I’ve been neglecting this website of late. Last autumn my Epson 1290 printer suddenly failed and I was forced to buy a new one, choosing an Epson 1500W, which is the natural successor to the 1290. I should have bought this years ago! It’s so much better. I never got decent colours from the 1290 until I had profiles made; the 1500 gives good results straight out of the box, even with non-Epson papers. Not perfect, I will get profiles made eventually, but good enough for most purposes. It’s also faster and unlike the 1290, I haven’t yet had to do clear any blocked print heads.
There’s probably still controversy over dye-based and pigment-based inks. In the early days of inkjet printers it was said that the dye inks would fade, but I have prints made on the 1290 ten years ago, framed and hanging on the wall, which still look fine, and one can always make a new print if necessary, so I’m happy with using dye inks, and the printers are cheaper than those using pigment inks. If I specifically wanted a print to last I would probably get it printed by ProAm Imaging, which uses Fujifilm printers.