Epson P800 died :( So I'm thinking of a either a P900 or a .... P6000

[Kumsa]

Need a new printer, and I have some print jobs to complete (photography is a side gig).

The P900 is now available for $1k US, which is a good price and the obvious upgrade. However, there is the older, but larger, P6000 which can be had for $2k US. That price point is just close enough to consider. The  newer P7000 is a jump in price that will be a harder sell as I'm not confident that there'd be a sufficiently visible print difference (https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=113452.0). So, my decision is down to staying w/a 17" printer or inching up to a 24" 

The obvious differences that I can think of for the P900:

-better paper handling
-better DMAX, better gamut

For the P6000

-wider paper
-cheaper ink usage cost

Thanks for any shared experience and insights

[PeterAit]

Need a new printer, and I have some print jobs to complete (photography is a side gig).

The P900 is now available for $1k US, which is a good price and the obvious upgrade. However, there is the older, but larger, P6000 which can be had for $2k US. That price point is just close enough to consider. The  newer P7000 is a jump in price that will be a harder sell as I'm not confident that there'd be a sufficiently visible print difference (https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=113452.0). So, my decision is down to staying w/a 17" printer or inching up to a 24"

The obvious differences that I can think of for the P900:

-better paper handling
-better DMAX, better gamut

For the P6000

-wider paper
-cheaper ink usage cost

Thanks for any shared experience and insights

We have a fairly new P900 and love it. I swear the print quality is even better than the 7900 it replaced. But my suggestion is to decide based on the paper width - do you really need that 24" width?

[tastar]

A P800 is a relative new printer and can probably be repaired.
Epson SureColor P800 - 8-color T850 - UltraChromeHD pigment based
8-color printer (manual switching between photo black and matte black with ink loss - 8 channel print head)
uses star wheels that can mark prints to hold down paper
80 ml per cartridge - $58.00 - $0.73/ ml

The P900 is a nice printer and does print well, and uses a few different ink colors to produce a wider gamut
Epson SureColor P900 - 10-color T46Y - UltraChrome PRO10 pigment based
no ink loss when switching from photo black to matte black - 10 channel print head
uses star wheels that can mark prints to hold down paper
50 ml per cartridge - $40.99 - $0.82/ ml

The P6000 is a completely different machine - it is primarily designed to print rolls, but will print one sheet at a time, as small as 8.5 x 11.
8-color UltraChromeHD pigment based
8-color printer (manual switching between photo black and matte black - 8 channel print head)
has a vacuum paper hold down, so no star wheel marks
largest cartridge 700 ml per cartridge - $247.00 - $0.35/ ml

From our experience, the P800 was one of Epson's most reliable printers (a successor to the 3800/ 3880 very reliable printers). The P900 has a couple of design flaws that may affect it's long term reliability (too early to tell). The P6000 repairs would be expensive by comparison (in the U.S. there is an Epson 1-time repair program that costs $995.00 for a P6000, and makes the cost of a print head replacement much more affordable. Moving to a P6000 would give you the ability to print 24 inches wide - and would open you up to a larger customer base. And you would basically get the same color quality as a P800.

I would guess that it depends on what your customers need, and what direction you want to go in. Having a larger printer as well as a smaller sheet fed printer would be ideal.

Tony

[mearussi]

Advantages of the P6000:
1. Pro machines are built better than desktop machines.
2. Cost per/ml of ink is less
3. Can print decent size canvas
4. No pinwheel marks

Disadvantages of P6000:
1. requires more space
2. Will have less gamut
3. No paper tray means cut sheets have to be fed one at a time

If you don't need or want a 24" printer have you considered the P5000?

[Eric Brody]

I anticipate being in a similar place at some unpredictable time in the future. I have a 2013 vintage 3880 which seems to chug along beautifully. I do not want to say anything that would anger it or upset it because I genuinely love it, but nothing lasts forever.

I have already spent way too much time speculating about what I would do should my beloved 3880 pass on. I think my first choice would be a P5000, built like a tank, sufficiently large cartridges that the cost of ink switching becomes insignificant, vacuum paper holding. Great, but try to find one. If they're out there, I've not been able to locate one. Were I able to, I might just buy one as insurance.

The 24" printers are an entirely different world, size is not an issue for me but their costs and potential maintenance should one break are daunting. I've flirted with the idea of a 24" printer but keep retreating. I use Quadtone RIP for my monochrome images and it does not fully work on the P900 or presumably the 24" P7570 as well.

The P900 makes lovely color images; I've seen some but I don't want to give up the Quadtone RIP. It also has tiny cartridges and their accompanying high ink costs as nicely documented by tastar.

I don't know whether my thoughts are helpful to the OP or not but thought I'd share since we're all one step away from him or her.

Eric

[mearussi]

 itsupplies says it has the P5000 in stock.

https://www.itsupplies.com/Epson-SureColor-P5000-17in-Printer-p/scp5000se.htm

[Benny Profane]

Why did it "die"?

[Kumsa]

All good thoughts. Human nature is to look for a definitive answer, and I'm not getting one !! I do love the idea of a 24" inch printer, but I also do a fair amount of smaller print sizes. It's likely that I'll end up with a P900. This is my chance to jump up in size, so everyone's content has been helpful in setting a reasonable rationale for going big or staying put.