For the 25+ 8550/8500 icc printer paper profiles, contact me via Northlight Images [ www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/ ] If you'd like to make a small donation, I have a Kofi page: "Buy me a coffee" ko-fi.com/keithcooper
I bought an Epson 8550 around 18 months ago, based entirely on your reviews. It is definitely one of my rare successful purchases and does all, and more, that I need it to do. Whenever my photography friends mention printing, I refer them to your channel.
The Epson 8550 is the one I’ve got and is exceptional for my needs. As you say the ink costs are phenomenal and I can play with print approaches to an endless degree. Never looked back, no need for anything more expensive and I’m enjoying its multifunction capabilities too when needed.
I've been advised this one too. It's costly for my occasional needs but sounds like worth the investment because there's nothing else suits all my requirements been suggested so far.
I am really struggling to get REAL LIFE figures on how long does it take to print an A4 and A3 full quality photo ? I am looking at doing events live printing for customers and the print time of a top quality full size photo is a real concern. Has to be under 3mins ideally. Cheers ! !!
I chose the Pro 200. Slightly worried about print life but after perhaps 3 years I have forgotten about that. All prints are still pristine. The ink cost is reasonable also.
After a lifetime of despising every printer I've ever owned, I bought the ET 8550 on your recommendations and it has been brilliant. Thanks so much, Keith.
I am really struggling to get REAL LIFE figures on how long does it take to print an A4 and A3 full quality photo ? I am looking at doing events live printing for customers and the print time of a top quality full size photo is a real concern. Has to be under 3mins ideally. Cheers ! !!
@@KeithCooperHello Sir,I mean when it comes to photo printing, which is more versatile. I intend to print on semi glossy, glossy , matte all options possible. I'm aware of ur review video and from that I came to know that, 18050 is only considerable when it comes to glossy printing, the issue is like either 8550 isn't available or slightly higher than retail price in where I live. That's why I'm super confused on this matter.
Thanks again, Keith, for such a thorough discussion. Having "grown up" in the days when photographs were printed using enlargers (and I could be wrong), I think over the long haul, today's approach is far less expensive than it was 50 years ago. Consider: quality enlargers and quality lenses for the enlarger were not cheap by any means. Then, one had to build a darkroom, which included a great deal of additional kit, not the least of which included proper plumbing. Those costs ran into the thousands when it was all said and done. So, for the cost of a Canon Pro-300 and a few boxes of quality paper, I can buy an awful lot of ink cartridges for the price of a functional dark room. At least, that's the way it "feels" to me.
Bought an 8550 based on Keith’s reviews as a replacement for a rickety R3000. The ink usage really does encourage me to experiment and try multiple versions of tricky prints. Really happy with it and definitely printing more. As Keith has said many times, getting custom profiles made is definitely worth it (I used Fotospeed’s free service). I found a real difference relative to the canned profiles - in my case it was not the colors but the shadow detail came out so much better - really clear on some of Keith’s test prints. Definitely very happy with this printer
You are a gem. Thank you for your advice. I bought an 8550 based on your advice and you were unbelievably gracious and generous with your time in responding to some emails. Thank you 🙏🏼
I have the smaller version of this printer, the ET-8500, and I absolutely love it. It prints excellent photos and is very cost effective. After a year of printing, im still on my first set of ink bottles. If it broke, I’d buy another one in a heartbeat.
I chose the Epson ET-8550, it allows me to print all the way up to 13”x19” and the cost of ink is reasonable. I shoot medium format film and scan to file and print and the prints are sharp and detailed. If I want larger than 13”x19”, I just proof and send out for printing. I even gave up the darkroom because with settings and varieties of paper, I get magnificent prints and can make multiple prints.
I own an Epson ET-8550 and I quite enjoy using it. Excellent recommendation for anyone wanting to print. It makes excellent photographs and is also useful as a general office printer if you do not need to do batch scanning.
I was researching a possible Epson 8550 purchase and RU-vid led me to your channel. You presented compelling insight and I purchased the 8550. I could not be more pleased, and you are so right, that lower ink cost now allows me to print and experiment more. I was concerned about print quality given fewer ink colors and dye ink, however, it is just as good as my previous Epson R3000, which dried up from infrequent use and landed in the recycle bin. Thanks for your ongoing advice, I appreciate all of your videos.
Based on your previous videos, I bought the ET-8550 a couple of months ago and I have loved it! I am an art director and illustrator creating my 3rd children's picture book (the first not for a client) and I use the ET-8550 to print both my reference photos to illustrate from and to proof both my illustrations and book pages while I am creating both. I am blown away with the quality of the 13x19 prints of both my photos and illustrations. Thank you again for all of the hard work that goes into making such a recommendation and the fact that you make what could be a dull and technical presentation into one that is engaging and enjoyable. You have made a huge impact on the quality of my work. THANK YOU!!!
