I broke down and ordered an Epson Stylus Photo 1280 printer and it has finally arrived! I can't wait to try it out. The problem is that I am right in the middle of spackling a bathroom wall, and I also want to finish up my pumpkin entry for the manipulation challenge, but most of all I want to play with my new printer. AHHH! I need to scan myself so I can have some copies running around helping me with my list of chores!

-T

(*reluctantly drags self back to spackling project*)

t-

i bet your keyboard has telltale white smudges on it. try not to get any in your hard drive :wink:

envious congratulations:)

kc

Spackling ? Can't find it in my US-English phrasebook.

"Spackling" is when you use "spackle" to fill small holes and/or cracks in a wall before painting. :D

And "spackle" is a trademark (according to my dictionary) for a powder to br mixed with water or a ready-to-use plastic paste.

T, let us know how you like your new printer when you finally get around to trying it out. I'd also be interested in what printer you had previously and how it compares since I'm sure I'll be looking for one in the near future.

Thanks, Jeanie

Kathleen…well I have managed to keep the white smudges off the keyboard, but not my clothes.

Chris and Jeanie…Actually I am doing big time repairs and covering the entire wall with joint compound also known as spackling or mud. I started removing the wallpaper, but the gypsum board wasn’t painted, so it pulled a lot of the paper off. Figure it would just be easier to cover the entire area with joint compound…planned on giving the wall a texture finish anyway so this saves me a step. Also I am doing two bathrooms, but luckily the other one was done right, so it will go a lot faster…then I can get to the printer!!!

Jeanie, my old printer was a Hewlett Packard DeskJet 890C. I don’t have any complaints about it. I decided it was time to upgrade though as I want to go into the photo restoration and retouching business and from what I read from this forum, Epson seemed the way to go. I’ll post the comparison of the two printers once I finally get to try the new Epson printer out.

Cheers (*wipes joint compound off face*)

-T

Originally posted by T Paul
my old printer was a Hewlett Packard DeskJet 890C.Perfect! Mine is currently an HP 882C, so your comparison should be quite applicable to my situation. :D
Thanks, Jeanie

Hurry up with your spackling T so I can see how you like your Epson. :D I got the 2000 and I LOVE it. I haven't had any trouble with it and the prints are beautiful. There is a slight color shift when viewed under different lighting but that's the worst thing I can say about it.

Chris H ~ Are you really having to look up American slang in a book so you can understand us? :D I know Candid Camera did a spoof on Americans trying to decipher Brit slang and it was so funny. When you asked about spackling, it made me think of that show. :)
DJ

A very good choice. You will really enjoy it. Why is it that whenever a new toy arrives, so does a bunch of work to keep one from playing with it? Tom

Dj, Check out this link--it may help you in alleviating the metamerism problem : http://www.tssphoto.com/sp/dg/2000p/metamerism.html Tom.

Wow, Thanks Tom
I will definately try that little adjustment suggested in the article. I really only notice it in the reds and greens and usually it's not that bad. I just took it as one of the trade offs for having prints that last a lifetime. I usually go for the daylight viewing rather than light sources. I also copied the article for future reference.
DJ

What a great site, Tom! Thanks!! :) I can order prints from that site on an Epson printer of my choice ($10 per print for most of them) and then compare the test prints to my current printer by printing out the test image that they provide. Way cool!! -Jeanie

‘England and America two countries divided by a common language’. (attrib G B Shaw )


T,

You seem well into the house renovation business. Are you any good with thatched roofs ? If so can you start Monday usual rates, ladders provided.

Oh T,

You just couldn't wait till Christmas could you...LOL...:)

Am anxious as well to hear your reviews of the epson..I have an epson 3000 that I got a while back as well an a 900. Have had HP's before and it has worked out to 5 HP's to 2 Epsons...I think Epson has won on that one.

I do work these printers pretty hard.

Aren't you done with that bathroom yet? We're all waiting anxiously for your important information....LOL.

Congrats on your new toy..don't ya just love new toys!

Chris H…sorry I don’t do roofs (*smiles*).

Well guys and gals the first coat is done, but I need to do one more coat and run a few errands today. I plan on hooking up the printer today while I wait for the second coat to dry so I should have a report on the printers tomorrow.

(*eyes printer box and drags self back to work*)

-T

T, I don't know if we can survive the suspense. :lol:
DJ

(*eyes the printer box and says to hell the bathroom*)

LOL DJ! Okay, okay....I'm opening the box!

(*pauses for oohs and ahhs*)

-T

I get the feeling T may never mention a new toy to us until it is out of the box and fully installed after we badgered her on this one. :D You would think it was our new toy. God I love new toys mine or not. :D
DJ

(*waits patiently for T's new toy to get plugged in*)

I was kind of hoping there would be too much work to allow time to try it out. I was going to offer my services if it came to me postage paid. :D

Ed

NO Ed,

You make only on site calls don't you...LOL.

And I'm sure T would get you a ticket so you could offer your expertise...and gosh he might need some help getting it out of the box or even hooking it up...LOL.

