Product Review Epson R2000

Today I have the opportunity to share with you something really great. The folks at Epson sent me a R2000 printer to review for you. 

First the facts, the Epson R2000 is a professional level printer. It prints on a wide variety of medias including glossy, matte, and luster photo paper, cardstock, overlays and even canvas! It also can print up to and impressive 13 inches in width and a unlimited length. This makes it a great choice for scrapbookers and crafters who are looking for an option to print larger prints at home. It uses 8-color UltraChrome Hi-Gloss® 2 pigment ink including two different blacks and a special cartridge just for glossy prints. 

Let's talk a little about size. I'm not going to lie, this printer is a monster. Taking up the space of almost two all in one printers and weighting in at over 20 lbs, it's a beast. I knew in advance of it's size and planned for a space to house it. Keep this in mind when you purchase.

Because I have had many bad printer installations in my history, I was a little worried about set it. I knew that I would have to be using the printer wirelessly and would not be able to ever connect it to the computer. I grew even more nervous when I discovered that the install instructions were little more than pictures and a few words. I proceeded with caution. I am happy to report that installation was a breeze!!! I have never had an install of any computer hardware go so smoothly. Within 15 minutes of opening the box, I was happily printing my first test page.

I used several media types to create my test prints. Premium Glossy Paper, Velvet Fine Art Paper, Ultra Premium Luster Paper,  Matte Presentation Paper and Matte Double Sided Scrapbook Paper. 

    

Each paper, to me serves a very specific purpose.

In terms of everyday portraits and prints to give to my family my pick is the Premium Glossy Paper. The prints were very true to color from my calibrated montior and they print fast! I 5x7 took just 45 seconds. Great when I have eager family members that want their photos now.

For myself and my albums, I would choose to print with the Ultra Premium Luster Paper. This paper is top of the line and the quality backs that up. In terms of color match, I printed straight from my Lightroom software using printer manages color settings, color space sRBG, and an overall brightening of +5. I have found in the past with my other Epson that they tend to be a little darker than my screen. The +5 brightness did the trick.

I used the Double-sided Scrapbook paper to do print and cuts directly from my Silhouette Cameo. Let me tell you how exciting it was to no longer be limited to an 8.5x11 print and cut. Amazing!! Of all the matte papers I have tried, this really holds up well. The color is slightly duller than my screen using the same above settings, but just perfect for graphics. Myself, personally I would not use it for photos due to the dull quality of the prints, but that being said the color match was spot on.

In addition of all the the formentioned media, this printer will also print CDs. I used this feature to create custom DVDs for our family from a recent reunion.

Although I have long feared the ink consumption that I have read plagues Epson Large Format Printers, I was pleasently surprised that it did not suck ink as my pervious Epson did. To date I have printed 5 full 12x12 pages, 10 8.5x11 luster pages, 10 DVDs, two velvet fine art 8.5x11 prints and 10 5x7 prints. The ink levels are just now starting to drop below the full level. I'm very impressed for an ink jet. Price to replace all 8 cartridges is: $79.99. which is much cheaper than previous models from Epson and other retailers.

Final Verdict: If you are looking for a professional grade photo printer that will allow you to print large formats on a wide variety of media, this is the printer for you. Because of it's hefty price tag: $499.99, it may not be right for the casual printer. As a semi professional photographer, it has already delivered on that price tag. I can print family and client photos late at night and be confident in the results. I can scrapbook and product digital products in print at a scale I could only dreem of before. I can also print art work and other images for my home on the high quality papers and use them for home decor at a fraction of the cost in store. I cannot wait to use this printer in the coming months for the majority of my work. 

Disclosure:  I was provided the Epson R2000, ink and media for printing free of charge in exchange for my review. The review and opinions are all my own.