Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
p.1 #1Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
I've been absolutely slammed at work this whole summer and I haven't really been able to get out at all with the camera. But, I did finally pull the trigger on a printer. I've been researching and thinking about it for close to a year and I landed on the 8550.
I've had it going about a week now and I'm not certain that I could be any more satisfied. I've printed six different images at 12x18 on 13x19 paper and around ten 5x7s. All in color so far and I'm using the Red River ICC profiles. The print quality is seriously blowing my mind. The paper I'm using is the Ultra Pro Satin. The paper feels a bit thinner than I expected it to but it looks fantastic.
I really cannot discern any quality difference as compared to prints I ordered from Nations Photo Lab. I don't believe I'll be ordering any more prints online unless I need something larger than 13x19. I haven't tried B&W yet.
Hopefully I'll have this printer working well for years. I'm super happy with it.
Take care,
Joe
I've had it going about a week now and I'm not certain that I could be any more satisfied. I've printed six different images at 12x18 on 13x19 paper and around ten 5x7s. All in color so far and I'm using the Red River ICC profiles. The print quality is seriously blowing my mind. The paper I'm using is the Ultra Pro Satin. The paper feels a bit thinner than I expected it to but it looks fantastic.
I really cannot discern any quality difference as compared to prints I ordered from Nations Photo Lab. I don't believe I'll be ordering any more prints online unless I need something larger than 13x19. I haven't tried B&W yet.
Hopefully I'll have this printer working well for years. I'm super happy with it.
Take care,
Joe
Aug 11, 2026 at 07:20 PM
p.1 #2Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
Joe,
I've had the same experience with my 8550 that I bought earlier this year.
If you haven't stumbled across him yet on YouTube, Keith Cooper with North Light Images does a very thorough review of printing on the 8550. His profiles have worked great with everything I've tried them on, mainly Epson papers in my case.
Happy printing!
Jason
I've had the same experience with my 8550 that I bought earlier this year.
If you haven't stumbled across him yet on YouTube, Keith Cooper with North Light Images does a very thorough review of printing on the 8550. His profiles have worked great with everything I've tried them on, mainly Epson papers in my case.
Happy printing!
Jason
Aug 12, 2026 at 06:15 AM
p.1 #3Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
Enjoy your printer.
I have had the 8550 since dec 2022. Just over 3000 prints.
I just (yesterday) had my first major clog. Printer did sit for about a month unused. Magenta was badly clogged. Regular head cleanings did nothing, actually made it worse. Waited 12 hrs and had to do a power cleaning. Used a lot of ink. Immediately after the power cleaning- it still looked awful. But I followed instructions, waited another 12 hours- and I have a perfect pattern.
Prints look pretty good on rc papers- satin, luster, gloss.
Prints do fade a little in the sun. I had a matted print, no glass, hanging in the sun for a year. The visible sky definitely faded a little when compared to the sky edge covered by the matt. My pigment prints do not fade in the same environment. It was not noticeable, until print was taken out of the frame.
Print lots. Enjoy your images.
gary
I have had the 8550 since dec 2022. Just over 3000 prints.
I just (yesterday) had my first major clog. Printer did sit for about a month unused. Magenta was badly clogged. Regular head cleanings did nothing, actually made it worse. Waited 12 hrs and had to do a power cleaning. Used a lot of ink. Immediately after the power cleaning- it still looked awful. But I followed instructions, waited another 12 hours- and I have a perfect pattern.
Prints look pretty good on rc papers- satin, luster, gloss.
Prints do fade a little in the sun. I had a matted print, no glass, hanging in the sun for a year. The visible sky definitely faded a little when compared to the sky edge covered by the matt. My pigment prints do not fade in the same environment. It was not noticeable, until print was taken out of the frame.
Print lots. Enjoy your images.
gary
Aug 12, 2026 at 06:26 AM
p.1 #4Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
jboyle9808 wrote:
Joe,
I've had the same experience with my 8550 that I bought earlier this year.
If you haven't stumbled across him yet on YouTube, Keith Cooper with North Light Images does a very thorough review of printing on the 8550. His profiles have worked great with everything I've tried them on, mainly Epson papers in my case.
Happy printing!
Jason
Thank you Sir. Oh yes, his reviews and videos were a big part of me choosing this printer. I've also purchased his profiles.