You guys are way too funny! By the way, "T" is a she.

-T

*Signs off to do some test prints with her new toy*

Forum together replies "It's about time!"

:D

Ahhh, my computer seems to be having hot flashes. Sorry guys but my review will be delayed for a day. It seems my power supply fan died to the point my computer is too hot to touch (found out when I went to change cables…ouch). Going to see if I can get a replacement tomorrow and a USB cable for the printer. Patience…

-T

:bawling:

Yikes, T!! :scared: Maybe it's a good thing you decided to try out the printer - otherwise your computer might have (literally) burnt up! Good luck getting that fixed. -Jeanie

OK T,

It's 8:15 in Texas here...you been to the store yet and got that computer fixed and that printer hooked up...LOL....:)

Just had to give you your dose of razzing early today..LOL!

I am also glad you found out about the computer problem while hooking up your printer...the computer might be a little more expensive to replace than the printer.

I know you're disappointed because you didn't get it up and running yesterday but I just know today will be a great day and you'll be up and running in no time.

This forum is almost like a second family with all the razzing (*grins*). Well the town I am in is not much for computer supplies. I have been calling around and hopefully I can get the part locally, if not I will have to order it. In the mean time I just get to look at my pretty new printer. So my current review is that it is very sleek looking. It is 5 inches wider than my HP 890C DeskJet so I had to shift some things around on my desk and it is about 2 ½” shorter. Hopefully I will get my power supply fan fix today so I can tell you what a great printer it is tomorrow. You know all this was a sign…I was suppose to finish my spackling project before I opened the printer (*grins mischievously*)

-T

Too bad it wasn't a Pentium 3 processor fan. We got one in the mail by mistake and it wasn't worth the postage to return. I would've sent it to you.

Yep, fate says work before fun. :D
DJ

Yeah, it just isn't fair. :( But the good thing is that my offer still stands. :)

Ed

T,

I notice those unprincipled cads at Epson have sold you down the river without a USB cable ! I'm just about to buy a new scanner must check those unprincipled cads at HP don't do the same !!

Shameful really considering the price you pay you would think they would include the cable. Well I wasted most of my day at the local computer store so no printer review tonight. While I was out getting a new power supply (new fan didn’t work so I had to replace the whole unit), I asked them which was better a parallel cable or USB for the printer. Their opinion was that the parallel connection was better. Does anyone else have any inputs on this?

-T

T
Our Epson came with cabling to go either way. Dave chose USB because we have a Cannon printer on the parralel port. Check with Epson, you should have gotten the cables. I would have them overnight them.

After saying that I must say even though I understand and sympathize with your plight, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who has these problems with the computer. When we do anything it's like taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. :D I was beginning to think this thing had a mind of it's own and didn't like us. :D
DJ

Hi T,

I have the Epson 900, and I run it with the USB cable. Since I never ran it while using the parallel port, I can't *really* compare the difference. But from what I understand, using it with USB results in much faster printing. When printing a color 8 X 10 at best quality (1440 dpi) it seems to be quite slow, but I think that's the nature of the beast. If I'm simply printing text at lowest quality (still very good, but not for photos), the speed seems to me to be very fast. By now, you should be thoroughly confused, and it's time for me to go. :)

Ed

DJ,

The box says parallel and USB cable not included. Guess I will venture out again tomorrow to get the USB cable. At least my computer is running again and at a normal temperature.

-T

Ed,

Thanks for the information. I thought a USB connection would be faster. Also this way I can keep my HP printer hooked up through the parallel port.

-T

Well, I guess if the box says it's not included you have to go out and buy it. You would think for the price you are paying they could stick in a cable or two.
DJ

Yeah, that seems to be a ripoff. I had to buy mine too.

Ed

Capitalism....got to make the largest profit possible. I am still excited about the new printer...even if it is lacking the cable.

-T

Every printer I've bought over here has come with a cable(parallel) but that's not been in the box its a handout from the dealer. The cables are about £2 over this side but they are never long enough. I finish up getting the 6' ones as I run two printers and they live on another table.
T, As a matter of interest how long is your USB cable ?


While I've got it in mind are everybodies USB connectors on the back of their computers ? I've often wondered if theres a panel that would enable you to have connectors on one of the spare drive bays on the case front.

Just got my computer running AGAIN. The 3.5 floppy died last night....thinking it may have been caused by the computer store I went to yesterday. Personally I think they broke part of the cover into is as it started making a grinding sound. Of course I couldn't prove anything and had to get a new floppy drive, but I picked up my USB printer cable while I was there. Chris, I got a 10' USB cable and I am finally about to set everything up...as long as nothing else dies on my computer. I thought I was just doing house repairs this week... didn't know I would be doing computer repairs as well.

