Epson 2200 vs Canon i9900

[AXENA]

This is probably somewhere on this forum, but if anyone has real side-by-side comparisons of these two printers, I would appreciate it. I am not looking for the "specs" that each of these companies post.... I have that already.

I own an Epson 2200, however, since I bought it, it has been nothing but a problem. The alternative appears to be a Canon i9900.

If anyone has experience with BOTH of these printers, I would love to hear your thoughts....

Thanks pros!
-GSL

[scottbergerphoto]

Sorry to hear about your 2200. Mine was a little quirky when I first got it due to some software issues ( Epson printer monitor program running in the background ), but since I resolved that, it's been great.

[Hellashot]

You should also consider the R1800. No problems with mine so far, aside from figuring out print profiles. I've decided on Colormatch RGB.

[mdr]

Not to forget the Epson R2400, the 2100/2200 replacement which should appear on the shelves any day now.

[Maureen Souza]

I haven't had any problems with my Epson 2200 and I've owned it for 16 months and printed over a thousand photos on it.

[Hellashot]

Not to forget the Epson R2400, the 2100/2200 replacement which should appear on the shelves any day now.

I honestly can't see anyone paying the extra $300 for the 2400 compared to the 1800 for a straight through paper pass and even longer lasting inks, light light black ink, plus going from 3.5 picoliters in the 2400 to 1.5 picoliters in the 1800. The inks are rated very long life on the 1800 to begin with.

[AXENA]

Update: The store I bought the Epson 2200 is willing to take it back... no problems. My only regret is that when it does print without flaws, the prints are awesome.... great colors, especially on the Epson Luster paper. I would hate to have to return it... I'd much rather just keep it. My main question, I suppose, is, has anyone else had issues with smearing ink, or banding, even after running through the usual gammut of self fixes such as "nozzle cleans" and "print head alighnmnets?"
-GSL

[Maureen Souza]

Update: The store I bought the Epson 2200 is willing to take it back... no problems. My only regret is that when it does print without flaws, the prints are awesome.... great colors, especially on the Epson Luster paper. I would hate to have to return it... I'd much rather just keep it. My main question, I suppose, is, has anyone else had issues with smearing ink, or banding, even after running through the usual gammut of self fixes such as "nozzle cleans" and "print head alighnmnets?"
-GSL

I've only had a problem with banding once when the ink was running low in the middle of a large batch of photos. I simply cancelled the printing job, changed cartidges and went back to printing. I print all my customer and wedding shots on the Premium Luster paper... I love it. I use the Premium semi-gloss for everyday stuff.

[LadyHawk]

I have two 2200 printers and they both work well. I've had some banding on occasions, usually when I haven't used the printer enough or one of my inks is low. I used to change them as soon as I got the "low ink" warning... now I wait as long as I can get away with. In addition to the Epson papers, I've tried the Costco brand and Kodak Professional and both are great with the ultrachrome inks.
Gary, if the store will take you troublesome printer back, can't you get another 2200 to try out? Maybe you'll have better luck with it.

[AXENA]

The unfortunate thing is that the store I bought it from, although an ESPON dealer, only had the one 2200 at a discounted price... was bought and returned. The store owner stated that it worked perfect but knocked the price down $200. In general, they carry only the small format EPSONs as their main product line.

So, I could return it, but would need to order a new one. That said, did some agressive print head cleaning..... seems to be working OK right now... sharp prints, etc. I suppose time will tell.

Is there such a thing as an ESPON printer cleaning sheet? That was missing from the box when I opened it, but saw it mentioned in the user manual. The main culprit (I think) was that there was some HAIR rolled up into the rollers internally (how it got there I have no idea). I used a tweezer and a flashlight to remove the intruding hairs.... ICK!

Hopefully... printing issues will resolve now..... thanks for the input!
CHEERS!
-GSL

[digitaltourist]

I honestly can't see anyone paying the extra $300 for the 2400 compared to the 1800 for a straight through paper pass and even longer lasting inks, light light black ink, plus going from 3.5 picoliters in the 2400 to 1.5 picoliters in the 1800. The inks are rated very long life on the 1800 to begin with.

I have heard these new printers and inks are supposed to be a phenomenal improvement, especially in the area of blacks and improved gamut.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/printers/K3-Preview.shtml
http://www.josephholmes.com/news.html
http://photoshopnews.com/2005/05/16/epson-r2400-and-ultrachrome-k3-ink-report/