Epson 7800-Moving Up From My Trusty Workhorse

[Pete JF]

Hi folks..

I think I'm ready to move up in the printer world..My 7800 still works like a total champ. Best printer ever, period..Never an issue

What's out there in the Espon line that's gonna treats me this well? A big part of my work si Black and White and I think the inks have jumped at least two notches in quality etc.. since the 7800?? Probably needing to stay in the 24 inch size - tempted to move up but cost preventing it for now

I'm about to start reading but thought I'd post and see what folks are saying..

Thanks!

BTW, if you live in the Chicago area and want an excellent printer..We can make a deal..

[Mark D Segal]

The new SureColor P7000.

[garyfcampbell]

How prone is the SC7000 to clogging, I tend to use my wide printer after vacations and 3 or 4 times more per year. Would it be a problem?

[Mark D Segal]

We don't know yet. Not enough experience has accumulated on the market to be certain of what to expect, but one would hope that with the new inkset and revised print head coatings an effort has been made to address the issue, so in principle it should be better than previous generations.

[JonCone]

The 7800 and 7880 are both definitely long-life platforms. They have since been replaced by 7890 and 7900 printers and Epson has had to do a lot of premature (by 7800 standards) head replacements on its recent models. Now there is the SC-P7000 that was mentioned. So your question as to what is going to treat you like what you have in the current models - probably not a new model.

I would recommend you purchase your new Epson with an extended warranty. It's definitely a worthwhile risk/investment with newer models. It's rare to hear someone say they got 5 years from a 7890 or 7900 print head. It happens but at a much lower frequency. The extended warranty covers ink exchanger replacements, as well as the more complicated ink box and print heads.

You mentioned black and white. If your current 7800 is still going strong you could convert it to a dedicated 7 shaded Piezography® B&W ink system. Check out the Piezography systems at Lattitude in Chicago.  See if it appeals to you.

That way you have the best of both worlds - a b&w workhorse and a new color printer. 

[JeanMichel]

Hi,
My SC6000 is just a year-old and, fingers crossed, has not had a single clog in that time. I print regularly but not daily. I chose the SC6000 as the ink-set is fine for what I need photographically. I get my commercial printers' pre-press people provide proof for any work that do requiring accurate cmyk or spot colours, and I do lessened less of that.

Gary, unless you really really want to print on 24" wide rolls, I would consider the P800. I have it and use it extensively. It handles stock up to 17 inches wide, takes little real estate, and is quite less expensive to buy. If I had to part with one of my printers, I would keep the P800. It is easy enough to out-source the occasional larger prints.

Jean-Michel

[Doug Gray]

My 9800 has been chugging along nicely for 10+ years now.  Not moving up. I'm surprised at how stable the color consistency has been.

[JonCone]

My 9800 has been chugging along nicely for 10+ years now.  Not moving up. I'm surprised at how stable the color consistency has been.

That's amazing! 

[DeanChriss]

I initialized my Epson P7000 six months ago. I have yet to see an imperfect nozzle check and have not had to do a single manual cleaning. That includes a 3 week period when I was away and the printer sat unused. With all of the automatic nozzle checking and cleaning stuff turned off it seems the printer still monitors itself closely. I say this because the printer goes through more head moving and other internal activity when you power it on than did the 7900, which I owned for 7.5 years. I'm reasonably sure it's doing an automatic nozzle check but there is no way to know with certainty. I doubt that it is performing any nozzle cleaning because this doesn't last terribly long and doesn't use enough ink to notice. If any cleaning is involved it must be very minor. It has only been six months but so far nothing has happened that I could complain about.

For contrast my 7900 went a maximum of 3 months without any clogged nozzles, but that only happened twice and was an exception rather than the rule. As with the P7000 I left it sit idle when I was away, typically for 3-5 weeks, 2 or 3 times per year. Sometimes it would not have any clogged nozzles when I returned and sometimes it needed a cleaning or two before I could get a perfect nozzle check. OTOH sometimes it would need a manual cleaning every week or two, and sometimes every couple of days. When it came to clogging the performance was very irregular, and sometimes frustratingly so. I had a clogged nozzle while printing, and a ruined print, only once in those 7.5 years and never had a head replacement or service call. In all I was happy enough with the printer but so far the P7000 is much better.

[Pete JF]

My 9800 has been chugging along nicely for 10+ years now.  Not moving up. I'm surprised at how stable the color consistency has been.

Yes, my exact experience with the 7800..this thing has had zero problems and continues to function perfectly..it should be the holy grail for Epson standards when producing these things.

