Best printer? Epson ET 8550 or SC P700 - which A3+ printer is best for you
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- Опубликовано: 7 июл 2024
- Keith looks at the Epson P700 and ET-8550 printer. How do they differ, what common features do they share, and whether one of them is a better choice for your photo and art prints.
Looking at inks, print quality and the range of media and printer functions, both have aspects that may be more or less relevant to users.
00:00 Start
00:38 Similarities
01:02 Ink bottles or carts
02:10 Ink quantities
02:30 Pigment ink benefits
03:52 Media support
04:50 Waste ink tanks
05:25 How soon to replace inks
06:32 Printer costs
07:25 Thick media
07:52 LCD screens
08:50 Multifunction use
10:05 Print quality
11:16 Fewer inks not necessarily an issue
11:50 Gloss differential
12:57 Colour gamut
14:00 Black and white
14:22 Bronzing
14:53 Mixed inks in the 8550
15:35 The need for profiles
16:23 Out of the box results
17:33 Software and printing
18:50 Physical features
19:36 So, which is best
20:32 The 8550 black pigment ink
There are detailed video and written reviews for each printer if you want more information.
P700
www.northlight-images.co.uk/ep...
• Detailed Epson P700 pr...
ET-8550
www.northlight-images.co.uk/ep...
• Epson ET 8550 printer ...
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My all doubts are cleared to see your beautifully described video. Really beautiful and technically detailed review. Thank you 🙏
Thanks!
Thanks Keith your the go to guy for print info appreciate your uploads
Thanks - glad they are helpful!
I LOVE being told what I want to hear! ;) That and the varnishing my mostly dye ink prints tip you espouse make you a valuable RUclips contributor!
thanks
Thanks for that Keith, reinforced my decision to get the 8550. Happy New Year.
Excellent - both suit different needs well
Thank you, Keith, for your fine videos! Just received a P900 for the new year and this video just affirms that I made the right decision on this purchase!
Great - the lower ink cost of the p900 vs it's greater initial price (at normal retail cost) starts to come in once you've made a few hundred A3 prints - of course, you also get to print big ;-)
So thoughtful and informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge
Thanks
Brilliant review. Very clear and helpful advice.
Thanks - both printers have much more detailed reviews at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
I like that the extra Ink in the 8550 allows for some experimenting before running out to buy new ink , the p700 almost requires you to have a fresh set ready to go not long after setup , great review as always.
Thanks - that quick replacement with the P700 is not a welcome feature.
Darn fine, excellent review.
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent explanation, once again Keith. The ET-8550 is a great way to experiment and learn very cheaply.
Thanks - I've had lots of people ask about them and they do clearly suit different needs
I just received the ET-8550 and it has been fantastic! Another great video from Keith.
@@charlesramsay7987 Hi! may I ask what is your choice of paper? I tried the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 and the Matt Baryta 308 and I must say that I get two very fine lines on each long side of the print. Barely visible, but there for my eyes. Using the rear slot all is fine, except for a slight rotation of the print on paper. With 25mm border I get slightly unequal sides. Like the paper is not inserted straight. I will try the Epson Velvet Fine Art paper and some Canson as well. But it's a shame. Not sure if I should return it, even if I kidn of used much of the grey ink and half of the others. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!
AS is normal for Keith a well thought out and considered review full of facts on which you can base any purchase. The main problem with the SCP700 is the eye watering cost of the replacement cartridges currently around £230 for a set, while a full set of inks for the ET8550 is £85, for almost three times the amount of ink. The ink bottles on ET8550 being 70ml which the cartridges for the SCP700 contain only 25ml.
Yes, a distinct difference. I'm very curious to see the performance of the new ET-18100 (six ink photoprinter) when it appears
Once again Keith, thank you for an excellent review. I bought the ET 8550 and then got quite ill and have not been able to spend much time experimenting yet. I am a fine art /graphic artist working mostly in CorelDraw Suite, including Photo Paint for photo editing. Looking forward to experimenting with printing cards and art prints of my own watercolours as well. I have really learned a lot from recuperating with your videos.
Thanks - hope it goes well for you!
Very nice information as always from you Keith.
I have the ET-8550 but in Greece is L-8180 (European model) and I am more than happy with it. The printing costs is ridiculous. You can print just for fun! In compare with my Canon Pro 200 witch in print quality is better but the printing costs is way more higher than the quality difference in paper. More than happy with that Epson Keith and thank you again for all that video that you have made for us.