Thanks again,
Joe
Aug 12, 2026 at 08:44 AM
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p.1 #5Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
gchappel wrote:
Enjoy your printer.
I have had the 8550 since dec 2022. Just over 3000 prints.
I just (yesterday) had my first major clog. Printer did sit for about a month unused. Magenta was badly clogged. Regular head cleanings did nothing, actually made it worse. Waited 12 hrs and had to do a power cleaning. Used a lot of ink. Immediately after the power cleaning- it still looked awful. But I followed instructions, waited another 12 hours- and I have a perfect pattern.
Prints look pretty good on rc papers- satin, luster, gloss.
Prints do fade a little in the sun. I had a...Show more →
Wow, I'm glad you were able to get it unclogged. If I get that long and that many prints before an issue, I'll be thrilled.
Thank you Sir.
Joe
Aug 12, 2026 at 08:48 AM
p.1 #6Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
I will chime in here and add one more positive review for both the Epson ET-8550 and Keith Cooper. I received my printer for Christmas last year. I am very happy with the prints and the printer so far. Still working out how to create an easy matte/framing method to display and rotate prints. Cannot speak to fading yet, but the areas I hang prints do not receive much direct sunlight. I would highly recommend this printer to anyone starting out in printing.
Aug 13, 2026 at 05:29 AM
p.1 #7Epson ET-8550 my thoughts after one week of use.
Switched from Canon Pro-100 and Pro-10 (getting kinda old, like me...) and decided to go to EPSON-land. That was May 2025 and I have been extremely happy with the flexibility of the rig. The tank system seems to have saved me money which is a plus. There are a few odd bits of interface but a very good choice.
I'd been following Mr. Cooper since about 2010 when I was eagerly reading his reviews of Canon TSE lenses as I geared up for arch. photo assignments. Great resource. Red River materials are top-notch and they support them well.
So I have the 8550 and a P700 here in the office. I do wish the 8550 had a print head that was higher resolution. When I do some very short run production that depends on sharp type I get better results from a third color printer here: my Canon 13x19 color printer ip8720. This has double the res in its print head compared to the ET8550 and P700. It offers an "extra" document (pigment) black cartridge. You can see improved rendering of type and small color details when using this ip8720.
If it hasn't happened yet this ip8720 will soon reach "end-of-life" status in the Canon line. It was intro'd about ten years ago. I bought a long support plan at time of purchase last year! Researching printers early last year I realized that ALL the majors had made a switch to 4800/inch resolution in their print heads. The Pro-100 and Canon 9900 I had before had 9600/inch print head orifices.
I get how color dyes spread out and dither smoothly but the extra res can help in both color and B&W when I put the image on, say, a 4x6. The 9600 unit displays more detail. You are naturally holding a 4x6 of 5x7 a lot closer to your eyes.
So I had to find counter space for all these 13x19 printers - and the laser, and another old Canon... but I am a happy printing nut.
I'd been following Mr. Cooper since about 2010 when I was eagerly reading his reviews of Canon TSE lenses as I geared up for arch. photo assignments. Great resource. Red River materials are top-notch and they support them well.
So I have the 8550 and a P700 here in the office. I do wish the 8550 had a print head that was higher resolution. When I do some very short run production that depends on sharp type I get better results from a third color printer here: my Canon 13x19 color printer ip8720. This has double the res in its print head compared to the ET8550 and P700. It offers an "extra" document (pigment) black cartridge. You can see improved rendering of type and small color details when using this ip8720.
If it hasn't happened yet this ip8720 will soon reach "end-of-life" status in the Canon line. It was intro'd about ten years ago. I bought a long support plan at time of purchase last year! Researching printers early last year I realized that ALL the majors had made a switch to 4800/inch resolution in their print heads. The Pro-100 and Canon 9900 I had before had 9600/inch print head orifices.
I get how color dyes spread out and dither smoothly but the extra res can help in both color and B&W when I put the image on, say, a 4x6. The 9600 unit displays more detail. You are naturally holding a 4x6 of 5x7 a lot closer to your eyes.
So I had to find counter space for all these 13x19 printers - and the laser, and another old Canon... but I am a happy printing nut.
Aug 17, 2026 at 06:37 PM