petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

I have been using Epson printers forever but am wondering what else to consider. My 11 year old Photo R3000 needs a $400 repair, so I'm thinking of getting a new one and the nearest repair center requires UPS at $35 each way.
The 13" Epson P700 is also $799 like my R3000 was originally.
But which: HP, Canon, or again Epson.
Epson inks cost $35 per cartridge and the number of inks per printer increases, so its a serious expense.
Anyone out in UHH-land with a good strategy ?

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Look at Epson eco-tanks.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

When I order my Epson inks I don’t look at the price and submit the order before I have to think about it. This doesn’t make it cheaper but keeps the pain of it from getting to me too much.
…Cam

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I'm using an out of production Canon Pro-100. It was cheaper than other choices and uses dye inks instead of pigment inks. The general assumption is that pigment is near "archival" while dye is only good for decades. It is also generally assumed that dye inks don't clog as easily if you are in infrequent user.

I am no longer concerned about archival. I enjoy looking at a print for 6 months or so and then it goes in a dark, light tight storage box. My heirs may look at them someday, but I doubt it. If I last a couple more decades, along with my "dye ink" prints, I will be impressed.

Read this summary of the Epson inks. https://inkdaddy.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/epson-ink-types-explained-durabrite-claria-k3/

Then look at the price of the Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Inkjet Printer. It should be closer to $400 than $800 and still uses a 6 color system.

If top of the line means more than the cash, get the P700.

To keep ink price pain under control, I buy one at a time as an old one is empty. Amazon gets them to me quick and the price is "fair". Frankly, I don't care about the price of the ink, only the price of the print. With my Canon Pro-100, a 13x19 is about $4.50. I can "afford" a few every month!

Bill_de Loc: US

Yeah, my SureColor P800 has 9 cartidges at about $50 each. The rolls of canvas aren't cheap either, but I love the results.

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tcthome Loc: NJ

for 80ml of ink. Pro 100. $16.99 for only i believe 12ml. Purchasing a printer with larger capacity ink cartridges is a little cheaper.

tcthome Loc: NJ

I like the Canon Pro Series printers. Pro 200, Pro 300 & Pro 1000. They use a heated print head that keeps the head from clogging. I have gone a few-6 months without printing with no problems. Not 100% sure but I believe the Epson printer you need to print at least a small 4"x6" once every week or two to keep the print head from clogging. The Epson SC P700 & 900 & new Canon printers all produce beautiful photos.
If you do not want to spend that much money, the Epson XP 15000 or Canon TS 8320 produce nice photos for less & use less ink cartridges.

https://www.youtube.com/user/cheo1949/playlists

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

I Love my eco-tank printer.
Your choices: https://epson.com/usa
Best Wishes,
JimmyT Sends

cedymock Loc: Irmo, South Carolina

I print photos for myself, family and friends and the Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wide-format Printer has worked well for me. Along with 13x19 I have printed 13x22 panoramas (cutting 17x22 paper) with no problems. The XL ink cartridges were $21.99 per cartridge the last time purchased.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Look at the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 All-in-One Wide-format Supertank Printer. It's a six-color dye printer, using Claria ink, which is quite durable, but has less longevity than pigment inks. However, the printer is much less costly to use! It's around $700.

https://epson.com/For-Work/Printers/Inkjet/EcoTank-Photo-ET-8550-All-in-One-Wide-format-Supertank-Printer/p/C11CJ21201

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

Thank you all for your support. You've me a lot of good advise.
After all, how often does one change their fine art printer?

markwilliam1

I recently switched from the Epson wide format printers to the Canon Pro 200. What a difference with the Canon because I don’t get clogged print heads! It can sit unused for months. On my Epson’s I Always got clogged print heads after sitting more than a week. Using Epson's cleaning cycle constantly uses up a lot of ink!

Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina

Is there any real world users reviews I would consider this printer I just don’t like being the Guinea pig

bobforman Loc: Anacortes, Washington State

What is upsetting with Epson is that they monitor your machine (if it's of recent vintage) and detect if you are not using their cartridges. They then remotely shut your printer down until you again use their over-priced ink.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=epson+ecotank+photo+et-8550+review

The link leads tons of video reviews, some of them long term. Knock yourself out with them.