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Epson Stylus Pro 9900

cbserota

New member
I am considering the purchase of an Epson 9900-Has anyone who owns one had any reliability problems?--Thanks---Charley
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I have the 7900 and so far it has been outstanding. A single nozzle or two may clog if the printer sits unused for several days, but a simple head cleaning usually clears it just fine. Also, just in case you weren't aware, you can clean individual color pairs on the head for minimal loss of ink. Bottom line for me is the prints it produces are simply incredible, and well worth that minor maintenance inconvenience.
 

cbserota

New member
Jack--thanks for the info-I just sold an Epson 9800 and 4800 and am looking for an improvement in print quality. Any reason to buy the 7900 over the 9900?--Charley
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
I use one for my lab/printing service. I don't know that I would recommend one for a single user. They are great printers, but they need to be used and despite what Epson says I would not characterize them as low maintenance. My luck might not be as good as Jack's -- mine clogs frequently, and I use it pretty much every day. Sometimes clogs clear easily and immediately on an auto-nozzle check, so times they take cleaning. Sometimes they just need to sit for awhile. My worst kept me pulling out my hair for about a week. This was caused by a single deflected nozzle that caused banding in every print and did not show up as clogged in the auto nozzle check. The ANC is not foolproof. The problem was barely visible on a nozzle check, even with a strong magnifier, and resisted several cleanings. Finally the last clean before a power clean got it. Epson told me it was because I used non-Epson media (Ilford and Harman papers), and were convinced that it was caused by the paper settings. But their help is quite good, so I don't mean to disparage them.

I do find that I have to scrutinize every single print I make to be certain there is not banding, at least when doing exhibition quality work. If the auto nozzle check fails, it will continue to print (which is strange and a huge waste of paper...it should at least ask you if you want to continue). I also had one brand new Epson cartridge just simply not work. To their credit, Epson sent me a replacement via FedEx overnight to my US address (too bad I am in Iceland...I bought the printer in the states though). Perhaps this is all par for the course for these printers (this is my first wide format printer), but I did not have a single problem with the 3800 I used to use.

When they are not clogged, the print quality is fantastic. Loading is easy, but it does not really like the smallest sized prints when using sheets (A4/8x10)...the borders don't tend to be absolutely perfect all the time. The measurements in the software do not line up exactly with those on the page, so if you need to print exactly to fit a frame or mat etc, you need to print tests and measure first...

It is gigantic and the vacuum is pretty loud when it prints, but if you have already had a printer of this size, you are probably fine with that.


Overall, I would recommend it, but not if you are just occasionally making big prints. Better in that case to pay someone else (like me) to deal with all the headaches. I hear the Canon printers don't give the same headaches (but also don't give the same ultimate quality), but I have not used them....
Bottom line is that the clients love the results, and when it is not making you scream, it is really impressing you with its quality. But if you just want something to turn on and print big with no aggravation, I would look elsewhere.
 
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ftbt

New member
You might also want to take a look at the Canon 8300. There are some absolutely fantastic deals on that printer right now. With Canon's rebate, the net cost is in the $2,500.00 range (depending upon where you live ... whether sales tax is charged ... and who you order it from). I just bought one.
 

pfigen

Member
I'm more on Stuart's side regarding the 9900. I've had one for close to two years now and had nothing but problems in the beginning. The auto clean was going off all the time even when it was not turned on. Epson replaced the main board and some other stuff and it's been better ever since, but there are clogs on a regular basis. The first thing I do is print a nozzle check. About half the time it's clear and I can go print. I find that paper loading compared to the 9800 is bordering on intolerable. While it may be more precise in its paper handling, it takes freaking forever to load paper while the printer auto-senses the paper edges. And that you have to sit there and wait a good minute while that's going on only to have to press another button confirming your paper type, just adds insult to injury.

The plus side is that once you're clog free and paper loaded, the printer is very fast and the prints are the best quality inkjets I've ever seen. The 9900 is just about twice as fast as the 9800 series and visibly sharper as well.

Overall I like it a lot, but there is still room for improvement.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Yes, totally in agreement with you there. Just a trick though -- if you don't select a paper type, and just leave the menu up on the printer, you can go ahead and print (from photoshop anyway). It will only stop the printing process if the paper type selected in photoshop is different than the chosen one on the printer. As long as you have not chosen anything on the printer, it will just go ahead and print.
 
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