Thanks - There seems no obvious explanation for some of the model number differences
@@KeithCooper Yes I agree. Doesn't seem similar at all
Keith, as always an excellently produced and very informative video. I have to say the ET8550 is surprisingly good considering it’s limited ink range, the prints have plenty of punch. If I have one comment it would be for pastel shades the P700 appears to do a better job in terms of gradation and B&W prints are definitely better. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to translate into ease of parting with money paying for the cartridges.
Yes, I'd agree there.
The 8550 is one printer I've reviewed which in many ways 'over-delivered' from what I first thought I'd get - especially if you are careful with profiling and media selection.
Keith
As usual a very interesting and informative video. I am probably one of the few people around who owns both printers, I have to say that I am very pleased with both.
I would like to make the following points.
The cost difference for inks between the two printers is considerable. The 8550 ink costs are very low. The P700 cartridges are costly, and some (namely the light grey) seem to be used a lot. I also had difficulty getting the light grey cartridge earlier in the year.
Both printers take the normal papers weights up to A3+ without any problems. The P700 is better for poster board and card which is 300gsm and greater. I have not had any success with printing poster board from the 8550.
I have been supplied with ICC profiles from Fotospeed and Marrutt for both printers and those companies and of course Epson provide 13” roll papers.
Once again thanks for all of your interesting video’s and articles. Happy New year to you.
Thanks for noting that, and your observations.
The 8550 printing on board was definitely a 'just to see' experiment, whilst the P700 handles it just fine
Excellent information. I like to sum it up with, you can use dye based printers that make punchy beautiful prints that can change with exposure to sunlight, or you can use pigment printers that make washed out faded looking prints that last forever. I would love to use matte paper, but I can't get the color or contrast I want without using glossy.
Thanks - I like some of the newer baryta style papers for colour - that said I find gloss increasingly gets in the way as I get to larger [A2 and up] prints.
Very interesting comparison. In Thailand where I live, the ET-8550 isn't available, but a model called L1800 is. It's also an A3+ printer with large (80ml) ink tanks, but the inks are cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow and black. I'm probably buying a P903 (Asian version of the P900) for quality prints, but for clients who want very cheap prints where permanency isn't important, I might buy an L1800. The ink costs are just a fraction of the P903.
As a contrast, my current (cheap) A3+ printer, a Canon IX6870, has 11ml ink cartridges that cost 50% more than the 80ml bottles for the Epson. If only I had checked before I bought it...
I've noticed that both Canon and Epson's products do vary quite a bit by region - much like you can only get a white 8550 in the USA...
The scanner/printer combo's have a special advantage: the scanner is used to automatically calibrate the print heads.
Not that I've seen, with the 8550
Can you point to specific info covering this with the ET-8550?
Aw man I'm looking to get into photography and printing images as a business and I was searching for printers and guides to printing pictures and came across this video. You are the man Keith! Instant subscribe. Wealth of knowledge and a nice breakdown. From what you're saying it seems the P700 is the better choice if you're looking to sell your photos, frame them etc for sale. To get the best quality pictures, what type of paper do you suggest?
Thanks
Paper choices are very dependent on just what imagery you are printing. Best is rarely a term I'll use without a lot of caveats ;-)
Have a look at some of my videos about the business side of this, since that is the bit which is frequently underestimated by people looking to selling prints.
Hey Keith, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your hard and informative work, both with written reviews, but also your RUclips videos. Your calm and passionate way of explaining how things work is great.
I was on the fence buying a new, photo oriented printer and had a few models in mind, it was especially your work which helped me a lot with my decision. Yesterday I ordered an Epson ET-8550, I like the basic office functionality as I have only limited space available and don't want (need) a dedicated office printer. Since I am a complete beginner to photo printing, I think the ink tanks and their lower costs might encourage to print and experiment more. I also had the Canon G550 in mind, but it is very hard to get here in Germany and I actually want to try printing bigger than A4 in the long run.
I've got a question about paper though: I have been eyeing two different papers, Epson Premium Semigloss Photopaper and Epson Matte Paper-Heavy Weight - however both aren't being listed being compatible with the ET-8550. At least on Epson Germany's homepage not a single Epson paper type is listed as being compatible, they are though with the ET-7550. Are these still a decent choice or should I look elsewhere?
Thanks for that - glad it helped!
