Epson or Canon... confused

[Jorgen Udvang]

I need a new printer... a real printer. My dilemma is as follows:

I can go cheap, and buy a Canon 9000 or 9500 ($600 and 800) which seem to get great reviews, or I can go expensive and buy an Epson 3880 for $1,800.

- The Epson is cheaper to run, but not dramatically so, particularly compared to the 9000 (which uses dye inks).
- The Epson can print larger, but I'm not sure if I really need that. Printing large formats at print shops is rather cheap in this city.
- The Epson probably lasts longer, but I can buy 2 or 3 Canons for the price of one Epson.
- Ink for the Canons can be bought more or less anywhere, while ink for the Epson must be ordered from one of the few shops that sell the pro Epsons here in Bangkok.

I considered the Epson 3000 as well, but it's almost as expensive as the 3880 and less economical to run.

Have I forgotten anything? Any other strong reasons to buy the Epson?

Oh, and I can get the Epson 7880 for "only" $3,000 (outgoing model?), but I suppose that makes printing of smaller formats more complicated, so I guess I would need a smaller printer as well.

 

[jsf]

Both are good printers, I have an Epson 3800, I print very small prints to large prints equally as well, so I don't think it will be too big of a problem to have one printer. Volume of prints is one question you have to look at, both from cost per print and time of printing and then ease of operation. Epson rarely clogs anymore, but I would never use anything but an Epson ink. Canon from what I have heard from my friends who own them is equally trouble free. I think you can't go wrong either way. Bigger ink cartridges are more economical than smaller ones. Availability is a big plus. Good luck. And one more thing, your pictures are so beautiful they deserve to be printed big. Joe

 

[Don Libby]

Oh, and I can get the Epson 7880 for "only" $3,000 (outgoing model?), but I suppose that makes printing of smaller formats more complicated, so I guess I would need a smaller printer as well.

I have an Epson 9800 and just did 4- 8x11 sheets without any problems so I wouldn't be concerned about printing smaller. Remember, you can always print smaller it gets difficult to print larger on a smaller printer..

 

[Godfrey]

I need a new printer... a real printer. My dilemma is as follows:

I can go cheap, and buy a Canon 9000 or 9500 ($600 and 800) which seem to get great reviews, or I can go expensive and buy an Epson 3880 for $1,800.

- The Epson is cheaper to run, but not dramatically so, particularly compared to the 9000 (which uses dye inks).
- The Epson can print larger, but I'm not sure if I really need that. Printing large formats at print shops is rather cheap in this city.
- The Epson probably lasts longer, but I can buy 2 or 3 Canons for the price of one Epson.
- Ink for the Canons can be bought more or less anywhere, while ink for the Epson must be ordered from one of the few shops that sell the pro Epsons here in Bangkok.

I considered the Epson 3000 as well, but it's almost as expensive as the 3880 and less economical to run.

Have I forgotten anything? Any other strong reasons to buy the Epson?

Oh, and I can get the Epson 7880 for "only" $3,000 (outgoing model?), but I suppose that makes printing of smaller formats more complicated, so I guess I would need a smaller printer as well.

I stick with Epson for semi-pro printers in the 13 inch gate to 17x22 inch cut sheet maximum size range. At present, I feel their pigment inkset is the best and there are more aftermarket paper profiles available for color managed printing than for anyone else. I would never use anything but Epson inks in an Epson printer.

I've had no problem printing down to 4x5" cut sheet with the R2400, but the most efficient way to print to small sizes is to gang-print several on larger paper sheets and cut to size afterwards. You can do multiple small size prints at a single print pass this way very easily and I find with better results than running many small pieces of paper through any printer individually.

The Epson 7000 and up series printers are a wholly different level of commitment ...

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Confusion ended. Today, I exchanged a large pile of the local currency for a big, brown box that says Epson Stylus Pro 3885 (non-US, 50hz version of the 3880) on the outside. It's now waiting in the middle of my living-room/studio/kitchen/comfort zone to be unpacked an put to good use

 

[jonoslack]

Confusion ended. Today, I exchanged a large pile of the local currency for a big, brown box that says Epson Stylus Pro 3885 (non-US, 50hz version of the 3880) on the outside. It's now waiting in the middle of my living-room/studio/kitchen/comfort zone to be unpacked an put to good use

I hope you enjoy it - I certainly love my 3880 - excellent printer.
My danger is that the office upstairs from us is the UK Hahnemule office

 

[David Schneider]

Jorgen,

Too bad you were closer. I have a Canon 9500 Mark II new in the box I've never opened I'd sell for $450 plus shipping. Thought I was going to print a few studio things, but just never did and with my busy season starting, no chance I'll even look at the printer until Dec. so might as well find it a home.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

David,
I did consider the Canon, but the ability to print A2, the much larger ink tanks (cheaper ink and change of tanks less often) won me over.

Jono,
The guys that sold me the printer are also the distributors for Hahnemühle. They gave me some samples. Very dangerous...

I do expect to make a healthy profit from the printer. In addition to printing photos, I will use it for short runs of brochures etc. The first print is already paying for over 5% of the investment

 

[Godfrey]

Excellent. That's a very fine printer.

Mine's paid for itself several times over now. I just sold another couple of prints .. It's all profit now, aside from the materials cost.

Soon it will be time for a new printer, I'm sure. And the 3880 is high on my list.

 

[weinschela]

Confusion ended. Today, I exchanged a large pile of the local currency for a big, brown box that says Epson Stylus Pro 3885 (non-US, 50hz version of the 3880) on the outside. It's now waiting in the middle of my living-room/studio/kitchen/comfort zone to be unpacked an put to good use

Good luck. You will enjoy it. Sometimes I think the Epson vs. Canon printer discussions are a lot like the Canon vs. Nikon camera discussions. Subtle differences but each very capable.

 

[AtLProPhoto]

Another thing you might consider is a continuous ink system for your printer. I use one with my Canon 9000 and it's wonderful and saves a huge amount of money with ink refills. My prints are archival quality and are as good or better in some cases than the canon OEM ink prints.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I'm stunned. After fiddling around a bit with post processing and settings, I've made a couple of test prints on Epson Matte something. If I had known how much better these prints would look than those from the smaller, cheaper printers I've used previously, I would have made the upgrade long ago. Very impressive.

Now I need more wall space

 

[Godfrey]

Glad to hear you are pleased! Yes these printers make any darkroom setup I once had look like garbage...!