Topic: Epson ET-2800 printing resolution problem (Read 6902 times)

Frans Waterlander · « **on:** May 27, 2025, 03:00:10 pm »

This printer has a max resolution of 1440 DPI, but the driver consistently shows Print Quality as 720 DPI, no matter how much I play with the different driver settings. Epson Support has not been helpful at all with suggestions of playing with the settings (which I have done repeatedly), printing a nozzle check and even printing with a different than Photoshop app (as if that addresses the issue!). I've uninstalled and reinstalled the Epson driver; no difference.
So, your inputs are highly appreciated.

dgberg · « **Reply #1 on:** May 28, 2025, 08:41:44 am »

Many things at play here. Do you have the IP drivers and not the Air Print Bonjour? It is a crippled driver with minimum printer settings.
What printing software are you using? In Lightroom in the print dialog box under printer settings you can access several levels of higher output resolution.
This is a very basic cmyk desktop office printer, not one of Epson's P photo printers.
That high resolution is almost a mute point even though you should be able to access it you may never see it with the naked eye.
What are your color management settings, are you using icc profiles made with a a name brand paper?
As I said, lots of factors here that you may or may not be aware of.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #2 on:** May 28, 2025, 11:54:56 am »

Quote from: dgberg on May 28, 2025, 08:41:44 am

Many things at play here. Do you have the IP drivers and not the Air Print Bonjour? It is a crippled driver with minimum printer settings.
What printing software are you using? In Lightroom in the print dialog box under printer settings you can access several levels of higher output resolution.
This is a very basic cmyk desktop office printer, not one of Epson's P photo printers.
That high resolution is almost a mute point even though you should be able to access it you may never see it with the naked eye.
What are your color management settings, are you using icc profiles made with a a name brand paper?
As I said, lots of factors here that you may or may not be aware of.

I have the latest (and greatest) Epson driver. I use Photoshop Elements 2021. Yes, I can choose Standard and High for quality, but both result in 720 DPI. Mute point or not, when Epson claims 1440 DPI max, I want 1440 DPI. I use Adobe RGB (1998) and Epson paper profiles or at least that's what I'm led to believe; there are no separate paper profiles available for this printer (verbatim reply of two differend Epson support folks), but I can choose several different papers in the driver setting like plain, photo glossy, photo matte, etc.

dgberg · « **Reply #3 on:** May 28, 2025, 12:32:42 pm »

Something is off if you have standard and high for quality. It may be under paper selection that if you have a plain/matte paper that it is not allowing 1440. If you select a gloss paper and go to printer settings is 1440 available. I just checked Photoshop and Lightroom both on my oldest printer a 3880 I still have around and under printer settings it is 1440 or 2880. Shows 1440 under Printer Manages Color or Photoshop manages color, on a Mac.
My question is with the IP driver where is standard and high quality setting coming from?
Everything may be in order and this may be how the consumer level printers handle output resolution using standard and high with high being 1440.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2025, 12:41:52 pm »

Quote from: dgberg on May 28, 2025, 12:32:42 pm

Something is off if you have standard and high for quality. It may be under paper selection that if you have a plain/matte paper that it is not allowing 1440. If you select a gloss paper and go to printer settings is 1440 available. I just checked Photoshop and Lightroom both on my oldest printer a 3880 I still have around and under printer settings it is 1440 or 2880. Shows 1440 under Printer Manages Color or Photoshop manages color, on a Mac.
My question is with the IP driver where is standard and high quality coming from? Not 100% sure here but that is typically see with the AirPrint driver.

I've tried all paper choices and choices for who manages color, and the print quality stays at 720 DPI. Nowhere, as far as I can tell, is there a place to choose resolution directly. I don't quite understand your comments about Ip and AirPrint drivers; I use the Epson driver for this printer.

dgberg · « **Reply #5 on:** May 28, 2025, 01:02:16 pm »

When downloading drivers you will usually get both. The IP and Bonjour AirPrint which is crippled with limited settings which could be your issue.
Go to finder, printers and scanners and hit the + to add a printer and your list should come up. What is listed for the 2800?