Both papers will work just fine, but need profiles - I don't know which ones are installed though although I've several similar in the ones I created for the review
Can I get used cameras for stills from Germany? I need nice one
Thanks Keith for taking the time to make all these videos, they are really helpful. I’ve been waiting ages for the Pro 200 and look like they may be available in January? I did some serious thinking on the P700 but what put me off was the cost of replacing the ink cartridges average £230 to replace a full set I don’t sell my photos. I only want to print photos when I need them and when I do I want good quality your reviews have really helped me. Epson have a maintenance container for excess ink, do Canon have something similar?
Thanks - The PRO-200 and 300 do not have a maintenance cart like the 700/900/8550
The Canon PRO-1000 does have such a cart.
Hi Keith, first of all THANX a lot for the outstanding review and comparision of the two printers. I am still in the process of getting an ink jet printer for my sepcial use. I need the printer for producing product labels which I want to look outstanding. The printer should use ink tank technology and it will be used to print on A4 sheets which are divided into smaller label sizes to get peeled off after the sheet has been printed.
I know there are cheap ink jet office printers using the ink tank technology, but I also know they are much slower and with 3 color inks plus 1 black (non pigment) the result of small text on the product labels, which also will have barcodes on them, might cause quality issues.
I also know there are special ink jet label printers for more than 2.000 GBP using special paper on rolls and expensive ink cartridges. Some years ago we had one of those printers which costs a lot for producing labels. We sold it after a while.
Do you have a suggestion if the ET 8500 (do not need A3 printing) or if a Canon or other brand might be the best choice for our print job?
Glad it was of interest!
The key to getting good labels is in the labels not the printer - Sorry, but with normal desktop printers, the printer choice [Canon/Epson] is almost irrelevant.
Find the right media and the 8550 [or smaller] is fine - wrong media - will look wrong on any of the sorts of printers I test.
The downside about this I'm afraid is I know almost nothing about labelling technologies..
@@KeithCooper thanx Keith, ok I will stick to the 8550 or the A4 version 8500 and experiment with the label papers.
Great videos. Very helpful information!
Thanks - glad it was of interest.
great comparison, thanks, i am still using my canon pro 9000 mk2, but am concidering upgrading to pigmenty inks. as someone that used dye vs pig inks since the begining, i think pigments have improved many times, sa have dye. i have deciede on Epson. and now need to chose dye vs pig. i will watch more of your vids, as even though i have been around, your insites are great, and very helpful...thanks
Thanks - if you've not seen them, do check the main [written] reviews - they always have more detail than the supplementary videos - also they get edited/updated/corrected over time
@@KeithCooper thanks for your reply. i sort of got out of printing, though i did it for a living, way back when (ran a lot of stuff for ogilvy & Mather, over 35 years) so am sort of out of the amazing tech changes that have been happening. your reviews are very good. i am leaning toward going with Pig inks, they are so much better than when i started. so thanks.
Excellent - if you've any specific queries, just email me at Northlight?
Thank you sooo much for comparing 2 printers next to each other. I am always wondering such comparisons.... between 17 inch ones...starting with the 900 ....
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much. Yes best printer it depends. But how do know the quality of the print. Only specialist like you can help. Thanks a lot Have great new year.
Thanks - I do like both, so a lot depends of actually know what it is that matters to you
@@KeithCooper I am finding myself printing color on glossy Epson papers more than anything else. The ET-8550 has been fantastic. I have also gotten some very good quality scans from the scanner. You review helped me to select the ET-8550.
I bought Epson L8180 (ET8550) here in Est EU 3 months ago. Already printed +3 k color sheets , half of them are photos (only glossy). Not using oryginal Epson paper, but 3rd party ones, due to low costs. Need to profile paper i'm using to get better color reproduction - that's for sure. Epson gives 300 years garantee for photos printed with Epson Claria 115 series INKs (114 INK are designed for ET8550) if kept in album. I also did some prints on CDs/DVDs which looks nice. Frequently i'm laminating A3 photos (operation which you can see on my profile poor videos, i have 2 or 3 of them) . Overall i'm happy (except those pizza wheel marks on +180g/m2 papers but i will figure it out). Thanks for this video and cheers from Poland.
Thanks - glad it's been of help!
please share....were you doing sheet fed from the tray? if so how well does it handle the paper ( picking and feeding ) thank you in advance !
Interesting. Can you tell us what papers have worked for you.
