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Ink/Toner (5.0)
The R1900 uses 8 separate ink cartridges, which can be swapped individually. The cartridges are (from the left) yellow, magenta, matte black, red, orange, photo black, gloss overcoat and cyan. The photo below shows the ink compartment with the cover off, and the labels above the cartridge are there to show you which one goes into which slot. Below each label is a small LED light that goes on when the cartridge is empty, making it easier to work out which one needs to be replaced.
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There are 8 separate ink cartridges used by the R1900
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If you buy your ink direct from Epson, at the time of writing they will cost you $13.95 for the color inks, and the same price for a set of 4 of the gloss optimizer cartridges. That makes for a total ink set replacement cost of about $101, but Epson does not offer a package of inks; you have to buy the cartridges separately. It's good that the gloss optimizer is the cheapest of the cartridges, as it is the one that runs out the quickest; we found that if you use it all the time, you'll get through 2 or 3 gloss enhancer cartridges before the others start to run out.
The ink is Epson's own Ultrachrome Hi-Gloss 2 formulation, which they claim will last up to 200 years under glass and 300 years in an album when printed onto Epson's own WaterColor Paper - Radiant White, and when properly stored. The Gloss Optimizer works by adding an extra layer across the print, which provides a smoother finish. This is because the glossy coating of the photo paper expands slightly when it absorbs ink, which means that areas of color will be slightly higher than areas of white. The Gloss Optimizer is a clear ink that is sprayed into these areas of white, causing them to expand in the same way and producing a smoother print. It probably isn't required if you are mounting photos under glass, but it does make the prints look more like conventional photos if you are mounting them in an album.
Ink/Toner Management (6.0)
Every time you print, the R1900 utility software comes up and shows you the existing ink levels for each of the individual cartridges. If the ink cartridges are below about 25% capacity, it brings up a warning that tells you which cartridges are running low.
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The Epson Printer Utility shows
the ink levels of each of the cartridges |
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If any cartridges need replacing,
a warning screen shows which ones
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Epson doesn't miss a trick in trying to sell you more ink, though; when this warning first shows up, you get a screen that offers to send your details to Epson, so they can send you special offers by email. Fortunately, this is pretty simple to decline if it becomes annoying.
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Epson offers you the chance to register with them
to receive special offers on ink when your
levels run low
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Media (12.0)
The R1900 is a media maven; it can print on pretty much anything that is flat and which can absorb ink. It supports paper sizes from 4 by 6 right up to as sizable 13 by 19 inches, and can go even bigger if you buy a roll of banner paper and use the rollers to mount this on the back; with this, it can do a maximum print size of 13 by 44 inches. And it can do borderless prints at all of these sizes. It can also handle media up to 1.2mm thick, which should allow for printing on pretty much every type of paper or card. Also included with the printer is a CD/DVD guide tray, which fits into the front of the printer and allows it to print on suitable CDs or DVDs; it can work with any inkjet-printable media, which is widely available. What it does not have, though is a flat paper path: every type of paper that goes through the printer has to be slightly curved as it is fed through, which may be a problem for some more fragile papers.
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Media Support Compared |
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Epson R1900 |
Canon Pro 9000
Mark II |
4 x 6 prints
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Yes |
Yes |
| 5 x 7 prints |
Yes |
Yes |
| 8 x 10 prints |
Yes |
Yes |
| 11 x 7 prints |
Yes |
Yes |
| 13 x 19 prints |
Yes |
Yes |
| Banner prints |
Yes |
No |
| Direct DVD printing |
Yes |
No |
| letter prints |
Yes |
Yes |
legal prints
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Yes |
Yes |
tabloid prints
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Yes |
Yes |
| Flat paper path |
Yes |
Yes |
Fine art paper support
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Yes |
Yes |
Paper Storage (4.83)
If you need to print out multiple copies of a photo or document, the input tray of the R1900 can hold up to 120 sheets of plain paper or around 30 sheets of photo paper, depending on the thickness of the paper. This is useful if you are trying to print out multiple copies of a photo, as you can set them going without having to keep feeding paper into the printer.
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| Up to 120 sheets of plain paper can be held in the rear paper tray |
Other Features
There are no other major features on the R1900; this is a printer designed for the main purpose of printing photos, not a multi-function device that can print and make the tea at the same time.
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• A full set of inks costs about $100, but they can be purchased individually
