Which 24" wide printer

[peninsula]

I am considering a 24" wide printer and have heard lots of good and not so good things about different printers (Canon, Epson, HP).  I am currently using an Epson 2400 and have used both Epsons and Canon printers (all 13" wide in the past).  I like to print on gloss paper for snap and may move to Harman Gloss FB AI (warmtone) for most of my serious work.  I seldom print on matte so MK is not a concern.

How have other made this decision?

My concerns are that I don't print that often (I am a serious hobbist) but would like to have the great colors of the Epson 7900 but am concerned about their tendence to clog.  I noticed that Epson has "new reduce clogging" inks.  Is this really a change in inks or simply marketing hype.   How serious are the problems with the Epson if left shutdown for  a month or so (I live in the midwest and the winters are dry and summers humid).

Between the Canon and HP, any recommendations?  

Thanks

Rich

I have been studying these 24" printers for quite some time now. One week I'm going with Epson, then it's Canon, and then it's HP! I'm all over the map... but I finally settled on Canon, and not because of the money. I ruled out Epson because of my concern with inkjet clogs given the infrequent use I intend until fully retired in another year or two. I will likely not be printing more than once or twice a week. Equally of concern is the environment I am in with its periods of extremely low humidity. Epson specifies an operating humidity between 40 and 50%.

Canon's operating humidity ranges in the ballpark of 10 to 85%! That is a huge difference. HP is only marginally more narrow than is Canon in this respect. I imagine it has a lot to do with the thermal print heads in these two makers as compared to Epson's  MicroPiezo technology.  

Epson is a fine printer, perhaps arguably the best in terms of color gamut and finer detail under a magnifying loop, but most everyone agrees all three printers do a spectacular job as goes the naked eye.

Replaceable print heads are not relevant in my decision. If I ever do manage to wear one out, I'll likely be ready to upgrade to the latest technology regardless.

Also, due to my low volume for at least the next year, I'm not much interested in larger ink cartridges.

HP's integrated photospectrophotometer reminds me of my old single-unit microwave/oven combination. When the microwave failed, I had to replace the whole unit. I did replace it, but I kept the microwave separate from the oven the second time around. I prefer the idea of having my photospectrophotometer separate from my printer. I'm going to take the money saved on the Canon and buy the 1iO scanning table with the i1Pro spectrophotometer for not only a more versatile color workflow arrangement but also for the greater flexibility when it comes to expanding my digital darkroom in the future.

So for me, it is the Canon iPF6100. I plan to get mine at colorHQ and I have until the end of September to take advantage of both their low price and a 400 dollar rebate.

[markhout]

I have been studying these 24" printers for quite some time now.

So for me, it is the Canon iPF6100. I plan to get mine at colorHQ and I have until the end of September to take advantage of both their low price and a 400 dollar rebate.

Out of curiosity, is there a big difference in per-print price between the Canon and HP 24 inch printers for someone who - like yourself - makes a few prints per week?

[peninsula]

Out of curiosity, is there a big difference in per-print price between the Canon and HP 24 inch printers for someone who - like yourself - makes a few prints per week?

The way I looked at cost per print was ink usage and Canon claims to use the least ink per print in the industry. I have yet to read anywhere Canon is inefficient with ink. I imagine the larger cartridges one can buy with Epson cuts the cost of ink considerably. As for comparisons to HP, I'd be interested in opinions. Good question.

[abiggs]

Let's back into this in a different way:

What are *your* requirements? All of these printers are fine printers, and depending on your own requirements, you should be able to arrive at a decision. Hearing data like operating humidity environments and such I kind of giggle at, because all of these printers are going to be indoors in situations where you have some control over humidity. Just figure out what you want and then make a purchase that satisfies those requirements.

[howseth]

I am a small volume printer - I would be afraid of huge ink tanks. My biggest costs, by far, (outside of a printer breakdown repair) is in the fancy fine art rag paper I use in my 24" HP Z3100, not the ink.

Howard

[peninsula]

Let's back into this in a different way:

What are *your* requirements? All of these printers are fine printers, and depending on your own requirements, you should be able to arrive at a decision. Hearing data like operating humidity environments and such I kind of giggle at, because all of these printers are going to be indoors in situations where you have some control over humidity. Just figure out what you want and then make a purchase that satisfies those requirements.

I live at 4000 feet east of San Diego. The humidity during Santa Ana conditions when the winds blow over the mountains off the desert (I'm talking serious winds! Remember the Cedar Fire?), the humidity drops to the low teens for up to four or five days at a time. I have a well sealed and insulated home, but no air conditioning. I open the windows at night to cool the house down inside and then shut them in the morning before it warms up (we commonly get 50 degree temperature shifts during Santa Ana conditions, it can freeze at night and get into the 80's in the daytime... crazy stuff). I have a nice weather station that keeps me informed as to when it is best to either open or close the windows. As you can imagine, it gets dry in the house as a result. If I keep my digital dark room closed up at night to maintain humidity, it will become a sauna.

I have never read of significant clogging issues with the Canon or the HP, but I have read what sound to be nightmares on clogging issues with Epson. I have read speculation as to causes behind these clogs being related to humidity tolerance and frequency of use. In other words, these are *my* requirements... not of the giggling variety IMO, I might add.

[RichFisher]

Let's back into this in a different way:

What are *your* requirements? All of these printers are fine printers, and depending on your own requirements, you should be able to arrive at a decision. Hearing data like operating humidity environments and such I kind of giggle at, because all of these printers are going to be indoors in situations where you have some control over humidity. Just figure out what you want and then make a purchase that satisfies those requirements.

My requirements are print quality, both of the final product and the printing experience.  Frequent clogging would more than just annoying.  I will print frequently and in small batches (perhaps 20+ prints a month including test prints).

I tend to on glossy and fine art "gloss" type papers.  Canvas and matte is not, at least for the moment, on the radar.  I will stick to a few papers but may change my assortment occasionally.

Thanks

Rich

[abiggs]

Rich, I have to say that any of these printers will work for you. Based on some of these requirement, like clogging, I keep hearing that the 7900 is better with clogging than past models and then I hear that it is worse. Since I split my printing between my Canon and my HP, neither machine gets too much use, and I don't have too many clogging or cleaning cycles. You may end up just basing your decision on price, because all of these machines are good printers. I like my HP for my black and white prints on fiber papers like Silver Rag, Moab Colorado and Fine Art Pearl, as I use the gloss enhancer to equalize the glossiness.