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.