Making fine art prints on an Epson EcoTank ET-2850? - can art paper work well with just four inks?
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Can you make good quality prints on art papers with the Epson ET-2850 EcoTank printer? With only four inks. How a good printer profile can help, along with how to use Epson's free EPL software.
Using Epson Print Layout to print bordered and borderless matt prints on different papers. How thick paper can you use and still feed into the A4 sized ink-tank printer.
Part of Keith's upcoming ET-2850 printer review
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I print black and white prints for my infrared pictures. Black and white. Absolutely perfect with NO colour casts. I am so pleased.
Excellent - there is always an element of chance with a printer like this, but when it works well...
I have this printer and ran glossy paper through, selected meduym glossy paper in properties and turned off high speed printing, and the colors came out really good.
Yes, it can manage very reasonable results, for a relatively basic printer.
I am considering to buy the 2850 and I am very pleased with your extensive videos about it. Thanks a lot for that !
Thanks - if you've not seen it, do check the main [written] review as well
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Hello Keith, yeah, I have taken a look at your written review as well. Very good and extensive overview!
I still have a question and I can't find any good info on it.
As I understand it, the 2820 uses 4 colors (so including black also, since it is a dye ink, not a pigment ink).
I am wondering now: doesn't that make the 2820 a printer with a better print quality?
I don't need an expensive photo printer, but I sure do appreciate good and deep colors, so i wondered how you see this?@@KeithCooper
@@rolfvansoelen8916 The key with the 2850 is the paper selection and also the media setting used.
I'll admit that just because I could produce photo pics of a reasonable standard, I'd not do so by choice - but that's just me
Hi I saw your post and as I have recently bought the printer I thought I would give you some early perspective. Physical setup via the instruction card worked fine including ink filling. However initialisation of the inks stopped in the middle of process using the so called helpful app. Unsure of the next step and how to get out of it I rang technical support (uk). Nightmare! An Indian or Asian call centre with a support person who could hear me but with an very loud office noise in the background making communication very difficult (phonetically spelling many words). What was worse, was the nonsensical advice given ie try to prints me documents, even though I clearly said the ink initialisation process was stuck. Eventually I was was asked to hold while colleagues were consulted and of course was cut off. For reference I solved the issue by terminating the app process and starting the process via the control panel which completed OK. Installation. Was then fine and no issues encountered so far although I haven't tried art print yet using Keith's advice
@@Ivorberry Hi, thanks for your write-up. In the meantime, I have the 2820 now. Costs 1/5 less than the 2850, but also has 4 dye-colors, meaning that color prints are build with RGB+black, rather than only RGB. I had no problems with the install procedure at all, it all works fine (so far).
What a great channel!!!!!!
I've watched videos today for about an hour and I've learned so much. Very informing and interesting!
Thanks - glad to have been of interest.
Because YT is rather poor at indexing content I have a categorised index of all my videos at: www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/
Since there are now over 500, I have to check it myself every so often ;-)
I own the ET-2820, which is very similar but has dye based black ink instead of pigment, and no duplex unit.
I quite like the prints on Epson premium glossy paper, which are most sunlight resistant of my tests (but not as good as lab prints on Fuji photo paper).
Yes, the mix of inks do affect what works well.
Thank you, I have thought that I might try an Eco-tank printer. My Epson higher end printer died quite some time ago, but was really good with it's multiple inkset.
The 2850 is not very 'high end' from the POV of available inks...
It's an office printer which with care [profiles and media selection] can produce some OK results - I took it testing as a challenge ;-)
The 8500/8550 are much better.
Appreciate the walkthrough and sample prints on different papers!
I'm about to buy this printer for stickers, good to know it would work for some fine art prints as well.
Thanks - I'd just note that It will only work with some specific media for stickers.
Test carefully - many papers sold will not let the ink dry properly.
@@KeithCooper Good to know Keith, thanks again!
Which printer you get for stickers?
Thanks for the video Keith - I recently bought this printer and was about to send it back because it seemed to be printing images rather "soft" and not very crisp. (not that I was expecting art printer results). I was very surprised to hear you say use the "Matte" setting even for glossy stock or else it won't utilize black ink. That seems like a strange thing but it definitely helped to the pull the image up and out of the haze and the colors are more accurate. I've had numerous Epson printers in the past, including fine art ones and never came across this situation. Also, wasn't able to get Epson Print Layout to find the printer. Thanks
Thanks - this is one of those printers where I took it as a personal challenge to get some passable looking prints ;-) The four ink mix is really aimed at document printing.
