Epson 7900 vs Canon ipf6300 - I Need to Purchase

[ozphoto]

There is a $1000 rebate of the Epson 7900 and only $600 of the Canon ipf6300. Buying from the US ie. B+H won't ship either printer to Ontario, Canada. I tried.

The price difference is that huge right now I can't justify the Canon even it is supposed to be faster, has user replaceable heads and ink and paper costing software, plus some poster thing.

If I buy one roll of paper ($120.00) the retailer will even drop ship it to my door.

Canon has no penetration in the stores I checked here in Ontario, its always Epson. Oh sure they can always order it they say.

Final Tally - Canadian Dollars

Epson 7900 - all inclusive - taxes, shipping, rebate, electronic recycling fee and extra roll of paper - $3222.14
Canon ipf6300 - taxes, electronic recycling fee, rebate, no extra roll of paper, no shipping - $4330.73

Difference - $1108.59 - you can buy quite a bit of ink and/or paper with this difference.

[enduser]

It's been said by others elsewhere that European cars are only a proposition if you own them during the warranty period.  It seems to me that if you purchase new and extend the warranty as long as possible, it doesn't really matter which brand, Epson or Canon you buy.  Either way its problems are somebody else's.

Delays would come into it of course, so maybe it comes down to service speed and reliability.

[allandew]

i have 3 epson printers, 7900,3800,r3000. they are all in different locations.
the 7900 is in my summer home in northern ontario. each fall i turn it off, remove
the inks and it sits for the entire winter. after each winter (3) i install inks turn it on
do a head cleaning and it works flawlessly. i should mention it sits out the winter at approx minus 20 degrees.
the other two printers have the same sporadic use just not the extreme climate change they too work flawlessly.
i have owned  canon and hp printers over the years and for me nothing beats epson.
hope this helps
regards
allan

[Darrel]

Really, you let your ink lines and printheads freeze each winter??

i have 3 epson printers, 7900,3800,r3000. they are all in different locations.
the 7900 is in my summer home in northern ontario. each fall i turn it off, remove
the inks and it sits for the entire winter. after each winter (3) i install inks turn it on
do a head cleaning and it works flawlessly. i should mention it sits out the winter at approx minus 20 degrees.
the other two printers have the same sporadic use just not the extreme climate change they too work flawlessly.
i have owned  canon and hp printers over the years and for me nothing beats epson.
hope this helps
regards
allan

[Czornyj]

i have owned  canon and hp printers over the years and for me nothing beats epson.

I have owned many Epson printers over the years and my new iPF6350 beats them all with ease

Like polish poet, writer and nobelist - Czeslaw Milosz once wrote: "The true enemy of man is generalization".

[brianz]

I have had the Canon ipf6300 for a year, and I absolutely love it.  I'd recommend it strongly and without hesitation.  My volume is also quite low - I've gone 2-3 months between prints, and I've had zero problems with clogging or anything else. It's been running perfectly from the start at all times.  I'm also impressed with how long the original ink tanks have lasted.  I can't speak to the Epson, but I can certainly recommend the Canon in the strongest possible terms!  That printer is a gem.

[nairb]

I don't own either of these but have been looking to upgrade my 4880 and I think one of the other differences to consider, cost wise, is that the canons ship with much more ink. 330ml carts if I'm not mistaken, vs the epson's which I understand are really just large enough to charge the lines (110ml??)

[Czornyj]

Only in iPF8300 - iPF6300 uses 130ml carts, and comes wit 90ml starters. On the other hand - it needs much less ink for initial charge, consumes ~30% less ink and wastes less ink for cleanings.

[Landscapes]

When I bought my iPF6100, it was an incredible deal down in the US given the rebate and a whole set of free inks.  Too good to pass up.  I bought from Atlex.com (or Itsupplies.com) and was able to pick up the printer in Chicago.. yes... from Ontario I drove to Chicago.  The $100 in gas was nothing compared to the savings.  Now of course I would just use a package receiving service, there are a ton in Niagara Falls (just make sure they can take a pallet).  The rebates in the US are even better than probably the rebates in Canada for the Epson.  You might worry about warranty, which is true, but the heads can always be replaced and guess what, you would just use the address for the package service as your so called home address.  Maybe if you fry a board then you might be SOL as I don't think

I do agreet that in Canada, Canon wide format printers have terrible presence, but doing business with the US is quite easy, especially if you live close to the border.  Inks are way cheaper too so the gas to drive down is more than offset by the savings.  Too bad the dollar just lost a bit of value against the US$ in the past few days.  But look into this option if you are swayed towards the Canon.

[dseelig]

One thing no one has mentioned is epson suck ink out of those cartridges like a vampire takes blood. Bith Canon and HP are much better in the long run on not draining ink.

