Hi John,
Good to start some real world comparison between these two printers. Thank you for your insight.
-What kind of papers do you use for these printers? And also what about difference in bronzing between the Epson and HP?
-How big is the printing speed difference between the HP and the Epson? Let's say, to print an A1 on the Epson, Imageprint 8 pass 1440 compared to a similar quality on the HP.
-How about the gloss enhancer on the HP, how would you describe the effect on the output? (texture change of paper, reflections, color(black) impact, paper white)
My setup and obeservations:
I use the 9800 with Imageprint in Phatte black mode. Slightly more bronzing (a few days ago I went back to Photo black after a year of printing phatte to see how big the difference is and to confirm my decision to use phatte black: not such big difference, on both bronzing is there. Of course more obvious in Phatte mode). Papers I use are: (hahnemuh. FAP, hahnemuh. Photo rag (including pearl versionl) , Epson Prem. Luster, Epson Somerset velvet, Breathing Color canvas, Breathing Color vibrance gloss)
I really never had the problem with clogged nozzles on the Epson, but I use mine on a daily basis. I am also in a humid area (Rome, Italy near the Tiber river), strangely enough this seems to have a positive impact on "not" clogging. (less positive on paper conservation though...)
The built quality of the 9800 is so so. The paper lever, the paper basket, etc., just a litte bit too much plastic. The inside(and most imprortant) parts seem to be of a very high quality. No problems noticed there.
Automatic sheet feeding is not very stable. Prefer to unlock the paper lever, and slide in a sheet.
Print quality is very, very good indeed. Color as well as black and white. Imageprint is a perfect match for the 9800. Excellent profiles.
Jochem
I have been using the 44" Z3100 next to my Espon 9800 for a few weeks now and thought I would share some of my impressions. I use Imageprint with the Epson 9800 and Z3100 prints are done right out of Photoshop.
Paper loading: - The Z3100 does a nice job of auto aligning role paper and has an easy routine for fixing mis-aligned sheet feeds, but it is inconvenient to have to go to the back of the machine to change a roll, whereas with the 9800, everything could be done from the front of the machine. Winner - Epson
Paper Flexibility: - The Epson 9800 can take paper or other media that is twice as thick as the maximum allowed for the Z3100. 1.5mm vs .8mm. Winner - Epson
Nozzel cleaning: - The Z3100 wakes up periodically to do a brief nozzel check and clean if needed, this process seems to use almost no ink and given that the printer does this check itself on a regular interval, the heads never seem to clog up and the printer is always ready to print. Every time I do a nozzel check on the Epson (especially if I have not used the printer for a couple of days) I find myself getting more annoyed as the printer spits large amount of ink into the waste bin. For some reason, more nozzels needed to be cleared yesterday and the printer used $7 of ink to clean itself out. It would seem to be a simple firmware update for the Epson to do something similar to what the Z3100 does given that I always leave the printer on. Winner - Z3100
Mat and Photo Black: Of course it is a great advantage to have the Mat and Photo Black available at the same time on the Z3100. I have generally dedicated my 9800 to PK ink compatible papers and only change blacks on a rare occasion. Winner - Z3100
Ink Cost: Too early to draw final conclusions. But it is interesting to note that ink for the Z3100 at the best cost I can find is 46-50 cents per ml. Ink for the Epson 9800 is 35-37 cents per ml. So HP ink is about 25% more expensive but there is less ink waste. The net costs may end up being about the same here. Winner: tie
Speed: The Z3100 is faster than the 9800. Winner Z3100
Printer profiles: I use the Epson 9800 and Imageprint as a system. One of the best features of Imageprint is the availability of high quality profiles for almost all papers, also multiple profiles are available for various display lighting condistions. New profiles are free if you are on maintanace and I have experienced a two week turn around. With the Z3100 the built in profile capability is cool, and it does take about 30 min to generate a profile. The APS (Advanced Profiling option) is available for about $800, which I find generates better profiles than the included Easy Care option. The profiles using APS recognize a wider gamut and better shadow detail. It is fun to produce my own profiles, but it takes time and consumes media. On the whole it is more productive to use the excellent Imageprint profiles. Also you get all the other productivity benefits of a great RIP with Imageprint. Winner: Epson 9800 with Imageprint
Cost: At Street prices the HP z3100 can be had for about $6200-6500 and APS is $800 for a total cost of about $7000-7300. The Espon 9800 can be had for $4700-5,000 and Imageprint costs $2000-2500 depending on if you have other printers licensed for a total cost of $6700-$7500. Winner: Tie
Print Quality: Isn't this the point! Both are great. When printing the same file on the same paper to both printers, I find the Z3100 prints darker (steeper gamut), more punch and in some cases richer colors especially in the greens and reds but at a cost to shadow detail. I do have imageprint set to open up shadow detail, which may be leading to the slightly lighter character of the Epson 9800 prints. Frankly I have't decided if one is better than the other yet, because my opinion changes with my mood and what I want to see in the image. I expect the HP to improve with further firmware upgrades and would also like to try imageprint on the HP when it is available. Winner: not sure yet
Just some impressions, no scientific analysis here. I am happy to use them both and will for some time to come I am sure.
John
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