44" printer should I buy now?

[kuau]

After owning 4 different brands of inkjet printers starting 10 years ago with an epson 9000, then upgraded to a 9500,
then I tried the Roland, then I got a Epson 10600, then moved to a Canon IPF8000, now that I am out of the pay for print business
I own a HP Z3200PS 24" printer.
I am now in the market for a 44" printer again.
Choices are:
Epson 9900
Canon IPF8300
HP Z3200 PS 44"

I am thinking about getting another HP because I have been pretty happy with my 24" model, but now with the new canon and epson now has a 1000.00 rebate on the 9900 I am on the fence which way to go.

Steven

[dgberg]

After owning 4 different brands of inkjet printers starting 10 years ago with an epson 9000, then upgraded to a 9500,
then I tried the Roland, then I got a Epson 10600, then moved to a Canon IPF8000, now that I am out of the pay for print business
I own a HP Z3200PS 24" printer.
I am now in the market for a 44" printer again.
Choices are:
Epson 9900
Canon IPF8300
HP Z3200 PS 44"

I am thinking about getting another HP because I have been pretty happy with my 24" model, but now with the new canon and epson now has a 1000.00 rebate on the 9900 I am on the fence which way to go.

Steven

You will get replies from owners of all 3 models I am sure. I am a very happy 7900 and 9900 owner. I had an early Dec 08 issue with a head cleaning problem with the 7900 but was fixed on the first service call. The 9900 has been stellar. Presently I have the 9900 set up to print pk and the 7900 mk,works great.
Output is top notch and my customers just love their prints. A great time to buy with the $1,000 rebate.
Good luck with your search and purchase.
 Shades of Paper in NJ is the first place to call.

[John Hollenberg]

Choices are:
Epson 9900
Canon IPF8300
HP Z3200 PS 44"

If you missed the review of the Canon X300 printers on LL by Scott Martin, you may want to read it for additional input:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...ters/x300.shtml

He compares with the Epson and HP printers toward the end of the review.

[JeffKohn]

It seems to me that right now, HP is a bit behind Canon and Epson, who have both come out with newer models since the last Z update. But it wouldn't surprise me in the least if HP comes out with their next-gen printer and leap-frogs the competition before too long. I never liked the idea of paying for the built-in spectro, so have never seriously considered HP.  But if you're happy with your 24" Z, I'm sure the 44" wouldn't disappoint.

If you print on both matte- and photo-black you'd probably be happier with Canon or HP over Epson. The x900's are an improvement over past models when it comes to swapping blacks, but it's still more of a hassle/waste than with Canon or HP (where it's a total non-issue).

I just recently bought an ipf6300 and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it or its big brother. As a low-volume printer, I felt the Canon was a better match for me than the Epson. The current pricing on the x300's with rebate is very attractive, especially since you should qualify for the additional "trade-in" rebate because of your Z3200.

[abiggs]

I own all 3 of the printers you are interested in. What are your specific requirements, likes and dislikes?

[kuau]

If you missed the review of the Canon X300 printers on LL by Scott Martin, you may want to read it for additional input:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...ters/x300.shtml

He compares with the Epson and HP printers toward the end of the review.

John
Yep I read the review, Scott actually did an excellent job comparing all 3 printers.
Of course HP is now dated and has the smaller gamut, yet I am still not sure in the real world printing everyday images how much better the Epson/Canon is over the HP.
One of the reasons I purchased my Z3200 when I did was 1st off I got an amazing deal on it, with rebates and a very low price,
After all was said and done I probably paid 2K for my HP Z3200 PS model for REAL!!
and another thing that scared me at the time was with the 7900, the 1st reports coming out was lots of Ink Clogs, service calls, wasted ink etc.

So now I am back to square one. I will do some more research and make a choice. I still cant believe with Epson how they handle MK and PK inks.

steven

[Ernst Dinkla]

After owning 4 different brands of inkjet printers starting 10 years ago with an epson 9000, then upgraded to a 9500,
then I tried the Roland, then I got a Epson 10600, then moved to a Canon IPF8000, now that I am out of the pay for print business
I own a HP Z3200PS 24" printer.
I am now in the market for a 44" printer again.
Choices are:
Epson 9900
Canon IPF8300
HP Z3200 PS 44"

I am thinking about getting another HP because I have been pretty happy with my 24" model, but now with the new canon and epson now has a 1000.00 rebate on the 9900 I am on the fence which way to go.

Steven

I would find a decision like that quite difficult now and most likely I would postpone that decision to the end of the year, Photokina usually is the time HP brings new models. If that doesn't happen I would keep the HP Z3200PS 24" and get a Canon 8300 or a 9300 if that will be a new model then. Learn to use the HP APS for making the targets on the Canon and scanning them on the HP, the inkset characters are close enough. An exchange of the HP 24" for a 44" PS model to bridge that period is another option.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

[John Nollendorfs]

I would find a decision like that quite difficult now and most likely I would postpone that decision to the end of the year, Photokina usually is the time HP brings new models. If that doesn't happen I would keep the HP Z3200PS 24" and get a Canon 8300 or a 9300 if that will be a new model then. Learn to use the HP APS for making the targets on the Canon and scanning them on the HP, the inkset characters are close enough. An exchange of the HP 24" for a 44" PS model to bridge that period is another option.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/

I agree with Ernst. If you can wait for a few months, put off the decision. By then it will probably become pretty obvious to you. Of course, the HP is very hard to beat in terms of B&W  printing, if that is a consideration.

Sounds like that new Canon beast will be the real speed demon. So if through-put is a consideration that would be a good bet. I still think Epson is behind the 8 ball when it comes to MK to PK change-out, compared to HP and Canon. I still remember the line the Epson salesman made before the 79/9900's, "buy a second  printer!" ;-)

All three will probably deliver the quality you are after. Just a matter of finding the perfect match for your requirements.

Regarding profile building, I think you would be better off using Spyder3 Print, rather than buying the APS package on the HP. This gives you more options for modifying the profile to meet your needs, and the speed is much faster than the built-in profile making--but not as convenient, of course! And of course the price is more friendly.

John Nollendorfs

[Rob Reiter]

I've been printing on a Canon 8300 for a month now and have no complaints at all. A solid machine with all the features I liked in my 8100 plus increased gamut, more scratch resistant inks and lower ink waste. Aggressive pricing makes them especially attractive. My Epson 9800 sits idle and while it's not a bad printer, I've enjoyed using Canons for the last two years and not dealing with almost daily head clogs and ink wastage. I wanted an HP before I got the Canon 8100 but I felt its paper handling problems were too limiting and color levels in dark shadows were not acceptable.

Having said all that, I believe image quality overall is pretty even between the top 3 lines, so the Canon speed, reliability and price were the deciding factors when I got my 8100. I think the 8300 make be a smidgen better in terms of image quality and it and the Epson x900 series probably topping the HP Z3200, but as a previous commenter noted, they all leapfrog each other every six months but just by small amounts.

[mikev1]

I've been debating whether to add a second printer for some time now and I doubt it will be an Epson.  It is not so much the ink wastage (which is a lot less now I shoud add) as it is the disruption to my workflow that is getting on my nerves.

[Ernst Dinkla]

Regarding profile building, I think you would be better off using Spyder3 Print, rather than buying the APS package on the HP. This gives you more options for modifying the profile to meet your needs, and the speed is much faster than the built-in profile making--but not as convenient, of course! And of course the price is more friendly.

John Nollendorfs

John,  APS is on the PS model that he already has.


met vriendelijke groeten, Ernst Dinkla

Try: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/