9880 vs. 9900 on canvas

[KenBabcock]

Anyone ever compared these two printers on canvas only?  Thinking of upgrading my main canvas printer (9880) to a 9900, or even a 9890.  Any huge difference on canvas?

I don't care about paper.  I have dedicated printers for paper only.  I like having dedicated printers for both paper and canvas.  So other than a huge speed increase with a 9900/9890, is there any other reason to upgrade for canvas only?  Speed was my main issue.  At times the 9880 can't keep up with orders and I'm forced to use a paper printer on canvas.

I'm thinking of either going with one faster 9900/9890 or dual 9880's for my canvases.

[Wayne Fox]

Well, not a huge difference on anything really.  It depends on the image itself and it may also depend on the canvas (some canvas's don't have a terrific gamut).

While certainly some images can take advantage of the expanded gamut of the x900 series, those same images printed on the 9890 will certainly be extremely good and to would take careful side by side comparison and scrutiny to discover the subtle differences.

[Sven W]

The print speed is about twice on the 9900 compared to the 9880.

/Sven

[Wayne Fox]

The print speed is about twice on the 9900 compared to the 9880.

/Sven

True.  The 9890 is a 9880 in a 9900 chassis, much better machine.

[KenBabcock]

The answers are what I thought they would be - not a real big difference in quality but a vast improvement in speed.

Back to square one.  Buy another 9880 and run two of them to keep up with canvas orders or sell the 9880 and replace with a fast 9900.  Almost makes sense to grab another 9880 and save money.  If I really need something printed in better quality than the 9880 can deliver then there's always the 8300, although I don't like using my paper printers with canvas.

I'll look around at some prices of a used 9880 or new 9900 and 9890.

[GaryBarker]

Ken,

One other factor to consider is your customer base (if applicable.) If printing only your own work it is very fair to say while the differences in some cases are subtle and a bit more visible in other files, they both would yield a great quality, sellable print. A good point was also made earlier in terms of the canvas itself being a factor in overall print quality.

If you are printing for artists you perhaps should consider the 9900. It does have advantages (even if only slight ones) and we are all more educated these days about technology and overall printer capabilities. Simply put, the educated customer could reasonably choose your competition if it means they have a 9900 and you have a 9880, even if the difference on canvas is slight, the perception could very well be that his prints will be better.

In the end, you know your business best and either way you will have a print that you can sell any day of the week but perhaps there are some less tangible differences that also could help make this decision.

Regards,

Gary