Well I finally did it - replaced my excellent i9100 Canon with the Epson R2400.
Straight out of the box it was very easy to set up - all cartridges are placed in the printer and the ink charging takes place - takes a couple of minutes.
Next pop the CD in and connect via USB / USB2 / Firewire and install the software.
Another couple of minutes and the job is done - ready to print.
My Canon printer produced fantastic high gloss output - but it faded pretty quickly and Black & White was a nightmare.
The Epson uses Pigment K3 inks that have a far better lifespan but some users stated that gloss output wasn't very good - even termed it a matt only printer.
Well I got my A3+ paper straight out (none of this whimpy 6x4) and printed a B+W using the advanced option in the printer driver (set "let printer determine colours" in CS2)
Pressed print and waited - its much slower than the Canon but even for A3+ quite acceptable 2-3 mins.
THE RESULTS WERE JAW DROPPING
Using gloss paper there was not a single colour cast and no bronzing at all in any light - period !! I can't describe how good the results are - just fantastic.
There is an option to slightly shift the white point so that areas of pure white have some pigment applied to the paper so that gloss differences from the paper / ink are not pronounced. I have tried both and not noticed any problem either way.
I also printed black and white using the Epson ICC profile in CS2 and again this produced a neutral B+W with no colour cast. The black were perhaps not quite as black as using the advanced B+W option but still excellent.
SO FOR ME A WINNER in monochrome - as this was my primary reason for purchasing.
I then tried a full colour on A3+ and used the ICC profile in CS2 - Again the output took 2 -3 minutes and the reults were again SUPERB - perhaps not quite as punchy as the Canon but the use of a gloss spray fixer does the trick if this is what you want.
For me however the results straight from the printer whether colour or B+W are simply stunning with the added bonus that I don't worry as much about fading.
Ink usage is about the same as the Canon - no better no worse.
I can't praise this printer enough and the many glowing reviews are justified - yes Canon's pro 9500 due out in 2007 may compete but for now the Epson is the clear front runner.
