The start-up cost is lower, but ink costs are higher and hence inkjet printer photos can be expensive. When I do get someone from the USA, they are impatient and unable to assist me. We have included these in the Printer FAQs section towards the end of the article! The newly released model from Epson in October last year, the SC-P900 also now features this facility. I believe the larger cartridges also make it more economical. Get to know her better here. If you want to print photos using a laserjet, you will need to use glossy paper specially designed to be used with these devices. Matte black and photo black inks are delivered through a single channel which means the ink type is chosen automatically based on the chosen media. This means a consistent height is maintained between the media and printhead resulting in improved image quality. The most common types of printers are laserjets and inkjets apart from dot matrix printers for computer data ( dot matrix makes use of a ribbon, very similar to a typewriter). Besides these, metamerism is another issue that cannot be prevented in laser printed photos. There is another small device from the Epson range, the Epson Expression Photo XP-970. When I google YouTube I get fan boys on both side giving why one should buy one over the other. Ink dries up if the printer is not used for a while leading to printheads getting dry and needing replacement. I also have the IPF8400 (since 2014) and print an Unclog Job on the same schedule. I am on the fence to either go with the newer Epson or the tried and tested Canon. Toner from laserjets is fused into fibers of the paper on to which it is printed. Moreover, the print quality on these papers using a laserjet will be nowhere near the ones from inkjets. Splendid article. The important features of SureColor-P5000 are: When comparing the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 with the Epson SureColor P5000 the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 excels in two categories: If you are not concerned about the above criteria but are looking to print panoramas besides the 17 x 22 inches photo, then in our estimation, the Epson SC-P5000 should be your second option as a professional photographer looking to have photos made up to a size of 17 inches wide. Less advanced printhead options have limited your color range and potentially leave you with a strange color cast to your image. The new firmware update (Firmware v3.010 required) allows to print on panorama-size paper (to a maximum of 17 x 25.5) for borderless images. The printhead is engineered with 1,536 nozzles x 12 inks = total 18,432 nozzles and sensors that continuously monitor the status of the nozzles and it has dedicated nozzles for photo black and matte black inks which means, if you often switch back and forth between output types, you will neither have to waste time or ink when you switch between matte and glossy prints as you do with some other photo printers. Papers designed for laserjets are coated to attract dry toner powder and any glossy paper manufactured for use on a laserjet can be used on a laser printer bear in mind, the final look of the image depends on the toner and not the paper as toner is not absorbed into the paper. Due to the bigger size of the printhead, anti-clogging technology, and air feed method, you can have a reliable and hassle-free standard color print from 4 x 8 or 8 x 12 to a maximum size of 17 x 22 inches in less than 5 minutes, while a full bleed edge to edge photo can take between 25 to 30 minutes to print. Learned a lot. The Canon printheads are user replaceable. The printhead is engineered with 1,536 nozzles x 12 inks = total 18,432 nozzles and sensors that continuously monitor the status of the nozzles. Follow the instruction manual and load paper or follow the steps above if they apply to your make/model. Yes, very little information is available about print longevity. Im a fine art photographer who values print quality as foremost. I would like to buy a top quality desktop printer for my photography hobby. Canon PIXMA PRO-10: It uses 10 ink cartridges (of which one is a chroma optimizer and can print A3+) based on the LUCIA pigment system with 3 inks for perfect monochrome prints which means you can produce photos with a wide colour gamut and produce monochrome images with greater depth and tonal range. However, I am wary of any technology that's 6 years old, that may soon be outdated. Canon PIXMA iP8720: This is another cheaper version apart from the PRO series, the Canon PIXMA iP8720 that can print up to 13 wide. With advanced devices, the number of cartridges and printheads increases. quote "I do print an Unclog Job using Qimage every 4 days". Also, the min droplet size on the Canon is 4pl, but 1.5pl on the Epson, again inferring a better resolution on the Epson. Light Stalking participates in various affiliate programs, meaning we may get paid commissions on certain products purchased through our links to other sites. The American Society of Media Photographers, Best Photo Printer for Professional Grade Printing. Again, thank you very much for the highly informative article. Laserjets use papers that are coated to let the toner fuse into