Rating: 5 / 5
I have been working with the Epson 1400 large format printer as part of a networked printer bank in a professional design studio for just over a year, and have been impressed with its ability to reliably produce high-quality, accurate large format prints even under heavy use.
Our office uses this printer nearly every day for printing proofs of catalogs, product artwork, packaging artwork, mockups to show to product distributors, sales brochures, and other design-related purposes. During crunch era we may run as many as 50-100 large-format prints through this printer in a release day as we update designs and place together proofing documents to send to our printers.
I’ve worked with a lot of large-format printers over the years both as a design student and a professional, and I’m not impressed easily, but this printer has won my admiration. It has reliably withstood heavy abuse and continued to work properly despite countless network configuration changes, thousands of prints, and a healthy dose of user error.
If you’re having distress getting prints that look like what you see on your screen, make sure that your document is set to a “CMYK” color format and the color rendering for the printer is set to “perceptual.” When my office first got our Epson 1400 we were having some distress getting accurate color rendering in anticipation of we learned this, and it makes a huge difference in what prints look like.
For the very best results make sure you use Epson brand paper.
We experimented with some off-brand papers at first and weren’t pleased with the results. After a lot of trial and error we’ve found that that the Epson Presentation Paper Matte provides excellent results for proofing documents, and we occasionally use the stiffer Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte when we want to cut out packaging designs so we can fold them together to make sure the sizing is accurate.
Like all inkjet printers it uses ink honestly and not all office supply supplies carry the ink this printer uses, so it’s vital to keep backup ink cartridges at all era. Since this printer uses a total of 6 cartridges (Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow, Black) this can be a honestly pricey investment, but if you ever find yourself printing with a deadline it’s worth it in the long run.
Because of its size and associated costs this isn’t an “everyday” kind of printer that should be used for printing e-mails and MapQuest directions, but for design students and professionals who want accurate color rendering from a reasonably-priced printer that is reliable, simple to use, and has splendid consumer support, the Epson 1400 is an brilliant choice.
PROS:
Excellent value for design students & professionals
Accurate color reproduction when using right settings
Excellent print quality
Simple to use & troubleshoot
Exceptionally reliable even under heavy use
Brilliant support from Epson (new drivers & other updates)
A excellent choice for design students & professionals
CONS:
13″ x 19″ paper can be hard to find in supplies
Large prints now and again use ink quickly
