Top Quality B&W Printer

[AceVentura1986]

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Hey, all. Hope I've posted in the correct forum.

My Espon R3000 is near its last legs and I need to replace it. Any thoughts about a replacement? I shoot mostly my M9M and even when I shoot a color camera, I tend to print only in B&W. Printing to 13x19 is a requirement, printing to 16x24 would be a plus, but not a requirement.

FWIW, the prints would be used mostly for personal use and gifts, although I have been exhibited before and might try to venture back into this after the pandemic subsides.

You can view my work at RalphVentura.Com, BTW.

Thanks in advance.

[Jeff S]

Right forum... and loads of discussions already. Short story.. Epson or Canon pro series. Epson P600/800 now being replaced with 700/900.  Depends if you want 13” or 17”, with smaller or larger ink cartridges. Canon pro line is also respected.  As noted, lots more discussion to be found.

Jeff

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[Guest BlackBarn]

Going through the same thought process relating to my b/w. Leaning strongly towards the new Epson P906 as it has 3 black inks. Waiting for it to arrive in NZ though so can’t actually get a hands on yet.

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by BlackBarn

[Jeff S]

33 minutes ago, BlackBarn said:

Going through the same thought process relating to my b/w. Leaning strongly towards the new Epson P906 as it has 3 black inks. Waiting for it to arrive in NZ though so can’t actually get a hands on yet.

 

All the modern Epsons, going back to the 3800, have had 4 blacks, including photo/ matte black, and two lighter grey/blacks.  The difference in the 700/900 series is that there are separate channels for photo and matte black, so one no longer needs to flush one to do the other.

Jeff

[Guest BlackBarn]

52 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

All the modern Epsons, going back to the 3800

Thanks Jeff.....all this stuff is new to me...

[AceVentura1986]

Thank you, all. The P906 looks good, tho BH has it listed as backordered, I guess because of Covid. 

Thanks again.  

[Jeff S]

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Probably a very good choice. For me, as a happy owner of the P800 (proven platform and 80ml cartridges compared to 50ml for the P900), I’ll await delayed reviews (Mark Segal, Northlight and others), and real life user experiences, to be sure there are no problems, and that there are proven benefits beyond black ink switching. The new line introduces new feed mechanisms, head technology, etc, and once in a while (P4900), Epson has issues with clogging and/or feed mechanisms. All printer manufacturers make money on the inks, not the machines, so new ink sets promote more sales (as do smaller cartridges based on typical pricing practices). Chances are, though, it will be another winner.  
 

Jeff

Edited October 9, 2020 by Jeff S

[zeitz]

It is disappointing the Epson reduced the size of the cartridges.  I hope Epson doesn't give Canon any ideas along the same lines.

[Jeff S]

3 hours ago, zeitz said:

It is disappointing the Epson reduced the size of the cartridges.  I hope Epson doesn't give Canon any ideas along the same lines.

Helps explain how they reduced the printer size, which some find advantageous.  But a bit of chicken or egg... an objective to make compact, or clever way to reduce cartridge size and increase margins?  I like the size of the P800 cartridges, and am not troubled by the printer size.  If anything, a bit bigger printer with bigger and more economic inks would have been fine with me.  The P5000, though, is too much of a beast for a 17” printer (but with 200ml cartridges). 
 

Jeff

Edited October 10, 2020 by Jeff S

[LocalHero1953]

I am happy with the P800, and that I've had no clogging problems. 
I hope the newer models have improved the front feed - it is very sensitive to slight curl causing jamming as it feeds into the rear support. I'd have sent it back if it hadn't seemed to be a common fault reported online arising from the design. The effort of packing it up and arranging shipping for such a massive object is too much, so I just take special care in checking curl and corners, and keeping my fingers on the rear support as it feeds.

Edited October 10, 2020 by LocalHero1953

[Jeff S]

I use the front feed almost exclusively on the P800 and have had no problems.  I do, however, always gently bend papers to eliminate any obvious curl before feeding; an old habit with the more finicky 3800 front feed.

Jeff

[Stuart Richardson]

I am not up on Canon's drivers, but I will say that the Epson Advanced Black and White mode creates superb black and white prints that are consistent and neutral in their color balance. I tend to make them a bit warmer. I have used Epson printers in my print studio since I started as an exhibition printer in 2009. I do not have much experience with the smaller printers, as I have only had a 9900 or P9000 in the studio. I am about to take order of a P9500 and hopefully a P900 (I believe they have slightly different numbers in the US), and in my brief testing, the 9500 looks great. Not having to switch inks between matte and photo black is hugely beneficial if you like using a number of different papers, or especially if you are a commercial service.

Media handling always seems to be an issue for all of these printers. I have not had too many issues with the 9900 or P9000 other than with A4 sheets. Basically, you need flat paper. Certain papers have a tendency to curl up at the edges. One example would be the amazing and frustrating Harman by Hahnemühle Gloss Baryta, which has such a tendency to curl upwards that I believe they reformulated the paper to help fix it. Like Jeff, certain papers need to be bent against their curl or flattened in a heat press or under glass to make the flat enough to print without jams or head strikes. Generally, I recommend people steer away from papers like this when possible. Generally, cotton rag based papers are less problematic, as they are less dense than alpha cellulose and less stiff, so they more readily flatten. My favorites are Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta and Photo Rag 308, neither if which gives much of a problem if you set the platen gap to wide or wider.

[Jeff S]

I never heat or place weight on papers; only a gentle hand flex, even for my often used Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique.  It just ensures a nice smooth feed, and takes only seconds.

As often stated, I prefer ImagePrint to using the Epson driver and ABW mode. The latter works fine, but IP is superior for my workflow and results.