the fibers of the paper during the fusing process, Photo papers for inkjets are thicker due to the photo coating some of which may have polyester characteristics and hence can only be used in inkjets that facilitate feeding through papers of varying thickness. Youve sent it to your current home printer, waiting patiently for a few minutes, or longer, only for it to be of such poor quality that the image is unusable the colors are not what you expected, nor are they representative of your work, and the quality of the image is just not up to scratch. Yes, with no problem, but there will be a compromise on quality. Besides the above, we have one from the Epson's SureColor range, the P600 which is excellent and can produce a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi. Inkjets stand out in the market for producing high-quality inks because of the number of colours and the chroma optimiser that they use for the finishing touch and for their wider colour gamut and tonal depth that they reproduce for both monochrome and colour printing. I think the three main printers review in this article are targeting different consumers. Make sure you choose the one that suits your need and use it for superior print quality. Pull out the output tray and extender to receive printed papers. The toner is just fused on the surface thereby consuming less toner, making the colours not so rich like the ones from inkjets and as a result the print life is less compared to inkjets. Yes, you can although laserjets do not come with a pro ink system similar to inkjets, they still have the standard CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) colours that can be used to reproduce most of the colours. When it comes to a good quality printer that can print up to 13 wide, we have two other models from the Canon's PIXMA PRO range that can print up to 13 x 19 with the highest resolution being 4800 x 2400 dpi. There are also some suggestions on the best photo printers that can print up to 13 wide! Taking into account quality, price and home use, the best device that uses acceptable ink is the Epson Expression Premium XP-640. Went back to my Epson R3000 for color consistency but then head blew! It's also just a fun hobby for me so in the end I figured there were no bad options. Moreover, inkjets are safe for quality photo papers as these are special coated papers that should be used with inkjets only. Automatic switching is possible between front paper cassette and roll media feeder. Each device may have different settings and options to choose from, and the manufacturer may have suggestions to get good quality photos. Use coated papers that are of excellent quality and the printed photo is coated with a resin coating for uniform glossiness and anti-bronzing. My clients love the results particularly for the larger prints. I am wondering if there is a smaller version of Prograf Pro-1000? Laserjets are a bit expensive and make use of pricier toner cartridges that contain toner powder, where the toner sticks to paper while printing, which is then heated for it to fuse with the fibers in the paper. I actually pulled the trigger on the P900 and I've had it for a few weeks now. It supports double-side printing , can print, copy and scan and comes with a 12.6 cm LCD colour touchscreen. Epson is probably a good start. It also reproduces great shadow details in darker areas, has outstanding image clarity, gloss-uniformity and anti-bronzing. You may have spent hours scouting for locations and then more hours hiking to those spots with all your heavy camera gear, including your cumbersome tripod, further you were probably shooting in bad weather all in the name of capturing that epic image. Laserjets cannot take in photo papers due to their thickness and coating which can cause damage to several parts of the printer including the drum and fuser unit. I had heard a lot about how canon has a suction mechanism that holds the paper down and is meant to be superior to the P800. It is also called a multifunction printer (MFP) or multifunctional device (MFD) as it provides a centralized management system where it is capable of performing the duties a small office space or a home office requires. If you are a professional photographer running a business, or a photographer looking for stunning quality prints, you may not always want to print at a standard size for example a postcard, 4X6 size or A4 size but there are times when you may want to have a landscape printed in a large format, you may want to make a few large and small prints to add to your collection, or maybe other larger prints to support your clients, friends or families needs, even to display in galleries. If you are looking for a printer that can perform copying and scanning besides a photo printing job, then the Canon Compact TS6120 wireless inkjet is a very good one to go for and is recommended for home use. Fantastic detailed review. I've got four Epson P800s, a P900, a P5000, an old 7900 and a canon i1000 and between them and regularly print between 50 and 300 prints a day (depending on the time of year and demand, sometimes more). Photographers are always looking for rich colors, broad color gamut, high dynamic