I have the ET-8550 for a while now since one of your earlier reviews.. love it. As you say its spending time learning how to get the best from it that makes the difference.
Love my et-8550, got one after your first video on them. Enjoy holding my photo in my hands not just looking at a monitor. It has made my photography so much more enjoyable, thank you for those first videos.
When I bought my first good photo printer the Canon Pro10 was at the time the best choice for my needs. The quality of prints is excellent but the small and very costly ink tanks ground me down. The next best solution was using Precision Color Signature inks. Re-filling and cleaning still is a chore but results are impressive. Then for my everyday printing needs, documents etcetera I was given an Epsom ET-2750. What a great document printer! I thought what if Epsom were to run with this concept and make a quality eco-tank photo printer. Then your review popped up on the ET-8550, what an absolute game changer. Thank you! I haven't changed out yet but am seriously considering the Epsom ET-8550.
Another very happy 8550 user here. Have been caught out with banding a couple of times, but a head clean has restored it to great quality. Ink use is very economical even though the printer is used daily as an office printer by me and my wife. More concerned about wasting paper than ink now, but I have found doing A5 test prints works for me. Was shown a great way of doing test strips by Tim at Fotospeed too. Thanks for the tour of the rest Keith, I would love a higher end model but I really don't need it for what I do, and I cannot justify the costs involved. Long live the 8550!
Recently ordered what would be my first "photo" printer the Epson 8550. Cant wait to see what it can do and basically using it for A3/A3+ prints and 1:18 scale model diorama's for backdrop prints. Your videos have been great Keith!.. thank-you for your knowledge.
I have the Canon Pro 1000 and i love it! The only thing you really need to consider is the price of inks. The pro 1000 uses a lot of ink just for maintanence and a full set of 12 cartridges will set you back around 650$ (at lead here in Norway) 😅 I think its worth it, but others may not.
I got an ET8550 based on your reviews - my specific need was for making digital negatives for alternative printing processes, so the option to get pigment black was key. But since using it for colour printing in general it has made a real change in the type of works I make! I’ve really enjoyed the excellent colour print quality and finish! Thanks for all your work!
@@kowa1-everellphotographic306 It’s working well, good solid blacks with pigment (using VFA setting) on the inkjet transparency material I use that are satisfactory for stopping the UV light I use. None of the stripes or bars that annoyed me with my old HP printer. And being able to do borderless, or very narrow borders is handy.
@@kowa1-everellphotographic306 You do need the right media for it - it's not an area of photography I cover though. Best place to ask would be an alternative process forum. I've not had my darkroom for 20 years ;-)
@@KeithCooper thanks keith i have an aging 7600 looking at moving to something more modern and i’m trying to find people who use the 8550 for digital negatives
I’ve been really happy with the Epson P800 that I got about 4 years ago. It’s my first and still only photo printer I own. Found a refurbished unit direct from Epson that was half the cost and even came with a full size set of ink cartridges. I was originally looking at the P600, but the cost per ml on the ink was quite a bit higher on the smaller printer. Definitely agree on getting a printer that makes the ink costs less of an issue so that you print more often without worrying about wasting ink. I also love making high res panos, and being able to print them out using roll paper is a really nice feature I use a lot more than I would have expected before buying this printer
I decided that I had no interest in printing larger than 8.5" so the Canon G620 was my choice for an OK printer that didn't cost much to buy or operate. In the 2 instances in which I wanted a larger print, I sent out for it. Overall costs and quality remain good over the many hundreds of small prints I've made, so I'm happy.
I have the most budget model in this line, the 1810, it's absolutely not lightfast and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for any work that would be passed on to another person, but for my specific usage it's probably the best buy I've made in a long time. I use it specifically for layout planning and first proofs (usually at 4x6"). It's made a huge difference to my practice to be able to very cheaply bang out a hundred or so prints I can just chuck on the floor and move around until I'm happy with the relationships. I still get my finals done on an archival printer, but I tend to bundle the proofs so the printer can see my workings. From my experience with this cheapest model I'd seriously consider the 8550 for work I'd pass on to other people, my current one is among the most user friendly printers I've ever used, pity the blacks in the prints fade to purple in the sun, but I'm fine with that at the price. It's really nice to just bang out 10-20 prints without thinking about the cost if I just want to see what something looks like.
Went for the 8550 after watching your videos several times and reading the website. Have absolutely no regrets, and as someone who isn't making money from the printer, the lower ink cost is a big deal. I found your recent video on print life quite reassuring too. I'd love it if they did an ink tank P700/900 but I can't see that happening for some time.
I thought with my New Epson printer That I would have to spend hours working creating color profiles, which I have done in the past, and never could get anywhere close to actuate color. Again is it perfect that's for you to decide. But I love it.
The best printer I ever used was the Epson R800. There has never been any true replacement for it. The color management was easy and the prints were lab quality.