It is not one I'd choose for photos if given a chance.
For EPL are you using a Mac?
@@KeithCooper Thanks for the reply Keith - yeah I'm using a Mac powerbook - old one - kind of like yours which has an ancient version of Photoshop - CS3 I believe. I wasn't expecting any great shakes out of the 2850 but was really struggling to get a sharp enough image on my first attempts. The "Matte" selection seems to get me to "acceptable" for a low cost 3 color printer. Is the "not using black" on the other settings a new thing? This is the first epson I've bought in several years and don't remember that issue previously.
On the Mac, do you have the AirPrint driver selected? [see the main (written) review] This stops EPL finding the printer
This is a 'Home office printer' hence the ink mix - this is not a printer really aimed at photo printing (not with three inks used it isn't)
@@KeithCooper Yes I do see in the system preferences under printers and scanners, it says Location / Kind 2850 Series Airprint
Yes - that's why it's not working properly. The Airprint driver causes all sorts of things not to work properly
Delete the printer - go to Epson.sn and follow the installation settings carefully.
It is easy to get this wrong - I've done it by mistake ;-)
Hello Keith. Thanks so much for all these videos, I find them fascinating and also quite soothing!!! (Keith's talking about printing and all's well with the world...) Anyway, I felt I had to chip in on this one because I have an Epson ET-3600 (4 inks, black pigment ink and cyan, magenta, yellow DYE-based ink) and an Epson SC-P900 (10 inks, all pigment).
I've recently started printing out artwork that's been scanned in via a CCD 12"x17" scanner (specifically for scanning art), in 2 formats - prints and greetings cards.
I first tried the greetings cards in the Ecotank because obviously that would be cheap as chips inkwise. But the quality wasn't good enough. I never considered doing prints on it, I'm using the 900 for that.
The difference between the print detail, colour matching etc between what comes out of the Ecotank and what comes out of the 900 is night and day. The prints I'm getting out of the 900 are superb. Prints out of my ET don't meet my standards for even greetings cards. I'm now doing the greetings cards on the 900, which feels like complete overkill for what is essentially ephemeral. This has been my experience with these 2 machines.
Sorry this is so long... But the deal-breaker reason that I bought the 900 is because of the pigment inks. Dye-based ink is extremely fugitive (especially magenta), so even if I could achieve the quality necessary on the ET (which I can't), I would never sell them as "fine art prints" because they will fade quickly (depending on light levels, obviously), but you could be looking at a print that's starting to look more and more green after as little as a year. The pigment ink in the 900, on the other hand, lasts several hundred years (under museum conditions), so I feel happy that I'm selling something that has some longevity - in a normal bright room probably 50-100 years.
Because these are prints of oil paintings etc, it's crucial to me that the prints match as closely as possible colour-wise (and value-wise - contrast etc) to the original works. The colours etc on my ET just don't match well enough - only 4 inks. The colours on my 900 match exactly (10 inks).
So my experience is that No you can't make "fine art prints" on an ET - you can make prints, but I think it would be a bit deceptive to call them "fine art"... I wouldn't feel happy, personally doing that. You could make greetings cards, if you're not too picky, and the fading of the picture wouldn't be an issue, because cards generally aren't kept, but when they are, they tend to be put away in a drawer out of the light.
This has been my experience - I need great detail, perfect colourmatching etc, and longevity. My ET doesn't meet these requirements. However, mileage may vary, and of course, other people may have different requirements and experiences.
Thanks again for all your uploads. Best wishes, Mel :)
Yes, the 3600 will likely have the same issues as seen in the 2580 - it's better than many would think, on the right matte media and with good custom profiling [get those wrong and it can be dire] The impermanence of the Magenta is far more likely media related than the actual ink.
I should have the full et-2580 review ready for Sunday, and a video to go with it.
I also have an et-8500 here to test and that should be much better - the et-8550 is perfectly good for matte and glossy prints.
Of course, I use the term 'fine art' slightly tongue in cheek, since it's purely a marketing term, with no more relevance than the totally spurious "Giclee" ;-)
@@KeithCooper I'm looking forward to the reviews coming up. I'm not in the market for buying another printer at the mo (need a bigger house!), but it's always interesting to hear about the features etc.
