F
Faz
I've researched this printer, but I am very interested in any and all
comments from those in the knowledge.
Thanks....Chuck.
comments from those in the knowledge.
Thanks....Chuck.
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R
Roy G
Hi.Faz said:I've researched this printer, but I am very interested in any and all
comments from those in the knowledge.
Thanks....Chuck.
I have been using mine for quite a few years now, and it is an excellent
printer.
The very fact that it has been on the market, with only minor updates, for
well over 6 years should tell you that it is more than just good.
Having said all of that, if I was buying today, I would go for the 1800.
Roy G
B
bmoag
I have had both the 1280 and the 1800.
I would recommend the 1800. The 1280 is capable of excellent results but the
vibrancy or whatever adjective you want to apply to the pigment based dyes
of the 1280 is clearly evident in prints of the identical image.
Both these printers are unforgiving of color managment errors. In fact,
until I finally comprehended the zen of color management I thought I wasted
the purchase price of the 1280 (that was about 5 years ago).
I would recommend the 1800. The 1280 is capable of excellent results but the
vibrancy or whatever adjective you want to apply to the pigment based dyes
of the 1280 is clearly evident in prints of the identical image.
Both these printers are unforgiving of color managment errors. In fact,
until I finally comprehended the zen of color management I thought I wasted
the purchase price of the 1280 (that was about 5 years ago).
E
Ed Ruf
but the
vibrancy or whatever adjective you want to apply to the pigment based dyes
of the 1280 is clearly evident in prints of the identical image.
Umm, backwards the 1280 inks are dye based. The 1800 inks are pigment
based.
M
measekite
It is really old technology. Look at the Canon Pro 9000. Far superior
M
measekite
You cannot compare the two printers for one is dye based and the other
is pigment based. I think that (should ship in Jan 07) the Canon Pro
9500 might be a better choice if you want a pigment ink printer and the
Canon Pro 9000 is a hands down better choice if you want a dye based
printer.
is pigment based. I think that (should ship in Jan 07) the Canon Pro
9500 might be a better choice if you want a pigment ink printer and the
Canon Pro 9000 is a hands down better choice if you want a dye based
printer.
R
Roy G
measekite said:It is really old technology. Look at the Canon Pro 9000. Far superior
That is only your opinion.
Roy G
F
Frank
He reads the magazine reviews and believes every word they print. I tendRoy said:That is only your opinion.
Roy G
to believe the word of those who actually own and use the printer they
are commenting on.
Frank
M
measekite
If you really thought about it you would not say it is my opinion. The
original came out about 5 years ago. This model is evolutionary and not
revolutionary; therefore the underlying technology is about 5 years
old. The original inkjet came out about 10 years ago so it is very
obvious that the technology is old by pc technology standards. So you
see that is a fact. The only opinion I have is agreeing with the facts.
So whats your beef?
original came out about 5 years ago. This model is evolutionary and not
revolutionary; therefore the underlying technology is about 5 years
old. The original inkjet came out about 10 years ago so it is very
obvious that the technology is old by pc technology standards. So you
see that is a fact. The only opinion I have is agreeing with the facts.
So whats your beef?
R
Roy G
measekite said:If you really thought about it you would not say it is my opinion. The
original came out about 5 years ago. This model is evolutionary and not
revolutionary; therefore the underlying technology is about 5 years old.
The original inkjet came out about 10 years ago so it is very obvious that
the technology is old by pc technology standards. So you see that is a
fact. The only opinion I have is agreeing with the facts.
So whats your beef?
"Far Superior" is not a fact. It is a value judgement, or it is your
opinion.
My opinion as to what is best is at least as valid as yours.
The 1290 / 1280 has been on the market for at least 6 years, and people are
still willing to buy it, for no reason other than it is such a very good
printer.
Roy G
M
measekite
Some people just like the ink guzzling Epson. These may be the same
people who like the rollover SUVs. The 12xx is the only wide format dye
based printer Epson produces so there really is not a lot of choice.
people who like the rollover SUVs. The 12xx is the only wide format dye
based printer Epson produces so there really is not a lot of choice.
M
Meander Holefield
I've researched this printer, but I am very interested in any and all
comments from those in the knowledge.
Thanks....Chuck.