And I've heard this before about the good quality of *800 line..

(except for the 4800..which i found to be very troublesome when i owned one...heard same from a few others)

[gkroeger]

I was in the same boat... I kept my 7800 for the occasional large print, but added a SC P800. I love it. I find myself choosing to print a tad smaller just to use the P800. If the P6000 and P7000 prove to be relatively trouble free, I might add one in the future if the 7800 dies, but I'm not in a hurry.

[deliberate1]

Pete, I  have been using my 7800 for around 12 years, near as I can figure. I am not a pro, but a serious enthusiast who sells a print from time to time. In that time, I have gone through all manners of "box" gear - Contax G > Nikon D70> Rollei MF > Fuji LF > Leica M9 > Leica S (006). With the film gear I have used a Nikon 9000 and Eversmart Pro II flatbed scanner. My point is that as I have moved up the file food chain I have watched very carefully to see if I have ever exceeded  the reproductive abilities of the 7800. And I never have. As the input gets better, so does the output.
Over the years, I have contemplated the same question you have as I read the promotional materials on newer generations of printers- am I missing something by printing with a 12 year old rig. Common sense suggests that I am if guided by the assumption that newer must be better. But I have never read anywhere that there are decisive image improvements with each new generation of Epson printers since the 7800. They mostly seem to be tales of woe.
Moreover, I am an episodic printer. I can literally go months without firing it up. And then I will make several prints. While the machine always tells me that I must do a power cleaning (remember Epson is an ink company first and foremost), I will first print a test pattern. Even after sitting inactive for several months, more often than not, I get a perfect pattern. I have never had a clog that would not clear with a couple of print patterns. I have never replaced a head nor have there been any other mechanical or electrical issues. I now have my workflow all calibrated. After futzing around with a manners of papers with mixed results I am now printing very happily on yeoman Epson Pro Semi-gloss which looks great under glass - equal to the Ilford and Harmon papers I have lusted after. With the stock profile and calibrated NEC screen, I am getting nearly perfect screen matches the first time.
When I contemplate all of the gear I have replaced over the years I truly have never had a "need" to replace the 7800 even if I have a "want" fueled by the blind assumption that newer must be better. But the more I read about the newer generations of Epson printers the more I respect the dependability and capabilities of the 7800. In fact, if I were to do anything, it would be to buy another one as a dedicated B&W machine, just as Jon Cone suggests. If you do end up moving to a new platform, make sure that whatever improvement you might discern in image quality is actually perceptible under glass in hostile lighting environments. And that it is worth jumping from a solid, proven platform to the unknown. After all, no one looking at your images will give a crap what printer they come from. Only if they resonate or not. Let us know what decision you make.
Cheers,
David

[Paul Roark]

+1 for the 7800 & 9800 fan club.  I worry that Epson might pull the plug on parts at some point, however.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com
http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/

[mkihne]

People seem to be looking for any info they can get on the newEpson P series. As a new owner, here is my two cents worth.

I have used a long line of Epson printers including R800, R1800 and several previously. Now have 3880 with standard ink, 3880 with a Jon Cone b&w inkset and R3000. All are excellent printers. I have been interested in a larger format printer for some time. Initially I was intrigued by the 7900 and almost pulled the trigger several times but was paralyzed by the clogging/print head issues as I print my own fine art images intermittently at best.

With rumors of a replacement in the works and news of new Canon printers, I waited until these became available. I intended to do some canvas work so I decided on the P9000. I have had the printer for about 6 months now. I try to print a test print or nozzle check at least once a week, so I may be a "poster boy" for occasionall use.

Shortly after ink install(about 3 weeks) I got a notice recommending PK cleaning(at that time I was using primarily MK getting canvas set up). No notices since. Recently(week ago) did a weekly nozzle check which was perfect except for a single segment dropout on LLK. Did standard cleaning that nozzle only with perfect nozzle check afterwards. All interim nozzle checks have had no dropouts.

My longest interval was 2 1/2 weeks for a fall color trip with perfect nozzle check upon return. My temp "at the shop" this winter is 62F when I'm gone to 68F when I'm working. Fall and early winter in SD humidity 35-45% range. With the current cold, my humidity has dropped consistently below 25% and at last nozzle check was showing 5%. I am not trying to poke good luck in the eye, as I'm waiting for a furnace humidifier to be installed next week.

Sorry I cannot compare to 7900......actually I'm not sorry ;-). I have put 2 36in rolls of Lyve and one 36in roll of the similar Epson canvas through the printer as well as smaller rolls of various papers and single sheets. I plan on trying Alure panels in the near future to compare with metal prints I have had done elsewhere.