-T

Chris h, If there is room and the internal layout of the computer is right, you can add a USB board and have it facing forward. Another way is to get a USB hub which attaches to an open USB port on the back of your computer and allows for a varing number of USB devices to be plugged into it. The hub can be placed anywhere within length constraints of its cord. Some devices are reported to not function properly when connected in this way, but I've been using a hub for about a year and all the USB devices I've tried have worked well, including my flat bed scanner which is connected by two patched USB cords for a total lenght of 12 feet.
T Paul---Maybe your new printer wants a new computer to play with. Tom

T
You're just having a bummer of a time there. I feel so bad for you and if it's any comfort, that's usually the way it goes for us as well.

Tom
Have you plugged your Wacom into a USB hub? Dave thinks he read where that wouldn't work in a hub and had to be plugged in direct. Just curious because we could use one but that was one factor to consider.
DJ

Dj, The tablet works fine when plugged into the hub I use. When the hubs first came out for some reason they didnt work well with certain devices, but from what I've seen, that seems to be a thing of the past. However, the hub I use has an independent power supply and perhaps that makes a difference. Tom

Thanks Tom. I'll pass that info on to Dave because I know he wants to get a hub since we have so many things that connect to the USB ports.
DJ

Epson Stylus Photo 1280 Review (FINALLY)

Sleek Design
Easy setup
Comes loaded with software:

1. EPSON Software Film Factory: Photo management software that lets you organize, beautify, and print your photos in a flash.

2. Adobe PhotoShop Elements: Offers unique features designed specifically for amateur photographers, hobbyists, and business users who want an easy-t-use yet powerful digital imaging solution

3. Adobe PhotoShop LE: Provides a basic set of the image-editing tools from Adobe PhotoShop

4. Qbeo PhotoGenetics (trial version): Lets the casual computer user improve digital photos dramatically in a matter of seconds.

5. Monaco Systems MonocaEZcolor 2.0 software (demo version): Lets you build ICC device profiles for accurate color between scanned, displayed, and printed images.

One of the differences between the HP 890C and the EPSON 1280 is that the EPSON has a gravity feed device so you load the paper face up whereas the HP you load the paper print side down. You also have a lot more control over your prints from the basics of grayscale or color, paper quality, and paper orientation, to reducing and enlarging your printed image and even adding a watermark. The EPSON Stylus Photo 1280 allows you to stop or pause your print, shows you the estimated time for completion of the print, as well as shows you the ink levels (the color of ink with the least amount left determines the level for all the colors shown). You can also set up default settings which can be very useful if you usually print one type of document in different applications. You can always change the default settings in your application when you want to print different types of documents. The EPSON book explains this in more detail.

The printer also allows you enhance your photos such as adjusting image brightness and contrast and adding special effects. If your photo was taken with a digital camera, select Digital Camera Correction to give your printed images the appearance of photos taken with a film camera. You can ever perform more fine-tuning by selecting from a specialized list of settings for photographs such as People or Nature, or select special filters, such as Soft Focus or a Sepia tint. You can even enhance primarily blues and greens using EPSON Natural Color. This mode restores vivid colors lost due to limitations of digital still cameras and color monitors. Note, PhotoEnhance will not affect your original image; it only affects your printout. The printer software also includes custom project types with preset printing options to allow you to quickly select the best settings for your type of documentation, or select a color-matching method for your project. An example of this is the ICM (Image Color Matching) which is for matching colors as closely as possible with ICM-compatible monitors or scanners.

Overall the Epson 1280 printer has a lot of options especially focused on fine tuning photographic images. I can’t wait to experiment with all the settings. I have done one test print to compare the results with my HP. The EPSON printed much more vivid colors and crisper images. I still need to play with the profiles to get my colors to match up better so my screen images match my printed images, but I definitely think this was a great investment!

-T

(*eyes her computer nervously to make sure that is is still running*)

Oops I almost forgot, the best part of the printer is that you can upgrade to the full version of Adobe PhotoShop 6.0 for just $299. I just ordered the full version and it looks like I will be sending it back and going with the Epson offer and saving a few (okay numerous) bucks!

-T

Hi T,

I'm glad you finally got everything on "go" status. Now you can fill your days playing with your new toy. :) One note on the "ink left" indicator. On mine (the 900), and probably on yours, if you should take a partially used cartridge out of the printer for any reason, then put it back in, the indicator will give a false reading, indicating that you have a full cartridge. Just thought you might want to know since it's not a good idea to completely run a cartridge dry.

Ed

Thanks ED...I will try to remember that.

-T

Thank for a great review, T! :D Sounds like a great printer. Maybe someday I'll be able to get one too. Meanwhile, feel free to share any other interesting tidbits you discover as you play with all of the options so I can live vicariously through you. ;)

Jeanie

T,

Thanks for the cable info and I offer a cringing apology to HP who provided a 6' USB cable for the scanner (5490c) which I've just got, mainly for digitising transparancies of which I've got thousands. I usually run scanners on SCSI but its USB or parallel with this one. However its been chugging away quite happily on the USB connection so I'm happy.

TG
I'm familiar with the hubs but a couple of front sockets would be handy for a couple of devices I use occasionally and would enable me to connect them rapidly.