Top Quality B&W Printer

[AceVentura1986]

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29 minutes ago, pedaes said:

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).

Thanks. That’s a very detailed review. 

[Jeff S]

Links to Northlight review, and comments on Mark Segal’s review in this discussion...

Jeff

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[JoshR77]

On 10/8/2020 at 3:48 PM, AceVentura1986 said:

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

My Espon R3000 printer 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 go for a CAnon one for sure. At least because this is the only printer company that I know about that has offices in the US with a call center in the US. I've been an HP printer owner for the better part of the last decade, and was fed up whenever ink would expire or a compartment didn't work even though it was brand new. No, enough of that!! Now, I am pleased to report that the Canon Printer here is accessible, wireless, and has a call center in the US. I highly recommend this printer to anyone else fed up with the BS of HP printers.

[AceVentura1986]

On 1/10/2021 at 10:59 PM, JoshR77 said:

 

I`d go for a CAnon one for sure. At least because this is the only printer company that I know about that has offices in the US with a call center in the US. I've been an HP printer owner for the better part of the last decade, and was fed up whenever ink would expire or a compartment didn't work even though it was brand new. No, enough of that!! Now, I am pleased to report that the Canon Printer here is accessible, wireless, and has a call center in the US. I highly recommend this printer to anyone else fed up with the BS of HP printers.

Thank you, something to consider. I also like the fact that Canon print heads are user-replaceable. I haven’t bought anything just yet, but will likely do so shortly. Again, than you for your comment. 

[dkmoore]

On 1/12/2021 at 7:09 AM, AceVentura1986 said:

Thank you, something to consider. I also like the fact that Canon print heads are user-replaceable. I haven’t bought anything just yet, but will likely do so shortly. Again, than you for your comment. 

I've been happy with the new Epson P900. While the prints themselves aren't significantly different than my Epson 3880, there are quite a few worthwhile upgrades. By the way, I still LOVE the prints from my 3880.

• The carbon black mode is noticeable
• the connectivity is simple and easy to use
• everything works without fuss (2 months of use)
• Don't have to switch to Matt black 
• Nice physical size for a printer of this quality and size of paper

The majority of what I print is B&W. As a note, I've been printing for about 5 years now but I am a complete novice as in I don't use special software or color checkers, etc. For B&W I think the prints are easily exhibition quality (have viewed many real exhibitions) and under better skill the prints should not leave much to be desired.

[Tailwagger]

On 1/13/2021 at 7:55 PM, dkmoore said:

I've been happy with the new Epson P900...

• The carbon black mode is noticeable
• the connectivity is simple and easy to use
• everything works without fuss (2 months of use)
• Don't have to switch to Matt black 
• Nice physical size for a printer of this quality and size of paper

After a couple of months now and several dozen B+ prints, I'd second all the above and add quiet, smooth operation, rather modest ink consumption compared to my old Pro-100 with far greater fidelity. Being unfamiliar with Epson products there was a brief learning curve, but once set up, use via PS(color) and the Epson Print Layout utility (b&w) is very nearly push button easy.  All the hassle involved with using the old Canon is thankfully a distant memory.  Yet to pick up the roll feed so can't yet comment on that.  While it's undeniable that some of the materials employed are the antithesis of Leica's, so far the machine has been bulletproof. Extremely pleased.

[Gobert]

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@AceVentura1986

Have you already made a decision?

[AceVentura1986]

On 2/7/2021 at 12:10 PM, Gobert said:

@AceVentura1986

Have you already made a decision?

Not yet, but leaning toward the Canon prograf 300. BH lists it for US$900. I like that it’s print head is user replaceable, unlike the Epson’s. Thoughts? Comments?  

My birthday is this week, too. 
 

 

[Gobert]

No, I would like to have a specific B/W printer as well. But those doesn’t exist in our price range. Presently I have an (older) Epson R2880. Inkt consumption is however quite high.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Gobert

[Jeff S]

On 2/8/2021 at 8:09 PM, AceVentura1986 said:

Not yet, but leaning toward the Canon prograf 300. BH lists it for US$900. I like that it’s print head is user replaceable, unlike the Epson’s. Thoughts? Comments?  

My birthday is this week, too. 
 

 

If I read correctly, it had less than 15ml ink cartridges... tiny...and only a couple of blacks besides matte. The Pro 1000 has 80 ml cartridges and an extra grey, plus 17” print capability vs 13”.  The upgrade would be a no brainer for me, especially if I could get a discount, which printer companies do frequently to hook you on the ink sales, where the profit reside. (If the 1000 comes with a full size ink set... I haven’t checked...the extra cost would already be worth it just for the inks.)

