Opinions on Epson R3000

O5iris said:

Guys, you have been most helpful; I am delighted at the friendliness in this forum!

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This is the best forum, bar none, on dpreview.

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'Don't sneak up on it - surround it'

Just to let you know that I ordered the R3000 today.

Can't wait to get my greasy hands on it and start spoiling tons of paper and ink LOL

You guys can expect me sooner than later asking for paper/calibration/other tips
I foresee a looong learning curve ahead and many mistakes to go with it!

My R3000 arrived today and I fired it up right away. Fed it with Ilford Galerie smooth pearl (color photo) and smooth gloss (b&w photo with a blueish tonality, so I printed as color). (with corresponding ICC profiles, of course).
I must say that I am VERY impressed
The color photo was very very close to what I see in the monitor.

The 'b&w' one turned out a little bit darker than the monitor. For the later I let photoshop manage the colors, relative colorimetric (after Ilford's instructions) and Black Point Compensation.

Any suggestions to perfect this, appart from calibrations? Remove black point comp (what does this do anyway)? perceptual? fwiw the photo is middle to low key but overall it's a bit dark comparing to the monitor, even on the lighter tones.

Also, I've read somewhere that when printing true black and white one should let the printer do the color management. is this true?

Thanks in advance!

Computer displays are generally too bright (by default) to match a printed image. Your solution will most likely involve reducing the brightness of your display.

For B&W images Epson’s Advanced BW Photo is usually best, at least in my experience. This does require you to let the printer manage “colors” instead of the printing application. You can easily tint the photo in the Epson dialog, however, when using this mode.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-space-conversion.htm

Bob P.

Very nice indeed, already learned a lot
Thanks

Thanks. I will try advanced b&w today

I am very happy with my monitor's settings, the color photo I mentioned is spot on.

Today I've noticed much less difference looking at the b&w print, I have better light today and they look much closer. this is very envigorating.

I'm sure this is nothing new to you guys but I feel like a kid who received the latest and greatest toy in Christmas
Now for some more prints =)

I'll confirm that advanced B&W mode is the way to go for B&W prints.

I do all of my printing on Ilford Gold Fiber Silk - give it a try.

Thanks!

Mendocino Steve said:

I'll confirm that advanced B&W mode is the way to go for B&W prints.

I do all of my printing on Ilford Gold Fiber Silk - give it a try.

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I did, it's indeed beautiful! I tried to print one of my b&w scans from my 6x7 negs and it looks just like a print straight out of my wet darkroom...beautiful details and gradation. I don't know if this is good or bad because I love my darkroom and don't want to 'abandon' it, but this printer gives beautiful results with the correct papers and this sure opens up a lot of possibilities.

I have to say that I'm also extremely happy with the scan results. never really tested my scanner like this before because I use it mainly to archive my negatives digitally... and now it just proved its valor (Epson 4490 Photo).

Regarding the Gold Fibre Silk paper and the R3000
How do you load that paper?

I tried loading it through the front tray as fine art paper because it's 315microns thick and that's thicker than the lower limit for fine art media, according to the printer specs (300microns).

It loaded correctly but when I tried to print I got an error stating that the media is not correct according to the chosen specs, and it ejects the paper.
I have to load it as regular thinner paper, in the back tray.
Does this happen to you (I assume you have the R3000).

Thanks

Make sure you've selected that paper path in the Epson driver, instead of the sheet feeder.

I overlooked that, silly me.
It worked, thanks

I also settled on the R3000, and received mine today. I haven't popped in the carts yet (still waiting for the media to arrive), but this thread was a great read in the meantime. Looking forward to printing some images!

Thanks

I agree, am thinking of getting a R3000 found this thread really helpful and informative.

ukkisavosta said:

I also settled on the R3000, and received mine today. I haven't popped in the carts yet (still waiting for the media to arrive), but this thread was a great read in the meantime. Looking forward to printing some images!

Thanks

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Still love the printer. It can sit a month (and does) and then do a heavy print load without skipping a beat - or going through a cleaning cycle.

As mentioned - there are a LOT of settings. They're everywhere. If printing from photoshop, double it. When printing, after making changes, double check settings because sometimes changing one can cause another to revert. It's confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of it. If there's a type of printing you do often, save the profile.

Another tip - if you do change between media types - be sure to batch your print types together. Changing from Matte black to photo black wastes toner. Not much, but some. You can use the economy setting for Matte, which helps a little.

I mention that because I print my photos (glossy) and my Wife's art (matte on watercolor or other fine-art paper) so I go back and forth a lot. It never fails as soon as I print one photo, my Wife needs some artwork printed!

Be sure to check all the sample packs available from the manufacturers, and ask here - lots of people like lots of different brands. Some are downright gorgeous. Many of the manufacturers have fantastic support for Epson - better than Epson!

Good luck, you'll enjoy the printer!

Have you tried setting the mode for black switching to Economy? It seems okay for all but the most critical prints.

Thanks for the feedback, victorian squid. Sounds promising.

I am an amateur, and can go for long periods without printing, so it's reassuring to hear that the inks haven't clogged or dried up between jobs. Thanks also for the heads-up concerning the multitude of settings.

I've already ordered a couple of 13" rolls of satin paper. Can't wait to print some panoramas with this thing!

I've only had my R3000 a few days and already the levels in Photo Black are dropping alarmingly. So I won't be switching so readily back and forth from gloss to matte.

The results from the printer are stunning. I've been shooting digital since 2000 but never had a decent printer. I just relied on printing from a cheap all in one or getting a specialist printing firm to do it for me.

I used to have a black and white darkroom, having this printer brings back the excitement of watching a picture appear in a developing tray.

Having a decent printer makes the process of photography complete again.

There was a $139 cashback with the R3000 (you get a free Wacom tablet) So I rushed to get mine on deadline day but now the offer is even better instead of the tablet there is a $200 cashback (in Oz) $300 if you buy ink.

Oh well maybe the tablet will come in handy, although I had one once and sold it as I never used it.

$80 worth of vouchers came in handy too. I orderered online A3+ sheets of heavyweight matte paper from Epson.

Unfortunately they sent me Premium Matte presentation paper instead. I didn't realise their mistake until after I opened the package.

I don't know what the difference is between the paper but a surfing image I shot at dusk looks stunning if I do say so myself.

I couldn't understand why my prints weren't filling the paper until I reaslised I was setting the size to A3 not A3+

I'm currently reading a library book by Rob Sheppard "Epson complete guide to digital printing" It's the 2003 edition not the latest 2011 one but most o the information is still relevant.

Cheers Dean
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http://www.pomgonewalkabout.com

backayonder said:

Unfortunately they sent me Premium Matte presentation paper instead. I didn't realise their mistake until after I opened the package.

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I was under the impression that Heavyweight Matte was the same as Premium Matte Presentation. Correct me, if I'm wrong.

Rob

--
'Don't sneak up on it - surround it'

Confusing as I have seen pictures of the products in different packages with their relevant names but if the internal paper is the same then all good.

Cheers
--
http://www.pomgonewalkabout.com