I'm considering starting to print and I'm in the early stages but have begun exploring Epson for 13 x 19. Does anyone have comments on the Epson brand in this type of printer? Any others to consider? Thanks.
I used to have an Epson photo printer that they advertised as being of professional quality. When it printed right, the prints were very nice. However, I had huge problems with it from the start. When a print job was sent, it would ALWAYS start printing the image and then kick out the paper part way through. No idea why. After that, it would print fine for the most part. The nozzle heads got clogged a lot which results in ink being wasted from cleaning every time that I went to print. Epson may have improved their printers by now, but I have to say that I would not buy one again.
Now, I have a Canon printer. What a difference. It just works and produces beautiful prints. I think that the model that I have has been discontinued now. However, I would not hesitate on buying a Canon again.
I find printing to be hugely rewarding and while not inexpensive, very much worth the cost.
My advice to you would be go for the Epson P900, the 17" version. The ink cartridges for the P700 are 25ml while the P900 takes 50 ml cartridges. The savings in ink will soon cover the cost differential between the two printers. And while the P900 will certainly make 13x19 prints, the P700 will not make 16x20 or 17x22 prints.
Are these prints for yourself/family or for paying clients?
What kind of volume? 100 photos/year? or 100,000?
I have several of the DNP Dye-sub printers (can print up to 8" wide) and a Canon Pro-100 Inkjet.
I don't use the inkjet unless I need something wider than 8".
The DNP dye-subs are pretty awesome because they're reliable, the cost per-print is pretty low (8x10 is < $1.00) and they come off the printer dry and ready to handle.They can also run for hundreds of thousands of prints (I think the warranty is for 150,000 prints, but most people that use them extensively report getting hundreds of thousands before the printer wears out).
I have no real experience with "pro" inkjet printers, but I'd fathom that there is much more to go wrong with those, given the nature of how inkjet printers work.
One downside is that the media comes on a roll, so the photos have a "curl" to them, especially the last ones printed from the media roll, since the circumference of the roll is lower.
Epson paper feed is crap. At least on the p800 which is the prior generation to the P700/900. Very frustrating to have your prints ruined by head strikes, other smudges, or dinged corners from bad loading.
It's possible they improved the feed on the latest models but I don't see anything which would make me think they solved the issues.
I've been using an Epson P800 for nearly 8 years and my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I have had no issues with whatsoever with clogging and the paper feed is vastly improved over my previous printer, the Epson 3800.
If you feed the paper carefully through the front feeder, it almost never skews. I estimate I've made well over a thousand prints, and have had very few skew issues, perhaps 10 or 15 times, whereas it was quite common on the 3800. If you try and feed thicker fine art papers using the top feeder, then you will encounter issues, but that feed is intended for relatively thin papers. My understanding is that the P900 improves on the paper feed of the P800 and you can now feed most papers in the top, greatly simplifying paper loading. Some thicker papers still have to go in the front though.
There is a learning curve to getting the most out of any printer and you must be willing to put in the time and effort to learn the best practices for your particular printer. If you do, you will be rewarded with excellent prints.
Thanks for the responses and for giving me more to consider. I was steered to Epson by a friend who uses a Canon but I'm open to other suggestions. This will be a first for me so the higher end is maybe for the future. In the beginning, the photos will be for myself and my family. I would say probably 30 to 40 prints a year starting.
I would have included some of these answers but honestly, this is new to me and I didn't know to give them until you folks asked. Thanks.
DIS Ottawa wrote:
I've been using an Epson P800 for nearly 8 years and my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I have had no issues with whatsoever with clogging and the paper feed is vastly improved over my previous printer, the Epson 3800.
If you feed the paper carefully through the front feeder, it almost never skews. I estimate I've made well over a thousand prints, and have had very few skew issues, perhaps 10 or 15 times, whereas it was quite common on the 3800. If you try and feed thicker fine art papers using the top feeder, then you will encounter issues, but that feed is intended for relatively thin papers. My understanding is that the P900 improves on the paper feed of the P800 and you can now feed most papers in the top, greatly simplifying paper loading. Some thicker papers still have to go in the front though.
There is a learning curve to getting the most out of any printer and you must be willing to put in the time and effort to learn the best practices for your particular printer. If you do, you will be rewarded with excellent prints....Show more →
Paper feed is one of those things where not every printer unit will experience problems. I suspect there is quite a bit of manufacturing variance and the way the Epson is designed, it doesn't handle it well. In my case and the many reports I've seen online, it's not an issue of using the wrong paper feed as the front fine art feed is reported being used for thicker papers. The solutions are often incredibly annoying like having to jiggle the paper so that it gets over an internal lip or having to feed the paper in backwards because it won't go past the bend in the feed from the front, etc. You can adjust things like the paper thickness and platen gap but doesn't always resolve problems.
It does look like the paper feed in the P900 is improved, or at least changed. The top loader can now accept papers as thick as 0.5mm (I think the limit for the P800 was 0.3mm). That covers many but not all of the papers I would use. Still I would have like to have seen something like a vacuum feed that the equivalent canon printers have.
BillinTexas wrote:
Thanks for the responses and for giving me more to consider. I was steered to Epson by a friend who uses a Canon but I'm open to other suggestions. This will be a first for me so the higher end is maybe for the future. In the beginning, the photos will be for myself and my family. I would say probably 30 to 40 prints a year starting.
I would have included some of these answers but honestly, this is new to me and I didn't know to give them until you folks asked. Thanks.