Jeff

[Stuart Richardson]

On 10/10/2020 at 4:21 PM, Jeff S said:

I never heat or place weight on papers; only a gentle hand flex, even for my often used Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique.  It just ensures a nice smooth feed, and takes only seconds.

As often stated, I prefer ImagePrint to using the Epson driver and ABW mode. The latter works fine, but IP is superior for my workflow and results.

Jeff

RE. The heat press. I generally do not have to do it. But it is useful if you have one around. For example, I had a box of Gloss Baryta that had quite a substantial curl. I can press a number of stacked sheets together (25?) in the heat press at a lower heat and leave it for a bit. Come back after a while, take it out and let it come down to room temperature under glass and it is much flatter. Additionally, the heat press is very useful for flattening prints that come of the end of the roll, which are otherwise difficult for framers or near impossible to use if the artist intends to display the work on the wall without being framed or mounted. Curling can work too (like the D roller), but it is more prone to kinking the paper and can be tricky for the dense alpha cellulose papers. The heat press is not a panacea, but it can be useful. Before I did it I had some concerns about the heat's effect on the paper, but I spoke with my contact at Ilford and they told me that moderate heat and time did not affect the paper in a meaningful way.

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, Stuart Richardson said:

RE. The heat press. I generally do not have to do it. But it is useful if you have one around. For example, I had a box of Gloss Baryta that had quite a substantial curl. I can press a number of stacked sheets together (25?) in the heat press at a lower heat and leave it for a bit. Come back after a while, take it out and let it come down to room temperature under glass and it is much flatter. Additionally, the heat press is very useful for flattening prints that come of the end of the roll, which are otherwise difficult for framers or near impossible to use if the artist intends to display the work on the wall without being framed or mounted. Curling can work too (like the D roller), but it is more prone to kinking the paper and can be tricky for the dense alpha cellulose papers. The heat press is not a panacea, but it can be useful. Before I did it I had some concerns about the heat's effect on the paper, but I spoke with my contact at Ilford and they told me that moderate heat and time did not affect the paper in a meaningful way.

I have lots of experience with a Seal dry mount press, including flattening of darkroom papers, but I sold it when I ditched film.  Haven’t needed it for any of the inkjet papers I currently use, so a non-issue for me.
 

Jeff

[albertospa]

I take up this topic again because I would like to buy a new black and white printer and I need some advice.
I have space problems and I had thought about the Epson SC-P 700. Is this printer suitable for monochrome printing? I didn't understand the difference between P700 and P706.
Thank you.

[Jeff S]

4 hours ago, albertospa said:

I take up this topic again because I would like to buy a new black and white printer and I need some advice.
I have space problems and I had thought about the Epson SC-P 700. Is this printer suitable for monochrome printing? I didn't understand the difference between P700 and P706.
Thank you.

P700 is the US designation; P706 apparently in Europe.  It’s the new replacement for the P600 printer, which is Epson’s 13 inch machine.  The P800, soon to be replaced by the P900, is the 17 inch version.  All of these machines are highly capable of color and b/w prints, each with photo   (glossy) and matte black options along with 2 additional shades of grey.  The newer models allow for automatic switching between photo and matte black without cleaning out the lines.  
 

There are many related discussions in this forum subsection, listing pros and cons of each, as well as capable Canon printers.

Jeff

[Mishal21]

On 10/9/2020 at 12:48 AM, AceVentura1986 said:

Hey, all. Hope I've posted in the correct forum.

My Espon R3000 is near its last legs and I need to replace it. Any thoughts about a replacement? I shoot mostly my M9M and even when I shoot a color camera, I tend to print only in B&W. Printing to 13x19 is a requirement, printing to 16x24 would be a plus, but not a requirement.

FWIW, the prints would be used mostly for personal use and gifts, although I have been exhibited before and might try to venture back into this after the pandemic subsides.

You can view my work at RalphVentura.Com, BTW.

Thanks in advance.

I'd say that I should try the HP M148DW.
It's not the cheapest in the world, but the connectivity/networking on them is pretty good. Brother, I've heard something about spotty wifi reception here and there.
Before you need a new drum, you'll probably destroy it in another way, and you can get LD-brand HP 94x cartridges for a pretty cheap one. Check some 5x7 instant photo printer 45 dollars a pop, or less. Close to 2500 pages for what I will call (so, give or take, a year of toner). It is a huge deal for the drum to be different from the cartridges. Systems that integrate the entire imaging assembly into one indicate greater risk when purchasing a third party, as the consistency of the drum will vary considerably.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Mishal21

[AceVentura1986]

On 12/10/2020 at 8:51 AM, Mishal21 said:

I'd say that I should try the HP M148DW.
It's not the cheapest in the world, but the connectivity/networking on them is pretty good. Brother, I've heard something about spotty wifi reception here and there.
Before you need a new drum, you'll probably destroy it in another way, and you can get LD-brand HP 94x cartridges for a pretty cheap one. Check some 5x7 instant photo printer 45 dollars a pop, or less. Close to 2500 pages for what I will call (so, give or take, a year of toner). It is a huge deal for the drum to be different from the cartridges. Systems that integrate the entire imaging assembly into one indicate greater risk when purchasing a third party, as the consistency of the drum will vary considerably.

Thanks for the input. I still haven’t bought anything. I found a quick sale on the Canon 5DsR and the 17-40mm lens so I’m having some difficulty justifying this additional expense so quickly. 

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[pedaes]

1 hour ago, AceVentura1986 said:

I still haven’t bought anything

This might help https://photopxl.com/the-new-epson-sc-p900-printer-review/

Having Matt Black permanently available is a big plus (if you want to use matt paper).

Edited December 12, 2020 by pedaes