Epson P5370 performance update?

[MarkFarber]

Now that the Epson 5370 has been out for about 2 years, I’m looking for performance updates.

My 6-year-old P5000 still prints beautifully on a good day. But 90% of the time I turn it on, I have to clean at least 2 heads, usually more, sometimes all. Almost every time! I have tried leaving it on; tried a humidifier in the room particularly in Boston winter; tried cleaning the print heads with PiezoFlush.

(In contrast, my 12-year-old 3880 never clogs. Still a champ.)

The P5370 is supposed to have all the benefits of the P5000 but the lower-maintenance head of the P900. Can anyone give an updated report on clogging, particularly P5000 vs P5370?

[dgberg]

7 printers here and never turn anything off. That and keeping your humidity above 45 if possible. Our humidifier takes 5 gallons of water a day.
Since we have started that maybe 10 years ago our clogs dropped almost 75% that's how important it is. Our P5370 is 16 months old and rarely clogs. The others rarely clog except for our Epson solvent s80600. If not used we have to run a clean but it is in another room where the humidity is a little lower.  Oh by the way we still have a 10 yo 3880 that works like a champ but is delegated to office printing.

[Gryphon69]

I have summarized my thoughts and experience so far with the P5370 in a two-part article on my website, if of interest:

https://www.lightquill.com/-/galleries/tools-of-the-trade/canon-pro-1100-vs-epson-p5370-a-comparison-p1

https://www.lightquill.com/-/galleries/tools-of-the-trade/canon-pro-1100-vs-epson-p5370-a-comparison-p2

All in all I am very happy with the printer, performs like a workhorse and I have had zero problems with clogging so far. I cannot compare it to the P5000, but I used to own a 4900, so I used to deal with stubborn, nasty head clogs all the time - not anymore thank goodness, everything works like a charm.

[johncustodio]

I see that the Canon 1100 has a gloss overcoat and the Epson P5370 doesn't. Does the Canon need the overcoat on glossy media? And how well does the Epson handle gloss differential and bronzing without the overcoat? I currently have an HP Z3200 and use the gloss enhancer on glossy media.

[Czornyj]

I see that the Canon 1100 has a gloss overcoat and the Epson P5370 doesn't. Does the Canon need the overcoat on glossy media? And how well does the Epson handle gloss differential and bronzing without the overcoat? I currently have an HP Z3200 and use the gloss enhancer on glossy media.

The main purpose of Canon overcoat (Chroma Optimizer) is anti-reflex coating

[Gryphon69]

I see that the Canon 1100 has a gloss overcoat and the Epson P5370 doesn't. Does the Canon need the overcoat on glossy media? And how well does the Epson handle gloss differential and bronzing without the overcoat? I currently have an HP Z3200 and use the gloss enhancer on glossy media.

Yes, the Pro 1100 (like the Pro 1000 that it replaced, even though it had a previous generation ink set) includes a Chroma Optimizer ink. Its use is up to the user, who can decide not to use it at all, to exclude the borders of the print, to apply it to the entire print (including the borders) or to set it on Auto and let the printer decide on a case by case basis. According to Canon, the CO is supposed to reduce gloss differential, reduce bronzing and increase contrast and maximum black.

To tell you the truth, I have seen less gloss differential on the same image/same satin paper when printed on the Epson P5370 (which does not have CO) than on the Pro 1100 (which does), but it is anecdotal evidence and maybe it was an isolated situation. Generally speaking, I tend to be very vigilant of highlights when I print on satin/glossy media and in those situations where there are uneven areas I tend whenever possible to switch to a matte paper to avoid the issue altogether.

So far I have not noticed any bronzing with the P5370 on any of the fine art PK papers that I use. I understand that Epson’s UltraChrome inks from and after the K3 generation have been reformulated and include technologies to minimize bronzing, including through the Black Enhance Overcoat feature, and they are supposed to reduce gloss differential too with no need for a separate gloss optimizer.

Whatever the reason, I am impressed by how well the P5370/UltraChrome Pro 10 inks perform overall.