Any quality printers for up to A4 size around?

[philipus]

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Usually one would want a larger printer, I know, but I'm curious about printers which print no larger than about A4.

 

I rarely print larger than this. In fact, most of my prints are between 10x15cm and 13x18 cm.

 

So, are there any quality printers for such smaller prints? And are there any that are particularly economical in use? I'm quite honestly fed up with the ink costs of my R1900.

 

Thank you in advance
Philip

[elgenper]

Hi, Philip,

 

I hardly ever print larger than A4, yet I have an A2 printer (the Epson 3800, still going strong).  When I bought it, as an update from a 2100, I felt it was a massive overkill, but once I calculated the ink cost for the much larger cartridges, I found it would more than pay for itself compared to the smaller 2400 that was my alternative.  Also, it is far sturdier built than the smaller ones, which may explain its long life.  If I had to replace it today, I´d take a close look at the P800.

 

Regards, Per

 

Edit: The sentence about ink cost came out a bit cryptic...   What I meant was that the cost per ml is far lower for the large 80 ml cartridges, even though the cartridges themselves cost a lot.

Edited January 5, 2016 by elgenper

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[Jim-St]

Hi Philip

 

I'd have to agree totally with Per: the old motto holds true - "the more expensive the printer, the cheaper the ink", at least if you work it out by the ml. And if you're looking at something like the P800, calculate how much of the purchase price is going on the 9 included ink carts and you'll see that the actual printer is not that expensive, esp. compared to an A3 model.

 

I'd say the P800 is the way to go. My 3800 is coming up to its seventh birthday, without any hitch so far, so if it dies tomorrow I won't think twice about how to replace it. 

 

If you really want A4 only, you might try to pick up a refurb R800 (I ran one for a few years, it did a fairly good job) but you're not going to enjoy the ink costs!

 

Best wishes for 2016

 

Jim

[philipus]

Dear Per and Jim, thank you very much for the replies. I print very rarely. So rarely in fact that my R1900 is currently out of order as it has begun printing with a strong purple cast, I guess because of clogged up ink tubes or something since I use it so little. I've considered other ink systems, including the Permajet, but their representative told me that that system is not good for irregular printing due to the risk of clogging. Perhaps there are other systems that would reduce the risk of clogging, I don't know.

 

This is why I thought I could find a smaller less expensive printer for the smaller sizes I print. Based on how rarely and what I print the P800 wouldn't be worth its cost for me (though I'm sure it prints well). But I guess there is no way around it.

 

br

Philip

[Broadside]

 I'm quite honestly fed up with the ink costs of my R1900.

 

 

Have you looked at Continuous Ink Systems (CIS) such as Lyson  Permajet or Pro-EX amongst many others.

There's money to be saved here. I used one for a few years on my (cheaper) Epsom and had good results.

[Jeff S]

The SureColor P600 is Epson's 13'' version of the P800 (17").  It replaces the R3000, which had some problems, and has the all-new ink set (of course, since that's where Epson and other manufacturers make their money).  

 

Cone makes color and b/w (Piezography) inks for Epson.... a continuous ink system....and they are known to be reliable and cost effective.  Cone tests show that Epson cartridges, when 'empty' (and the printer stops), still have something like 15-20% of the cartridge left and wasted.

 

Since I still use Epson inks, I prefer the larger 80ml cartridges in the 3800 (and now in the P800), by generating enough prints to recognize the economies of scale.  The R3000, and I think the new P600, still use the smaller 23ml cartridges.   The larger Epson machines have even more economical 200ml cartridges, but the printers are huge.

 

Jeff

Edited January 5, 2016 by Jeff S

[philipus]

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I have been in touch with Permajet and they said their system works poorly for someone who prints small amounts and irregularly (clogging). Thanks (also to Jeff) for pointing to the Lyson, Pro-EX and Cone brands. I wasn't aware of these.

br
Philip

 

 

 I'm quite honestly fed up with the ink costs of my R1900.
 
 
Have you looked at Continuous Ink Systems (CIS) such as Lyson  Permajet or Pro-EX amongst many others.
There's money to be saved here. I used one for a few years on my (cheaper) Epsom and had good results.

 

[ramarren]

The best way to keep your printer working well and keep your ink costs in check is, confusingly, to print more. 

 

I printed with an Epson R2400 from October 2005 until last Fall. I keep careful records out of curiosity, tallying prints by area and date, cartridge use, and dates that I changed cartridges. Aside from the aggregate cost of making a print (about US$0.85 plus the cost of paper, averaged over all sizes of prints), the data showed me quite clearly that in the time periods when I was printing a fair bit (several prints every week) the ink consumption per print was generally much lower than in those periods of time when I would print a couple of things every three to six weeks. 

 

So I have adopted the "make two prints a week" strategy and dispensed with all the data collection now. I upgraded to an Epson P600 because I really don't need larger than that. The output is stunning, it doesn't clog, and the paper handling is much better than the R2400 or prior Epsons I've used. 

 

And at the end of the year, I am guaranteed 104 rather nice prints in my archive box. I defined a special size for this effort (half-sheet 13x19 trimmed to 9x12) and I print two images every week, which nets me one print of each image to give away or sell and another to put in the archive or portfolio. 

 

Works for me ... 

[Jeff S]

If I don't print for a couple of weeks, I run a 'test' print just to keep the head from clogging and to keep parts moving.   That's true for many mechanical devices....old cars work better when they're driven occasionally....bad things happen to idle machinery.  

