Large Format Printer Reliability - Epson or Canon?

From the standpoint of printer head reliability and "clean-ability", are both Canon and Epson fairly equivalent in the quality of their pro level machines? These would be printers in the $800+ range, with the ability to handle paper that is at least 13x19 or 17x22.

I've always been happy with Epson printers, and I get a general sense that more graphic designers and photographers tend to buy those as opposed to Canon or HP. That is not to suggest the other two offer less quality. However my old Epson R1800 now uses ink like a Hummer uses gas, and the print head seems more and more prone to clogging in it's old age.

It was suggested Canon and/or HP printers now have better print heads, or that they can be cleaned more easily. I have no hard data on this.

Whatever I get will be used about three times/month, printing modest batches at a time, and I will have it for a number of years, likely going through numerous head cleaning cycles. Nothing against HP but I don't know too many photographers who use their inkjets. So from the standpoint of efficient ink usage, quality and serviceability, I don't know if I should stick to Epson or change to Canon.

Right now the Epson 3880 is looking pretty good with its larger ink carts and solid build. Your opinions and experience most welcome . - Stu

Fact: The 3880 is invincible.

That said, I own a 9800 that has never clogged and I'm using inks from 2008, knocking on wood here.

The newer x900 series (4900, 7900, 9900) is actually said to clog more than the older x880's, which is strange given the claim of new coatings that prevent clogs. K3 ultrachrome ink still kicks ass.

Don't know about Canon, but they seemed to have neglected their printer products somewhat, many of the printers use outdated tech.

I can't comment on the HP or Canon printers, as I've had no experience with either brand at that level of printer. I can however tell you how incredibly pleased I've been with my Epson 3800 that I bought in 2007. Even though I use it sparingly (3 cartridges are still the originals) and have gone 6 to 9 months at a time without turning it on, it has not clogged at all nor needed any cleaning other than what's done at startup. I've been starting to use it again lately and the quality of the prints is still as good as when I got it.

Rick - Kolor Pikker, thank you for your comments.

This seems to track with anecdotal comments I've been hearing. I even looked at the Epson 4900 series, but that machine is a monster and would dwarf the available work space. A new 3880 would pretty much occupy the same foot print - more or less - of the table that's set up for my R1800. Much depends on the next couple of days, if I can get my old printer working again. I suspect the print head/ribbon contacts may not have totally dried out from the cleaning process and this may be causing a small short, shutting it down (as it should).

I have an epson wide format (although not a pro series) and love it.

Is a CISS an option for you? Might save you in the long run on ink.

4900 is definitely a monster, but even bigger ink tanks and better roll handling than 3880 with auto cut, both are fine A2 printers otherwise.

Also, 4900 doesn't do borderless unless you cut rolls, and doesn't accept paper sizes less than A4/letter.

NewCreation wrote in post #15528936
I have an epson wide format (although not a pro series) and love it.

Is a CISS an option for you? Might save you in the long run on ink.

Paper is way more expensive than ink, less is always better, but still... If you're buying a pro LF printer, it's because you want to print on fine Canson baryta, hot/cold press, or Ilford gold fiber silk papers.

NewCreation wrote in post #15528936
I have an epson wide format (although not a pro series) and love it.

Is a CISS an option for you? Might save you in the long run on ink.

Many times I've thought of the CISS option and I've read up on it a bit. It does save a lot of money. Perhaps if I were doing huge print volumes I'd consider it.

But one thing I keep seeing on these printer threads in other forums where people complain of clogs, is the mention of non Epson ink. They don't wholesale blast CISS systems, but the suggestion is there. It's nothing that usually happens right away, but a few years down the road. I have no what the clog rate is, but these are the comments you sometimes see.

Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #15528943
4900 is definitely a monster, but even bigger ink tanks and better roll handling than 3880 with auto cut, both are fine A2 printers otherwise.

Also, 4900 doesn't do borderless unless you cut rolls, and doesn't accept paper sizes less than A4/letter.


Paper is way more expensive than ink, less is always better, but still... If you're buying a pro LF printer, it's because you want to print on fine Canson baryta, hot/cold press, or Ilford gold fiber silk papers.

