Looking for a New Printer

[Baywing]

I've been using an Epson R1900 for many years. Last night, I changed out 3 ink carts (one was empty and the other 2 were very close) and in the cleaning/charging cycle that ensued, it emptied 2 more (which had about 20% left before that). Replacing those 2 killed another one that had 50% before the start of the session. I'm getting peeved, ink prices keep going up and it seems like I'm throwing away at least 1/2 of what I'm using. I know this has been an on-going issue for Epson but mine seems worse than it has been. Add to that, it appears that Atlex is no longer in business as all my searches end with 404 or dead link notices.

So, it's probably time to move on. One question is the type of ink, dye vs pigment. I had dye printers for years and really liked the prints. The pigment prints always seemed dull by comparison, but they did last longer. I read that the dye inks are lasting longer these days, so is that a viable option? I don't print alot, maybe average 1-2 per week if that.
Next, Canon or Epson? I'd like something that gets me a good print without going thru $100 of ink to get there. Has Epson addressed their aggressive ink waste issues? Never had a Canon, but what I read seems to indicate they are better in this regard.
I'm on Win 7, using PS to print, calibrated monitor, and use a colormunki to profile the paper.
Thanks in advance.

 

[TomP]

I will follow along. My faithful Epson 2200 died, or rather the software died. I really like the Ultrachrome inks. I was looking at the Epson 400 when I read so much about ink usage, that issue and the price of ink scared me away from buying it on sale at $400. I used to print a lot for sales. In looking around for printers I saw a lot of gray market coming out of amazon, denied repairs and cash backs. The other item that caught my eye was head cleaning/other issues between Canon and Epson. Seems folks thought Canon had much less problems in that area. My own experience with my 2200, if left idle or a long periods, it would need cleaning, a dust cover was kept on it since day one. An issue with one of my Canon printers, just used for text and to run off smaller prints. It has never worked on Win 10 as there were no drivers for such a cheaper printer, so it has been a long time unused. A few months ago I tried it and it came to life on Win 10,,, the point is it printed almost perfectly after such a long time unused. Good luck.

Oh I did a fade test first thing when I first got the 2200, taped one copy of image to dashboard of truck, in full sun, after a year, no one could tell which one was which. I could but the change was miniscule.

 

[Growltiger]

I am similar except Win 10 instead of Win 7. Calibrated monitor, Colormunki Photo to calibrate monitor and printer.
I have the Canon Pixma Pro 9000 Mk II and have been very happy with it. As well as the normal paper feeder it can print completely flat, so can take canvas.
It doesn't get used for long periods, and then suddenly gets used. It has never clogged.
I have found that the Canon printers never clog, whereas some Epson printers do.

I also have the small Canon Pixma iP8500, which has always worked perfectly.

But like all these printers it uses lots of ink. I doubt you will find much difference between the different printers in ink usage.

 

[Baywing]

The clogging is one big issue, partly because of the time to run the cleaning cycle, but more for the ink usage. Seems like more ink goes to the pads than the prints. It also seems that I have to run a nozzle test before every print to be sure. Last night I had a perfect printout for the nozzle test, yet the print showed banding. Another clean cycle and after 4 tries and an hour, I finally got a decent print.

 

[Palouse]

I'm happy with my Canon Pro-100. Great color, no problems. Had it about 4 years or so.

 

[Pa]

I'm happy with my Canon Pro-100. Great color, no problems. Had it about 4 years or so.

Me too, though I've only had mine a few months. And they are on sale for a very low price now, though not as low as last week.

 

[dburanich]

I've been using an Epson R1900 for many years. Last night, I changed out 3 ink carts (one was empty and the other 2 were very close) and in the cleaning/charging cycle that ensued, it emptied 2 more (which had about 20% left before that). Replacing those 2 killed another one that had 50% before the start of the session. I'm getting peeved, ink prices keep going up and it seems like I'm throwing away at least 1/2 of what I'm using. I know this has been an on-going issue for Epson but mine seems worse than it has been. Add to that, it appears that Atlex is no longer in business as all my searches end with 404 or dead link notices.

So, it's probably time to move on. One question is the type of ink, dye vs pigment. I had dye printers for years and really liked the prints. The pigment prints always seemed dull by comparison, but they did last longer. I read that the dye inks are lasting longer these days, so is that a viable option? I don't print alot, maybe average 1-2 per week if that.
Next, Canon or Epson? I'd like something that gets me a good print without going thru $100 of ink to get there. Has Epson addressed their aggressive ink waste issues? Never had a Canon, but what I read seems to indicate they are better in this regard.
I'm on Win 7, using PS to print, calibrated monitor, and use a colormunki to profile the paper.
Thanks in advance.

Atlex merged with a company called IT Supplies.
https://www.itsupplies.com

+1 on the Canon Pixma Pro 9000 Mark II
Never a problem with wasted ink on startup or cleaning.

 

[Baywing]

Thanks, I've used Atlex for 20 years + and only had a few issues.

 

[Ann_JS]

I have also bought ink from Atlex for many years and their service was always first rate. However, since Epson mandated minimum prices there is no longer any advantage in using Atlex/ IT Supplies because they charge for shipping while Staples will deliver to my door for almost exactly the same price but with free shipping.

 

[Walter Rowe]

I owned an Epson 2200 for 10+ years. I didn’t use it often. It was annoying having to clean / test before printing to insure prints came out well. I finally got rid of it and bought an Epson SureColor P800. It has a 17-inch wide carriage vs the 13-inch carriage of the 2200 so I can print larger at home. I’ve had it for about 18 months and used it at a similar rate as the 2200. It seems to exhibit no issues with sitting for periods of time. I’ve tested it before printing each time, but have not had to run a cleaning cycle a single time.

I also appreciate the ability to switch between matte and regular printing without changing inks, and the greater number of colors of inks for better color fidelity.

 

[frdjohns]

I also replaced my Epson 2200 with the Epson SureColor P800. Gotta be close to two years and no issues at all and the quality of the prints is just beautiful. Doesn't seem to matter if I'm printing a 4x6 or 17x25, the P800 handles it with ease. I also like that it connects seamlessly to my home net work, so I can print from any device from any location in the house.

 

[Baywing]

Thanks, good to hear the Epsons may be better as I still have a large supply of Epson paper. Being a lifetime Nikon shooter, I don't think I could have anything in the house with a Canon logo on it.......LOL!

 

[JW53]

Have a Epson 3800 since they were introduced. Never had a serious clogging issue. Last time I used it it had been idle for over a year. Turned it on ran a head alignment and clean and all was well. Never have used a cover , but house does stay between 65-75 % humidity.

 

[Beagledog]

I bought a Canon Pro-1000 about a month back and have done about 30 prints with it. the color is beautiful and matches the monitor. Ok, I color calibrate my monitor and use the ICC profiles for the paper I am using. On good paper, ie. Canon, Moab and Hahnemuhle the prints are great.

Ok, it is expensive, and the inks are costly, but the quality....

Cheers,
alexis and Georgie Beagle

" mom, the photo print hanging in the bedroom is green! I know it has only been up ten years, but B&W lasts..." - Georgie Beagle

 

[Baywing]

I've been seeing some reviews that indicate in the newer Epson printers when the Epson inks expire, they will not work unlike the older ones like my R1900.