I have a 100 so thinking of moving up to a canon300. Don’t want bigger because of placement of the printer. We will move to a smaller place within the next few years so size is important.
I started with the Epson ET-7750 then added the Canon Pro-200. I still have original ink for ecotank (Came with 2 sets of ink) and Canon has been replaced TWICE!
I would have to completely agree that cost of ink, or rather the lack thereof with something like the 8550, absolutely transforms printing and the way I think about printing. I've had Epson inkjets for at least 20 years and grew to truly hate them, even swearing I would never buy another color inkjet just a couple of years ago. The absolute exorbitant highway robbery of the old tiny inkjet cartridges, constantly clogging, with anti counterfeit chips, printers saying the cartridges were empty when they weren't, all that, Epson and Canon both had made color printing absolutely anti-consumer and miserable. When a product makes you not want to use it or use it as little as humanly possiblee, well there's something very wrong with that whole business model! Thankfully at least Epson seems to have realized this, and the ink tank models really got my attention. I've printed large glossy photos, matte greeting cards of watercolor paintings, black and white scans from my film camera, and large 72-in long patterns for art projects. 4x6s from family trips, whatever. The neighbors know they can use it anytime they want for whatever they want. If my kids need something printed in color I say just do it. It's an absolute sea change. I look for excuses to print something. The thing has pretty much delighted me when I discover all the different things it does quickly easily and beautifully. Epson was very smart to finally realize that having people fall in love with printing again is truly the best business model.
I see these going for a great price at BH. Hope that is not a sign they are ended soon! I see you get pigment inks for these from 3rd parties and you can use them for other specialist applications like DTF etc. A flexible printer with lots of support.
I've seen no suggestions that they are due for any change. However, I've not been able to test other inks. The printer I tested was a loan from Epson, so I thought they might not appreciate it returning with some random ink in it ;-)
I actually got the A4 version of the printer you recommended and I am blown away with the print quality and ink savings from a cartridge based printer. The blacks on the printer and stunning.
I got into these printers a few months ago and found that I was printing lots of black (cold black) background and that is not cost effective no matter what I was using. The solution for me was to do general compositions and then❤ take the files to Wal-Mart or other processing digital and pay them to burn up their black background not mine. My proto prints could be “negative” to evaluate and then save it without negative and take it to the photo processor. I simply could not afford that much black ink. Thanks for letting me insert my two cents worth. //ji
Canon often gives away Pro 10s, Pro 200 etc. when you buy a new camera in the USA. When I wanted to start printing, I was able to sell my old cameras and get a new camera and printer at the same time.
Please add me to the number of people your review and advice regarding the ET-8550 applies to. Everything you have said about increased willingness to experiment and try new things applies to me; I do not get concerned about ink nor paper costs. Of course I get annoyed when I make a mistake and a print isn't worth keeping, but it is annoyance primarily directed at my own error, and only just a little concern about wasted resources. Here in Australia, people seem to be buying this printer to then convert it to dye sublimation, and they sell-off the (unopened) inks very cheaply on Facebook Marketplace. So I sincerely thank you for your considered and valuable advice. You helped add a new dimension to my photography.
Great Video and interesting comments - this seems to be an awesome printer. Just to be sure - I got one question: you mentioned marks on your papers and when calling epson support they ask if I was using epson paper. I can use all kinds of other paper manufacturers, right and it still works?
They will work fine. It's just that if you have problems, telling Epson support that you were using a non Epson paper will be used by them as an excuse to terminate your call ;-) See all the papers I tried in the main written review www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
Always appreciate your print videos (not so much camera videos as I use Nikon mirrorless 😎). Thank you for your commitment and always interesting videos and written articles. Good stuff, keep it up.
Thanks - I look forward to trying some Nikon kit again when they bring out some Z mount tilt/shift lenses! Much overdue, since using a F->Z adapter for the current ones suffers from the relatively narrow F mount [although the 19mm is very nice] That said, I need to borrow a Z7ii/Z8 again to do some more testing with the Nikon Z T/S medium format lens adapter I've got.
