[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Will an Apple Studio M2 be noticeably faster than my iMac 2020 I9/64GB/4TB?

on: July 16, 2023 at 10:52 am

Thanks for doing that Mike. It’s quite interesting.

As I continue to think about a computer upgrade, I quake in fear over an OS upgrade, potential collateral damage. I just read the frustrations of “up” grading to Ventura in the thread on the Epson Printers forum by George Stark. I wonder if the time saved by speed will be destroyed by issues of software. Having settings supposedly saved not really being saved is a least a hassle and runs the risk of wasted time, paper, and ink. I know many people have a problem with Lloyd Chambers view of the world, and he can be a bit volatile, but if one simple looks at what he finds, usually way over my head, he has had major problems with Ventura as well.

The topic of “timely” upgrades has been discussed extensively here and elsewhere. I’ve tended to stay at least one OS behind, currently on Monterey on all my machines. I cannot recall when a new OS offered me anything easily observable as an advantage and I’ve been using Mac’s since April 1984.  I am not computer professional with a need to stay current.

For all these reasons, I’ve decided to sit tight with my current 2020 iMac (which was not inexpensive and whose value is not currently high).

Thanks for all the comments.

Eric

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Will an Apple Studio M2 be noticeably faster than my iMac 2020 I9/64GB/4TB?

Reply #1 on: July 14, 2023 at 8:49 pm

Thanks to Christopher and Mike. I do not do video at all and Christopher’s advice to wait is probably good. In response to Mike, most things zip along pretty well and as a retired amateur, I’m not usually in a hurry. I’ve tried saving Photoshop files to an SSD in the past and at least in my hands it’s not much faster though it’s been a while since I did that experiment.

I’ll take a look at the videos and see how things look from that perspective.

Timing these purchases is challenging. The new pretty things always look sooo good, and fast.

Best to all,

Eric

 

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson P900 Paper Feeding Problems

Reply #2 on: July 9, 2023 at 1:13 pm

Hi Mark and all the other helpful folks on this forum. Here’s an update on my paper feed problems with the Epson SC-P900 as of early July 2023.

With some trepidation, I called Epson Support and requested a refurbished printer. The process was actually quite smooth. Since they were sending me the refurb one before receiving the old one, they asked for my credit card and placed a hold. The printer arrived a couple of days later, on June 19 via Fedex. I opened and set up the refurb, packed the faulty one in the box and took it to the local Fedex office. A few days later it arrived at Epson and the credit card hold was removed. Impressively, it arrived with TWO full sets of inks, a significant part of one was used in the initialization process but I’ve still got a full set!

I’ve been using it sporadically since I’ve had a health issue but it seems to print as it should. Recently it sat for a week while I was ill and it printed a perfect nozzle check on startup. I’ve used thin papers, Epson Premium Luster and Canson Rag Photographique 220 as well as thicker papers, such as Canson Edition Etching, which at 18.9 mil/48 mm is at the upper limit for the rear feed and it worked. Time will tell if it’s a “permanent” fix, but for now, I’m pleased. The original P900 worked well for 8 months before deciding to misbehave. For what it’s worth, I used my Epson 3880 for 13 years with minimal problems. I’m doing my best to be an optimist.

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson P900 Paper Feeding Problems

Reply #3 on: June 9, 2023 at 6:23 pm

As my dear departed aunt used to say, this sounds like the old soap opera “As the Stomach Turns.” Today I took my laptop, boxes of Canson Platine, Moab Entrada 190, and Canson Rag to the local store where I purchased the printer. My thought was to connect my laptop to their demo P900 and see if I could reproduce my paper feeding problem. Long story short, Canson Platine, a 0.40mm paper did feed on their printer!

I then returned home and called Epson Technical Support, who had been helpful in the past. This time not so much. My first call was to a fellow who seemed not to understand the problem at all. Actually, after about 15 minutes of trying to get him to understand, I was disconnected (maybe he hung up in disgust)! I waited a bit and called back. The second fellow was better, he did seem to understand but kept telling me that the warranty did not cover non-Epson media. I thought this was quite ludicrous and politely told him so. After a bit of back and forth he said the next step was to replace the printer but since it was more than 30 days old, it would be with a refurbished model and he really did not think it was likely to help (????). At this point I was so disgusted, I decided to give up for now to preserve my limited sanity. I can get Platine to feed if I gently push on the top of the paper as it tries to load, sometimes. After I think a bit more, I’ll try to decide if I want to take a chance on a refurbished model and call them back if I do.

Thanks to all, and especially to Mark for your patience with this annoying problem with a six month old printer that cost over US$1,000.