Nothing's perfect. I still like my SP1280 ... I think. I'm having
troubles getting warranty work done right now.
Anyway ... here's some things I discovered after buying it:
1. The SP1280's highest resolution is called "PhotoRPM." It will not
print borderless at that resolution using cut sheet paper. The driver only
allows PhotoRPM resolution to roll paper if you want to make a borderless
print.
2. You cannot print borderless to any custom paper sizes that you might
enter into its driver. It only allows borderless printing to the cut sheet
paper sizes that are built-in to its driver.
It will print "borderless" only to the following cut sheet sizes:
A3 11.7 x 16.5 in
Super B 13 x 19
Letter 8 1/2 x 11 in
Index card 5 x 8 in
8 x 10 in
11 x 14 in
Photo paper 4 x 6 in No Perforations
Photo Paper 100 x 150 mm
3.5 x 5 in
5 x 7 in
3. The software interface is "clunky." You'll want the "advanced"
settings most of the time but it takes a few clicks to get to that property
sheet each and every time you interact with the driver. It's aggravating.
It's an old driver that hasn't been updated.
4. The color cartridge is a 5-color cartridge with 14ml of each color (C-
Y-M-c-m) so the color cartridge contains 70 ml. The black cartridge
contains about 19 ml. I get about 10 SuperB sized borderless (13" x 19")
prints from a set of cartridges.
Some see 5 colors in one cartridge as an inconvience. I see it as an
advantage. There's only 2 cartridges in this SP1280. One is black. One
is C-M-Y-c-m).
All other current Epson's have a separate cartridge for each color.
That means every time you change one cartridge, it goes through a head
prime routine that sucks and wastes ink from ALL the other cartridges as
well! So, with the newer design Epson's, you've got 6 to 10 individual
cartridges and that means about 6 to 10 more head primes are required by
the time you've changed all the ink cartridge through normal usage. Those
printers throw a lot of ink down the waste tube. I really wonder if they
maybe they waste more than they spray on the page.
You would think that it would prime only the circuit involved with the
cartridge you've just changed, wouldn't you? Nope. Epson's trying to sell
as much ink as possible. They tell people it's a cost savings to have one
tank for each color. Actually? They don't tell you that it's sucking ink
from every cartridge you own just to prime the one you replaced.
On the average, all the ink colors are used up just about the same time
in photographic printing (give or take a little bit here and there). With
the SP1280, you prime the head once for a "color" cartridge change and you
prime once for a "black" cartridge change. That's it. Very little waste.
So, I think there's no "cheaper" cost per page than the SP1280. Each
color slot of the 5-color cartridge holds 14ml of each color. Some of the
newer Epsons contain less than that in each of their one-color cartridges.
5. Epson's require some "hands on" head cleaning to keep them working.
Ink accumulation on the head and ink accumulation on the wiper eventually
cause nozzle problems.
These "hands on" cleaning methods are messy and require some technical
expertise. An Epson isn't for everyone. It's only for those who are
willing to dedicate a portion of their time toward the maintenance of the
permanent piezo head.
6. In the right hands, an Epson can give good performance over a long
period of time. It's not for the casual user who knows nothing and wants
to know nothing.
7. 3rd party cartridges can void the warranty. For a printer that costs
$200 U.S. to $300 U.S. like the SP1280, that's something to consider.
Warranty service involves shipping unless you have a factory authorized
service center in your town. The SP1280 is heavy enough to require about
$35 U.S. via UPS ground one way to ship it to them. If Epson refuses
warranty service, it's another $35 to ship the printer back to your home in
it's failed state--all totaled $70 or more lost.
I have one and only one factory authorized service center in this town
and they've recently proven to be "less than knowledgeable" so I'm picking
up my printer tomorrow even though it is still broken. I'll either have to
leave it turned on all the time or I'll fix it myself.
9. Lots of opinions differ at Epson about whether or not to leave the
printer turned on. I've eMailed tech support and I've gotten conflicting
opinions documented at least 6 times.
The argument continues at Epson over whether the heads are "capped" (to
keep the ink from drying out) while their printers are turned on. The
argument is clouded by even more opinions all over the web.