@@KeithCooper Epson 3880. It's an older model. For some reason it seems that the later models are all less capable when it comes to clogging for some reason. I only use mine occasionally and rarely if ever run a cleaning cycle
Ah the SP-3880 ...one I reviewed not that long after it came out in 2010 and used it for printing my wedding photos ;-) You have one of the better ones. The P800 is improved and the P900 improves on that in a number of areas. It's much like cars - some last better than others of the same make and model Some later models have performed worse than yours - in general however, printers seem to be steadily improving
@@KeithCooper that's good to hear.... For a long time most things I've read seem to indicate Many more issues with clogging, even on legitimate pro printers with vacuum paper handling
@@Hikebike365 The problem I see [and from emails I get] is that people publicise problems not success. All products sold in enough volume will get bad ones. Personally, with most tech gear, I'd prefer to spend my money on a six month old product - just to clear the initial production run out of the supply chain ;-)
Thanks for great videos and phantastic honest reviews and recommendations Keith! I am planing to buy my first non-office printer to get into photo printing, and I am looking at the canon p200 and epson p700. Both of them were released 4 years ago, right? If you would take a look in the future, when would you expect the release of their both successors, and which upgrade would you expect for these new improved printers versions? I want to avoid to buy now, and 2 months later, the new unbelievable new features make me regret of not being patiently enough. So you touched the look into the crystal ball (is that an english expression?) at the videos end, however, it would be very helpful if there would be something like a historical overview on Canons and Epson printer release daters (when) and what features were added. Something like a reverse roadmapping. If you have a good recommendation for a good research base, or if you are motivated for an own video about that topic, it would be great to hear. Thanks for getting my photography motivated to extend the workflow after jpg exportation into jpg printing (and sorry for the long comment).
Thanks Looking at past history, the PRO-100 and 10 [200/300 predecessors] lasted 8 years so unless a whole new model appears I'd expect them to last well into 26/27 P700/900 updates - perhaps 25/26 The PRO-1000 is most likely a change sooner than later... Best resource I know ;-) www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-printer-news-updates-and-rumours/ www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-printer-news-updates-and-rumours/ My written stuff goes back 20 years ;-) I'll be having updates... for video
Hello Keith, Thanks a bunch for your great written and filmed repository of knowledge, experience and information. I'm a serious but not commercial photographer who used to print (finely edited) scans of my 4x5 Provias on a beloved SP-3800. Traumatic events in my life in 2017 had the 3800 end up in storage (unprepared) and it hasn't been out since. I contemplate seeing how far I can succeed in reviving it, but being able to print my old and new work again (for myself to (re)start with) is of higher priority than the restauration project. After reading and watching a lot of your input on current printers (and some by Jose Rodriguez as well), the feasibility of the EcoTanks has dawned on me. Between the 8550 and 18100, which one? Your 11min. video addressing that question clearly had me landed on the 18100. Satin/Lustre accurate photo prints is my sole purpose. However, reading between the lines, fast forwarding to today, I get a feeling you're not as fond of the 18100 anymore? Paper makers (such as Canson) sparingly provide profiles for the 8550 but the 18100 seems not to be picked up at all. All of this has me doubting the proper selection between the two all over again. If you can manage, I'd love to hear/see/read your (North)light on this. Pardon the pun 😊. Thanks a lot! HZ
My main issue with the 18100 was the marking of thicker paper - it's made for glossy photo prints. If that's what you want, it's good - but it lacks profile support [I did quite a few]. The 8550 is a much more general purpose printer - that matt black makes for excellent prints on art papers and cards. That's the main reason I suggest it - it just hits a much wider variety of needs.
That is an amazingly quick response, thank you! So, no worries then for serious photography on the 18100? Or is it an odd release without any substantial advantage? I'd be using two or three papers out of Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl, Epson Semi-Gloss, Canson Photo Satin, Canson Photo Lustre. I have a specialist supplier that can profile (2800 patches) the Cansons for me. Thanks again, enjoy the evening, HZ
Yes - I'd not pick it purely because I like matt and lustre prints... Well, of course, the real reason is it's simply not big enough :-) :-) Remember I very rarely do comparative reviews! Just checking on the performance of today's video, so taking the chance to answer some questions.
Hello again Keith, Since one week an ET-8550 sits here whirring happily and outputting lovely examples of my photography. So again thanks for your insights and repository of valuable knowledge and experiences. Cheers!
I have been a Canon MG8220 user for over ten years and have been very satisfied with the photo print quality. However, the high ink costs and frequent nozzle clogs make me think it's time for a new printer. Over the past few weeks, I have read your reviews on the ET-8550, and your insights have largely helped me decide on my next printer. Yet, the ET-8550 has been on the market for nearly four years, and I'm uncertain if now is the right time to pull the trigger. On your Epson rumors page, you mentioned at the beginning of the year that you thought it was unlikely for the ET-8550 to be updated this year. Now that it's summer, do you still hold that view? (Please forgive me for asking a question that many others might have already asked :))
I wish there was a a2 ecotank with ten colors. Hopefully we enthusiasts buy enough et8550s. I'm recommending one now to a fellow hobbyist based on my experience.
I recently purchased the canon pro300, I thought the ink costs would be the same, I guess I didn't look into it enough. Happy with the printing until I print from lightroom classic, there is always too much red in the image. I'm having the screen calibrated at the weekend to see if that helps. I was really excited to start printing but even the NST bright white A5 cards purchased have been a disappointment but they have offered to refund my money on return of the goods. You know what they say 'every day is a school day'
For the printer - try a known good test image, not one of your own. This will tell you if there is something wring with your printer setup or whether its your screen/software etc. I'll be doing a specific video about this at the weekend
Keith I love your videos and have rarely seen any channel that gives so much value in a specific subject. Do you have a video or plans for one about maintaining something like a P700 when you do not use it every week or every month? Many of these printers are work horses but start to get a bit fussy when they sit for a little while.
