The New HP B9180 13x19 printer WOW WOW

**sanking** · 24-Apr-2007, 08:30

Originally Posted by Ken Lee

Could you elaborate on that a little ? I am planning to make some digital negatives (for Pt/Pd prints under UV) using my Epson R2400. I figured I would print with black ink onto Pictorio.

Is that a good idea, or are certain ink colors better than others ?

You can use your R2400 for making digital negatives for pt./pd. However, you want to chose a color that matches the density range of your process, which can of course can vary from 1.2 to 2.2 with pt/pd depending on mix and the contrat controls you choose. Many people use straight palladium and need the higher number. I don't know what density value you will get with the R2400 if you print with black ink. With the 3800 the composite black gives a maximum density that is almost perfect for straight palladum. The R2400 may also, I just don't know. However, the composite black with the older Epson 2200 was about log 3.3. You could make a digital negative for a process with an ES of log 2.2 where the maximum density is 3.3, but it would require a very steep adjustment curve and would result in some loss of the 255 values in PhotoShop. It would work, but is not ideal.

There are quite a few people using the R2400 to make digitl negatives for pt/pd printing so there is no doubt but that it works. The question is finding the best color, be that some value of RGB or the composite black, that most closely matches the ES of pt/pd as you choose to work it.

Another approach some people are using is to control the output of the Epson printers with QTR or some other form of RIP. But I personally have not made digital negatives this way and can not offer any advice. There is quite a bit of discussion of digital negatives on the hybrid forum so you might want to check out that site. In fact, there are several people there who are using the R2400 to make digital negatives. http://www.hybridphoto.com/forums/

Sandy

**Paul Ewins** · 24-Apr-2007, 16:49

I got bitten in the past by HP and vowed never to buy a printer from them again. It was an expensive A3 business printer that was working happily until the time that cartridges became impossible to find. A new model had been released which used slightly different cartridges. To make matters worse the cartridges were "chipped" and had an expiry date so you couldn't refill them and couldn't even stockpile them. Planned obsolesence at its worst.

**butterfly** · 26-Apr-2007, 08:30

I have this printer, and whilst the output is the best I have seen at any price, superb on fine art paper with monochrome, I am experiencing a big problem, which HP are reluctant to help with or admit to.

Here's the scenario: I print a pic, and later the powersave mode kicks in. A day later I print a pic and it just queues up and then says 'printing stopped'. No matter what button I press the printer will not wake up! I have to disconnect all leads and reboot both computer (AppleMac) and printer. It then goes into reinitialisation (wasting ink?) and sometimes this works sometimes I have a few goes to get it to work!

It is highly frustrating to work with and wonder if anyone else has had this problem. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the power-save mode of the Apple, some software incompatibility with the Mac and printer or what!

I never had this problem with any other make of printer!

As I say *when* I can get it to work, output is superb and worth it..

Regards

Steve

**Ted Harris** · 26-Apr-2007, 08:54

Seve,

Not a problem that I have heard reported before and not one that I have had. I'd be happy to see if I can further help you isolate the problem if you contact me offline, preferably email and we can arrange a time for a phone conversation to see what we can do while both of us are sitting at computers with the printer nearby.

**Michael Graves** · 26-Apr-2007, 09:06

I have this same problem with an HP laser printer I own. Open your system preferences, click on Printers and open the queue for the "downed" printer. Click on "Start Jobs" and all will be well. Don't know what signal the printer is sending back when it goes to sleep to cause the issue, and it's never been an annoying enough problem for me to spend much time tracking it down.

Originally Posted by butterfly

I have this printer, and whilst the output is the best I have seen at any price, superb on fine art paper with monochrome, I am experiencing a big problem, which HP are reluctant to help with or admit to.

Here's the scenario: I print a pic, and later the powersave mode kicks in. A day later I print a pic and it just queues up and then says 'printing stopped'. No matter what button I press the printer will not wake up! I have to disconnect all leads and reboot both computer (AppleMac) and printer. It then goes into reinitialisation (wasting ink?) and sometimes this works sometimes I have a few goes to get it to work!

It is highly frustrating to work with and wonder if anyone else has had this problem. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the power-save mode of the Apple, some software incompatibility with the Mac and printer or what!

I never had this problem with any other make of printer!

As I say *when* I can get it to work, output is superb and worth it..

Regards

Steve

**tim atherton** · 26-Apr-2007, 09:20

Originally Posted by butterfly

I am wondering if it has anything to do with the power-save mode of the Apple,
Steve

hmm - there's you problem right there... :-)

**Bill_1856** · 26-Apr-2007, 09:47

Apparently Mike Johnston has test articles on the B9180 in the latest issues of Bland and White Magazine. I haven't read them yet, but from a comment he made on his website (The Online Photographer), he had several problems with it.
I have been using HP computer and printer for several years, and they seem to be as helpful about any problems as the old phone company (remember Ma Bell?).

**Bill_1856** · 23-May-2007, 20:46

Still hot to trot on the B9180, Ted?

**Ed Richards** · 25-May-2007, 12:26

I have a Designjet 130 and have been very pleased with HP service, which has included three swaps so far. Of course I would be even happier to never have to use their service, but I am resigned to big printers having problems.

**sanking** · 25-May-2007, 15:01

Originally Posted by Bill_1856

Still hot to trot on the B9180, Ted?

I just read Ted's review of the B9180 in View Camera and am in substantial agreement with his assessment of the machine. Out of the box this printer makes some of the most neutral tone B&W images I have ever seen. I have owned several wide-carriage Epson printers and none of them were capable of such neutral tone prints as the 9180 without special third party software and/or special inks sets such as Piezography.

As Ted mentioned in his article in VC, the ink set of the B9180 also has very good UV blocking, which makes this printer a good choice for making digital negatives for alternative printing with the PDN system of Mark Nelson.

Sandy King