Some eMails to me from Epson say they are capped while on. Others say
they aren't. Some eMails from Epson say you must always turn the printer
off when not in use. Some eMails from Epson say it's quite okay to leave
it turned on all the time.
The 5 Epson's that I have (1-C86, 2-SP750, 1-SP900, 1-SP1280) cap their
heads in the same manner (as far as I can see) whether on or off. I've
pulled the top housings to examine the head park routines. I don't see any
difference between powered on and powered off.
The only times I've ever seen one of my Epson's turned on without the
head parked and capped properly invoved software glitches where the print
job was hung by a Windows process or some other software/communication
glitch. This "communication" problem left the head in a position other
than the "home" position. Me? I notice these things. I know when
something isn't quite right and I tend to it promptly. Not all printer
users are this concerned and many users don't know what to look/listen for.
So, unless you are aware and familiar with your Epson printer's sounds
and behaviors, it might be better to turn it off when not in use because
turning it off is the only way to be sure that the heads have been properly
capped. (Canon's automatically turn themselves on and off so I chose a
Canon for my daughter who wouldn't lend a single moment to maintenance nor
a single moment to care.)
That's all I can think of for now. I think that, in general, I'd have
to say that the SP1280 is fine for what I do: print photographs for the
home, church, and school. I've even heard that pros use it for proofing.
Actually, it produces photographic prints that please me and I'm hard to
please.
//rus\\
M
measekite
There is no reason to buy an obsolete printer. If you want to stay with Epson look at the R1800 although it is a pigment ink printer. Best if you want a dye printer is the Canon Pro 9000. More economical to run and it produces a better print. It also has twin paper feeds.
Meander Holefield wrote:
"Faz" <[email protected]> wrote in news:8zLhh.497110$1T2.464877 @pd7urf2no:
I've researched this printer, but I am very interested in any and all comments from those in the knowledge. Thanks....Chuck.
Nothing's perfect. I still like my SP1280 ... I think. I'm having troubles getting warranty work done right now. Anyway ... here's some things I discovered after buying it: 1. The SP1280's highest resolution is called "PhotoRPM." It will not print borderless at that resolution using cut sheet paper. The driver only allows PhotoRPM resolution to roll paper if you want to make a borderless print. 2. You cannot print borderless to any custom paper sizes that you might enter into its driver. It only allows borderless printing to the cut sheet paper sizes that are built-in to its driver. It will print "borderless" only to the following cut sheet sizes: A3 11.7 x 16.5 in Super B 13 x 19 Letter 8 1/2 x 11 in Index card 5 x 8 in 8 x 10 in 11 x 14 in Photo paper 4 x 6 in No Perforations Photo Paper 100 x 150 mm 3.5 x 5 in 5 x 7 in 3. The software interface is "clunky." You'll want the "advanced" settings most of the time but it takes a few clicks to get to that property sheet each and every time you interact with the driver. It's aggravating. It's an old driver that hasn't been updated. 4. The color cartridge is a 5-color cartridge with 14ml of each color (C- Y-M-c-m) so the color cartridge contains 70 ml. The black cartridge contains about 19 ml. I get about 10 SuperB sized borderless (13" x 19") prints from a set of cartridges. Some see 5 colors in one cartridge as an inconvience. I see it as an advantage. There's only 2 cartridges in this SP1280. One is black. One is C-M-Y-c-m). All other current Epson's have a separate cartridge for each color. That means every time you change one cartridge, it goes through a head prime routine that sucks and wastes ink from ALL the other cartridges as well! So, with the newer design Epson's, you've got 6 to 10 individual cartridges and that means about 6 to 10 more head primes are required by the time you've changed all the ink cartridge through normal usage. Those printers throw a lot of ink down the waste tube. I really wonder if they maybe they waste more than they spray on the page. You would think that it would prime only the circuit involved with the cartridge you've just changed, wouldn't