Fiber Based Media on the R1900

[billrickman]

Unfortunately I purchased this printer (Epson R1900) without realizing the paper community does not want to send fiber based media through it. This defies all logic. Being a mid-level printer should not disable the epson profile makers from creating profiles for the printer. Mid-level printer buyers are not custom profile-makers. Epson, all paper that will go into your printers should have available profiles. When I read "accepts thicker media", I assumed this included Exhibition Fiber. What is the difference between the consumer level r2880 and r1900 printers to warrant the different stance epson takes? The 3800 and larger printers get a "Pro" designation. I might be able to see only giving compatibility to these printers, and maybe not providing profiles for non-ultrachrome printers. Harman also does not provide profiles on its website for its fiber based media. Sorry to rant but I feel stuck with a printer that should be able to do what the paper makers think it cannot.

[colinm]

Harman simply hasn't updated their profile selection yet. They don't have a profile for the R2880 yet either (and did support the R1800, by the way).

As for the Exhibition Fiber, per Epson, it was developed specifically for the K3 and K3 with Vivid Magenta inks and didn't perform to their expectations with the other UltraChromes.

[MHMG]

As for the Exhibition Fiber, per Epson, it was developed specifically for the K3 and K3 with Vivid Magenta inks and didn't perform to their expectations with the other UltraChromes.
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Just curious. Where did you read or hear it didn't meet Epson expectations on any of the other UltraChrome sets. I printed a sample on my R1800 and it looked pretty impressive, not that I'd run such and expensive paper routinely on my R1800, but certainly no problems that suggested it was incompatible.

Also, I sympathize with the OP on lack of generic profiles for the new papers, but custom profiling does provide additional color accuracy advantages in most cases, anyway. With some providers making profiles for under $30, a custom profile seems like a wise investment when using such expensive papers.

[mmurph]

Some of the papers will print fairly well using teh Premium Luster profile. Start with that and test.

You should get great results with those papers and inks.

[Ted Kahn]

I ‘ve been using Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper with the custom ICC profile for the R1900 available from the Ilford website.  I’ve been very happy with the results.

Hahnemuhle has a profile for their FineArt Baryta paper (http://www.hahnemuehle.com/site/us/1014/epson.html).  I’ve bought some of that paper but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

I sent an email to Harman asking about a profile for Gloss FB Al paper.  They told me they plan to make one, and that my request will move it up the priority list.  Maybe if more people request the profile they will get to it even sooner.

As to why Epson has so few profiles for their own papers -- I have no idea.  You would think they would have made the profiles around the time the printer was introduced, which was quite a few months ago.

[billrickman]

Thanks mmurph! I tried the Prm Luster profile and it was pretty good.

I think I would like to generate my own profiles in the future, but I'm still recovering from my recent D300 purchase (and I would love a D700 too!). It may be awhile before I'm profiling despite the decrease in cost in the past few years.

And remember MHMG, the R1900 does use K3 inks albeit Hi-Gloss 2. I imagine that with the gloss optimizer option (on and off gives the printer more control than other printers), the R1900 would be an excellent fiber-based printer.

I guess I just wish Epson didn't require the work around.

[MHMG]

I ‘ve been using Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk paper with the custom ICC profile for the R1900 available from the Ilford website.  I’ve been very happy with the results.

Hahnemuhle has a profile for their FineArt Baryta paper (http://www.hahnemuehle.com/site/us/1014/epson.html).  I’ve bought some of that paper but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

I sent an email to Harman asking about a profile for Gloss FB Al paper.  They told me they plan to make one, and that my request will move it up the priority list.  Maybe if more people request the profile they will get to it even sooner.

As to why Epson has so few profiles for their own papers -- I have no idea.  You would think they would have made the profiles around the time the printer was introduced, which was quite a few months ago.
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I was responding mainly to a comment by Colinm that Exhibition Fiber paper didn't meet Epson Expectations on any Epson Inkset other than K3 and K3 plus vivid M inksets. I hadn't heard that before. Anyway, both the R1800 and R1900 quite possibly share common ink chemistry with the K3 and K3+ inkset, but they also have to have significant differences as well because both printers contain two alternative colorants (red and blue for R1800, and red plus orange for R1900) that displace light magenta and light cyan, and both have additional GLOP technology. I believe its fair to say that both machines, albeit pigmented systems, are reasonably different from K3 and K3 plus machines.  I got very nice results on my R1800 with the Epson Exhibition Fiber paper. So, I'm just wondering, if Colinm's comment is true, what aspect of the paper and different inks didn't meet Epson's expectations?

IMHO, a more probable reason why profiles don't exist is that the Exhibition Fiber paper is a very expensive paper by anyone's standards. The prosumer market, folks who buy R1800s, R1900s,etc, are probably not perceived by Epson Marketing folks as the likely professional market for such and expensive paper, so Epson doesn't support that market as well. That may be a flawed decision on Epson's part, or I could just be wrong, but to me it's a likely rationale for why generic ICC profiles from Epson don't exist (yet).

[MHMG]

And remember MHMG, the R1900 does use K3 inks albeit Hi-Gloss 2. I imagine that with the gloss optimizer option (on and off gives the printer more control than other printers), the R1900 would be an excellent fiber-based printer.

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Not sure quite what happened in my previous post. This was the reference I had intended.

[djjohnr]

I know this is an old thread, but I'd thought I'd pass along my experiences for anyone who does a search.  I've had excellent results with Fine Art Baryta using the Hanemuhle R1900 profile printing color; no adjustments necessary.  Unfortunately I can't say the same for Ilford's Galerie Gold - my prints come out way to warm (once again printing in color).  I may wind up getting a custom profile made.