About the fading magenta and media - I did a year long light fastness test 8 pictures printed on Epson Archival Matte, one set printed on Ecotank, one set printed on 900. After a year, I could compare them with the strips I'd put away in a folder in a drawer. The 900 was perfect. No change that I could discern. The Ecotank print (on the same media) had faded significantly, with the loss of magenta tones (like red) the worst, so that the hue was shifted.
This is what I would expect because in the art world, the impermanence of dyes is well known. Watercolours are very sensitive to light, so the whole lightfastness thing is of prime importance. Dye based watercolours are completely fugitive. Alcohol markers use dyes and are extremely fugitive. It's a well known issue in art the whole dyes vs. pigments.
So I would say it is the dyes (as opposed to permanent pigments), not the media that causes the fading. This is why I bought the 900 - it's pigment based, non-fading.
Have you ever talked about Limited Edition prints, and open edition prints? If not, perhaps the topic can be added to the requests list? :)
Thanks for that - I'd not seen any testing of these specific dye inks and as I always say - An actual experiment always trumps what you've heard... ;-)
Ah - limited editions...
Here, we are getting into the art market, so what works [or not] here in the UK may be completely different elsewhere.
It also depends so much on your particular product, that I'd be very hesitant to make any suggestions one way or another.
My personal view is that I've never had the fame/marketing/sales to consider limited editions as a way of increasing revenue/value/prestige.
It's something which needs considering from a purely marketing perspective, even if you say otherwise in explaining/presenting/selling it to customers ;-)
@@KeithCooper Okey dokey. :)
I'll have a think about this some more, so it's definitely on the list ;-)
I've just bought an Epson ET-2850, to replace my 12 year old HP Photosmart Premium which I had been using with an CISS system. The main use of the epson will be basic home use, but those photo prints look good :-)
Thanks - there's more info in the main [written] review, including the icc profiles I created
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Thanks Keith very interesting and as a photographer useful
Glad it was helpful! Definitely a printer which I accepted as a challenge ;-)
Very helpful video, exactly what I was looking for! Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Keith! Another really helpful video. I have the et 2820 and found that if I want to print on a watercolour textured paper, the bockingford inkjet paper works beautifully. It’s a subtle texture but slightly less dense than some papers I’ve tested. I paint on the bockingford non inkjet paper so it works well for me. Might be helpful for other viewers to know too?
Yes, but not a paper I've ever seen. I suspect the WC250 profile [from the main review] would work fine with it.
@@KeithCooper if you ever get the opportunity to try it, do. It’s from St Cuthberts Mill in Somerset.
Hello friend,
First, great video.
I wanted to ask, i am trying to print a photo on an epson glossy 4x6… it comes out very doll very “dead” and lifeless.
I tried everything, now that i came across your video here, i see that you mentioned that this printer is not meant for glossy paper really…
Do you think if i change to the matt paper i will get more colourful results?
The results you are showing here are not even close to what i got with the glossy paper.
Thank you so much for your kind help in that.
Thanks - Have a look at the main [written review], it discusses media and ink options, and the profiling I did
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Thank you! A very useful video. I have noticed too that it's better to push the paper in the beginning a little, if it is thicker. Glad to hear that it is ok to do so. I have Epson Print Layout but it doesn't show Epson ET for some reason, only Epson Surecolor. I mean the software seams not to recognize Epson Ecotank printer/driver. I wonder what's the problem then?
Is it a Mac - have you got the AirPrint driver installed by mistake?
@@KeithCooper No, I have a PC. Maybe that's why it doesn't work with Ecotank? I've downloaded the software from Epson site.
That's odd - I'd suggest asking on the printer forum at DPReview.com
Oh, and do a check for new firmware ?
I'm having the same issue. Windows won't detect my ET-3850 printer, even though the official drivers are installed and the firmware has been updated. Site says it only supports Surecolor printers, which is a bit of a disappointment.
Hi Keith, having just acquired the printer and as a photographer trying to follow your instructions. I would add the following comments to maybe help people in same position as me. I have an old imac running monterrey
1 the epson print layout app is not in the app store and needs to be downloaded from epson site and I took some time to find it
2 having downloaded it, it refused to recognise the printer. This is because the setup I followed auto installed as an airprint printer. The app will not work with this.