Thanks Only stuff like that when I have one here to test - any such video would be virtually the same as the ones I did recently for the Pro-300 and et-8550
Thanks for the informative video. I was about the pull the trigger on a Pro 300, but now not so sure, with you bringing to my attention you thoughts on the Epson 8550. Certainly I like the lower running costs. However, I have a 'want' of being able to do panos, and the Canon will do up to 13" x 39", while the Epson only to 13" x 19". Can you confirm that's right? Seems some confusion out there.
I love the idea of getting into printing my photos, but I'm afraid of what will happen if you don't regularly use the printer. My experiences with regular office printers is that the inks dry out and you get into all sorts of issues with the ink nozzles and whatnot. I suppose this isn't any different for the more professional printers such as you discussed, that still use inks?
I don't ever test 3rd party inks - partly because I get the printers as loans [could not afford it otherwise]. I did look at a system some 15 years ago, but I had to make new profiles for every paper and after a few weeks I had issues with the printer... The inks you mention are a US only product as well [I checked but had guessed from the spelling of 'colour' ;-) ] They are popular in some quarters, but for me, you still have the same issues of making icc profiles [or having them made] However they are aimed at a section of the market where economy trumps many other factors, and for an old printer with small ink carts like the pro-100 they may represent a useful approach for some people. I note that they do pigment inks for the et-8550 - and interesting option for example? BTW Thanks for asking. I've nothing against such inks. Sometimes I get people haranguing me over using OEM inks, but rude shouty stuff [on this channel at least] gets an instant delete...
@@KeithCooper yes prints are more than superb, and to be honest I don’t need to print many at the moment….. also I had a print done by a so called high end shop, but my prints are better quality
Force yourself to make at least one print each and every week. It gives a different look on your photos. Or send/hand them as old-fashioned picture postcards to your intimi. Also note that a large print is looked at differently than a monitor/display. Keith here, knows all about that and has loads of content about calibration too. Between pigment ink and "art" paper, the cost will be about equally split. Assume that a £5 sheet of paper will later carry £5 pigments as well. The pigments should resist fading longer than dies. Note that (watch more of Keith's movies if this is new to you) the whitest white in your print depends on the whiteness of the paper. Cheap papers use "Optical Brightening Agents" (OBA) that fade over time and hence the print loses "it". A non-OBA version of whitening is "baryta" and hence baryta papers can give you vivid prints, more so than other papers. However, if you want muted, maybe slightly desaturated, soft contrast subtle nuance tones, then maybe use "matte" paper. As motivation for your purchase, the following. I sent a triptych image that I prepared for printing in a calibrated environment. The ambient light in my post office is standardised, even, and included in the calibration. I applied a brightening to compensate the residual effect of the difference between watching a photo in reflected light versus light transmitted by the image. The print is too dark and too desaturated. I replaced one of the lamps in my light fixture hanging from the ceiling by an LED spot that can be remotely controlled for brightness and tint (IKEA). No, it's not excellent (far from) with that lamp, to look at that print. That was a 50cm*100 print mounted by the printer's behind acrylic "glass". Very expensive. A few of such prints and you equal the cost of an Epson P900. That at 432mm max width can almost do this 500mm size too. If your 500mm print has a white edge, then printing edgeless to 432mm and mounting the print behind a matte already closes the gap almost. (I'm not in the Canon camp - history and sunk investment)
i got a p200 for very cheap on ebay ... discovered that to get the full set of inks, it costs the same as what i paint for the printer(£122). Now I am stuck with 3rd party inks, the colours aren't popping as they do on the screen, even with glossy photo paper. would love to see if you do any colour management using s-curves and stuff
The 8550 looks like a real pro workhorse. I see a vast 3rd party support market for sublimation inks, pigment inks and all manner of things. That tells me something. Pity Epson here in South Africa is so useless- cant seem to find a retailer here for the ET 8550. I can only find the L18550
Hi Keith, great video, great recommendation! I have a question regarding pigment inks for glossy paper on Epson r3000 or SC P800. As I have been learning I understood that pigment inks and glossy paper do not match very well as the inks are not absorbed. So the R300 and the P800 switch the black to match the paper sort, how about the colors in these printers, are they dye or a special sort of pigment since the color cartridges do not change? The point is that I got myself an SC P800, next to my R3000 and et8550, so I was thinking of selling the 8550 and use the R3000 for glossy printing. Having 3 printers is a bit much (although I am very happy with them!) So what are your thoughts about that, I value your professional input very much! Thx in advance!
