Thinking of getting a printer.
Such a wealth of information on here when the search option is used.
Joanna makes everything easy and plain.
Still deciding on printer for casual use.
Epson Xp15000 Epson P706 Epson BT8550 Canon pro 200 or 300.
Got some people wanting storm images about 30 at this stage.
Cost of ink important yes but if you pass that one in price of print is it a issue really?
Maybe you like to have a look â here âŚ
Personal recommendation would be the Canon Pro 1000. Prints up to A2. Ink is cheaper per ml than the 300 and the 200 ink is not as long lasting.
I have just got rid of two Epson printers - both died very quickly and were nowhere near as robust as the Canon.
The Pro 1000 is expensive to start with but lower running costs and doesnât suffer from blocked jets like the Epson.
@Joanna â which papers would you recommend for this printer?
Printing yourself is fun, but it is can of worms (can I say âfun and furyâ?). I would rather recommend buying a cheap but good enough printer to learn the basics, throw it out after a year, and only then make a final decision. Maybe start with some local printing service â might be satisfactory? Printing night storms is a bit demanding because some deep blues/violets may get completely wrong in print (?). Just a few things to keep in mind:
After several years I gave up and now I use a good printing provider. But Iâve learned a lot, so the time wasnât lost.
thank you for you information as always.
Merry Xmas to you all from Australia
2 month wait here for canon photographic printers except for pro 1100
thanks for your thoughts kind sir.
taking it all on board
The printers you have listed are not Epson photo printers to my knowledge. If you want something from Epson to compare with Canon Prograph 1000 then you have to look at Epson present Photo-printers SC-P700 (A3) or SC-P900. You shall ask for that generation of Epson-printers because they are the first generation that is very reliable and economic, when it comes to ink-consumption.
It is a very different thing comparing Epsons old more problematic photo printers to the new ones. I think Epson still is struggling with its old poor reputation. The new printers are a totally different story.
I have had min P900 for almost 3 years now and it just works. Sometimes I haven´t used it for months (totally turned off) which means no ink leak at all because of background cleaning cycles like the one Canon printers use to do in order to maintain the printheads and nozzles.
From what I know the Canon-printers recommendation is that they always shall be left on of that reason. No need for that with the new Epsons which have a much more smart auto maintenance of the print heads since the small piezo elements that is pumping the ink also serves as diagnostic elements of the maintenance system.
There is nothing like that in Canons âdumbâ old printhead tech. The main difference between Epsons printheads is that they run cold and Canons runs really hot as does HP´s and all the rest. You never switch printheads in these Epson-printers like you have to do with Canon-printheads that have been worn out (which means that al the nozzle sets have been clogged).
From what I know there is several sets of backup nozzles that gets used when the primary nozzles have been blocked and when a printhead has to be changed it is easy to do so but often very costly since you have to buy a lot of new ink too when changing a printhead. Basically this old Bubble Jet tech is from the nineteennineties. The Epson Precision Core Tech is just about five years old and it is now used in all Epsons newest printers from simple Workforce-printers to Photo-printers and big industrial printers because this tech is made to scale.
apologies Australia a P706 is same as your mentioned P700 for example sorry
No that one is on me. I ought to have remembered that there are other model numbers for the same machine outside Europe and the States.
Depends on what you mean by âcasual useâ.
To me âcasualâ wouldnât go as large as A2 sized prints, it would be predominately A4 or smaller, plus a few A3 prints.
Consequently, nine years ago now, I bought a compromise device, an Expression Photo XP-960 nine years ago. The current version of this device is the XP-970.
Itâs not a âproâ printer but it is a step up on a basic printer, using six inks rather than four, and is able to print up to A3. Aside from user error, Iâve never had any problems with it and Iâm pleased with the prints I get from it.
It also includes a scanner. For me that was a bonus, even though that must mean the printer unit will have been built to a price that permits the inclusion of the scanner without hugely inflating the cost.
So, in summary, clearly define what you mean by âcasual useâ and then buy either an Epson or a Canon at that price point.