@Kevin Duffy Oh I'm sorry. Forgotten to say I'm laminating my photos so that after 300 years people can see our stories
Kevin do You think any optical drive (clouded maybe) will last 300 years?
Hey Keith, at 20:40 of this video you mention that you can use 2 black colors (dye and pigment) in the ET8550 if you use certain media settings. You can write more about it. Thanks
yes, it's all covered in the main [written] 8550 review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
i have an ET 7750, and I'm sick of it. It keeps getting smears and lines sometimes, I only use genuine ink. I also have the SC 600, and that printer is great and always reliable every time. I'm going to buy the SC 700 next, thank you for the excellent review
Glad it was of help.
If you've not seen it, there is more detail in the main [written] review for the P700
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-sc-p700-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper Thank you, Keith,
Thank you very much for this video Keith ! I am exactly in the doubt about choosing the 8550 or the P700. I come from an old Epson Photo 1400 (with dye color inks) which I want to replace. I must admit that I think the 8550 seems to produce much less expensive prints than the P700... I don't know if I could be disapointed by the 8550 compare to the 1400 since the 1400 have 6 colors (one black, 2 magenta and 2 cyan, light and normal, plus yellow). Do you know how does it compare to the 8550 ?
Think of the 8550 grey plus the three colour inks as matching the light magenta and light cyan - this is one of those cases where the number of inks means nowhere near as much as you might assume.
The CMYKGy dyes should be better than the 1400, and when you add the pigment black (used with art papers) the ink mix distinctly exceeds the 1400 I'd suggest
This video gave me some insight to the new printer I just purchased; the Epson ET 8550. I would just like to know, where can I find the other reviews you have done on the Epson ET 8550?
All listed here
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
I am enjoying watching your printer videos! Thanks for taking the time to explain things so eloquently. I'm looking for a printer that prints beautiful artwork on regular 28 lb paper. I make educational homeschool workbooks and such that include a lot of art study with fine art paintings and I just want the art to print beautifully and look high quality! But I'm not sure a fine art printer will suit my needs for document printing. I've been scouring the Internet for information and I still feel lost! Any chance you could point me in the right direction? :)
Ah - a problem... 28lb means nothing outside of the US ;-)
Any inkjet printer only gives good photo results on paper intended for inkjet use. Whenever I hear a term like 'regular paper' I'm primed to expect sub-par results I'm afraid...
The 8550 may be a good compromise, but you need to speak to a specialist paper supplier like Red River, in your country
Since the Photoblack is pigment based and the other onces are dye based, is it possible for special projects to exclude the photoblack in settings?
Not usually - not unless you are able to write a specialist printer driver ;-)
However ... [for the 8550] if you choose the EMatte media setting then dye black is used only, whilst the VFA setting uses both
This is discussed in the main [written] 8550 review...
Hello Cooper, very good video!
Cooper just bought that printer and I'm realizing that the gray color is not printing, the tank of that color is still intact after many prints, unlike the others that have lowered their level, and when performing the nozzle test I only get It prints 5 colors, the gray color is missing, I have already done cleaning and I cannot solve the problem, do you have any suggestions for me?
New faulty printer - it gores back to Epson... no other option
[BTW It's Keith - nobody has called me 'Cooper' since I was at school]
Thanks for the amount of effor tyou put into these reviews. I have been eyeing both of these. I am a generative artist and looking into selling prints. My work has a color in it, some solid and some with heavy gradients. Would you lean towards the SC P700?
What is 'generative' in this context?
The P700, with good profiles, and media choice, will hit a wider range of colours, and for sales purposes, will be 'pigment ink'
@@KeithCooper that is what I figured. All my work is code based va photography. I usually start with an idea and use different algorithms to generate a composition.
Hello Colin. I have been in the photography industry all my life. I am now retired and make Decco posters for my pleasure. My Epson 4800 has 'conked out' after 15 years of faithful service; I'm looking to replace it only to A3+ size. The 8550 looks good but would it give me the vibrancy I am used to with the 4800. My best combination was Permajet Museum Heritage 310gsm with Epson OEM ink and a Permajet profile. Guess you will say try and see. I'm not looking to go high end but as close as possible.
Collin? ;-)
A P900 is much closer to the 4800, and hence the P700 if you need A3+
See my (written) 8550 review for specific coverage about performance on art papers and profiling. Yes, it can give very good results but it's all about paper choice.
@@KeithCooper Sorry must be the keyboard, positive I wrote Keith. Many thanks, you are very helpful.