I therefore had to download the drivers, delete the printer definition on the mac and create a new one with airprint not enabled. The app then recognises the printer and worked very well.
3 trying to print a photo from the iphone app was a nightmare. It looked fine and I elected to print on a4, but it persistently started printing then stop and said my a4 defined in the app was different from what was installed in the printer. I then tried setting the control panel to matt, which I thought would work but it then required more fiddling around with that awful tiny panel before I eventually got a print which was not great.
My hope was that I could avoid using control panel by the epson iphone app or imac printer settings, but apparently not. I hate that control panel with a passion as you said its very small and changing settings is a pain. It is a throwbook to 10 years ago.
The good news is that printing from the epson print app produced great results which I was very happy with. It will do fine for a few club competition prints. I used some canon matt 170gm paper.
Thanks again for your videos, very helpful
Glad to help - thanks for the info
For anyone seeing this - please note that my videos are usually supplements to my main written reviews, in this case:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Thank you so much for this. I like to do watercolor paintings using Procreate and if I could use watercolor paper in the printer that would be great, especially since I’m seriously considering the Epson ET-2850. It seems like it’s a great printer and certainly easier on the budget when it comes to buying ink. Terrific video!
I'd suggest that the ET-2850 is more a general purpose home office printer.
However, I created reasonable looking prints with custom icc profiles
See my actual review for a discussion of this...
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper Thank you so much for this. I went to your website and read your review. It’s so thorough, you really did a lot of testing to understand the capabilities and limitations of this printer. I’m more of a “craft” as opposed to “fine” artist so with your tips I think the ET-2850 might be just right for me. Thank you again. PS: I subscribed to both your channel & newsletter.
Thanks - if you need the profiles listed, just drop me an email
@@KeithCooper Thank you and I may take you up on that offer. I have never used ICC profiles so it will be fun an interesting to learn something new.
Very good review. Would this be a good printer for a graphic designer printing vector artwork? I.e Logos, solid blocks of colour and text or am I better off with a photo printer? The manufacturer's sales chat isn't very helpful! I am looking between this ET-2850 and a Canon PIXMA iP8750 (a3)
I don't know the 8750, but have a look at the main [i.e. written] 2850 review for a discussion of it's capabilities/limits with the ink set it has
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Hi Keith, I appreciate the passion you put into your videos, thank you!
I have one question. I know that this printer doesn't print great colors on glossy paper.
Nevertheless i found the qualitiy to be ok for some pictures. But I have the issue that the glossy prints have ugly marks of the rollers inside of the printer. There are several solid and dotted lines across the paper. They match exactly with the rollers inside of the printer ('Pizza Wheel marks' seems to be the term for this result). I wonder if this occured to you aswell or if this is either a technical flaw or I am not able to set it up correctly?
I have already exchanged the printer in the store, but the behaviour was exactly the same.
Thanks and regards!
This is a problem I hear of on occasions - perhaps I was lucky with the example I had. However, sometimes it's about paper choice.
Have you seen the main [written] 2850 review?
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Cheers, man! ❤
Glad it's of interest!
Hello Keith. Thank you so much for your reviews of the Epson 2850 printer. I bought the 2856 today, set it all up and was then gutted when it wouldn’t print on the matt 300gsm card I’ve been using without a problem in our other Epson printer - XP7100. I bought the 2850 because I wanted a cheaper to run printer to do a few greeting cards and prints on and thought that I’d be OK with the 2856 because it handles up to 300gsm.
At least I now know that I’ve bought a decent printer for the kind of matt prints I want to do, if I can just work out how to feed the paper in. Could you tell me briefly how you push the paper in to get it to print, please? All that happens now is that it pulls in a couple of inches, clunks, stops for a few seconds then spits the paper out and tells me to sort out the paper size settings. If I can get this problem sorted I’ll be asking you for some help with profiles too.
You are wonderful to take the time to share your knowledge with us all, thank you again.
Margarita 😊
It was some time ago I had that printer here - see the main written review for details from then?
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
It also lists the profiles i created.
Hello again, Keith. I just wanted to let you know that I have worked out how to push the 300gsm card into my new 2850 and it works a treat. I’m happy with the prints I get from it, works well for the illustrations that I’m doing these days. I’m so happy with it that I’ve gone and bought some quality papers to get even more out of it. Easier said than done here in rural Spain, but I found a shop in Barcelona that stocks some German brands that don’t break the bank, so I’m looking forward to trying them soon.