Look at the left column to make sure you have IP. In the right column you do not want Bonjour.
Certain matte papers may also lock out the 1440.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #6 on:** May 28, 2025, 04:57:02 pm »

Quote from: dgberg on May 28, 2025, 01:02:16 pm

When downloading drivers you will usually get both. The IP and Bonjour AirPrint which is crippled with limited settings which could be your issue.
Go to finder, printers and scanners and hit the + to add a printer and your list should come up. What is listed for the 2800?

I'm not sure what info you want me to look at. The printer is listed as ET-2800 Series(Network) and is set as the default.

mcbroomf · « **Reply #7 on:** May 28, 2025, 06:29:24 pm »

Instead of choosing High for Quality what happens if you select More Settings? Show screen captures ...

You can select any of the available Quality options to fine-tune the quality of your print. Some settings
may be unavailable, depending on the paper type and border setting you have chosen.
Draft
For draft printing on plain paper.
Draft - Vivid
For draft printing on plain paper with good quality and print speed.
Standard
For everyday text and image printing.
Standard - Vivid
For text and graphics with good quality and print speed.
High
For photos and graphics with high print quality.
More Settings
Opens a window that lets you choose among levels of speed and quality.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #8 on:** May 28, 2025, 10:01:55 pm »

Quote from: mcbroomf on May 28, 2025, 06:29:24 pm

Instead of choosing High for Quality what happens if you select More Settings? Show screen captures ...

You can select any of the available Quality options to fine-tune the quality of your print. Some settings
may be unavailable, depending on the paper type and border setting you have chosen.
Draft
For draft printing on plain paper.
Draft - Vivid
For draft printing on plain paper with good quality and print speed.
Standard
For everyday text and image printing.
Standard - Vivid
For text and graphics with good quality and print speed.
High
For photos and graphics with high print quality.
More Settings
Opens a window that lets you choose among levels of speed and quality.

Yes, when I do that, speed vs. quality is set at almost the highest quality level, corresponding to 720 DPI. When I set it to the highest quality, it still gets me 720 DPI.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #9 on:** May 30, 2025, 11:22:44 pm »

Three days ago I asked Epson support to tell me how I can print photos at the published maximum resolution of 1440 DPI. So far: crickets.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #10 on:** June 09, 2025, 03:05:49 pm »

The fourth Epson support person I talked with informed me that they deleted the DPI information a couple of years ago, so now you only can choose quality settings like medium, high etc. without knowing the actual DPI being used. Reason given for this dumbing down: many users don't understand DPI and get confused. @#$%^&*!!!

digitaldog · « **Reply #11 on:** June 09, 2025, 06:05:57 pm »

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 09, 2025, 03:05:49 pm

Reason given for this dumbing down: many users don't understand DPI and get confused. @#$%^&*!!!

You proved them right!
And here's why (not that some here can accept the data):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2uw6co0yb81l4uhhuxi8z/The-Right-Print-Resolution.pdf?rlkey=w9ncq43ltjffcn9karpq0c41x&dl=0

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #12 on:** June 10, 2025, 04:49:31 pm »

Quote from: digitaldog on June 09, 2025, 06:05:57 pm

You proved them right!
And here's why (not that some here can accept the data):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2uw6co0yb81l4uhhuxi8z/The-Right-Print-Resolution.pdf?rlkey=w9ncq43ltjffcn9karpq0c41x&dl=0

Oh, I don't understand DPI? Really?
While Jeff's article is great, it has nothing to do with Epson not showing the DPI being used for printing. You apparently don't understand the issue at hand in this thread. Hint: the printer is capable of 1440 DPI but the driver always shows 720s DPI regardless of driver settings and PPI of the image in question.

digitaldog · « **Reply #13 on:** June 10, 2025, 05:44:40 pm »

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 10, 2025, 04:49:31 pm

Oh, I don't understand DPI? Really?

You also don't understand how to use the printer: really!