 

One can typically ignore 'use by' dates on ink cartridges....even they last longer and work better by shaking them once in a while if the machine is idle....remember that the manufacturers want you to buy new inks.

 

Jeff

Edited January 5, 2016 by Jeff S

[philipus]

Thank you very much for these further replies. Ramarren, the info you provided is truly helpful, I appreciate it a lot. The two prints per week approach does sound doable - it'd just be another regular routine to add to my post-processing, which is entirely doable. 

 

I've had a look at the P600, which seems to be a good upgrade from my R1900. I also don't need larger than A3 and I like the size of the ink cartridges - 25,9 ml - compared to the puny 11,4 of the R1900.

 

Is there a secondhand market at all for old inkjets?

[Jeff S]

Not sure about companies near you, but there are typically some locally in the States that will offer minimal cash (maybe $100) for a machine like yours.  So, why not donate (e.g., school) or recycle it...  https://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/Recycle/RecycleProgram.jsp   Or ask the dealer from whom you buy new....they'll probably have a suggestion.

 

IMO, you don't need to make 2 prints a week....you should print because you have images worthy of printing.....but if time lapses, at least run a print through within a couple of weeks and you should be fine, especially with modern Epson machines that have largely improved clogs (the 4900 excepted).  As I wrote earlier, inks will last a lot longer than you think as long as you print fairly regularly.   I always run a nozzle check before a major print session....and if there's a rare issue, an automatic short clean cycle will suffice.

 

For me, 26ml cartridges would be gone in no time....80ml is minimum, and 200ml would be better if the machines weren't so behemoth.  It all depends on your situation and preferences.

 

Jeff

Edited January 7, 2016 by Jeff S

[Bill W]

Like a couple of others here, I do not print often but several years ago I bought the 3800 direct from Epson as a re manufactured unit. I have had not issues with it. It is a beast and the ink is expensive when needed which is not often in my case. I do run a nozzle check and cleaning when I am about to print.

[Guest]

Thank you very much for these further replies. Ramarren, the info you provided is truly helpful, I appreciate it a lot. The two prints per week approach does sound doable - it'd just be another regular routine to add to my post-processing, which is entirely doable. 

 

I've had a look at the P600, which seems to be a good upgrade from my R1900. I also don't need larger than A3 and I like the size of the ink cartridges - 25,9 ml - compared to the puny 11,4 of the R1900.

 

Is there a secondhand market at all for old inkjets?

 

I would use eBay. I sold a printer recently using this method. Due to your printers size make it "buyer collect" . I would make sure there is enough ink to run the printer and demonstrate it is working.Dont ask silly money and it should go easily.Mine did anyway.

BrianP

[philipus]

Thank you very much for the further replies. I like the idea of donating it - hadn't thought of that (and I must admit I'm not sure anyone would want it given the ink costs, but who know) - and if that doesn't work I'll post it for sale.

 

br

Philip

[ramarren]

I gave my old R2400 to a friend when I upgraded—she needed a printer immediately and didn't have the money at that moment. And to me, after a decade's use, I could not see that the R2400 owed me anything back. It lasted well enough to get her through an important job and exhibition before it expired; we were both happy about that. 

 

The P600 is chugging away and producing beautiful output. I'm extremely pleased with it. 

[Gibbo]

Thanks partly to this thread, I bought an Epson SureColor P600 a couple of weeks ago. I love it!

 

I'm very pleased with the A4 results and have just run through my first ever A3 print. I'm very impressed!

 

Thanks again to all on this thread!

[dkCambridgeshire]

Just bought an Epson 'Ecotank' 2550 A4 printer which uses Epson 'bottled ink'. Epson claim that the ink supplied will last 2 years (for average home use) . I bought it mainly for document printing and have not as yet used it for A4 photo printing  - but online reviews suggest its photo printing capabilities are good. Ink costs are probably the lowest of any A4 printer. However, bear in mind some reviewers suggest that its features (apart from the very economical ink supply) are quite minimal for the price i.e. its possible to buy a printer with the same features/specification for very much less. But low Ink costs were my prime consideration for choosing it - I do not need a sophisticated document printer. My photo printing is via an Epson R3000 using Fotospeed inkflow. 

 

dunk

[wda]

Usually one would want a larger printer, I know, but I'm curious about printers which print no larger than about A4.

 

I rarely print larger than this. In fact, most of my prints are between 10x15cm and 13x18 cm.

 

So, are there any quality printers for such smaller prints? And are there any that are particularly economical in use? I'm quite honestly fed up with the ink costs of my R1900.

 

Thank you in advance

Philip

Philip, I was in your situation two years ago when my Epson R800 CIS was getting so little use. My solution? I now use an excellent local printer for my occasional needs. The individual print costs might seem high against unit print costs for a printer in constant use. But in my case it has saved a lot of space and money.

[philipus]

Thanks very much for the further suggestions. I've now decided to go for a P600. I do enjoy having prints of my photos and printing with some regularity to prevent clogging will not be too difficult. The much larger ink cartridges will also be an improvement over the R1900.

 

Also, I'm hoping the P600's ink will not give the 'solarised' effect I see with my current prints (from certain angles).

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[mija1789]

Hi Philip,

Long time since the Digilux 2 

When you'll get your P600, would you mind posting your first impressions, as I am tempted as well ?

TIA

Edited April 5, 2016 by mija1789