Ah, pigment inks themselves are not incompatible with glossier papers - hence the Mk/Pk switch. However some more glossy papers do show more 'gloss differential' Have a read of my written reviews [not videos!] of those printers [see www.northlight-images.co.uk/photography-articles-and-reviews/printing-paper-reviews-articles/
Great video again Keith! Can I pick your brains? A company we use (Photobox) have discontinued a certain size paper we get our photos printed on for autographs when we arrange our signings. Would you happen to have any idea what type of printer they'd be using? i.e. laser/inkjet etc? As we're currently considering printing our own photos.
@@KeithCooper We get 8"x10"s from Photobox on Fujifilm Crystal Archive matte finish paper which are fab for autographs. They've recently relaunched their site and taken away this size of photo from their order page so it's left us contemplating whether a 'home' printer will be good enough to print photos we can use for autographs (we bought some from Max Spielman once, I can only presume they use inkjets as the signatures could wipe straight off the surface of the photo when we used silver paint pens even after waiting for them to dry). It's a hard call really, maybe we should source another pro lab type company much like Photobox instead.
@@RetroWrestlingdotcom Thanks for the info For that application I'd first suggest looking for another lab There's a lot of work in printing your own stuff if it's just for an application like that.
@@KeithCooper Yeah it may be best, imagine spending a fortune on a printer only for something like the ink wiping off 🤣 I actually have an Epson ET-2850 for our basic printing for address labels/documents etc after watching your videos and have to thank-you, because we've saved an absolute fortune on ink. Magic, keep up the great videos!
can i ask you something, about permanence/fade resistance of that printer you show. especially the g550, et-8550 and pro 200? my printed photo from canon g3020 will fade in 1 month with oem photo paper + oem ink at open room (without glass). thanks
G550 - no idea ET-8550 - see my recent video about just this topic - many years PRO-200/300 Check the Wilhelm research institute [links in notes for et-8550 video]
Thank you very much I shoot motorsports in Japan with a Sony A1 and I always shoot raw files. What are your feelings about printing on canvas and what’s the best printer.
As much of the choice for canvas is how you decide to stretch and mount it, and whether you coat/spray it. That depends entirely on your market... I don't know it particularly well here, yet alone half way round the world ;-) No printer with a cutter is rated for cutting a lot of canvas - it blunts the blade and the blades are not cheap. As to 'best' I'll still take the Epson P20500 - since you've not qualified the meaning of 'best' in any way ;-) The new PRO-4600 is looking a good choice
I got gifted a Canon pixma pro 100 that is about 6 years old and only used a few times. do you think it would be OK to get ink and use it or are the new canon printers a lot better than the Canon pixma pro 100 ?
It's very similar to the PRO-200 [same inks and print head] I reviewed it in 2014 www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pixma-pro-100-printer-review/ See here for the 200 www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-200-printer-review/
I watched your reviews on the 8550 and the other eco tank epson model that uses all dye inks. Maybe I missed something in those videos but why would you suggest the 8550 (pigment + dye) over the all dye model (sorry the model number eludes me atm)
The 18100 is fine for glossy photo prints on thinner photo paper - but on some others it's useless The 8550 mixed ink set is good on many sorts of papers, especially when you appreciate the different media settings and what they cause in terms of inks used in the print. With all my video printer reviews, you need to read the actual review - the videos are supplements - see the discussion about the ink set at www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/
@@KeithCooper thank you, as always your replies are very informative. I really appreciate the kind of work you do and the way you communicate with your audience. Cheers.
As a hobbyist I recently bought a Pro1000 I was planning to buy the pro 300 but I don't want to deal with small cartridges and 13" wide the pro1000 I don't use it everyday maybe 1 print per week but I like it the down side it's heavy 75 LB. better have a strong table for it
Wow, somebody who did it. If you print only once week or so, the costs might be acceptable. But a whole set of ink for 600 euros that`s criminal. And he`s throwing half of it away if you don`t print everyday. Forget about third party cheap ink, it won`t like it. I have had much problems with it. I think this printer is not for hobbyist.
@@brugj03 I'd refine that, knowing the budgets of some photography hobbyists... It's an excellent printer, but at a cost which may or may not matter. The last person I taught about using one had several Leica cameras and a host of Leica lenses - their 'hobby' budget made my own professional photography one look miserly
@@KeithCooper I belong to the same category, i buy lenses for fun. But the extreme high costs of use of the Canon was ridiculous even for me. I felt cheated. You see it is not about the money, it`s just throwing away half of your ink for seemingly no reason, what irritated me. And after all the printed foto`s of the epson are more to my liking.
@@brugj03 I don't mind spending $836 CAD on ink the and the convenience of printing at home much easier than waiting 1 week to get your image printed out
No - I believe that is in largely the past Yes - any inkjet will exhibit issues if left unused for longer periods - whoever makes it. I have several videos specifically covering keeping your ink-jet printer happy...