you? Nope. Epson's trying to sell as much ink as possible. They tell people it's a cost savings to have one tank for each color. Actually? They don't tell you that it's sucking ink from every cartridge you own just to prime the one you replaced. On the average, all the ink colors are used up just about the same time in photographic printing (give or take a little bit here and there). With the SP1280, you prime the head once for a "color" cartridge change and you prime once for a "black" cartridge change. That's it. Very little waste. So, I think there's no "cheaper" cost per page than the SP1280. Each color slot of the 5-color cartridge holds 14ml of each color. Some of the newer Epsons contain less than that in each of their one-color cartridges. 5. Epson's require some "hands on" head cleaning to keep them working. Ink accumulation on the head and ink accumulation on the wiper eventually cause nozzle problems. These "hands on" cleaning methods are messy and require some technical expertise. An Epson isn't for everyone. It's only for those who are willing to dedicate a portion of their time toward the maintenance of the permanent piezo head. 6. In the right hands, an Epson can give good performance over a long period of time. It's not for the casual user who knows nothing and wants to know nothing. 7. 3rd party cartridges can void the warranty. For a printer that costs $200 U.S. to $300 U.S. like the SP1280, that's something to consider. Warranty service involves shipping unless you have a factory authorized service center in your town. The SP1280 is heavy enough to require about $35 U.S. via UPS ground one way to ship it to them. If Epson refuses warranty service, it's another $35 to ship the printer back to your home in it's failed state--all totaled $70 or more lost. I have one and only one factory authorized service center in this town and they've recently proven to be "less than knowledgeable" so I'm picking up my printer tomorrow even though it is still broken. I'll either have to leave it turned on all the time or I'll fix it myself. 9. Lots of opinions differ at Epson about whether or not to leave the printer turned on. I've eMailed tech support and I've gotten conflicting opinions documented at least 6 times. The argument continues at Epson over whether the heads are "capped" (to keep the ink from drying out) while their printers are turned on. The argument is clouded by even more opinions all over the web. Some eMails to me from Epson say they are capped while on. Others say they aren't. Some eMails from Epson say you must always turn the printer off when not in use. Some eMails from Epson say it's quite okay to leave it turned on all the time. The 5 Epson's that I have (1-C86, 2-SP750, 1-SP900, 1-SP1280) cap their heads in the same manner (as far as I can see) whether on or off. I've pulled the top housings to examine the head park routines. I don't see any difference between powered on and powered off. The only times I've ever seen one of my Epson's turned on without the head parked and capped properly invoved software glitches where the print job was hung by a Windows process or some other software/communication glitch. This "communication" problem left the head in a position other than the "home" position. Me? I notice these things. I know when something isn't quite right and I tend to it promptly. Not all printer users are this concerned and many users don't know what to look/listen for. So, unless you are aware and familiar with your Epson printer's sounds and behaviors, it might be better to turn it off when not in use because turning it off is the only way to be sure that the heads have been properly capped. (Canon's automatically turn themselves on and off so I chose a Canon for my daughter who wouldn't lend a single moment to maintenance nor a single moment to care.) That's all I can think of for now. I think that, in general, I'd have to say that the SP1280 is fine for what I do: print photographs for the home, church, and school. I've even heard that pros use it for proofing. Actually, it produces photographic prints that please me and I'm hard to please. //rus\\
Meander Holefield wrote:
"Faz" <[email protected]> wrote in news:8zLhh.497110$1T2.464877 @pd7urf2no:
I've researched this printer, but I am very interested in any and all comments from those in the knowledge. Thanks....Chuck.