range, exceptional monochrome images, sharpness and amazing details in the shadow areas. It doesnt matter whether you are using a pro-grade medium format camera, entry level DSLR, a point and shoot or even a smartphone camera, using the best photo printer allows you to have a great physical copy of your images and gives you the opportunity to have your special moments in your hand at the click of a button. The Light Stalking Team has been featured by leading organizations including Nat Geo, Adobe, and is one among the top 10 most followed photography blogs in the world. Huge prints are made to last for a lifetime. For me, photography is just a really fun hobby that I enjoy, and I'm hoping to add another layer of enjoyment and artistic control by printing my work. Ive no idea if its true, but Ive been told thats not a good idea. The five colour ink system helps create stunning photographs and crisp documents. Always use high-resolution images and high-quality photo papers + ink cartridges recommended by the manufacturer for printing photos. The tubular ink delivery system also ensures faster print speeds. However, due to the limited number of colours and the process by which it is printed, photos printed using laserjets will have lower quality and colour range compared to photos printed using inkjets. Your call on waiting for discounts, but whenever you go ahead I'm sure you'll have great fun! A lot of reviews compare the new models with the older models and some ask the question "is it worth it to upgrade", I read in between the lines and have come to the conclusion that if the older model printers are around long enough for the newer ones to come out, hopefully it'll last. By choosing a cheaper product, you may have saved money but youve compromised quality, time and money as you reproduce on paper what you spent all your effort in creating digitally. If your device has a dedicated tray for photo paper, always load paper on to that tray. This way, ink is absorbed into the fibers of the paper, consuming more ink which makes the image quality look many times better than a laserjet. Do not feed or load papers during a printing process as this can lead to paper jams and error. It uses Ultrachrome HD pigment based inks that come as a set of 9 cartridges with four dedicated to monochrome prints which means the monochrome images come with plenty of details in the shadow and highlight areas. It features a Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE)technology and comes with a 6-colour ink system that includes gray ink for brilliant details in black & white and colour photos. Hi David, thank you. It is also sold at quite an affordable price for serious professionals and can be purchased at these outlets: Dahlia is a stock photographer and full time educator at Light Stalking. Canon has partially overcome the drawback they had with printing panoramas. In the end, unless something or some new information comes out, I'm going with the Epson. All that was required was modification of the printing software. The air feeding system prevents the pages from being skewed due to moisture and humidity and ensures accurate and uniform ink placement. Laserjets cannot handle a variety of paper or printing materials but can use normal paper and other papers designed to be used in a laser printer. The important features of Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 are: If you are looking for a printer that is low on maintenance, with exceptional image quality, broad color gamut, dramatic black and white images and high-speed printing at only approximately 4 minutes 10 seconds for a standard 17 x 22 inches color photo, then in our estimation, the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-100 should be your first option as a professional photographer looking to have gallery or fine art quality prints. I do print an Unclog Job using Qimage every 4 days. The MicroPiezo AMC (Advanced Meniscus Control) printhead combined with the professional grade ink ensures accurate and stunning detail. Certainly a Canon Imageprograf 1000 is NOT for you if you print sporadically. Hence with laserjets, the huge tonal range and colour gamut are not possible. The important features of Epson SC-P900 are: When comparing the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 with the Epson SC-P900 the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 excels in two or more categories. For product catalogs, graphics, invitations, circulars or medium quality images you are looking at the economic benefits and hence papers manufactured for laserjets, are good to start with. Also, the photo print speed is slightly faster. One question I have about the Epson is longevity because I could only find unboxing videos and color chart tests, but I'm just hoping that at that price point it'll last for a long time. It is suitable for most purposes, and all details about this device are discussed above. Make sure the paper guides are set to prevent papers from moving out of position or getting skewed while being fed. I love doing panoramas so Ill keep searching. This way, imprints are done on the surface of the paper thereby consuming less toner saving up on toner cost and faster print