Epsom 2200 or 4000 Please help

I currently have the Epsom stylus 1270 and looking to upgrade.

Could anyone please advise on the pros and cons of the 2200 & the 4000.

I know the 4000 costs a lot more but is it worth the difference.

Thanks Antony

I went from the 1270 to the 2200 when it first came out and continue to be amazed by the prints the Epson 2200 produces. I talked to the digital specialist at the shop I buy my gear at and he recommended AGAINST the 4000 for me. I'm not a pro, and he said if you aren't going to use up the ink in the huge cartridges in the 4000 every 6 months, you are going to waste a lot of money. Apparently the ink can cause problems if it sits around too much without being used. They also cost about $100 each. He said it's a good deal if you are going to be using it constantly, but a waste if you aren't.

Thanks, you have made my mind up, I will go for the 2200

Antony

The problem with Epson printers that I am aware of is that if you do not print for a while the ink will dry and clog the print head. This problem exists on the 2200 just as much as the 4000. I am not aware of a problem with the ink just sitting for a long time but I have the 2200 and not the 4000. I do know from people who have upgraded from the 2200 that the ink is a lot less expensive on the 4000. On the 2200 you are paying mostly for the small cartridge. If you do get a 4000 you could probably keep it busy, and have it pay for itself by doing prints for all your photo friends, especially if you join a photo club or two. I have a friend making decent money on the side doing printing for people with his 7600 which is considerably more expensive than the 4000. Of course he is retired and has lots of time to play.

Mark Rogers
www.framedestination.c​om/
www.pbase.com/lila161

The plastic bags might work. I use my 2200 in spurts. Sometimes I'll do 15 prints over a few days. Then I might not use it for 2 or 3 weeks. When I haven't used it in a while, I just run the nozzle check and the head cleaning maintenance program if needed. Sometimes it does take 2 or 3 cleanings to unclog them--but I've never had a serious problem.

It turns out the speaker for a photo club meeting I went to last night was a member of Epson "Evangelist Team" and so I asked him about this issue. He said all you have to do is turn the printer off with the power switch. That causes the head to park and the jets to get capped. He said he has heard reports of people leaving their 2200 off for a year when they turn it back on it just needs to go through a few cleaning cycles and then works fine. I was interested to hear that since I never turn mine off except on vacation and then I unplug it, I don't turn it off with the switch. I do make sure I print something at least once every two weeks. I have not had problem, and I have had the printer for a while since I was one of the people pre-ordering them before they were available. I asked if he had heard about any problem with the ink sitting for a long time and he said the only issue he was aware of was the ink drying in the heads when the printer is not properly turned off. He did admit that he was part of the commercial group and that the 4000 is Pro level printer so he was not an expert on the 4000.

The other issue with the larger tanks--if they will be sitting around for a while--is that the pigment can settle. My guess is that removing the tanks and giving them a shake after prolonged periods on NON-use would cure that.

I must admit that I was thinking about the 4000. But $800+ for a set of ink and the fact that they STILL haven't fixed the b/w issue (on some papers you still get a color "haze" to the print) have kept me with the 2200.

Does anyone know if EPSON has a greyscale inkset for the 2200?