The Epson Stylus Photo R1800 is designed for photographers. Those looking for an office style or general use printer should definitely not purchase this one. If you are a novice photographer you probably don’t want this one either, unless it is “only the best for you!” It is designed to print large archival quality glossy photos. Prices for this printer range from $424.00 - $593.00.

The printer uses an 8 color, individual ink tank system that includes both red and blue inks (in addition to the traditional magenta and cyan). Using these two additional colors gives you a wider color range, which means better looking prints. It also uses a photo black and matte black cartridges in addition to the standard black cartridge. Again, much better color range. Finally there is a gloss optimizer cartridge that provides the glossy finish to the image. Users rave about this cartridge because it makes their prints look like the came right off that expensive equipment in the photo labs.

The R1800 uses the following ink cartridges: T054020 Gloss Optimizer, T054120 Black, T054220 Cyan, T054320 Magenta, T054420 Yellow, T054720 Red, T054820 Matte Black, T054920 Blue. Epson manufactured cartridges for this printer cost around $11.00 per cartridge. There are 100% compatible versions of these same cartridges available at Pacific Ink for about $5 less per cartridge.

The print range of this printer is awesome. It can do everything from 4×6’s up to prints that are 13 inches wide, and panoramic photos that are up to 44 inches long. In addition you can print on a variety of media such as CD-ROM’s and DVD’s.

Here is how Epson describes the printer:

Epson Stylus Photo R1800 quickly creates large, archival quality glossy and matte photos worthy of display. Experience the rich, true-to-life colors and subtle detail that’s evident in every image. It’s all possible with Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss Inks, plus an industry leading resolution and ink droplet size - the same innovative features that made the Epson Stylus Photo R800 a resounding success. This printer’s impressive 8-color individual ink system, which incorporates red and blue inks, means you get a wider color gamut for incredibly vivid photos. Its separate matte and photo black ink cartridges are integrated into the system as well, so you get the deepest, darkest blacks on matte paper, and brilliant results on glossy paper automatically. Finally, the unique gloss optimizer makes glossy prints look like they came from a traditional photo lab. And, since the inks are pigment-based, you can be confident the color and detail will remain true for up to 200 years. The Epson Stylus Photo R1800 delivers studio quality results on a wide variety of media and in eight popular borderless sizes - up to 13-inches wide, as well as panoramics up to 44-inches long. Best of all, the Epson Stylus Photo R1800 speeds through every project - so you can quickly print stacks of high-quality photos. And, its expertise goes well beyond the art of photographic prints. This photo printer makes it easy to add that special touch to your portfolio with professional quality printing on ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. Print directly on inkjet printable CDs/DVDs Accomodates 4, 8.3 and 13 roll papers Ink Shelf Life - 2 years from production date; 6 months from first use Input paper tray - 100 Sheets(plain paper)/ 20 sheets (photo paper)/ 1 printable CD/DVD Printer Dimensions & Weight (L x W x H) - 24.2 x 12.6 x 9.1 / Weight - 33 pounds Works with Windows PC and Macintosh.

Overall this printer provides very high quality color photos with good print speed. But, the printer’s nozzles quite a bit more maintenance than most other printers. Users have reported quite a few instances of the nozzles drying out if the cartridges sit without use for a few days.

Here is what users of this printer are saying:

Set up was easy! It took me about 10 minutes to get it out of the box, set it up, load the software, and begin printing.
The speed is great. 11×14 inch prints in under 3 minutes - Awesome!
It is a very large printer, but worth the desk space it takes up.
The glossy prints look like actual photos thanks to the gloss optimizer cartridge.
I’ve had nothing but trouble with it, and have had the hardest time printing proof sheets.
Prints beautifully, but the inks are expensive.
Very quiet. Very quick. It prints on CD’s, DVD’s, and even rolls of banner paper.

If you own this printer, let us know what you think of it.

Buy the Epson Stylus Photo R1800 Printer Buy Cartridges for your Epson Stylus Photo 1800
HP 57 Ink Cartrdiges at Pacific Ink