Printing photoshop art from an A3 printer, advice please

[jmatcham]

My current printer is a 7 colour Inkjet,  Epson Stylus photo R1800 and has just told me that 'parts inside my printer are at the end of their service'...and STOPPED in the middle of my work! Currently using Windows 7 and CS2.

I wonder if anyone here has found themself replacing their printer and what they chose because there seem to be a lot of considerations I don't know about...like dye based inks and pigment based inks. My current seemingly defunct printer has been excellent and has 7 very expensive pigment based colours (which I had just replaced!).

I am not reproducing photos but pictures which are produced using a Wacom Tablet and photoshop. I dread to think what will happen to existing designs when printed with a different printer and software (after fastidious proofing on my part!).

I thought if someone here has had similar problems I would be very grateful to have the benefit of their experience. Thanks, Julia Matcham

(If you want to see what I do, just Google me as I have a unique name!)

[davescm]

Hi Julia

It is a long time since I replaced my printer which was from a Canon A3 printer to an Epson 3800 Pro which prints A2.
At the time I hovered between an A2 printer and A3 printer but went for the A2 because:

a. It gave me the option to print at the larger size

b. It uses 80ml ink cartridges which work out much cheaper per ml than the smaller cartridges in the A3 printers

c. It has a replacable waste ink tank, which is one of the reasons some small printers stop working as the tank gradually fills up on head cleaning.

d. The additional cost of the A2 printer was offset by the larger amount of ink at the start (i.e. the larger cartridges that came with the printer). Another way of looking at it was I paid for the extra ink and got the larger printer for free.

I think the modern equivalent is the P800

Dave

[Trevor.Dennis]

The 3800 Pro is a favourite with some of my photographer acquaintances here.  I used to think that cost of a full set of tanks was scary, but the four cartridges for my HP colour laser cost about the same.  I moved my A3 printer to the garage a couple of years ago, because it took so much disk space, and I don't enter competitions any more.  It seemed to me that I could get an awful lot of prints done in town for the cost of a printer plus running costs, and I don't have the hassle of finding space for it.  I also have a good relationship with the printer (I taught him Photoshop), and he looks after me.

From Julia's point of view, it would make sense to find a replacement that uses the same ink as her R1800, but a quick look at the consumables for that printer seems to show they are unique to the R1800 and R800

So the world is her oyster, as they say. 

[jmatcham]

Thanks...I did try to find out which other printer might use the same cartridges but couldn't find an easy way...except I couldn't find even one other that did, so thanks for anwering that one.

I suppose I will have to pray that my stylus Photo R1800 can be mended, but of course one has to think that it won't be cheap and ponder on whether it wouldn't be better to invest in a new one.

What is worrying is that I keep careful notes of the settings I use in order that if some one wants to buy a print it will print off identically and I can't imagine how that would translate to another printer. I probably don't have more than three copies of any print although they are numbered to a lot more!

Thanks anyway.

If anyone else has any comments I would be very pleased to here from them,

.

Is anyone using CS2 on Windows 10  ...I would just like to know if it is possible. I am just an individual artist; I can't afford the enormous cost of an upgrade! In fact I don't think you can upgrade...it would have to be new! 

Thank you, Julia

It is all helpful.

[jmatcham]

Thanks...I wouldn't have room for a bigger printer but everything is interesting to consider.

I am concerned about the inks because all my work depends on very careful proofing to get colour exactly what I want. Currently 7 colours...so I find it hard to believe I could get the same subtleties and strengths with fewer.

And as the next reply has pointed out, it looks like the inks I use (Frog to use the short cut) are only available for one other printer which I think uses fewer colours. I will have a look. But you are right...those cartidges are VERY expensive. I have never used substitutes.

Thanks anyway...I hate change! I have been avoiding Windows 10 to avoid any software problems with my CS2 which is no longer supported by Photoshop...and I cannot afford a new copy...or whatever they make you do now as I am not rich. Not even sure if I would be able to use CS2 with Windows 10 ...and so on.

Thanks for listening! Julia