Amazing vids Keith, I’m looking to buy a p700 can you use the p900 ink cartridges in p700? When I’ve been looking some places sell the same inks as p700/p900
Thanks
Unfortunately Epson have different carts for each printer :-(
@@KeithCooper ok thank you very much for quick reply thank goodness i never went and bought p900 ink its pricy
Hi Keith, thanks for the reviews and videos. As a home user sifting through the vast sea of information about photo inkjet printers, I wonder if you could speak to the ET-8550's gamut and Dmax, understanding paper choice is part of the equation. I'm not asking about raw numbers per se, but rather real world performance.
For context, I learned photography when film was king, have kept my B&W darkroom alive in various capacities, but miss color prints, am trying to return to that. I'm mostly happy with results I get from Lightjet Fujiflex / Maxima / Crystal Archive / some Kodak RA-4 papers, but the process of finding a good lab and dialing one's color management workflow in is tedious and costly. Particularly difficult prints can take several tries to get perfect, which is expensive with a paper like Fujiflex.
The idea of owning a photo quality inkjet printer is quite attractive in terms control and immediacy. In terms of absolute quality, size and price per ml, I'd like a P900 or Pro 1000, but I'm almost certainly not going to have the throughput necessary to avoid ink waste in terms of cleaning cycles to keep the print head healthy. This is where the ET-8550 seems very attractive. Yes, it's dye based, but if I'm understanding you, others correctly, in terms of print longevity, it's roughly on par with quality RA-4 prints and dye is particularly good for vibrant colors, achieving "glow" similar to Fujiflex. The 8550 also seems attractive in that dye inks are purportedly less prone to clogging. Beyond that, the lower ink cost means a cleaning cycle or a weekly "health print" regimen is less painful to the pocket-book unless there are "gotchas" I'm not aware of.
Roughly speaking, would it be fair to say the 8550 can at least match, if not exceed high quality RA-4 paper's color space/volume and would be a solid choice for someone who isn't looking to produce gallery quality prints at home? I'd leave that job to professionals. How dramatic is the "real world" gamut difference between the 8550 and P-series using paper well suited to the printer? I don't envision using a printer for much if any of my B&W work at this time; I'm happy with the "wet" process.
It sounds like the 8550 would be a good fit for my needs, but of course things are often not as simple as they seem. For what it's worth, I worked for a lab when RA-4 prints were 100% optical and dinosaurs roamed the Earth; I'm not averse to tinkering.
Thanks
Have you read the actual [written] reviews as well? - there is vastly more in my written stuff than the videos ;-) You will see some numbers there, although you'll also see why I never quote dmax or gamut volumes ;-)
The 8550 is a very good printer (with the right profiles)
As to differences between the printers (on good papers) - there's a good reason I have to write what the prints were printed on, on the back...
@@KeithCooper Hi, yes I read the write-ups on the this, a few other 8550 entries you did. The tough part is finding gamut info about RA-4 papers to perform even a rough comparison, but given what I know in general about "Giclee" vs chromogenic, it sounds like any modern inkjet photo printer should be able to beat the wet process. I suspect the conspicuous lack of Lambda / Lightjet / RA-4 paper info is by design.
Honestly, you told me what I need to know - the 8550 vs high end pigment printers are so close (even if a little different) it's splitting hairs.
Mainly, I want to have a chance at producing shadow detail in color images without blocking up badly. I'm a weirdo who still uses an RB67 mainly for B&W/wet prints, but I like what can be extracted from 6x7 Ektar 100 negatives with a 48 bit, 3200 dpi scanner, particularly evening, night shots. I'd be using this printer with dslr
images as well.
Now, if I could only find an 8550 in stock somewhere!
Thanks - the real key issues for the 8550 are paper choices and profile quality. Get those right (and a solid edit workflow) and it's capable of very good results.
I've no experience at all of RA-4 so can't really make any meaningful comparisons I'm afraid.
@@KeithCooper As I think about it, my favorite RA-4 paper is Fujiflex. The qualities are unique; it's a glossy polyester base with striking colors that almost glow like the picture is back-lit. If I could pull that off with an inkjet printer, I'd be ecstatic. Fujiflex is beautiful, but as c-prints go, rather expensive.
Is it fair to assume a dye printer is the right choice for that job? Are there inkjet papers that have a quality? Metal paper is in the same league, but you can tell it's metal. The polyester base of Fujiflex looks like light shining at you.
