I would strongly recommend the 1280, or the 1270 for even cheaper
results if the 1280's edge to edge printing isn't a concern. The
Epson photo printers are capable of much better results than even
darkroom prints when fed the right image file. The 1270 is a 1440 dpi
printer with excellent quality and the 1280 is a 2880 dpi printer with
slightly better quality in the midtones and highlights.
The Oly is not in the same class print wise and it's mighty expensive
for me. It would be great for almost instant photos from a lap top or
digital camera if you do location work though. All the inkjet
printers are going to be slower than dye-sub printers.
Re: Arthur's comments:
1) there are a couple very reliable ways around the chip issue now,
and another has been announced for release soon.
2) there are countless third party inks available for use since the
chip has been defeated. some better than others, of course.
3) there are currently two bulk ink systems available for either
printer. I have one on my 1270 and it works wonderfully. My ink
prices dropped to less than US$50 for 4 ounces of each color, instead
of more than $50 for only two OEM cartridges which only have ~ 1/4
ounce of each color ink.
4) Epson pioneered photo quality printing and is very unlikely to drop
out of this game, however I never use absolutes when it comes to
business decisions. ; )
The only drawback to the 1280/70 line is the issue of color fade/shift
with the OEM inks. However, a few of the third party inks do look
promising in this area, and the fade/shift is really nothing new to
color work anyway. There are rumors that Epson changed the newest
printers to defeat the chip work-arounds, but so far it has only been
speculation. I've not read any confirmed reports from reliable
sources.
Here's a few links to check:
Bob Meyer's site dedicated to the Epson
color shift problem. It's packed with ink and paper comparison tests,
third party ink info, and news about the bulk ink system. It's a
little spread out, so take your time looking through it.
builds and sells one of the bulk systems for
this line of printers. A little pricey for me, but seems to be a well
designed system. It includes a modified chip to get around the OEM
chip issue. A brand new system for this printer, so reports from
users are just starting to come in, but they all seem to love the same
system on older printers.
supplies bulk inks, archival inks, refill
kits, and another bulk delivery system. Their system is actually a
kit you assemble yourself, it cost much less then the other one but
does require more time and effort on your part. It is the system I
use. I also use their ink.
There is also a dedicated Epson printer mail list over at
www.leben.com/lists it is a very active list with a lot of very
knowledgeable people on it. Several have professional color
backgrounds and a few are well known photoshop authors and engineers.
The archives are available at yahoo groups, but you can't post to the
list from there. You need to register through leben's own site.
Hope this helps
--James Hill
> >Nick Taylor wrote:
>
> > Sorry about the off topic post, but I think that most everyone
> > that uses a film scanner also has some printer experience.
> >
> > I'm considering a replacement for my Epson Stylus Color 800
> > inkjet printer. Two printers have been highly recommended to
> > me, the Epson Photo Stylus 1280 and the Olympus P-400. Does
> > anyone here have experience with either or both of these
> > printers? I would appreciate any and all comments, experiences,
> > suggestions, flames, etc.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > -Nick T.
> Art wrote:
> I have not used either printer. The 1280 is an upgrade(?) of the
1270,
> I believe. Be aware that most of the high end Epson printers are
now
> using the imbedded chip in the ink cartridge. Unless you are going
to
> use one of the techniques to defeat this (via software or hardware)
you
> will be stuck with Epson's ink cartridges and their inks, meaning
> expense, narrow ink choices, and if Epson either goes bankrupt or
> decided to stop making your ink cart, you'd have an orphaned
printer.
>
> If any of these concern you, the newer Epson printers may not be a
good
> idea.
>
> Art