You can pick up a used Epson 3880 for a few hundred dollars. I'd get one of them and learn how to make prints. There is a lot to know how to best process your images for the different paper types. I have two 3880's and use them quite sparingly as I have other printers and I don't experience any nozzle clogs. Very reliable from what I can tell. Yes, the paper feed is finicky, but not so much as to dissuade me from using and enjoying the 3880.
Am I seeing fewer offerings from Canon for a 13 x 19 format printer or am I just not looking close enough? I do not really want to go more than $600 at this point. There are mainly two that I'm looking at if I go with that limit. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wide-format Printer or Canon 8720
Only place I'm finding a 3880 is ebay and I'm not willing to go there. Prices are all over the place as well.
BillinTexas wrote:
Am I seeing fewer offerings from Canon for a 13 x 19 format printer or am I just not looking close enough? I do not really want to go more than $600 at this point. There are mainly two that I'm looking at if I go with that limit. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wide-format Printer or Canon 8720
Only place I'm finding a 3880 is ebay and I'm not willing to go there. Prices are all over the place as well.
Buy additional insurance (drops spills etc) just in case from ebay.
I've been using an Epson P800 for several years (since they came out) and have had none of the problems that folks here are complaining about. I've not had any feeding problems through any of the pathways on the printer, with one exception. I once tried using a box of budget 4x6 inch paper to print about a hundred images. The paper was very thin, and the printer occasionally fed two pieces of paper instead of one. Since then I've used better paper (at all sizes) and have had no issues.
If you run the nozzle check every two or three weeks, you should have no issues with clogging either. These machines are designed to print, and if you leave them off for extended periods of time, you may have issues with clogs. I think I've had maybe two or three minor clogs in all the years I've been using this P800.
They were easily resolved by printing a single 4x6 inch image. This causes all the print heads to push ink through the nozzles and uses significantly less ink than running a cleaning cycle. Problem solved.
The advice given earlier about getting a machine with larger print cartridges is spot on. If you print regularly, you will easily make up the difference in cost between a 17 inch and a 13 inch printer in fairly short order.
Obviously you will pick the printer that best meets your needs. Just keep in mind that there is a reason all other brands of printers are compared to their Epson equivalent.
I've had several epson printers. Both clogged. I ran nozzle checks regularly, but didn't print much. I felt I needed to profile and calibrate the printer to get what I wanted out of it.
I've had my Canon Pro 100 for 5 years now, and I've only just replaced the original carts. I profiled and calibrated it, but don't see much difference on the few dozen prints I've been serious about.
I've never even had one nozzle give poor output on it. FYI.
I need to point out that I've been printing on Epson paper! I'm a hobbyist, not a pro...
More research, making the inside of my head foggy. I'm looking at pigment ink printers now. I'm leaning toward the Epson P700. Unfortunately, a $200 rebate ended yesterday. Could have gotten it for $629 through B&H and not tax with the Payboo account. I have a friend that recommended I look hard at Epson due to the trouble he has had with his Canon Pro200. https://www.beautythatsurroundsyou.com/
Are you wanting to print to sell large volumes of images or are you looking to get a printer to print the odd photo of yours that you like? If you are going to print only 30-40 photos a year, I personally wouldn't be bothering with my own printer. Printers also like to be used, and you are more likely to run into problems with ink if you use them only occasionally.
The reason I ask is I have been down this road before (more than once haha), and unless you print a lot, and have the desire to deal with maintenance, calibration, paper, mounting finished product, etc. you might be better off just using one of the many online print services. At least where I am located, there are print services that offer better quality than most could achieve at home along with many more options (eg. coated metal, canvas, frames, etc.) for very reasonable prices. And it if it's not perfect, they reprint it at their expense, so my risk is zero. Just something to think about. Don't let me rain on your parade though - if you just want a printer or think it might be fun to play around with, by all means get one
I think everyone should try printing to see if they get joy out of it. Very much like in the film days you could just send your b&w film out and get it developed and proofed or you could develop and print yourself.
I like the feeling I get when I hang a print on the wall knowing I was fully in control from pressing the shutter to framing the finished print. For me, a really satisfying feeling of accomplishment.
CanadaMark wrote:
Are you wanting to print to sell large volumes of images or are you looking to get a printer to print the odd photo of yours that you like? If you are going to print only 30-40 photos a year, I personally wouldn't be bothering with my own printer. Printers also like to be used, and you are more likely to run into problems with ink if you use them only occasionally.
The reason I ask is I have been down this road before (more than once haha), and unless you print a lot, and have the desire to deal with maintenance, calibration, paper, mounting finished product, etc. you might be better off just using one of the many online print services. At least where I am located, there are print services that offer better quality than most could achieve at home along with many more options (eg. coated metal, canvas, frames, etc.) for very reasonable prices. And it if it's not perfect, they reprint it at their expense, so my risk is zero. Just something to think about. Don't let me rain on your parade though - if you just want a printer or think it might be fun to play around with, by all means get one ...Show more →
I appreciate your thoughts on the subject and I'm not totally committed just yet. The lack of use had definitely crossed my mind. I'm retired so I would like something to keep me busy and put a little change in my pocket. I am considering selling at a local waterpark that has artisan booths from time to time.
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chez wrote:
I think everyone should try printing to see if they get joy out of it. Very much like in the film days you could just send your b&w film out and get it developed and proofed or you could develop and print yourself.
I like the feeling I get when I hang a print on the wall knowing I was fully in control from pressing the shutter to framing the finished print. For me, a really satisfying feeling of accomplishment.
I would definitely like the experience. I have friends that tried to steer time there a few years ago but the time wasn't right.