Jeff

Edited February 10, 2021 by Jeff S

[stray cat]

On 2/9/2021 at 12:09 PM, AceVentura1986 said:

Not yet, but leaning toward the Canon prograf 300. BH lists it for US$900. I like that it’s print head is user replaceable, unlike the Epson’s. Thoughts? Comments?  

My birthday is this week, too. 
 

 

I have recently acquired a Canon Pro-300. I'd bought an Epson P900, waited ages (months) for it to arrive, then when it did, a few days prior to Christmas, it was DOA - paper would not feed into it at all - not even to get an initial setup test done. After quite a lot of hassle I was finally able to get my money back and immediately bought the Canon. The black and whites are truly beautiful. As for the ink, it is extremely thrifty - especially in comparison to the old Epson R2880 it has replaced. I have not yet gone through a set of inks - the levels have hardly even gone down at all - even after at least a dozen A4s and an A3+. Sure, I sacrificed the ability to print A2 but after the tedious hassle with the Epson (and Epson) I am happy to send anything larger than A3+ to a lab for printing and I have been able to pocket about $700 of the refunded money. So I couldn't be happier with the Pro-300 and highly recommend it if that helps.

[AceVentura1986]

6 hours ago, Jeff S said:

If I read correctly, it had less than 15ml ink cartridges... tiny...and only a couple of blacks besides matte. The Pro 1000 has 80 ml cartridges and an extra grey, plus 17” print capability vs 13”.  The upgrade would be a no brainer for me, especially if I could get a discount, which printer companies do frequently to hook you on the ink sales, where the profit reside. (If the 1000 comes with a full size ink set... I haven’t checked...the extra cost would already be worth it just for the inks.)

Jeff

Thanks for the heads up on this. I’ll def have a look. I’d don’t know if I’d have much of a need for 17” prints, but the ink issue might be compelling. Stray Cat did comment on its thriftiness, tho. 

3 hours ago, stray cat said:

I have recently acquired a Canon Pro-300. I'd bought an Epson P900, waited ages (months) for it to arrive, then when it did, a few days prior to Christmas, it was DOA - paper would not feed into it at all - not even to get an initial setup test done. After quite a lot of hassle I was finally able to get my money back and immediately bought the Canon. The black and whites are truly beautiful. As for the ink, it is extremely thrifty - especially in comparison to the old Epson R2880 it has replaced. I have not yet gone through a set of inks - the levels have hardly even gone down at all - even after at least a dozen A4s and an A3+. Sure, I sacrificed the ability to print A2 but after the tedious hassle with the Epson (and Epson) I am happy to send anything larger than A3+ to a lab for printing and I have been able to pocket about $700 of the refunded money. So I couldn't be happier with the Pro-300 and highly recommend it if that helps.

Thanks for the input. As I said above, I don’t know if I’d have much use for 17” prints but I do know I used to print “13 regularly.  

[zeitz]

6 hours ago, Jeff S said:

If the 1000 comes with a full size ink set... I haven’t checked...the extra cost would already be worth it just for the inks.)

Jeff, my recollection is from 3 to 4 years ago.  I recall it came with less than full ink.  I am also disappointed in the amount of ink that goes into the maintenance cartridge during the self-cleaning cycles.  But the heads do not jam.  Perhaps I don't use the printer often enough.  

I am going to upgrade to an iPF 2100 later in the Spring - 24", can use roll paper which is much cheaper, massive ink tanks available in three sizes so if you print mostly B&W you can get small color tanks, system to save all ink from tanks when they are exchanged, and BUILT-IN CALIBRATION.  If built-in calibration works as advertised, you may be able to save by not using Image Print.  I buy from a true value-added dealer; I have not asked him yet about the built-in calibration.

[Jeff S]

1 minute ago, AceVentura1986 said:

Thanks for the heads up on this. I’ll def have a look. I’d don’t know if I’d have much of a need for 17” prints, but the ink issue might be compelling. Stray Cat did comment on its thriftiness, tho. 

 

The thread is about better b&w, and the bigger machine also appears to have a broader b&w ink set, fwiw.