Nothing's perfect. I still like my SP1280 ... I think. I'm having troubles getting warranty work done right now. Anyway ... here's some things I discovered after buying it: 1. The SP1280's highest resolution is called "PhotoRPM." It will not print borderless at that resolution using cut sheet paper. The driver only allows PhotoRPM resolution to roll paper if you want to make a borderless print. 2. You cannot print borderless to any custom paper sizes that you might enter into its driver. It only allows borderless printing to the cut sheet paper sizes that are built-in to its driver. It will print "borderless" only to the following cut sheet sizes: A3 11.7 x 16.5 in Super B 13 x 19 Letter 8 1/2 x 11 in Index card 5 x 8 in 8 x 10 in 11 x 14 in Photo paper 4 x 6 in No Perforations Photo Paper 100 x 150 mm 3.5 x 5 in 5 x 7 in 3. The software interface is "clunky." You'll want the "advanced" settings most of the time but it takes a few clicks to get to that property sheet each and every time you interact with the driver. It's aggravating. It's an old driver that hasn't been updated. 4. The color cartridge is a 5-color cartridge with 14ml of each color (C- Y-M-c-m) so the color cartridge contains 70 ml. The black cartridge contains about 19 ml. I get about 10 SuperB sized borderless (13" x 19") prints from a set of cartridges. Some see 5 colors in one cartridge as an inconvience. I see it as an advantage. There's only 2 cartridges in this SP1280. One is black. One is C-M-Y-c-m). All other current Epson's have a separate cartridge for each color. That means every time you change one cartridge, it goes through a head prime routine that sucks and wastes ink from ALL the other cartridges as well! So, with the newer design Epson's, you've got 6 to 10 individual cartridges and that means about 6 to 10 more head primes are required by the time you've changed all the ink cartridge through normal usage. Those printers throw a lot of ink down the waste tube. I really wonder if they maybe they waste more than they spray on the page. You would think that it would prime only the circuit involved with the cartridge you've just changed, wouldn't you? Nope. Epson's trying to sell as much ink as possible. They tell people it's a cost savings to have one tank for each color. Actually? They don't tell you that it's sucking ink from every cartridge you own just to prime the one you replaced. On the average, all the ink colors are used up just about the same time in photographic printing (give or take a little bit here and there). With the SP1280, you prime the head once for a "color" cartridge change and you prime once for a "black" cartridge change. That's it. Very little waste. So, I think there's no "cheaper" cost per page than the SP1280. Each color slot of the 5-color cartridge holds 14ml of each color. Some of the newer Epsons contain less than that in each of their one-color cartridges. 5. Epson's require some "hands on" head cleaning to keep them working. Ink accumulation on the head and ink accumulation on the wiper eventually cause nozzle problems. These "hands on" cleaning methods are messy and require some technical expertise. An Epson isn't for everyone. It's only for those who are willing to dedicate a portion of their time toward the maintenance of the permanent piezo head. 6. In the right hands, an Epson can give good performance over a long period of time. It's not for the casual user who knows nothing and wants to know nothing. 7. 3rd party cartridges can void the warranty. For a printer that costs $200 U.S. to $300 U.S. like the SP1280, that's something to consider. Warranty service involves shipping unless you have a factory authorized service center in your town. The SP1280 is heavy enough to require about $35 U.S. via UPS ground one way to ship it to them. If Epson refuses warranty service, it's another $35 to ship the printer back to your home in it's failed state--all totaled $70 or more lost. I have one and only one factory authorized service center in this town and they've recently proven to be "less than knowledgeable" so I'm picking up my printer tomorrow even though it is still broken. I'll either have to leave it turned on all the time or I'll fix it myself. 9. Lots of opinions differ at Epson about whether or not to leave the printer turned on. I've eMailed tech support and I've gotten conflicting opinions documented at least 6 times. The argument continues at Epson over whether the heads are "capped" (to keep the ink from drying out) while their printers are turned on. The argument is clouded by even more opinions all over the web. Some eMails to me from Epson say they are capped while on. Others say they aren't. Some eMails from Epson say you must always turn the printer off when not in use. Some eMails from Epson say it's quite okay to leave it turned on all the time. The 5 Epson's that I have (1-C86, 2-SP750, 1-SP900, 1-SP1280) cap their heads in the same manner (as far as I can see) whether on or off. I've pulled the top housings to examine the head park routines. I don't see any difference between powered on and powered off. The only times I've ever seen one of my Epson's turned on without the head parked and capped properly invoved software glitches where the print job was hung by a Windows process or some other software/communication glitch. This "communication" problem left the head in a position other than the "home" position. Me? I notice these things. I know when something isn't quite right and I tend to it promptly. Not all printer users are this concerned and many users don't know what to look/listen for. So, unless you are aware and familiar with your Epson printer's sounds and behaviors, it might be better to turn it off when not in use because turning it off is the only way to be sure that the heads have been properly capped. (Canon's automatically turn themselves on and off so I chose a Canon for my daughter who wouldn't lend a single moment to maintenance nor a single moment to care.) That's all I can think of for now. I think that, in general, I'd have to say that the SP1280 is fine for what I do: print photographs for the home, church, and school. I've even heard that pros use it for proofing. Actually, it produces photographic prints that please me and I'm hard to please. //rus\\