Arthur said:
I've heard a rumor that the R1800 has been discontinued now that the
2400 has been released with the new K3 Ultrachrome inks which are
supposed to work well with glossy papers without the need for a gloss
optimizer.
I do not have confirmation yet... so this sits as rumor only... anyone
hear anything more?
There was a rumour that started from an error on Amazon a month or so
ago stating that the R1800 had been discontinued.
I wouldn't expect that the R1800 will be discontinued unless/until a
consumer level A4 printer using the K3 inkset is released. I don't
expect that to happen in the immediate future - as a consumer level
printer that needs an ink cartridge change between matte and photo black
isn't ideal. Epson/Noritsu are also now producing and promoting dry
minilabs that use the same ultrachrome inks as the R800/1800 - a 7 ink
system including GOP, less the matte black ink/. The K3 inks are much
much better than an R2200 on gloss/semi-gloss, but some bronzing and
gloss differential remains. The 2400 would be better if it had GOP.
My guess is that the next generation might be a 10 ink system - using K3
inks but also GOP. Hopefully, Epson will design it like the HP 8250.
Apart from the ink savings by recirculating ink used for
priming/cleaning, it might make a 10 ink head system a bit more
practical and compact than a 10 cartridge head assembly.