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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
17" printers...canon or epson?
Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 2:45 PM on 05.09.09 |
->> anyone have strong opinions about the quality of the epsons (3800, 4880) vs the canon 5100?
had some test prints on the epson 4880, and they are superb. wondering if i can expect similar quality out of the canon. |
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Thomas Quinn, Photographer
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Valparaiso | IN | USA | Posted: 2:54 PM on 05.09.09 |
->> I have the 5100 and it is beautiful on both Black and Whites and Color. Matte and Glossy. I do not have to change ink tanks out which wastes around 75.00 dollars in ink.
Your mileage may vary.
Tom Q |
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 4:54 PM on 05.09.09 |
| ->> that ink situation could be a big deal breaker for the epson- if image quality between the two is similar. the other strike against the epson is ink and the frequency of printing. i have heard the canon is better if the machine happens to sit for a month or two without running a print. |
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Kevin Seale, Photographer
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Crawfordsville | IN | United States | Posted: 7:44 PM on 05.09.09 |
| ->> If there is even a remote chance it would sit idle for two months, why buy the printer? |
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Craig Fritz, Photographer
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Algodones | NM | USA | Posted: 8:55 PM on 05.09.09 |
| ->> We are thinking of going with the a larger printer too. I have always used Epson but may change at this point. To my eye, both brands deliver great quality! (I'm using matte papers) I'll let the people who know better compare opinions on that. For me one of the big things is clogged nozzles. We live in a dry climate and the Epson is always needing to be cleaned. Supposedly the Canon does not have this problem. I would love to hear more from people who have owned both. |
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 10:01 PM on 05.09.09 |
->> craig- right. that's the concern here. all other things being equal, reliable heads/nozzles are a big selling point.
kevin- i'm just saying, man. not everything in my studio gets used every day. sometimes i print everyday for a week. other times, i don't. i'm a photographer, not a print lab. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 11:48 PM on 05.09.09 |
->> Mike we have a 4800 and love it. For medium to large events we even bring it with us and print poster prints on-site. This printer is several years old and still on it's original head. We purchase the 7800 carts to bring the price of the inks down, and print on luster paper.
In the three years the only thing that was replaced was a funnel/pad assembly, and even then I'm pretty sure that the repair facility (not Epson) hosed me.
I've never printed on Canon gear so I can't give you any advise on them, but the Epson has been a mule around here. |
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Josh Merwin, Photographer
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New york | NY | USA | Posted: 1:30 AM on 05.10.09 |
->> I have the Epson 3800 and have been very happy with it. I haven't had any problems with it. I use it the same way Mike probably does...I generally will do a batch of prints for my portfolio for about a week, then not use it for a while, while I'm busy shooting and getting everything retouched, etc. Then I'll make a bunch of prints again. I've used it with Matte paper and am now using the semi matte proofing paper, which I love! Most people I've shown my portfolio to have asked where I got the prints done and were surprised when I tell them I made them myself. They expect me to say a high end lab. If you are going to be constantly printing I would recommend getting a printer that accepts rolls of paper, it's cheaper. Although, I just buy the roll and cut it to the sizes I need, it's just a little more manual labor.
I haven't used the Canon... |
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Kevin Seale, Photographer
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Crawfordsville | IN | United States | Posted: 9:05 AM on 05.10.09 |
->> Mike, I totally understand what you are saying but I think there is a difference between not using it for a couple of weeks vs not using it for a couple of months.
Given the high costs of ink and paper I am hard pressed to consider my printer to be a money saver vs using a pro lab. It is much more convenient, faster turnaround and allows for better control of the final print, but does not really save me money.
I just threw that out as a consideration when evaluating making a capital purchase. Lord only knows how many thousands of dollars I have spent on things I wanted vs needed. I am a sucker for a new gadget.
I have not used any of the Canon printers but do/have owned an Epson 2400, 2880 and 9800 and have never found a reason to look at anything else because they all have performed with absolutely no issues. |
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 1:54 PM on 05.10.09 |
->> thanks for the responses.
kev- i see what you're talking about now. i wouldn't have thought of the price comparison between a nice printer and having prints made from a lab- other than to assume a lab is much, much more. but maybe that's wrong?
i think that having a printer is a must- in my life anyway. i can't seem to make it to the mailbox, let alone trips to a photo lab.
sounds as if both machines have a following. i really need to see some prints side-by-side to see if the 4880 is worth the extra $500 over the canon.
thanks again. |
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Philip Johnson, Photographer
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Garland | TX | USA | Posted: 3:56 PM on 05.11.09 |
->> mike,
You might give the folks at Red River Paper a call and see if they have an opinion. I'm sure they do some extensive testing on the different printers. www.redriverpaper.com |
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David Seelig, Photographer
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Hailey | ID | USA | Posted: 5:11 PM on 05.11.09 |
->> AT this point in history there is scarcely little difference in printers. What there is a diff is software and operational functions. Go to a place where you can see them in action. Though one thing eposn use a bit more ink .
There fore more expensive to run. David |
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Michael Cavazos, Photographer
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Longview | TX | USA | Posted: 5:25 PM on 05.11.09 |
| ->> Hands down the Epson 3800 on Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk, Fine Art Inkjet Paper |
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