Epson 1280 is dull, dull, dull

Try printing on EPSON Premium Glossy Paper first.

Sounds like you have color management issues. There is usually a learning curve for this, which maybe you haven't traveled yet. There are several good books and web sites devoted to this. First major question is have you calibrated your monitor with a hardware device, not software? If you haven't then there is no reason other than pure coincidence that your printer output would in anyway resemble what you're seeing on screen. Are your images from a digital camera? IF so, what color space are you shooting in and what is your PS color space? Adobe RGB has a larger color gamut than sRGB for instance. Once you have those issues resolved, you should turn off all color management by the printer because it's just going to mess with all your hard work. You can also experiment with relative colorometric and perceptual in the intent drop down list in the print with preview box. One may give you a result you like better. I assume your using the right ICC profile for your paper and ink. Remember too that what you see on your monitor is transmitted light and what you see in a print is reflective and will always look duller compared to monitor.

Go back to the Epson ez-startup or similar instructions and follow them. In general the people with the most problems are the ones who are most "creative" with the basic instructions. Us sRGB, forget "vivid color" and you'll probably quickly get the basics under control.

The 1280 is far better than anything HP's built until very recently if you're after accurate photographic color. If you're after flash some of the cheaper printers may meet your needs. I use a 2200 Epson which is slightly less flashy than the 1280, and with which it's easy to produce prints that beat custom photolab work.

...another way of saying this: The 1280's a great printer. It's up to you to learn some basic skills. Sounds like you've not followed basic instructions.

And I would second John's comment. The 1280 is a great printer and I get great color output from it.

Id be very suspicious of HP paper on an Epson printer.

Been there, and I can feel for you. The 1280 can produce excellent prints, but boy was it ever a pain to get to that point. Here are a few suggestions.

If you want to go the route of using profiles, etc., here is a link for Mac, but also applicable for PCs: http://www.gballard.net/nca.html

If you don't want to go with profiles, then convert your image to sRGB and use Color Control at the Epson driver.

If your images look good on your screen but print dull you probably need to adjust the contrast in the Epson control panel. Go to properties > custom > advanced in the Epson software and try setting the contrast at +10 --- then make a small print. You will probably make a dozen prints before you get all the color, brightness and contrast settings right.

Make sure you have the correct paper chosen --- working with matte paper is probably your best place to start --- it is cheap, excellent and supported by the software. Most other Epson papers require minor modifications of matte paper settings

Before you do all this you might, as suggested above, standardize your monitor with Adobe Gamma Loader or some hardware you purchase.

I agree that colour management is the way to go and you will find excellent advice in Ian Lyons' pages, where he has instructions for various versions of Photoshop, e.g. http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps7_print/ps7_print_1.htm . You will need to have the latest printer icc profiles installed, which are supplied as part of the PIM package. So install that, whether you want to use PIM or not. Check the driver downloads pages of the Epson web site for the latest updates. There's a separately issued profile available there for Epson Colorlife paper, which can be used for Ilford Classic Pearl (virtually the same paper).

John