I would also recommend the two-stage approach. It is a longer learning curve to get satisfactory printing results - there is a lot to learn, but it is also interesting. Technical interest is a prerequisite. My learning environment consisted of three components: A standard printer with photo capabilities and lower ink costs (there really is a lot to print at this stage). Software (and hardware) to calibrate the monitor and printer, and the correct use of the printer software.
In any case, the monitor should be calibrated first, otherwise you will be disappointed with the printout. There are various devices that work well and are easy to use. Alternatively, you can buy an already calibrated monitor.
Calibrating the printer (actually paper and printer) is the next step. To experiment, I didnât want to use expensive photo paper, but a good no-name paper. But this has to be calibrated. This is easy to do with your camera. I use the colymp software for this, you can find a detailed description here: https://download.colymp.com/Manual_en.pdf
I used the Epson ET-2820 printer to get started, which should not be underestimated. The big plus are the large ink tanks. With the right driver software, the results are more than decent.
Everything else is learning by doing and the good support from the forum.
How is your connection to the parcel service, do you live far away in the outback?
Excellent suggestion!
Iâd go further than âshouldâ, Iâd say the monitor MUST be calibrated & profiled first. You will be disappointed with your prints if you donât do this. Iâd also add that having a wide gamut (i.e. at least 99% Adobe RGB coverage) monitor will help no end.
You may have already looked at Northlight Images.
â Here is an interesting comparison between a high-end printer and a model that the author ârecommendsâ to beginners⌠to get to know âŚ
and â here the same stuff with another high-end brand (showing the smaller version).
Take your time and have a look around. 
I would agree with Wolfgang and take a look at Keith Coopers video. Really practical advice and recommendations.
Ian
Dâaccord ! Keith Cooper is âThe Popeâ for all who want to print themself. For me, the XP 15000 is the optimal choice. A3+ is big enough and the quality is quiet good. The ink is expensive, but if thereâs no need for daily printing itâs a good compromise. It was an advice by Keith Cooper too.
Just a couple of comments.
The Canon Pro 1100 is the new model that replaces the 1000. New inks with even better durability.
Personally, I have found pigment inks to give better, longer lasting results than dye inks. And, of course, the more inks, the better graduations. The 1000 has three blacks and grey, with a separate matt black that is always installed, so doesnât need purging when changing.
I just checked my dead Epson SC-P600 printers and they barely lasted two years each and cost a fortune in inks and head cleaning time trying to keep them going towards the end. My Canon Pro 1000 is now three years old and isnât showing any signs of wearing out. I can leave it unused for weeks and it just starts printing perfectly without having to print test pages or clean the heads.
The Canon ink system shows a low ink warning long before you run out of ink - this is meant to tell you to buy cartridges, ready for when it does run out. It takes a significant number of prints beyond that before the ink cartridge is truly empty, which then prompts you to change the cartridge with very little ink left. The design ensures that you donât get any problems with jets not firing and, even in mid-print, you cannot see when the change happened.
My experience with Epson printers is that you are forced to change cartridges long before the cartridges are empty.
That, together with the cost per ml, means that the Canon 1100 works out a lot cheaper to run, mainly due to the larger cartridges.
We have the larger Epson printer at our club and the need to clean the heads quite often as well as paper feed problems with certain papers seem to be very common. In comparison, I once accidentally fed two sheets of 310gsm Canson Baryta into the Canon at the same time and it printed perfectly - I just had to separate the two sheets after. My experience with Epson is that the feed mechanism feels too âplastickyâ and delicate.
It all depends on whether you want to produce âOKâ prints or truly excellent prints. Unfortunately, quality doesnât come cheap.
Thank you for this real life information.
Just a question. Epson has the ET serie, Eco Tank. It doesnât have cartridges but tanks that can be filled. The type has been mentioned in this thread but no rating on this system. Any judgement?
George
I presume yoru question about the ET series means you missed the Keith Cooper video posted by @IanS, the one titled 'Surely not a fair fight? Canon PRO-1100 vs Epson ET-8550?