Anyway, had I not found your review I wouldn’t have known to give the paper a bit of a push or the importance of using the matt setting to get best results. Thanks again, Keith. You’re a star!
please, I kindly ask you to recommend matte paper that will print well in 2850 for creating children's educational busy books. Thank you.
Sorry, I've no idea what one of those is?
The only papers I tested are listed in the main written review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
I have an uncle named Keith Cooper . I also have that same printer . I am inspired to make print something fancy I make like wall decor at legal paper size what kind of water color paper should I get?
There are several of us :-)
Read the review, to see the types of paper I tested - it needs some care, but the paper must be one intended for inkjet use
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Hey Keith! I have a 2810 do you by any chance know how to borderless print on it please? Your videos are super helpful!
Sorry never tested that specific model - usually borderless is only available for a few set sizes.
It may be similar to the 2850, but see the main [written] review not the video
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Hello, thank you for the review! I struggled with 300gsm and went down to 230gsm and I’m still getting indents from the paper feeding through. Is this a problem with my printer or do I need to go thinner with the paper?
It shouldn't be an issue, I didn't see it, but I've heard of related issues.
Epson quality control in manufacturing needs a bit of tightening up I'd suggest - I hear of this issue just a bit too often...
This came up as a suggestion when I was searching for printing art on the ET 2860, is there much difference? I’m looking at selling my digital illustrations but want to print them myself. How well does it translate RGB and CMYK colours please?
It's very similar - but needs good profiles and an understanding of colour management - like all ink-jets of this sort it is NOT a CMYK device
Have a look at the main [ written] review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Where I discuss the importance of media settings and the profiles I made [available on request]
You mentioned that this printer is not good for glossy, so what printer is that is close to the ET-2850 price range? Or are really glossy printers way more expensive?
Difficult to say - I keep no details of printer prices at all [I don't sell them and prices vary round the world] Read the actual review - then look at specs for what you can get...
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper Thanks
Many thanks Keith, I've got a ET 2850 and I'm getting error message using EPL on windows 11, Printer not found. install printer driver can anyone shed a light
Ah - not used a win PC this century I'm afraid
I'd suggest asking at the [now saved from closure] DPReview print forum
www.dpreview.com/forums/1003
@@KeithCooper OK Many thanks
Hi Keith! I have the 2850 and fine that when I print on Matte Photo Paper I get the correct colours but when I print onto Glossy Photo Paper I get a strange blue ish tint. I found that printing on matte setting does pretty well but the ink output is clearly too much for the glossy paper. It's so annoying. I make and print stickers. So I need to print relatively well on both matte and gloss sticker paper.
Have you seen the full [written] review - it covers a lot about media choices.
Ideally you should be printing with icc profiles to get the best colour
See:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
The 2850 does have some distinct limitations but can give reasonable results on many media
Thanks for the information and a good read Keith! It's much appreciated. I tested all the pre sets available with one image on the same page and found that the matte was the best myself however I didn't understand why so this video has been great for tying up loose ends! I've emailed you to possibly get hold of one of the ICC Profiles that you've made :D @@KeithCooper
Just sent off the info...
I can not for the life of me get this printer to work with EPL, tried both on PC and MAC.
It just says "printer not found".
Any advice would be greately apreciated!
See the actual review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
On Macs this is symptomatic of accidentally installing the airprint version of the driver.
Re-install as per the review taking very careful attention to follow the instructions [I've got it wrong...] There is quite a bit in the main review [i.e. the written one] about this
Very informative video. Would you recommend this printer for printing documents with some coloured graphics on them? Occasional photo printing as well.
Thanks - Ah, I don't do recommendations at all I'm afraid ;-)
I'll have the full review published over the weekend [video and the main written one] which might be of use.
A lot depends on how bothered you are by photo quality
@@KeithCooper No worries, I will check that out. Thanks.
I need help finding a good printer for art prints, and greeting card prints . What do you suggest
Not this one...
See here, for why you saying 'good' rules it out fro me
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
See these [all my videos are listed in each review]
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-200-printer-review/
Thanks for the info, Keith! What watercolor paper did you use? I didn't catch the name,.
