impressed

i am not really a tech-junkie...
i usually like whatever works... for as long as it works for me, then i have to be forced to learn something new. for example... my husband was trying to convince me to switch to a mac about 4 years ago...but i was reluctant. i liked my computer, and i had all my stuff stored on it etc... and i can't remember where i had to go, but i was gone for the whole day... i came home to a new MAC and no PC anywhere... it was a sink or swim situation! now of course, i can't imagine not having switched... but it took drastic measures. so usually, i am just happy with what i have... i make due... i don't like to have to learn stuff... heaven forbid me have to READ an instruction book. that really kills me. so what i am telling you is that it's a miracle i am as connected as i really am... all probaby thanks to my tech-junkie hubby.
well, why am i telling you all this?
because again, i had to be forced to make a change- or try something new, cause i didn't want to have to figure it out... but i got a big fancy photo printer about 4 years ago... and i guess it never worked right... so i have never been the slightest bit interested in getting a nice printer- as a result... i never use enlarged photos... cause that involves planning and a trip to wal-mart... which i try to avoid...
i have a little mini-photo printer that i have enjoyed, and use to print 4x6 photos and smaller... and it's fine. well, i THOUGHT it was fine until last week.
what happened last week?
i had been talking to Shirley at EPSON... if you have been to a CKU you know Shirley! and telling her that i can't get excited about a fancy printer etc... and well... i ended up with a R1800 to try out.
it arrived... in a really big box, and i was scared to death... and it sat there, in the corner of my studio unopened for like 2 weeks i bet.
then... one of those moments of desperation arrived! the night before mother's day and no time to get the family photo printed at the one hour deal. i went to target to get a frame, and eric busted the printer out. by the time i got home, he had it all figured out and who-knows-what....but i have a mac, so i am sure that it just automatically had the right drivers etc... cause mac's are good like that! and i came home to a serioulsy STUNNING print out of my familiy photo.
we were AMAZED.
i am sorry... but i can't believe how much i love the printer.
i keep playing with it... and i can't get over how beautiful the prints come out. WAAAAAAY better than anything i would get from wal-mart... i would venture to say... it's not even about convienance, which is certainly a factor... but it's more about quality. i am overjoyed.
overjoyed enough to dedicate the two-and-a-half feet that the printer requires of my work space.

so...here is my thought.
maybe your husbands need one for father's day?????

i guess you will start to see elargements on my projects.
and i think it's totally re-newing my enthusiasm in photography... i have needed a little motivation to work a little harder. i want to create a photo collage wall in my family room... anyway.. i wanted to pass the info on... so fabulous.
i am SO impressed. i totally sound like an infomercial.
sorry about that... but it's totally legit.

we did a mini-class and demo at Analis Scraptique in Chandler today. i spotted an R1800 there in her studio... she knows what's up! i had a great time visiting with everyone there today! Susie had given her customers little wooden letters that spelled "she" and everyone decorated them and they were all hanging from the ceiling. it was so cool! such a cute store... PACKED with stuff. thanks for having us! thanks jana and kristen... and susie, sara and gail... good times!

well, happy memorial day!
my son told me that he is remembering soliders all weekend.. i really appreciated that reminder. we are celebrating in tucson as eric will particpate in another tri.
have a happy and safe holiday!

Comments

[joanna]

Whohooooo for enlargements! and Macs! And R1800s...I've been desiring one of those since I saw them at CHA Atlanta but I'm waiting for my 1280 to die a slow death, first, and THEN I'll spring for the R1800.

[Rhonda Hesse]

I have the R1800 @ work and loved it soooo much that I have one @ home as well. Don't forget...you can print borderless 12 x 12 scrapbook pages on that printer along with a ton of other cool things. IT's FABULOUS!!!

[Maureen]

Well this sounds familiar...I too am blown away by my new Epson printer I got for Christmas. I can't imagine scrapbooking without it. Amazing photo printing of really large pictures - and this from a (once) die-hard HP fan.

[Deena]

I have an R1800 and I love it!!!! (though I paid over $500 for mine!)

