MrMike606 Loc: Soutwest Asia

Merlin,
I understand your frustration, having owned Epson printers for many years, there are a few things for periodic maintenance. I have not had any printer heads go bad, not saying that I have not had them clog up. If one does not use the printer on a regular basis, the printer heads will clog. To correct this, get into the habit of printing one or two color pages a month when not in use. Also, when cleaning the heads, Epson recommends a maximum of 4 head cleaning passes, and then let the printer sit idle for 24 hours and that should correct the problem. I have also found that since I leave my computer on 24/7, I also leave my printer on 24/7, and this has reduced the problems encountered from non-use. A printer is just like everything else mechanical, it just needs a some routine upkeep and a little TLC, I hope this helps.

Nikon_DonB Loc: Chicago

I use mine occasionally too. The only time I've had a problem with the Epson print heads clogging up was with aftermarket ink. My current one is 5 years old and works great(knock on wood.) Shhhhhhh!

MrMike606 Loc: Soutwest Asia

Hey Nikon_DonB,
I expeimented with aftermarket ink also, but I found that if one uses Epson brand ink, the problems are minimized greatly. I have been refilling for about 8 years now, and have excellent output and minimal problems, other than normal maintenance issues.

WxGuesser Loc: Portland OR

There is truth in the $10K per gallon, not that it costs the printer company that much to make it but how much they charge for it. At one time I worked phone support for HP officejet printers and HP told us that 80% of the printer division's profit was ink. Most of their printers they sold below cost, knowing that they would recoup their losses many times over with the ink over lifetime of the printer. Especially from those poor fools who use them for everyday printing.

Inkjet for color projects and photos only, laser for everything else (95+% of my printing) is my philosophy.

WildBill Loc: South West Florida

I swear by 2 printers as well. One for photos and one for everything else. Why waste expensive photo ink printing a coupon for Domino's ?

Oh, I am sold on wireless for the laser printer. Less cords, easy to network and I have yet to have an issue.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

marlinman and others.
The 9000 became the 9000mkll. Both 8 inks that are dye based, the 9500mkll is 10 pigment inks.
A little history. Epsons are very good printers and their reputations are well deserved and well known but they are for many reasons NOT the end all. Epson did not invent the inkjet but when it comes to foto they did pretty much perfect it and for many years where the only only game in town hence they have a large following that borders on cult status. In days of old(3-4 years ago and more) if you where not printing with an epson you where not a photographer and we all want to be photogs. Canon Is definetley the new kid in town and all of their products are good and arguably by many better. Its the canon/nikon game all over again. I used to print with an epson 2200 and replaced it with a Canon 9000mkll. What Merlin points out is absolutely correct. You can choose to ignore it or heed it. Epsons do tend to clog heads much more no matter how long they sit around. Second, except for some of the brand-new Epsons that have just come out, their better printers have two blacks(a good thing), but one has to swap tanks in and out to print on gloss/semi or matt paper. That is Epsons Achilles heel. Swapping tanks uses up half of a full black tank to purge the lines(that's a bad thing), just to change papers. The Canons never had this problem even with their 1st models that came out. THAT is why I switched to Canon. Again you can choose to ignore that. I would recommend that anybody that is contemplating the purchase of an Epson look very closely at that issue. Both Canon/Epson print exactly the same. Doesn't seem to matter that one is dye vs pigment. I print about half of my current work on an epson 3880 since I have free use of three of them and only pay for ink. It prints exactly as my 9000mkll. But in all fairness some of the epsons have larger ink tanks therefore lower ink costs. And some also will accept two sizes(one larger) of ink tanks giving the option to economize even further. As to the ink costs per gallon my 9000 at Canon MSRP prices costs about $4k/gl. At internet pricing about half of that. I also have a Canon iPF 5000 and at internet prices costs me about $1300 /gl. for ink. My 9000 costs about the same as costco for materials for an 8x10, about a $1.50ea. As they get bigger they get cheaper than costco. I am not trying to persuade any Epson owners to jump brands, but if you are new to this, do go at it with an open mind for what is available. More colors, bigger color gamut, period. Purchase cost to me would be a bigger factor. Rebates, sales etc. than brand. My 5000 has 12 colors, two grey, two blacks and it has a blue, and yes it does make a difference. Look around and maybe find a good used pro model for cheap.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Great avatar. You're right to complain about the cost of ink. I know they have to put a lot of research, etc., into their ink, but the prices they charge are ridiculous. I once figured the cost per gallon, and it was way up there. As you said, if you buy an off-brand, you don't get good results.

Falcon Loc: Abilene, Texas

You are correct. Most printers are almost given away--with the knowledge that the real profit comes in the consumables. William (?) Gillette either invented or popularized this business model with his safety razors. The holders--beautiful steel things--were very cheap, but the double edged blades were not.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Polaroid cameras, too. You could get a camera for $20 and the film for $10.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

One minor correction to SharpShooter's post: some of Epson's printers accommodate multiple black cartridges, and no longer require swapping out, with the accompanying waste of ink.