I find the printer easy to use with only frustrations so far operator error or somewhat lacking, obtuse in nature instructions. I would welcome an e-book for dummies on the new P series setup and printer interface use/troubleshooting.

Perhaps someone can start an anecdotal thread for the new P series as well as the new canons(and the still great HP printers),(like Eric's epic on the 7900) for a single go to thread for this information.

[Peter McLennan]

My 9800 has been chugging along nicely for 10+ years now.  Not moving up. I'm surprised at how stable the color consistency has been.

Same here. Workhorse.  Bought it used for under $1K about 8 years ago, immediately installed funnel fill carts and K3 compatible inks and never looked back.  One head replacement last year.  Very seldom clogs, even if left for months. One head cleaning fixes it.

[Wayne Fox]

We don't know yet. Not enough experience has accumulated on the market to be certain of what to expect, but one would hope that with the new inkset and revised print head coatings an effort has been made to address the issue, so in principle it should be better than previous generations.

However, we’re past the one year mark so it’s long enough now to begin to see some trends, and as other posters in this thread have indicated, the printers are doing very well regarding missing nozzles.  My p9000 which is over one year old now has only needed a single channel clean a few times as well.  I change between PK and MK frequently now, and unlike my 9900 which almost always required a clean, the p9000 hasn’t needed to clean after a switch.

[Mark D Segal]

That's encouraging Wayne. Thanks.

[Pete JF]

Wow..thanks all and sorry for disappearing on this thread..got sidetracked by a bunch of stuff and lapsed on my response.

Back to thinking about this..read everything just now and appreciate all of your responses, excellent.

Real quick..

Jon Cone..I used piezo inks with an old Epson..1270? Can't recall the model number. I loved it but was looking for a coated paper to print on and could only keep one printer going at that time..I noticed Piezography is offering a gloss paper compatible ink? Anyone using the gloss version of Piezography products?

And Jon, this is still a BW product you're talking about, correct?

I skipped a couple of generations and didn't look back as far as this printer goes..was reading about the difference in the output of the newest line and it seemed like a good time to jump back in and consider a new one with a more significant step in image quality..I always felt that, for almost everything, the 7800 was fine..Except when printing images that lived on nice, set-in blacks..important for a lot of earlier work of mine. I had heard through a few folks that the differences in this round of Epson releases was a worthy bump in the 'darks' department.

Also, I've been reading that folks felt that, out of the can, their prints looked/felt darker ( and not in a good way) as a general result..was thinking that that would come down to a 'path' thing..needing new profiles etc and that it has been solved?

Anyone aware of any specials running on these printers anywhere?

[langier]

The 9800/7800 were probably the best of their era and faster/better than the 7600/9600. I'd say they were a notch below the 9900/7900. That said, I'm stating my 7th year with my 9900. After getting serviced and cleaned last year (wish I had done it before!), it's run even better than the previous five years and hundreds of feet of canvas. It does require cleaning along the way, sometimes by channel pairs, sometimes the entire head. Mine sometimes sits for a couple of weeks or up to four-five weeks at a time. It still runs well and tonight just printed a bunch of paper and canvas again.

So far, of eight Epson printers I've owned during the past 20 years or so, my 9900 and a 3880 have been good workhorses. I'll most likely use the 9900 until its toast then I'll figure out weather to replace the head or move along. It all depends upon how many "pall bearers" I can find to pack it up the stairs and a new one back down...

[Pete JF]

However, we’re past the one year mark so it’s long enough now to begin to see some trends, and as other posters in this thread have indicated, the printers are doing very well regarding missing nozzles.  My p9000 which is over one year old now has only needed a single channel clean a few times as well.  I change between PK and MK frequently now, and unlike my 9900 which almost always required a clean, the p9000 hasn’t needed to clean after a switch.

Thanks, Wayne good info..how often do you switch blacks?

How many prints a week do you average?..rough numbers of course

What's your opinion regarding general image quality improvement over several generations from the 7800/*800 series printers up until this product line? Color, blacks, general look of prints? I guess I'm hoping for a big enough difference to justify this move

Also, what kinds of adjustments did you have to make regarding printing older work-matching prints made on older equipment?

Are you finding that profiles provided by paper manufacturers, made for this printer are good enough? Are you making your own profiles?

also, I've always done my BW work via Epson ABW..curious to know if ABW has been upgraded in functionality in any way for these new machines?

Lots of questions, sorry and Thanks in advance..any other thoughts or observations would be great..