Help on printer suggestion

Phil Hill wrote:

You mentioned above the R2000 as using eight colors but the R2000 is really a six-color printer. The additional cartridges are for gloss optimizer and matte black. Neither is useful (or needed) on a dye printer. I believe your choice between the 1430 and R2000 should be based on whether or not you print mostly glossy or also want to print on a wide variety of art papers as well.

The 1430 delivers excellent glossy and luster prints with good longevity if you stick to papers that have the correct coating. It can also make nce matte prints on Epson and other matte papers that support dye inks.

The R2000 also makes great glossy prints, but you can print on a very wide variety of art papers as well.

Regarding the R3000 and black and white, if you select an appropriate paper you can do better than a traditional darkroom. It’s that good, at least in my opinion. The 2880 should produce similar quality, but I don’t have experience with that one.

One final point. If you plan to sell prints as art you’ll probably find that many people will not be willing to make that kind of investment unless pigment inks have been used. However, if an appropriate paper is used, and if the print is protected from excessive humidity, it should last about 100 years (according to simulated tests). Note that both pigment and dye prints need to be protected from UV.