speeds. The SureColor-P5000 also comes with a roll media feeder along with a paper cassette which means you are not limited to just the 17 x 22 inches wide prints but can print panoramas as well. And there are factors such as how large do you normally/ever print which also govern choices. This experience allows us to understand your needs and evaluate the highest quality products in the market. You sold the only printer on the market which (sort of) allows non-usage like that. My maximum print needs are usually 810. The Epson SureColor P5000 (Available at Amazon | B&H | Adorama) is a printer aimed at professional imaging and comes as a wide format device that can print up to 17 wide with enhanced performance and reliability. Epson SureColor P600: One of the most remarkable features about this device is that it also supports roll paper feed. Required fields are marked *. I was in the same boat you are but after much consideration and many hours of YouTube watching spent, I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Epson over the Canon near the end of the summer. Depend on what I am printing or what paper I am using I think there are occasions that I think SC-P5000 is superior printer than Canon Pro-1000, this includes print on fine art paper like Epson Cold Press , Matte base Canvas or even on some semi glossy paper. SC-5000 is a true beat of a printer weighs around 55kg with ink cartridge that requires 2 strong people to move it around places. I dont find that frustrating its just annoying, and means one of the features of the printer is pretty meaningless, for me. My thought process was very similar to yours (including all the Keith Cooper videos!). No negatives at this point. When you are working on large projects, you are also looking at performance and maintenance issues and so you need a printer that can accomplish all these things. If the glossy paper is manufactured specifically for laserjets, then it can be used in a laserjet, but do not use a paper manufactured for use on an inkjet, on a laserjet because they cannot withstand the heat produced by the rollers (fuser unit) during the print process. I only ask because I want the model with the clear best quality image! The switch between matte black and photo black is automatic which means you do not waste ink and time while switching media. However, after 2 years sitting unused I just printed a 17 x 25 photo on the Pro 1000 and it came out impeccable. Slide in the papers (usually glossy side up, but always check the user manual to avoid mistakes as some have glossy side up for rear feed and glossy side down for front feed) and use the paper guides to align the papers so that they can be fed easily. Hi John, thank you for sharing your experience on the SC-P5000 and the Canon Imageprograf Pro-1000 . Unfortunately, we found that lower cost devices, in particular, do not produce acceptable quality black and white images. Moreover, photo papers designed for inkjets are thicker than ones that laser printers can take in and the coating on top of the paper for inkjets will not let the toner fuse or adhere to the paper. The panorama is causing some hesitation. Can print only a certain number of pages without running into maintenance issues. The reasons we think this is a very good wireless printer are that it is affordable, compact, uses five individual inks with a resolution of 2400 x 1200 dpi, maximum size of 8.5 x 14, duplex printing, has rear paper tray and front paper cassette, touch LCD, high speed USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, Airprint, Google cloud print, etc. Inkjet printers especially the high-end printers, use up to 11 ink colours + chroma optimiser that lets one print superior quality images with details in the shadow areas and huge tonal depth. Hi Gary, thank you for sharing your experience with us . Canon PIXMA PRO-100: If you are looking for a cheaper version because you do not print your photos quite often, then you can go for the Canon PIXMA PRO-100 (specialises in big glossy prints, uses eight inks and can print A3+) that comes with an eight cartridge ink system where three of them are for monochrome. Many types of papers can be used in inkjets, including some fabrics. I currently have an Epson P800 and a Canon Pro-100, both 17-inch wide format, both relatively new, neither of which works! The resolution is an amazing 4800 x 1200 dpi with a maximum size of 8.5 x 14 and supports duplex printing. The air feeding system provides a consistent height between the printhead and the media that leads to ink droplet accuracy and improved image quality. Thank you. I'm going to try to wait to see if a hundred bucks or so ever gets knocked off the price; I don't have a place to put it, so I'm building a piece of furniture to house it, built to the printers specs. Start-up costs are higher, but on the long run, the price per print is much lesser making the toner cost cheaper. I watched a lot of Keith Cooper videos and checked out his website and written reviews as well as others and the consensus seemed to be that both are fine machines and will make fine quality prints. You will need to look through the options / properties on each tab + advanced settings to