INTRO:
It seems that no matter how good a product might be, there's always a need to come out with a new and improved version. The Stylus Photo R1900 is Epson's answer to this need. The biggest change, especially for anyone coming from the R1800, is the new mix of ink colors. Dubbed Ultrachrome Hi-Gloss 2, the inks have reformulated the gloss optimizer to be more transparent and improved the red ink. They got rid of the original blue, replacing it with orange. Epson claims this will result in better skin tones.
   
SET UP:
Setting up the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 couldn't be much easier. After removing all the packing materials simply plug the printer in, power up and install the ink. The R1900 has eight individual ink tanks: cyan, magenta, yellow, red, orange, photo black, matte black and gloss optimizer. Included with the printer is an additional gloss optimizer cartridge. Because the optimizer covers the entire page when used, the small cartridge size quickly empties—I was able to print about 14 11x17 prints before replacing the cartridge.

After installing and charging the printer, you'll install the software for your system. Epson includes the following: drivers, a print CD, profiles, and an online help system. Mac OS X 10.5 users should be sure to check online at www.epson.com for updated drivers that are designed for Leopard. These new drivers include support for 16-bit printing and an enhanced print dialog layout.

EASE OF USE:
Epson printers are among the easiest photo printers when it comes to user interaction. The driver is straight forward, letting you select paper type and quality, along with color management. If you're printing from Photoshop, I recommend using Photoshop to manage color and turning off color management in the printer driver to get the most accurate results.

New to the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 is Epson's radiance technology. Essentially, this is an algorithm that increases color gamut through intelligent blending of ink colors. It also reduces grain patterns and gives smoother transitions in areas like sky and skin. It also seems to reduce metamerism problems that are seen when moving a print from one type of light source to another.

The Epson Stylus Photo R1900 switches between both matte and photo black based on your paper type with no ink waste. For dedicated black and white fans, this comes at a cost—there is no gray or light gray included with the printer.

The new orange and red inks in the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 certainly live up to Epson's claim. Skin and hair colors were spot on and the smoothness of the skin tones was excellent with no visible banding or loss of detail.

CONCLUSION:
Overall the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 is a solid upgrade to what was already a very good printer. The new ink and the improved gloss optimizer have visibly improved the output. For black and white work, I'd stick with the Epson R2400 or the Canon or HP printers. The additional gray inks on these models will give you better results. For the money, the R1900 is nearly impossible to beat. At $549 it competes directly with the HP B8850 and the Canon Pro 9500. In the U.S.—the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 is the only printer that gives you the ability to print directly onto CD/DVD. The one downfall, the gloss optimizer goes quickly, so I'd suggest stocking up if you plan to print many glossy images.

To see examples of how this product works and to read the article in its entirety go to www.photographyblog.com.
This review was excerpted from www.photographyblog.com, a comprehensive blog about photography.

Jon Canfield, writer and photographer, is a regular contributor for the PhotographyBLOG specializing in Raw image processing, color management and printmaking.

Along with writing for the PhotographyBLOG, Canfield is a contributing editor at Shutterbug and Digital Journalist, and a frequent contributor to PC Photo, Outdoor Photographer and Digital Photo Pro.

He is the author of several books on digital imaging and fine-art printing, including Raw 101: Better Images with Photoshop Elements and Photoshop, Print Like a Pro: A Digital Photographer’s Guide, and Photo Finish: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Printing, Showing, and Selling Images.

Canfield also consults on printing and color management for companies like HP, Canon, Pantone and Inkpress Paper as well as teaching workshops around the country. To view some of his work visit www.joncanfield.com