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson P900 Paper Feeding Problems

Reply #4 on: June 5, 2023 at 5:42 pm

Sorry to be a pest but I’ve still got problems with feeding paper through the rear (top) feed in my Epson SC-P900.
While I am now able to get the front feed to work, I am still unable to feed many papers through the rear (top) feed. I re-read Mark’s excellent review and it appears to indicate that essentially all the papers I use SHOULD work with the rear feed. Here’s a quote from his review…

“Top Paper Feed: Epson calls it the “Rear Feed”, but it’s actually on top, so I call it the Top
Feed – yes at the rear of the top of the printer, but don’t go looking for a paper feed in the
rear of the printer unless using the roll holder. Contrary to the ambiguity in the manual, we
should load all Epson fine art papers less than 0.5mm other through the top sheet feeder.
(Cold Press Natural and Legacy Textured should be loaded through the front feed.) Gently
drop the paper between the gray guides, letting it hit bottom (Figure 8) and slide the gray
guides to the edge of the paper. My experience indicates it is very reliable.
Do not use the front feed for fine art papers less then 0.50mm thick – every time I tried it
pushed them up to the top feeder where they jam on the mechanism, wrecking the sheet.
The manual is unclear about this, but I’m being very clear, just so you’ll know. Use the top
feed for all papers less than 0.50mm.”

ALL the papers I use are less than 0.5mm thick except Entrada 300 (0.57 mm). I looked them up on the B&H website and…

Epson Velvet fine art 0.48 mm (this media type is used for Canson Rag, Edition Etching, and Arches 88)
Epson Premium Luster 0.25 mm (feeds through the rear feed!)
Canson Rag 0.47
Canson Edition Etching 0.48 mm
Canson Arches 88 0.48 mm
Canson Platine 0.40 mm
Moab Juniper Rag 0.41 mm
Moab Entrada 300 0.57mm (the only paper > 0.50 mm)
Moab Entrada 190 0.39 mm (this actually feeds through the rear feed)

This problem arose a month or so ago, when I wrote my first post to this thread. Before that all the papers seemed to work on the rear feed.

While the front feed does work, it’s quite a bit slower than simply popping a piece of paper in the rear feed. And, Mark’s review actually says NOT to use these papers in the front feed.

Does this all mean I still have a problem with my printer?
Do I need to call Epson AGAIN?

Thanks, as always for any help.

Eric Brody

[Eric Brody]

Re: Epson P900 Paper Feeding Problems

Reply #5 on: May 23, 2023 at 2:53 pm

Again, sincere thanks to the responders. I believe my problem appears to be solved, with a bit of embarrassment.

I found the setting for “thick paper” in the maintenance menu, turned it on and now even Moab Entrada 300 feeds through the rear feed path!

I still could not get the front feed to work. I kept getting a message “The paper do not match the settings on the printer. Load Rear Paper Feeder.”

I called Epson Support and a wonderfully helpful person reminded me that the computer printer driver settings override those on the printer and reminded me that for the 11×17 paper settings on the computer printer driver there is a setting for “front-thick” which had escaped me. He said it’s a relatively common error that he sees frequently That made me feel a bit better.

When I set the printer driver correctly, for the thick paper-front feed, IT WORKED!

The support person also agreed with you, Mark, that it’s best over time to use the front feed for thicker media, now not a problem.

Happiness, special thanks to Mark.

Eric

• This reply was modified 12 months ago by Eric Brody.

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson P900 Paper Feeding Problems

Reply #6 on: May 22, 2023 at 8:09 pm

Thanks to Tony, Kevin, and especially to Mark for your prompt responses. I have been busy trying different things but sadly find myself where I started. I briefly thought Tony’s “Clean Paper Drive” suggestion was going to work but soon realized it wasn’t. I tried gently pressing on the top of the paper and it did work, once, but not again. All the wiggling seemed to have no effect.

I have been totally unable to get the front feed to work. I had not tried it before since all the papers I normally use, even the relatively thick ones qualify for the rear feed (even the Moab Entrada 300 and Canson Rag Photographique 220). When I carefully line up the paper, per Mark’s suggestion in his review, the paper starts to go in, the printer makes a loud, sharp click-like noise, I get an error message and must eject the paper.

I had an Epson 3880 for thirteen years, loved it, no problems, and now regret being seduced by the siren song of no MK/PK switching.

I plan to call Epson Support tomorrow and will report back what suggestions they make and if they are helpful.

Best to all, great forum.

Eric

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: “Well, I didn’t do anything with them.”

Reply #7 on: February 6, 2023 at 6:40 pm

I continue to be fascinated by “serious” photographers who do not print their work. I am not intending to be critical or judgmental, each person is clearly entitled to do whatever they’d like with their images. A while back, I met a fellow at our Japanese Garden in Portland with a Fuji GFX, the big one. I started a conversation based on my awe of his camera, 100MP files are not to be trifled with. I asked him if he printed his images and he said he did not. I kept my cool and we had a perfectly nice conversation.

I am not interested in selling prints; for me, marketing is simply too much work for the returns. I love photographing and producing photographs, that is, prints. My favorites are placed in my home on the walls, or given to family members and friends; others are placed in boxes for later review. If a friend says they like an image, I’ll offer them a framed print. If they’d like, I make one and gift it to them. If a stranger shows interest, I’m happy to sell one a a pretty reasonable fee; we’re both happy, my ego is massaged, and the purchaser has a nice image.

