This isn’t a new problem it occurred with the R2400. It’s often necessary to even re-boot the computer and by the time this happens you may have spent as much as 30 minutes trying to ‘persuade’ the printer a different black ink has been loaded so you can select the correct paper type. You have to switch the printer off and re-set the printing parameters – often several times – before the ‘message’ gets through to the driver. The most frustrating aspect of having to swap cartridges is that the printer driver initially fails to recognise a swap has been made. You still have to change black ink cartridges when you swap from printing on glossy media to matte papers.
But, although it provides some welcome advances over its predecessor, the main flaw that frustrated owners of the R2400 has not been corrected.
Epson’s Stylus Photo R2880, the long-awaited replacement for the popular R2400 model, boasts a new ink set and some technological advances that should please its target market.