[ozphoto]

Allandew : How can the printer sit in those conditions, the lines will harden and eventually crack will they not, and what about the electronics, capacitors etc etc.

[allandew]

When I shut down that printer for the winter I do a head cleaning, remove aii inks, wrap it in blankets and then cover it in plastic. The purpose of the blankets is to stop any quick temperature changes that could lead to condensation and promote corrosion. Although this may seem reckless and sloppy i have very little choice as I live on an island in the summer and you cannot imagine the "fun" I had getting it there in a small boat. Most printers don't like boat rides . This is my third year going through this ritual and I am happy to say that the printer works flawlessly. No doubt Epson would not endorse this kind of storage but I think as with most manufacturers they will always be very conservative on the limits of their hardware and consumables. I am sure you will purchase the printer that meets most of your requirements. I was only trying to reassure you that Epson products are very robust and should be a contender in your decision making. Lastly I have been in the prepress, photography industry for over forty years and have owned many many printers of all sorts I only responded because i happen to own one of the printers you are considering.
All the best
Allan

[ozphoto]

I wiah I had photographed getting that 7900 into a boat and then over to the island. Would have made a great ad for Epson!

Anyway yes it appears that the Epson 7900 will be my purchase based on quality of prints but also price. A substantial price I might add. The difference in cost will certainly able me to buy more ink and paper.

Planning on going to the ProFusion 2012 show in Toronto and purchase it there.

[allandew]

yes it was quite a sight, it took six very strong guys to get it off the truck and into the boat.
i think the pallet and packaging weighed as much as the printer!
i am sure you will be happy with the 7900 it really is a beautiful printer.
i too am going to the show for both days, looking forward to hearing Jeff and Seth speak
i think they are two of the best in the business.

all the best
allan

[Peterretep]

Oz, my printer use is similar to what you expect, periods of no activity followed by much use. I've had the 7900 for about one and a half years. Clogs evident through printing the nozzle check do happen after non use of about a week, usually one cleaning takes care of it. I've found that cleaning ink pairs to be ineffective, I have to do a full cleaning to get the test perfect. Cleaning occasional clogs can be annoying but is not a big deal. Maybe if you (and me too) just run a small print every day clogs can be avoided altogether.

Good luck with the printer.

Peter

[PeterAit]

I can't agree that Epsons are prone to clogging - that has not been my experience. I have had a 4880 for almost 3  years and it frequently sits idle for weeks. I have never needed to run a power cleaning. I have gotten clogs once in a wile but they have always been fixed by running the "regular" cleaning cycle one or more times.

[kuau]

I have to concur with what John has to say about the HP.
I have a Z3200PS and it may not have the biggest color gamut, but for B&W I think it's great. Until Canon releases a new 24" printer with the new inkset that's in there new 13" desktop model, I will stick with my HP..
Though on the flipside, if B&W is not your thing, I would get the IPF6300 today.
Who knows what the future is with HP at this point.

Steven

Don't disregard the HP Z3200 printers for consideration. As for "defacto standard", there is no such thing. Dealers don't make much money  from selling the printers. Don't look for much support from the dealers.

All three printers will deliver excellent results for you. Also, there have been some pretty amazing recent deals on 44" Canon IPF8300--less than the 6300! Check out that option. If you are interested in doing canvas prints, then the 44" model is really required to do finished prints wider than 20".

The HP printer has a built-in Spectro--that's worth $1K. Also, HP print heads are a lot cheaper--about $65 for a two color head. My initial print heads with moderate printing lasted over 2 years.

If you plan on doing much B&W printing, the HP is considered to be king, short of using dedicated B&W inks in a printer. Big negative on the HP, is it's sheet handling--real PITA. If sheet handling is major consideration, the Epson is king.

Making this kind of decision is not easy. Hope the above info helps you.

[I.T. Supplies]

If you're looking for the top quality prints, the 7900 will give that quality due to the HDR inks (Orange and Green).  The IPF6300 is also a great printer, but it may be a little better with the transfer from Photo to Matte black.  Also, Canon's have the Hard Drive installed where Epson doesn't offer that in the models.

Both models still have nice discounts going on.  Check us out if you're interested or any other questions on different models.

We sell a good qty of the Epson printers, but Canon is also a nice brand to go with as well.  Depends on what you print more of.  But, the sheet feeding on the Epson should be a drop in the feeder and pushing a button.  Canon's is putting it through the front and setting it up on the line.  Otherwise, they are both easy and great quality.  We have the IPF8300 and Epson 9890 in our office that we print on a lot.

We don't sell much of the HP line since they are more into Computers and papers, but they have a good selection left.  The Z3200 series is being discontinued though.

Chris W