[Addi Lillywhite]

I just received an Olympus E-Volt 500 (which I love) and the Epson R1800. I have been using my photosmart for my 4x6 and 5x7 prints. I am embarrassingly bad at anything technological, and I was wondering if you guys (who know more about this enormous printer than I do) use the R1800 for smaller prints or if it is really better for just enlargements. I would appreciate any insight. It stinks to have this great equipment right at your fingertips... and not really know what to do with it.

[Julia]

I cannot believe that your children are out of school for summer!!!! Here in the UK, our school summer starts on JULY 24th! They go back to school on 4th September. How do you working parents do it?!

[Lisa Cohen]

Honestly... I salivate over that printer. It's on my wish list. I would love to get it for my DH for Father's Day but he would see right through that... it'd be like him getting me some stuff from Victoria's Secret for Mother's Day. I told him I'd kill him if he ever did that. LOL!

[Cindy]

Congrats on the new printer Heidi! Have no fear of its ability to produce what you want. Last year i took the huge plunge and ordered the R1800 and a Canon 20D. The only thing i have any issues with is where to find the ink. Of course i am in Memphis, and well, i'm sure that is why! However to help the combo of two i just got Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. That program in its self is amazing! In the end I don't regret my purchases... I only wish i had an unlimited ink supply... =) TTFN, Cindy

[Glenda Kanoudi]

OK, my 1st comment here too. I must confess that I worship my Epson R1800. I first saw it almost 2 yrs. ago at Scrapbook Expo in Epson classes & it wasn't available to public yet. I tortured my regular tech weenie helpers at CompUSA for over 6 months until it was finally released to the public & was the first customer at their location to get my hands on it (and I think the first one in the O.C. Orange County,CA!). Haven't stopped the worship yet! The love affair just continues to grow with time. It lays out absolutely the most BEAUTIFUL colors with marvelous gloss finish.

FYI - newbie R1800 users, I've found over time & much experimentation that you will get the best, most consistent & most beautiful results using the EPSON photo paper! For 4x6 size, I only use EPSON Borderless 4x6 Premium Glossy Photo Paper (has a little boy on the front). For 5x7: EPSON 5x7 Borderless Glossy Photo Paper. For 8x10: Epson Borderless 8x10 Premium Glossy Photo Paper, etc... For that "extra" punch, use their Luster paper-really deep, rich colors!

AND WHATEVER you do, DO NOT try to go cheap & have your ink cartridges "refilled" somewhere. Go out & spend the money (after all would you put sludge oil in a Mercedes?)& only use the exact ink cartridges that belong with your R1800 (sometimes on the box it will only say R800 if the cartridges were manufactured B-4 the R1800 came out-but they're the same cartridge!) As long as it has the "conch/snail" shell on the package! I tell you this because a lady I met this year at at a crop had gone out & tried to have her ink cartridges "refilled" instead of buying new & guess what? They leaked all over inside & destroyed her beloved R1800 & of course, no warranty would cover her because this is against what Epson warranty will cover. She was heartbroken & now is hoping to get another one - NEXT Christmas!! Yikes-the withdrawal would kill me!

Sorry to be so long-winded, but this printer is just so, so fab, I want all of you to take full advantage of it & to take good care of it. (And in case you're wondering, I do NOT work for nor am I affiliated in any way with Epson!)

The only drawback to this printer is it has a huge footprint, (it's about 2 ft. across, a bit over 1 ft. tall using the regular paper sheet feeder & about 1 ft. deep!) so if you have limited space, plan it out first to make sure you can make it fit. But when you do, just remember that you can print out gorgeous, double-sided, borderless 12 x 12 size scrapbook pages (of course, using the Epson Scrapbook Paper!)at 2 A.M. if the mood strikes you! You now have your very own photo lab at hand! And if you use Epson papers & inks that belong to this printer the longevity of the life of your prints is something outrageous like 100 to 200 years (as long as also shielded from UV light rays) per the Wilhelm (?sp) report on it.

OK my sermon is over - Heidi, I know you & all the rest of you out there will love this printer like no other!!!
Regards,
Glenda from Huntington Beach,CA.

P.S. Did you know it also directly prints onto your CD/DVD's, using inkjet printable media (CD or DVD)so no more gummy CD labeling systems?!! Just an added extra.

P.P.S. Did you know that you can also use a paper roll that allows you to (for example)print out a border long enough to fit around 4 walls in a room? Is this printer just too cool?!