choose the desired settings that you are looking for in your printed photo. Ive had the P1000 for over a year and love it! The printhead comes with 180 nozzles per color and utilizes the AMC technology, combined with an ink-repellent surface coating that ensures consistent dot placement. Am a headshot, portrait and live performance photographer and the colors are stunning, accurate, and getting the print right is very straightforward using Lightroom. It is wireless and can do print, copy, and scan with Wi Fi connectivity and uses 5 Claria Premium cartridges. The best printer varies with the needs of every photographer, but if you are looking at this from a professional photographers point of view, then the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 is the best out there that can produce images up to 17 inches wide. Sorry Dahlia I meant to add fabulous article never come across a discussion of printers thats even remotely close to the quality of this article!. It uses 10 UltraChrome HD PRO inks with 10 channel print head and dedicated channels for matte black and photo black without the need to switch like the P800. The Epson P900 is quoted on the Epson site as 5760 x 1440 dpi, so I would expect on a like for like basis, for the Epson to print at a higher resolution. Technology failure can also be due to the cheaper components used in these printers underperforming or wearing out. These are good for home, small office and for printing photos occasionally. I also like the fact that you can print panoramas on the Epson. The amount of ink consumed varies with different models and the technology behind the printing process. What is the reason for these unexpected issues? While some printers use great quality pigment-based ink and printhead technology, they do cost more. Why? The Canon PIXMA TR8520 although slightly pricey at $99.99, is an all in one device that comes with rear and front paper feeding trays, 5 individual ink system, memory card slot, Wi Fi connectivity and a 4.3 LCD touchscreen. Although cheap on toner consumption, monochrome laserjets can be used for text and documents whereas colour laser printers can be used for medium quality images, magazines, brochures, flyers, etc. And the quality of the prints has been amazing. What I can tell you about the P900 is that it's very well engineered. Hi Terrell, it is a large format printer that can print 24 wide the Canon imagePROGRAF TA-20 Large Format Printer, not a 17 one. This aids in consistent ink droplets, limits clogs, avoids wastage of ink and reduces the frequency of cleaning cycles. Let's look at the three main contenders in detail. Then, youve chosen to print one or few of your favourite images to go on display. Laserjets can be used for bulk work in huge office spaces as they can run for a long time without slowing down or getting into repair. Poor print results can be due to a number of issues: Avoid these issues by buying the best photo printers out there that has advanced technology with more color combinations to reproduce a broader color gamut in the images. Although expensive on ink, win hands down for superb quality photos with wide colour range and tonal depth. Or recommend where I could find a comparison. Keeping this in mind, in this article, we will be focussing on a printer that can be used for professional grade printing, which means gallery-quality prints at home between 13 to 17 wide (note that, this is not the very large format commercial editions like 24, 36 or 44 wide printers). The carbon black driver mode helps improve the black density. Thanks again. If you are not concerned about the above criteria but are looking for a device that can print panorama besides the 17 x 22 inches photo, then in our estimation, the Epson SC-P900 should be your third option as a professional photographer looking to have images printed up to a size of 17 inches wide. Laserjets, unlike inkjets, use only 4 colours (black, cyan, magenta and yellow) and they use micro polymer powder as the colour medium. The printhead is 50 percent larger compared with previous versions and comes with anti-clogging technology where sensors detect ink ejection and clogs, providing automatic back-up via another nozzle. The pigment ink for professional inkjet printers are made of tiny particles that sit on top of the paper and are of archival quality. Taking into consideration the above facts, the number 1 recommendation from us would be the Canon ImagePrograf Pro-1000 as it comes with professional quality ink that has a wider color gamut, a Chroma Optimizer that provides uniform glossiness and four tanks for monochrome. I am looking to replace an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 and am interested in the Canon ( I do not print many panoramas .) The absence of roll feed option prevents printing panoramas wider than 25.5 which can be a limitation if you wish to print wider panoramas. The Canon printhead is 50 percent larger and comes with anti-clogging technology where sensors detect ink ejection and any clogs providing automatic back-up via another nozzle. Look for the loading mark limit and do not stack papers beyond that limit.
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