Many times. but people's definitions of 'simple' vary very widely ;-) One of my previous careers was in Human Factors - usability/ergonomics - or as it's sometimes now known, by the slightly twee name of 'User Experience' Lots of dealing with the second 's' there...
I'm not sure I can follow your argument about ink cost. I was looking at the pro1000 and it seems an A2 print costs about £1 in ink. It seems to me that paper is more expensive than the ink, regardless of the printer.
My main point [here] is how much cheaper it is with an ink-tank printer. This matters to a lot of people. As to the PRO-1000, use it rarely and the total cost of ink rises quite a bit, with its fairly agressive cleaning requirements. My costs are based on this www.redrivercatalog.com/rr/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html Far more work/ink/paper/time to produce than I'd ever attempt...
@KeithCooper Thank you for the reply, I just always hear people saying the main cost of a printer is the paper. But I guess that's people printing on 5-10£ art paper. Now reading quite a bit on printing cost, I'm leaning towards the P900, also Epson paper seems to be half the price of the Canon. I should have just checked the Canon website, it clearly says you need a new carriage on average every 24.5 A2 prints. I wish 13" would be wide enough for me.
Since 5 month I own the ET8550 and with that started to also print photos. I also found your great YT channel for learning. One question which I have: Using the backside paper feed for thicker paper - does it make sense to use the "thick paper" media type and use e.g. "Epson ultra glossy" ICC profile? And what does the Media Type "Thick" on/off in the Printer Settings do?
I believe the thick option alters some aspects of the print head timing and positioning. This is covered to some degree in the manual, but it's not always so clear. The profile only covers the ink use, hence being specific to a paper - the media setting is what adjusts other settings, such as which black is used,
Having owned Epson printers since 2012 and experienced their software, especially their updates which constantly removed features that I used, I can honestly say that I would rather not have a printer than have another Epson
Not sure why you would think that? - what update, what printers, what features? I've used Epson and Canon printers for 20+ years and this doesn't resonate with my experience in any way...
Dear Keith, I have an oportunity for a second hand Epson SC-P6000 STD Spectro at a very good price and very good conditions. I currently have a PRO-1000 and R3000. Do you know how the prints from the SC-P6000 compare to the ones of these two printers an IQ stand point? Do you know the technical points I shoud carefully check before going further on a potential buying process? How good is the spectro calibration of this printer? If I buy it, I'll resale the Pro-1000 and will keep the R3000 for piezo conversion (I have no room for a SC-P6000 and a PRO-1000 which will be a better piezo conversion candidate in term of paper format). Any inputs are more than welcome on the SC-P6000. Thanks
Take care to note the limitations of the spectro unit - it is not going to make icc profiles for you - needs more software. The 6000 is a reduced number of inks for faster print - will work fine with good profiles, but won't match the 12 inks of the pro-1000 See my P7000 review - very similar but more inks www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-surecolor-p7000-printer-review/ The one I tested had the SP unit...
@@KeithCooper You are a Master in printers. So I'll keep the Pro-1000. Thank you very much Keith.And my deepest thoughts to your family in these sad days.
I can get "decent" prints out of my Canon MG3600 but I wouldn't want to try to sell tham. I had a great Epson printer but unless I used it daily ( and used the ink) the nozzels would clog and it would stop working. I'm going to stick with my Canon Dye based printers and rely more on profiles and paper choice. I have a small and undeserved reputation in the local photographer community. I think it's party because they feel sorry for me because I appear to be so OCD
I quit purchasing printers for photography many years ago because I am gone for months at a time. The inks would dry out from none use, clogging jets and other mechanics, ruining the printers. I keep watching for a solution but have yet to find a successful one outside of arranging for it to used periodically.
Please make video about Canon big gun printer the dreamlabo 5000, we are thinking to replace our silver halide printers with this printer . it's been in the market for a while but still can't get proper video on youtube
Keith, I know this is a loaded question, as there are so many variables involved, but on average (I won’t hold you to it!), how many A3 size prints would you expect out of a set of Canon Pro300 inks. Again, typical color distribution, just average (as anything can be) prints. Thank you
Not a question I can answer [lack of useful data] However look here at the ink usage costs for the 300 and you can work it out www.redrivercatalog.com/rr/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html
Depends which printer, but likely many times... The place to start is the written review for the printer [listed in the notes to this video] Or you can look at the full categorised index of all my 600+ videos on my site at: www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/
Keith is there any particular reason you did not mention the Canon TC-20M poster printer? Although in your review you highlighted the that it was only a 4 ink printer you stated it gave reasonable results. Not great mind you but good. I do own the ET-8550 and it is really good in most all respects but occasionally I would really like to go even bigger.