If there's a better choice printer that has a chance at producing *that* kind of print, I'd greatly appreciate your feedback. I have no quibbles about putting in the effort if there's a reasonable chance I can manage to produce the kind of prints I described above.
Thanks
in which case look at my coverage of the metallic papers - they excel on dyes. Some look metallic, but some have that luminosity
www.northlight-images.co.uk/permajet-titanium-gloss-300-metallic/
I used it on the 8550 and for the right sorts of image it was excellent
See the examples about 3/4 through
www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-200-printer-review/
Hello Keith. I'd like to print and bind my own books/journals (which includes color drawings I make on my iPad). I am considering purchasing the et 8550, but after watching your video, I am concerned that dye ink will fade over the years. Will it? If I print using the et 8550, will I no longer be able to see my printed journals in 60-70 years?
Thanks
Choose good paper and they should outlive you. That will have more relevance than the printer ;-)
Oh, and save the digital files...
Hi Keith,
I wonder if you have any tips on reducing the visibility of pin wheel marks uxing the et 8550? Im using glossy photo paper at 260 gsm. I have played with settings but cant reduce this. It seems the spring on the rollers is just too tight?
Also i was wondering if you knew what the grey lever on the side of the print head is for with the + and - scale on.
Thanks in advance
The only alteration I've heard of was to weaken the springs - but obviously I couldn't try that on Epson's printer ;-)
As to the lever - I don't know - I never noticed it. I'll ask Epson when I'm back
@@KeithCooper thank you, how would i go about loosening the springs? Ive also seen videos of people removing the front rollers completely for dtf printing. I thought this may work do you have any thoughts on that?
Ah, when not my printer, I avoid taking them apart ;-)
ANSWER: I'm told the mystery +- lever is the head slant adjustment - used in factory setup and most definitely not something to touch ;-)
Thank you so much for your very informative video. Question: I will be setting up a photo booth for the Christmas holiday with Santa, we will be selling individual pics of Santa with the kids.... The pics will be printed immediately after they are taken. Speed is important, the quality of the pic is important, but speed is even more important as the price point is very low. Which printer do you suggest? How long does it take to print a pic with the 8550 vs. the P700? Thanks again for your help!
You need to read the detailed specs from Epson - it's not a feature of printers I ever test in any detail
Prints are cheaper to make on a printer like the 8550
Are the Claria inks in the 8550 the same as those in the Epson XP15000?
The 8550 has a mixed ink set of dyes with a pigment black - different to the xp15k
Hi Keith, really great videos. I'm still unsure what printer to get. I'm in the process of setting up a website offering a pet portrait service digitally recreating photos and turning them into the style
of watercolour. I'll be printing on to paper that mostly resembles watercolour paper such as textured hahnemuhle paper or tintoretto gesso at least 300gsm going up to size A3. I'm basically wanting my prints to look as close to watercolour paintings as I can. So what do you advise the ET 8550 or SC P700 or is there a better printer than these two for roughly the same price? I'm really unsure. Let me know if you would like to see the website so you get a better idea of what I'm doing. I was going to put the website on here but wasn't sure if I have permission to mention websites on here.
If you are selling prints you may want to emphasise using pigment inks? See some of my 'selling prints/business videos'
The two are not really in the same league from a print quality POV, if that matters?
Cheap ink - if it matters, consider what that says about your market and profitability?
Printer choice is driven by the business needs ;-)
I'm afraid posts with links are automatically blocked as an anti spam precaution...
@@KeithCooper Hi Keith, thanks very much. I'll have a look into the pigment inks and I'll check out the videos you mentioned.
Hi, Before anything else I would like you to know how much I so appreciate your videos. _Thanks for posting them. I am considering to purchase a printer ( A3 ) - either for the cost and for the dimensions I was considering either the Canon Pro-200 or the Epson ET-8550 - both dye ink . . . and here come the question : provided that it is obvious that Dye ink will never produce archival prints but. . . is it so bad regarding the life duration? As I said cost it is an important matter .
Thanks in advance - best regards - Mauro
two very different printers in their features... The 8550 has a pigment black (see details in my main [written] reviews.
Properly looked after and on good paper, the prints could outlive most people I know :-)
Very interesting ! Do you have an idea of the print area in color or black and white in inch 2 according to you for the scp-700 and the et-8550? Tanks.
Sorry, I don't understand the question?
hi @@KeithCooper : what printing surface can I consider?