PermaJet Artist Watercolour 250
About on the limit of thickness [not weight] the printer is OK with
Enjoy your reviews, thank you. I use EPL with my ET-8550 but find that it will see some tiffs and not others. Any ideas on why this would happen?
Check the tiff compression and byte order of the images?
These are in the save options in many applications.
I've seen a similar problems when loading a tiff into i1profiler to make a scanner profile. It needs uncompressed ones.
@@KeithCooper Thank you, that was it, life is good.😀
Hi Keith, I can't seem to select 'epson matte' when I try to print from photoshop? Also, I've tried downloading the epson layout software from the site and it just gives me a 404 error. Any ideas? 😕
Do a search for other download locations - "Epson Print Layout download" should do it...
See also the details in the actual [i.e. written] review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper Brill, cheers man.
Hey Keith! Chris from Glasgow here. Thank-you for your videos, they are magic! I have an Epson ET-2850 and your tips have made a huge difference to my prints. I have a question and am really hoping you can help? I've had my printer for about 10 months now, and now and then when I'm printing addresses/certificates for our autographs, there can be horizontal 'banding' lines every 1cm where the black ink isn't hitting the page. Unfortunately I cannot attach a pic of the issue for an example, however if you imagine my 'Retro Wrestling' logo that you can see on my profile to the left here, having white lines running through, you get the picture! I would say I use my printer every 48hrs or so, it isn't daily by any means. The problem does tend to rectify itself with a few nozzle checks and head cleaning, however it can tend to come at the most awkward times when I'm flat out trying to print addresses for parcels due at the Post Office. I was wondering if you could recommend anything else for me to do, to prevent this occurring so often?
Thanks
Not a lot I can suggest, but perhaps a 'power cleaning' might help [not sure if this is in the printer utility]
When you do cleanings, if nothing fixes, try and wait at least 10 mins before doing it again [inconvenient, but it helps]
@@KeithCooper Thank-you Sir, power cleaning is definitely in the options tab. Do you think switching it off once the first head clean would have any positive affect? And then actioning the 2nd clean?
I don't know if that would make a difference - I was told by someone at Epson that just running clean after clean did nothing much more than just use up ink - leaving the printer was the key
@@KeithCooper Thank-you, I will certainly try that. I did read once that turning the machine off and on made the print heads run back and forth along the pads, to stop it clogging. Not sure how true that is however I will certainly try your tip! Thanks again!
Hi there, i hope you can help me. I have this printer and any color images i try to print are muted, pale, have subtle lines all over, just look like absolute garbage. I don’t understand what is wrong. I am on Mac, i tried to look at the settings directly on the printer, and clicked all highest quality but it doesn’t make a difference. The colors look nothing like the image i am trying to print. How do i fix it? Thank you! I mostly want to make brochures and posters for my home business
Have a read on the main [written] review - it covers many aspects of use and setup
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Also check the printer alignment settings - this can IIRC be done from the main menu.
I noticed paper makes all the difference, some glossy paper is amazing. Others are terrible. It’s trial and error. I had the 2750 but the wifi has stopped working so am trying to decide between a 2850 or a canon g650
what paper is good to use for printing lable with this printer
You need to visit a local stationers and see what is available - needs to be specified for inkjet use
Well: I have a question.What's the total approx time in printing the first photo?.
Thanks a lot.
No easy answer, depends on the image and the computer.
I'm afraid it's not something I ever test when looking at printers
@@KeithCooper thanks for the reply. I'm looking for a printer for an event where I have to make photos and deliver a print as quick as possible... of course with the minimum invest :)
None I look at are very fast for such an application - none of the printers like the 2850 would I consider suitable.
Last one was the D700 - not cheap. but designed for such work
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-surelab-sl-d700-review/
@@KeithCooper thanks again. The D-700 is for sure out of my budget. I will try with some intermediate printer cheking your videos.
@@KeithCooper my final decision has been to buy a ET-5170. Just in case it was useful for anybody : I can print a good 13x18 cm photo in Epson premium glossy paper in about 70 seconds. It adapts to my needs.