I've got an ET printer, it doesn't show resolution AS YOU WERE TOLD! It never did. You have two options: Normal or Best.
https://files.support.epson.com/docid/cpd6/cpd60271/index.html?page=source%2Fprinters%2Fsource%2Fprinting_software%2Fmac_fy13%2Ftasks%2Fselecting_basic_mac_et4850.html
As we've seen in the past, your assumptions about how the product should work and how it actually works conflict with your need to seek solutions that are unnecessary and convoluted.

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 09, 2025, 03:05:49 pm

The fourth Epson support person I talked with informed me that they deleted the DPI information a couple of years ago, so now you only can choose quality settings like medium, high etc. without knowing the actual DPI being used.

BINGO! Maybe pick "Best"

??

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #14 on:** June 10, 2025, 06:00:27 pm »

Quote from: digitaldog on June 10, 2025, 05:44:40 pm

You also don't understand how to use the printer: really!
I've got an ET printer, it doesn't show resolution AS YOU WERE TOLD! It never did. You have two options: Normal or Best.
https://files.support.epson.com/docid/cpd6/cpd60271/index.html?page=source%2Fprinters%2Fsource%2Fprinting_software%2Fmac_fy13%2Ftasks%2Fselecting_basic_mac_et4850.html
As we've seen in the past, your assumptions about how the product should work and how it actually works conflict with your need to seek solutions that are unnecessary and convoluted.
BINGO! Maybe pick "Best"??

Well, with my ET-2800, when I go File, Print, the first driver window always shows "Print Quality: 720 DPI"

digitaldog · « **Reply #15 on:** June 10, 2025, 06:19:45 pm »

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 10, 2025, 06:00:27 pm

Well, with my ET-2800, when I go File, Print, the first driver window always shows "Print Quality: 720 DPI"

If the facts do not conform to the theory, they must be disposed of.

Those darn facts!
https://files.support.epson.com/docid/cpd6/cpd60271/index.html?page=source%2Fprinters%2Fsource%2Fprinting_software%2Fmac_fy13%2Ftasks%2Fselecting_basic_mac_et4850.html

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 09, 2025, 03:05:49 pm

The fourth Epson support person I talked with informed me that they deleted the DPI information a couple of years ago, so now you only can choose quality settings like medium, high etc. without knowing the actual DPI being used.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #16 on:** June 10, 2025, 07:22:16 pm »

Quote from: digitaldog on June 10, 2025, 06:19:45 pm

If the facts do not conform to the theory, they must be disposed of.

Those darn facts!
https://files.support.epson.com/docid/cpd6/cpd60271/index.html?page=source%2Fprinters%2Fsource%2Fprinting_software%2Fmac_fy13%2Ftasks%2Fselecting_basic_mac_et4850.html

Apparently you still don't get it. I've gone through the ET-2800 User Guide with a fine-toothed comb and nowhere does it tell you how to change the DPI, what it's value is or how it's value is displayed, yet the first window after File, Print always shows: "Print Quality: 720 DPI". Don't know if this window is part of the Epson driver or if it is part of PhotoShop. So, it may be that the DPI will always be 720 or it may be something else and apparently nobody knows or is willing to talk. And if you don't have anything constructive to say, say nothing.

digitaldog · « **Reply #17 on:** June 10, 2025, 07:31:59 pm »

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 10, 2025, 07:22:16 pm

Apparently you still don't get it.

Actually, you don't. But what the Espon rep AND the website show is accurate, even if you can't wrap your head around those facts. Nothing new here folks.
IF only you read what you wrote and accepted it, but alas, that's not possible: "The fourth Epson support person I talked with informed me that they deleted the DPI information a couple of years ago, so now you only can choose quality settings like medium, high etc. without knowing the actual DPI being used."

Quote

And if you don't have anything constructive to say, say nothing.

Frans Waterlander · « **Reply #18 on:** June 10, 2025, 07:39:20 pm »

So yourself a favor, Andrew and seek help.

digitaldog · « **Reply #19 on:** June 10, 2025, 07:41:11 pm »

Quote from: Frans Waterlander on June 10, 2025, 07:39:20 pm

So yourself a favor, Andrew and seek help.

Says the guy always asking for help here.
And dismissing any given.
Another perfect Frans reply.

Author Topic: Epson ET-2800 printing resolution problem (Read 6902 times)