Jeff

[Jeff S]

3 minutes ago, zeitz said:

Jeff, my recollection is from 3 to 4 years ago.  I recall it came with less than full ink.  I am also disappointed in the amount of ink that goes into the maintenance cartridge during the self-cleaning cycles.  But the heads do not jam.  Perhaps I don't use the printer often enough.  

I am going to upgrade to an iPF 2100 later in the Spring - 24", can use roll paper which is much cheaper, massive ink tanks available in three sizes so if you print mostly B&W you can get small color tanks, system to save all ink from tanks when they are exchanged, and BUILT-IN CALIBRATION.  If built-in calibration works as advertised, you may be able to save by not using Image Print.  I buy from a true value-added dealer; I have not asked him yet about the built-in calibration.

I’m still delighted with my Epson P800, which has 80ml cartridges vs 50ml for the new P900.  My previous Epson 3800 was still going strong after 7 years when I upgraded to the P800.  No problems in 12 years with Epson, although Canon is making some nice machines too these days.

No way I would stop using IP! The custom paper  profiles alone are worth the cost vs the expense and effort to do it myself, plus all the other benefits from soft proofing, improvements over the Epson driver, final editing controls, etc.  IP was a one time cost, long ago.

Jeff

[zeitz]

1 hour ago, Jeff S said:

Epson P800, which has 80ml cartridges vs 50ml for the new P900

The large ink tanks for the iPF 2100 are 700ml, although it ships with 160ml small size tanks.  The medium size tank is 330ml.

After I talk to my value-added dealer or after I actually get a 2100, I will report back on the performance of self-calibration.  Currently I use my value-added dealer to make custom profiles for me.  But I only use three papers.

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, zeitz said:

The large ink tanks for the iPF 2100 are 700ml, although it ships with 160ml small size tanks.  The medium size tank is 330ml.

After I talk to my value-added dealer or after I actually get a 2100, I will report back on the performance of self-calibration.  Currently I use my value-added dealer to make custom profiles for me.  But I only use three papers.

I don’t print that often, nor do I print that big, but your findings will be interesting nonetheless.  If my P800 dies, I’d probably replace it with the P900 or Canon 1000, unless of course something else emerges in the meantime.  The cost, with IP, is still significantly less for a 17” machine.  Plus my office and workrooms are full!

Jeff

[Gobert]

Are there any experiences here with the Epson SC-P5000?

[AceVentura1986]

Well, I still haven't jumped but I am leaning toward the canon pro-300, mostly because of the user-replaceable print heads. I did notice that the tanks are minuscule so I ran some numbers of the B&H website and came up with this analysis. Although the pro300's cartridges are tiny, the cost per mL isn't far from the Epson 900 and substantially better than the Epson 700. The dollars in the sixth column represent the cost per ink cartridge.

 

Prograf 300	13”	10 cartriges 14.4mL	1Gray 2Black	$900	$13 or 90c/mL
Prograf 1000	17”	12 cartriges 80mL	2Gray 2Black	$1300	$60 or 75c/mL
Epson 700	13”	10 cartriges 25mL	2Gray 2Black	$800	$38 or $1.52/mL
Epson 900	17”	10 cartridges 50 mL	2Gray 2Black	$1200	$42 or 84c/mL

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[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, AceVentura1986 said:

Well, I still haven't jumped but I am leaning toward the canon pro-300, mostly because of the user-replaceable print heads. I did notice that the tanks are minuscule so I ran some numbers of the B&H website and came up with this analysis. Although the pro300's cartridges are tiny, the cost per mL isn't far from the Epson 900 and substantially better than the Epson 700. The dollars in the sixth column represent the cost per ink cartridge.

 

 

Prograf 300	13”	10 cartriges 14.4mL	1Gray 2Black	$900	$13 or 90c/mL
Prograf 1000	17”	12 cartriges 80mL	2Gray 2Black	$1300	$60 or 75c/mL
Epson 700	13”	10 cartriges 25mL	2Gray 2Black	$800	$38 or $1.52/mL
Epson 900	17”	10 cartridges 50 mL	2Gray 2Black	$1200	$42 or 84c/mL

The Pro 1000 would be an easy call for me (vs the 300) for cartridge capacity, grey shades and ability to print larger if ever needed.  I would search for rebates and discounts, which are common, to get it for near the price of the smaller machine.  Cartridges also leave some ink even when they show empty (partially to protect the machine), so it’s wasteful, costly and a pain to keep replacing.  Same for Epson 700 vs 900. Just my opinion, of course. 
 

Jeff

Edited March 10, 2021 by Jeff S