What do you think - Epson L1800 printer with Original Epson Ink 7 colors would be good for archival printing Fine Art? Or for museum quality needed a printer with cartridges only and with 10 colors like Epson P700? Thank you
The L1800 is not normally associated with 'museum quality'
Of course, the phrase 'museum quality' means very little unless you're asking an actual proper museum for their archival requirements, which extend to vastly more than the inks... ;-)
@@KeithCooper Thank you)
I'll put the question a little differently, if I take hahnemuehle 290gms paper and Epson L1800 printer with Original Epson Ink, will it give me good print quality? Or will it be far behind if printing on an Epson P700 printer with pigment ink?
If you have icc profiles for the printer/paper then it can give good quality with either.
However, I doubt Hahnemuhle supply profiles for the L1800
@@KeithCooper You are right, Hahnemuhle does not have icc profiles for the L1800.
wow, no magenta cast. How did you do that?
Colour management... Careful use of profiles ;-)
I'll have the full review up on Sunday
@@KeithCooper great, looking forward for the next post. Also if possible, could you test Epson ET-5180? Might be the best deal for anyone looking for all pigment inks printers for office and home uses because I really confused between 2850, 3850, 4850 or 5180...
I might be able to get one, but it won't be for quite some time - I've the new ET-18100 (iirc) to look at some time.
I have to pace my testing of printers since one is great - two OK but three in a row starts to get tedious, and without the curiosity, the reviews lack insight [and interest]
I am searching for a printer to print my home made photography-zines (A4 folded to A5) on more or less "regular /matte paper" with pictures in about 13x13cm. The idea is not to create high-end prints. more mid-quali art style. But the paper should not be drenched in color and the colors should be stable and as in the digital file. Any advice? Is the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 an option? thx for any recommendations, I am an absolute newbee in printing. all the best from germany,
sven
See the main [written] 2850 review for more
The 8500 could well be a significantly better option
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8500-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper thx!
Where does it say the ET-2850 is a supported printer, their website for Epson Print Layout says it's not supported?
Who knows? ;-)
It does work though - the list of what works is out of date. EPL was originally meant for the higher end desktop and large format printers - it's gradually been extended downwards in the product range.
@@KeithCooper I just installed it and indeed it does work but I don't know if they are not updating this software or it's a driver thing but the quality of the printed photos are not the same as if I just use the file print command on my mac with the same settings. Not even close.
The EPL pages are not always updated with new models, since different parts of Epson [in different regions] look after different printers - but, given it's free, it's excellent software and my usual suggestion for people who are not printing from Photoshop or lightroom [and even then I suggest it]
If the quality is off then I'm afraid something is wrong with your setup somewhere.
However, as I always say, if it works for you then use it - this is not a high end photo printer after all. especially on glossy media... ;-)
@@KeithCooper Nozzle Check says I'm missing segments, I cleaned the Print Heads and did a Print Head Alignment. I did all this when I purchased it new 7 days ago. There were some white lines running through the images when using the Epson Print Layout Software but seems to be gone now. You do get what you pay for.. ;-)
Any printer can need a few cleanings when new - the one I tested needed a couple after a few days.
Nozzle checks/banding of course have nothing whatsoever to do with the printing software. In this instance you do get quite good print software for nothing.
Have you tested this printer using semi-gloss paper? If so, how was the print quality?
Exactly the same as lustre and glossy and all the glossy photo paper settings
Hello! I bought an Epson ET-2850 EcoTank. But I have a problem. I don't know if it's something with the settings or the printer. When I print some prints o whatever in color (I use max high quality, and 300-350 dpi, I did nozzle check, everything...), the print become Grainy/speckled. I'ts normal? have a solution? thank you!
What media?
@@KeithCooper Mr, Cooper. I don't understand the question, sorry. Do you mean the paper?
Yes, what media and what media settings are you using?
You didn't specify paper, so I didn't assume it was paper... ;-)
Also what software and what sort of image - yes, there are many many different potential causes.
@@KeithCooper Sorry, my bad! I used plain paper, glossy paper, and matte (koala) paper. i printed from photoshop and Silhouette studio with the same results. (different colors, but with the same grainy problem).
I'd suggest printing a known good test image from the free Epson Print Layout software to make sure it's not the settings
There are unfortunately lots of ways to get less than optimal results from the 2850
See the main [written] review
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-2850-printer-review/
Are the inkt in this printer the same as 664 or 114 ink?
You'll need to check the technical specs in the different printers - I don't have a list of what different ink type numbers correspond to what [and in different regions]