Nope - still not sure what it is you want to know?
@@KeithCooper Sorry if i'm not enough precise . I try again. With the ten 25 ml ink cartridges what printing surface can we consider, this for estimate the cost by surface unit production ? ( V ink/square feet )
Ah - cost of printing.
I don't do the sort of testing that gives meaningful numbers for this, see here for some estimates
www.redrivercatalog.com/rr/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html
The 8550 is likely to be rather cheaper, but I don't know of anywhere that has worked out the exact details yet.
Between the two, the 8550 is more likely to be the choice of people who value cheapness over quality... ;-)
I've been trying to find out where I can dispose of my SC-700 empty cartridges without just sending them to landfill. Any help appreciated.
In the UK Epson will take them back - I believe you can contact them to arrange it
More info
epson-recycling.cycleon.eu/en/home
@@KeithCooper thanks will try again.
Keith, Thanks much for the helpful video. Just a quick question: I have the impression that pigment ink printers are more prone to clogging than dye inks... is that true? If so that would be an advantage for the 8550. Thanks again! Robert
An impression... careful there, there is a lot of 'perceived wisdom' in this field ;-) :-)
With current printers, I've no evidence of this being a significant issue -by the way, the 8550 has a pigment black...
@@KeithCooper Oh yes, right, pigment black. I asked because I've seen several reviews of people complaining that the P700 clogs a lot unless you use it constantly. I think I'll buy the 8550 based largely on your info. Unfortunately the 8550 is currently unavailable in the US (shipping problems, I think). I called Epson and they assured me more are coming but couldn't say when. Thanks again very much.
I'm wary of commenting too much on this aspect of printer use, since I don't get printers long enough to draw meaningful conclusions, and there is a lot of misinformation out there ;-)
@@KeithCooper Thanks again :)
oh, you mentioned execelent print layout software? i did a quick google, and nothing came up. is there a site? lor something? thanks again. have not been printing much lately, but am getting back into it. many things are "new" to me these days. can not be away from tech, without being left behind.
It's 'Epson Print Layout' - a free download from Epson sites
Excellent video. I'm leaning toward the P700. The ink is scary expensive. I'm having trouble finding out just how long new cartridges last. That, of course, depends on what one is printing. Might you have any idea how many 8 1/2 x 11 prints one can expect?
Thanks - not info I can help with. My testing is very varied and over a limited period, giving no reliable data
But see here for a guide [you'll have to reverse engineer the numbers to some extent]
www.redrivercatalog.com/rr/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html
@@KeithCooper In your opinion, is the p700 overkill for wanting to produce all-weather vinyl decals for sale? I'm not ready for a true wide format printer that costs thousands. I'm looking for a printer that will closest produce the truest blacks and e.g. vibrant (neon-like) greens.
P.S. The ET-2850 eco tank is a disappointment when printing black and white images. More of a dark muddy gray color.
The 700, like any inkjet I've reviewed is pretty useless for "all-weather vinyl decals" -especially for sale!
Sorry - any prints simply won't last - if the inks even take on the media.
The 2850 is just not up to good B&W
Sorry, such signage uses need different inks...
@@KeithCooper Thanks. Good to know. Does all-weather outdoor printable vinyl require different machines and inks?
@@russbales43 Yes - typically solvent based inks, although there are other ink technologies. Not one of the photo/art printers I've reviewed would work for this
Forgot to ask , did it say how many prints you’d get out of the P700 (I estimate 1100 5% and 55 full A3 prints from the 25ml )
No idea I'm afraid - I do such a variety of prints and testing, that I get no meaningful data in this respect...
See here and doing the maths is my best estimate ;-)
www.redrivercatalog.com/rr/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html
I just sold my canon 100 pro as it was bankrupting with ink costs. Is the Epson comparable in print quality given the right media?
There is no real Epson/Canon comparison - both are equally capable of good prints with good media and colour management.
If ink costs are important then the 8550 is way cheaper than a PRO-100
How much ink does the P700 use for cleaning cycles if i not use it regularly, lets say i have times i do not print for 2-3 weeks?
I've not seen any reliable information for this - it would take exceptional patience to find out with any degree of accuracy...
@@KeithCooper First of all i need to go to our local photo store and see wether i like matte fine art prints or i stick with luster or glossy papers (which i also barely know, but i would say they´re just more common). If my decision will be towards matte paper then i better go with pigment inks... It is just a more expensive hobby then.. (When not printing on a regular basis).