I started in photography in my teens, a LONG time ago and in the day, with film, one either made print (or had one made) or you really didn’t have a photograph (excepting those horrid slide shows of someone’s trip). People had shoe boxes, full of family photos. (I still do) I realize that’s different that what we perhaps arrogantly call “fine art photography,” but these were treasured nonetheless.

I hope this conversation can continue, perhaps with the additional commentary by someone who is both a photographer and a psychologist. It would make a good New Yorker or Atlantic article. Now that Mike Johnston, “The Online Photographer” writes for the New Yorker, perhaps I’ll suggest he take on this project.

 

 

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson SC-P900 colors inaccurate

Reply #8 on: January 4, 2023 at 7:40 pm

Thanks so much Mark. I’m confident it would not have happened without your generous help, much appreciated.

Eric

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson SC-P900 colors inaccurate

Reply #9 on: January 3, 2023 at 5:10 pm

I think I’m finally there! I re-calibrated my monitor to a brightness of 90, Gamma of 2.2, and D50, per Mark’s suggestion.

I also reread Mark’s superb P900 review and all the comments here. Thanks to all. I’ve used soft proofing in both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop in the past but this may be the source of at least some of my problems.

I consider myself to be relatively meticulous in my computer set up but… this somehow seems to have escaped me. When I soft-proof in Photoshop I go to view-proof setup-custom and choose a paper. It appears that I set up a lot of the proofing with profiles from my now sold 3880! For some reason, despite trying to be meticulous, this got by me and I was using profiles from the 3880 instead of the P900.

I just printed an image of a dahlia with a lot of fairly subtle as well as bright colors and it came out just fine, the reds, yellows, subtle greens all look good, defined by how close they come to the colors on the NEC PA271. Another image looks spot on compared to a print made on the 3880 last September.

You’ve all saved me a lot of frustration even though it took me a while to get it straight!

I can now switch from testing, endlessly, and fretting, endlessly, to having fun and making prints of which I can be proud.

Best to all and Happy New Year,

Eric Brody

 

 

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson SC-P900 colors inaccurate

Reply #10 on: December 31, 2022 at 6:17 pm

Hi all,

Thanks to those who’ve had the patience to follow this saga. Please allow me to update the thread. I’ve been a busy boy.

After printing on Pro Photo Supply’s P900, I had another idea. I usually use an NEC PA271 monitor, profiled with Spectraview II and the NEC-X-Rite puck. I realized I had another monitor, duh, my iMac 2020. I could not profile it with Spectraview but a kind friend loaned me his i1Profile calibrator and I proceeded to calibrate the iMac. Sadly, when I did that nothing changed but it was additional evidence that the problem is somewhere in my system though I seem to be unable to locate it.

I’ve checked the icc profiles, done my tests with Epson paper, looked at the document profile and tested both with my own camera profile made with a Colorchecker and with Adobe Color. Jeff, I checked and double checked my output settings, Epson Premium Presentation Matte in the printer driver and on the P900, with Epson’s own profile. I’ve actually never (intentionally) used “Printer Manages Color.” I deleted all the 3880 profiles so I could not accidentally use one of those by mistake.

Today, I decided to look at what kind of correction might allow me to “preview” the printer’s color (redder) on my monitor so I’d know what the printer would produce. After some fiddling, I tried a hue-saturation layer with hue -10 and saturation red +10. When I click the eyeball, the “correction” layer is quite close to what the printer produces.

I realize this makes little sense. I’ve got a calibrated monitor (TWO) and a brand new printer. They should match. Isn’t that what “color management” is all about? After all, I printed with my 3880 for years without this issue.

Any further ideas would, of course be most welcome.

Thanks again and again and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Eric

[Eric Brody Participant Posts: 66]

Re: Epson SC-P900 colors inaccurate

Reply #11 on: December 28, 2022 at 4:13 pm

Many thanks to Andrew, Kevin, and Mark, three of the most knowledgeable photographers I know. I met Kevin and Jeff Schewe at a Charlie Cramer workshop in Yosemite a few years ago, just before COVID.

I apologize for the delay in responding. It was a combination of the holidays, the incredible amount of time I spent experimenting and printing (thanks Andrew for the files), over 2 hours on the phone with a enthusiastic representative from Epson tech support, and finally, what may have gotten me a lot closer to a solution…

I put my “problem” file and a few of the test files on my M1 MacBook Pro, loaded the P900 printer software, and went to my local friendly camera store, Pro Photo Supply, from whom I bought the printer. The let me use their P900 and my paper to make some test prints… Their printer fellow, very helpful, also reviewed my setup and printer settings.

The result was that the prints from my own P900 and those from the store’s P900 were really, really close leading me to conclude, it’s something in my workflow, NOT the printer itself.

I am now working on that assumption. I am reviewing my calibration (a friend loaned me his i1 Display Pro,)  looking again at my 10 year old NEC and its Spectraview II puck and software.

I’ll let the forum know when I have more and hopefully final resolution.

The advice I’ve received over the years from knowledgeable forum “consultants” has been most helpful. My current experience is also an argument for having good photo friends and for purchasing locally, when you can.

Happy New Year to all.

Eric

 

 

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