Epson Stylus Photo R1800 vs online printer? Quality?

I am thinking of buying a large format printer (Epson or HP) so I don't have
to keep on relying on online printers (ezprints, etc). I am wondering if I
will be compromising quality. Can I print on Fuji Crystal paper (forget the
actual name) or is that specifically used in chemical processes. I am sure
many people here have gone through similar thought experiments and I am
wondering if there is a concensus here (minus the outliers who think good
qualuty only comes from an obscure lab with a $100,000 printer).

thanks,

brian

 

Your choices now are better than ever before.

Nearly all of Epson's printers use pigment inks,
which beat traditional (color) prints for longevity.

HP now has their DesignJet 30 and 130, which
yield 80 year longevity with dye inks on
appropriate HP papers.

Fuji Crystal Archive paper is traditional
photo paper meant for darkroom processing.
It's often used by online print services,
and in LightJet and Chromira printers.


rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

 

The Epson R1800 looks pretty nice, but I don't think there's a large
format version yet.

No, you can't use Fuji Crystal Archive paper. You will get very good
results from Epson's glossy and satin papers.

Andrew.

 

Is the "satin" the Luster paper? That's what I call it but wasn't sure I was
alone.

 

I meant "Premium Semigloss". This stuff looks more or less like what
people call "Satin".

Andrew.

 

It can do 13" x 19" borderless prints, I guess it depends what you call
large format.

Mark

 

Epson use "Large Format" in the literature to refer to everything from
A2 up -- their large format range starts with the Stylus Pro 4000 and
goes all the way to the 10600 which is B0+ (44" wide). Af far as I
could see at Photokina, all the manufacturers use this term in the
same way.

Andrew.