My ET-8550 output tray tries to open but fails. My output tray retracts properly. When I try to get it open on its own, it comes out about 1 inch then retracts. Any suggestions ?
sounds like a hardware issue - does it come out properly for larger sheets of paper?
If it can be pulled out and the printer works, it depends if it's still under warranty as to whether it matters to get it fixed?
@@KeithCooper My computer was about a week old when I made the comment. It seems to be working now. Thanks for your attention tho.
Is the ET-8550 still a good choice today? Any other interesting printers in the same market segment?
Today? Of course... new printers at this level don't appear at the frequency of new phones ;-)
P700 PRO-300 are worth looking at (see my detailed [written] reviews).
Which one matches the colours on screen better, I have a echo tank , but the yellow ochre colour comes out as an orange.
It depends... No printer matches screens... there is no 'better' here ;-)
It's all about using the right icc profiles and colour management of your print workflow.
The P700 has a wider availability of profiles for papers, and more inks which can in some circumstances give a wider range of colours on some media.
The 8550 is much more solidly aimed at the 'consumer' market...
@@KeithCooper the problem is it’s an iPad Pro with the DCI-P3 unfortunately it doesn’t have a lot of options for printing , especially when trying to print the colours on screen to match.
@@lasarith2 I'll be honest and say that iPads are of no use whatsoever when it comes to printing of any fidelity or quality.
They are aimed at a market which has no need, desire or understanding of colour management - and I say that as a Mac user since 1987
By all use one for convenience and if you like the software, but give up on reliable printing, without exporting files to a 'real' computer ;-)
@@KeithCooper I had a feeling you’d say something like that, I’m going to ask the guys at apple (whenever after new year) what they suggest 🤷🏼♂️ anyway thanks for the replays 🙂 and have a great 2023. 🎉
Thanks I'd really like to know how they explain away the printing 'features' of such devices...
Perhaps time for me to mischievously nip into the local Apple store and ask ;-)
SC P700 It is a great printer, but its inks are very expensive. Can the inks be refilled? Is the cost of printing more expensive than 8550? thank you
No refills - you want more ink in carts, buy a bigger printer ;-)
Higher quality printers do not have refills and 3rd party ink is not something I'd ever consider.
See P900 costs at
www.redrivercatalog.com/rr/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html
8550 is probably cheaper, but not aimed at higher quality.
If you're looking even at refills then quality is obviously not that important, so 8550 is a cheaper option.
But neither are production printers - depends on print volume.
@@KeithCooper thank you . this was very helpful
picture quality who is the winner? did you print the same photo so we can see the difference?
The 700 is my choice, but it's a vastly better printer in many [but not all] respects - all pigment ink.
The title says 'best printer' because that's what people want to see - I see it as my 'job' to try and explain why the real answer is 'it depends'. Some just want easy answers - if so my videos are aimed at a different audience I'm afraid ;-)
You would not see a difference on video unless one was faulty or had the wrong profile/media. Sure I could 'fix' it so that one 'looked' better, but that would be a fake - real differences are far to subtle for a medium like this.
I keep getting the masking from Photoshop show up on my prints but ONLY while printing and NOT in my export files. Really frustrating!
What sort of masking and what format of export files?
@@KeithCooper masking in photoshop and exporting files in PNG. Not sure if it’s my printer settings.
Yes - but masking in what way? - Masked adjustment layers?
Is the PNG export not including layers - do things show when exported as a jpeg?
Did anyone here try the 8180 with hahnemuehle paper? Did you get good results?
Whats an 8180?
@@KeithCooper sorry, I wrote it in a hurry. Here, at least in Romania, the printer ET 8550 is being sold as L8180. same printer, different naming
I have tried some and it works fine with profiles - the baryta types are in general the worst performing papers on the 8550
@@KeithCooper good to know, you saved me some money and time. Thank you!
Thanks again for your informative videos! Sendt you a mail, want to buy som profiles for ET 8550.
Did you send it to me at Northlight Images - I've not seen anything?
See the email address at www.northlight-images.co.uk/contact/
it works better than the contact form ;-)
@@KeithCooper Hi, sendt you a new mail, maybe it ended up as spam again? Send it at Northlight Images.
very good indeed it best print test sheet off and send it paper company to get profiles many thanks colin
Yes many paper supply companies will offer custom profiling if you buy paper