks for the info.

The Gray is Gray is an important issue.

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33. Wade S Zimmerman,

Feb 2, 2009 3:20 PM in reply to whoos1

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Doesn't print well from Illustrator I figured but I can place in Photoshop and get a very good print.

Print photos very well. And the export to photoshop is very good This include Vector Art is an elusive option as well.

Even if it eats ink like all the others it is more economical because you send the image to the printer and you get a excellent print the first time.

But it does not print well in Illustrator as many other users have noted.

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34. Ann Shelbourne,

Feb 2, 2009 4:20 PM in reply to whoos1

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What Document Raster Effects Setting have you set in Illustrator?

I only have tried it with 300 ppi Resolution and even that was fine and you could set it at higher than that if you wanted to. I was printing an RGB file too and I don't know if that would affect the results.

And your Transparency Flattener Presets?

I was using "High" with Text Resolution at 1200 ppi and Vector balance = 100

Have you tried printing an Illustrator file through InDesign? I haven't tested an InDesign file yet.

I just can't tear myself away from printing photographs and am thrilled with the consistent high quality of the prints spot-on every time!

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35. Wade S Zimmerman,

Feb 2, 2009 4:40 PM in reply to whoos1

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No that is not the problem! I know the problem it is Illustrator and Epson and Intel that is the problem.

ID prints out very well. But there to the pen tool i not quite 100%.

I guess I can try running Illustrator under Rosetta and see if it works. OOps.

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36. Ann Shelbourne,

Feb 2, 2009 4:48 PM in reply to whoos1

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Ahh Intel. And maybe Leopard?

That's probably the difference because I am running a non-Intel G5 on OSX 10.4.11.

Perhaps Epson still haven't fixed their drivers properly for Leopard?

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37. Wade S Zimmerman,

Feb 2, 2009 5:27 PM in reply to whoos1

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10.4.11 and actually Epson Drivers are really native to OS 9 I understand. they have been fudging them rather then redo>

I'll bring Illustrator art into photoshop and raster there if I need to print.

I am going to guess they took the easy way out and waited until they could not longer rely on the old way and that would be Snow Leopard.

Thanks for the advice and help.

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38. Ann Shelbourne,

Feb 2, 2009 6:05 PM in reply to whoos1

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Glad that I could help.

I think that we owe David Cornwell a huge "Thank you" for alerting us to the R1900 offer in the first place!

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39. Wade S Zimmerman,

Feb 2, 2009 6:34 PM in reply to whoos1

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Thank you David.

For those who wish to send out DVDs, BluRays and CD with either data or media this printer does the best I have seen from Epson.

Comes out right the first time like the prints.

Finally what you see on the screen is what you see on your prints. if you have an Intel and work with Illustrator or vectors bring a copy into into Photoshop and raster and print.

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Epson Stylus R1900 special buy

Jan 26, 2009 1:33 PM

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