I'm obviously way out of my league here, because I had to look those up to know what they were. Are you all printing for clients rather than sending to a print shop? This piques my interest ...don't mean to hijack a thread though, so I can post separately.

sapearl wrote in post #15529002
Many times I've thought of the CISS option and I've read up on it a bit. It does save a lot of money. Perhaps if I were doing huge print volumes I'd consider it.

But one thing I keep seeing on these printer threads in other forums where people complain of clogs, is the mention of non Epson ink. They don't wholesale blast CISS systems, but the suggestion is there. It's nothing that usually happens right away, but a few years down the road. I have no what the clog rate is, but these are the comments you sometimes see.

Yea, that's why I don't have one. I don't print the continuous volume, just in spurts and figured it'd clog in the interim.

NewCreation wrote in post #15529043
I'm obviously way out of my league here, because I had to look those up to know what they were. Are you all printing for clients rather than sending to a print shop? This piques my interest ...don't mean to hijack a thread though, so I can post separately.......

Hey New - we're all friends here . That's ok, I had to look them up too when folks tossed out the model numbers to me. I don't keep up on all the hardware.

When I do wedding and social event work I'll send my proofing and enlargment orders to a commercial lab in the area. The can do it faster and cheaper than I could with my home printer. However I do a modest amount fine art printing for myself which gets shown in small local shows or private exhibits. Typically I'll print on 13x19 paper, cut a mat to fit and load everything into a 16x20 frame. I like the control I get doing it myself, and I won't print any sort of quantity unless I get multiple orders.

sapearl wrote in post #15529105
Hey New - we're all friends here . That's ok, I had to look them up too when folks tossed out the model numbers to me. I don't keep up on all the hardware.

When I do wedding and social event work I'll send my proofing and enlargment orders to a commercial lab in the area. The can do it faster and cheaper than I could with my home printer. However I do a modest amount fine art printing for myself which gets shown in small local shows or private exhibits. Typically I'll print on 13x19 paper, cut a mat to fit and load everything into a 16x20 frame. I like the control I get doing it myself, and I won't print any sort of quantity unless I get multiple orders.

Well, thanks. Maybe I can get more use out of my large format I have here....gifts, perhaps. Do you use pigment inks?

NewCreation wrote in post #15529170
Well, thanks. Maybe I can get more use out of my large format I have here....gifts, perhaps. Do you use pigment inks?

I think that's what my Epson inks are.....k3 I believe? They're supposed to last upwards of 75 years or so on their paper or that of the other quality vendors.

sapearl wrote in post #15529223
I think that's what my Epson inks are.....k3 I believe? They're supposed to last upwards of 75 years or so on their paper or that of the other quality vendors.

I can buy both for my printer, but that's just probably showing it's not the pro series. Thanks.

NewCreation wrote in post #15529043
I'm obviously way out of my league here, because I had to look those up to know what they were. Are you all printing for clients rather than sending to a print shop? This piques my interest ...don't mean to hijack a thread though, so I can post separately.

Yes, I print for clients, just more comfortable that way and I get to use any paper I want. Print shops make sense for me if I had to do something that was specialized, like metallic prints, for example. Otherwise, I do my own canvas printing, stretching, and framing. But I still like good matte and luster-style paper too.

Obviously out of the league of many on POTN, but we're all kinds here, from casual camera users to A-list client photographers and so on.

On thing's for sure about printers, paper and ink costs will outstrip the printer very fast, buying a full set of ink and paper for an Epson 4900, for example, will set you back half the printer's buying price. So I always say, buy the best printer within your size preference, because ink costs a lot no two ways about it. In fact, the 200ml+ carts for the big guys actually cost half as much per volume than for smaller printers, such as the 2880.

Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #15529309
Obviously out of the league of many on POTN, but we're all kinds here, from casual camera users to A-list client photographers and so on.

I'm definitely the latter. I am very grateful for the graciousness of the pros on here.

Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #15528870
Fact: The 3880 is invincible.

That said, I own a 9800 that has never clogged and I'm using inks from 2008, knocking on wood here.

The newer x900 series (4900, 7900, 9900) is actually said to clog more than the older x880's, which is strange given the claim of new coatings that prevent clogs. K3 ultrachrome ink still kicks ass.

Don't know about Canon, but they seemed to have neglected their printer products somewhat, many of the printers use outdated tech.

We have 7 4900's at work a while now. No clogging issues but one of them drifts quite a bit.