For the audience I had in mind here, It's physically too big, but only does sheet paper up to A3 and it's only four colour. Now, I was able to get good results, but only with some high end profiling kit and software. However don't forget another significant reason - I forgot ;-) One more reason I still don't like videos compared to written articles ;-)
@@KeithCooper Thank you for the speedy reply. I know you have the very expensive X-Rite profiling kit. Do You have any opinion on the lower cost Datacolor one that is more in line with what an enthusiast photographer can afford?
Yes - tested it several times [written reviews] - not quite up to the ColorMunki based ones. In particular can have difficulties with some media, especially with much OBA. The software is nice, but suffers from still using the same device from ~15 years ago.
I am looking to get into photo printing and photo magnet business. / beginner. What printer would you recommend for beginners and probanly wont be printing daily..cost effective and affordable please?
Difficult, since I know absolutely nothing about photo magnets... I've no idea what the specific print requirements are - you need to find what others are using.
I purchased the 8550 printer two months ago. However, I've been experiencing an issue where the photos I print on glossy paper always have noticeable lines. Despite trying all the cleaning and adjustment steps recommended, I haven't seen any improvement. Could you please guide me on how to address this?
Keith doing some dtf printing from 8500 epson planning on buying BY 20 would i get away with only using it on Saturdays and sundays without the heads blocking as am only staring out on my dtf printing ?
I'm surprised the G550 fails only in the area of size for this video. I missed the Deals on Prime Day so fell back to cheaper units since I'll be a noob, and was considering the g650 for ink cost for the reasons you say. I do have a printer question. The g650 used a previous iteration of Canon ink types. How long do you presume those will be produced by Canon before being phased out , maybe seen as a let down for permanence? Fingers crossed yt does not delete this.
@@KeithCooper Yes I saw the video but not having hands on it's a bit abstract at the mo (iirc something about using one profile over another) - but as I say I watched a lot of your vids that night.
Hey Keith , I had a Keith Cooper overload when I saw Amazon Prime Day printer deals with about 6 hours to go! Anyway thanks for all your work. Not having a printer I'd never looked that much at your printer videos. I do have a question, but it's about your 5DS r. Does it have the facility to take a picture without actuating the mirror or mechanical shutter as it does so? It's called silent shooting but I'm not sure if the shutter still fires. I know you can de!ay shooting up to 2 secs after the mirror flaps but it's not enough.
Ah, I don't remember. That would be an RTFM question ;-) I don't think it has full electronic shutter, but I use my 5DS [not R] tethered and it has the mirror up for live view
@@KeithCooper I have read the manual. It's how I know about the 2 second delay. But on Silent Shooting it just talks about reducing "shooting sound". It doesn't say how it does it 🤷♂. I am going to upscale to a different camera and the 5D S (R) decision almost entirely hangs on this.
@@killpop8255 Just looked at my 5Ds shooting without a lens attached in liveview shooting, the mirror stays up and the mechanical shutter fires There is no electronic shutter in this camera AFAIK
@@KeithCooper Thank you for checking it out Keith. So it's just 'Mirror Lock Up' rebadged. That's dosappointing. Not one for the Laowa 2x macro with available light.
After 4 or 5 not so good experiences with Canon printers, I switched to an Epson ET-4850 a while back. No more problems. WTF is wrong with Canon anyway!!!
Absolutely! Full array for all Epson papers including metallic papers. I have 2 ET-8550 printers, 1 for home and 1 for my vacation home. I’ve gone 4+ months without using the vacation printer and when I finally did it printed as though I used it the day before. Don’t know how many A4 prints you get from even what comes with the printer but it’s a lot!!!!
I have both Canon g550 and et 8550, i like canon more than epson, my ET8550 already constant nozzle clog after 5000 prints 5x7, and the printhead is very expensive, it's almost same price getting new printer, and my g550 printhead the right one is failing after7500 5x7 prints, but with 3 yrs warranty or 30k prints, i have no worries about printhead. Epson only has 1 yrs or 30000 prints which one came first. About colorwise, i think epson more easy to get correct color profile, but it doesn't mean you can't get perfect color profile with canon, just much easier with epson. once you get perfect color profile, basically both printers print amazing color. The only photo printer i very hates so much is Epson surelab printer, we have epson surelab D3000, but this printer is clog master, same story with his sister d10000...we had to change the pump every 6 months after 1 yr use.
Looks like you are using both of them in commercial roles? They are home/consumer printers and in that role work well. The warranty is aimed at typical home use too. As to the lab printers, most people I know with them get maintenance contracts for very high use
@@KeithCooper Here Canon privides 2+1 yrs warranty sor consumer printers, 2 yrs warranty 02 30k prints and for g550 you pay $15 for 1 yr extended warranty. For Professional printer they give you 2 yrs warranty for all parts and lifetime warranty for printhead as long you're using original inks. And for epson they only offers 1 yr warranty for all printers. But neither canon or epson offers contract service. Our printer that has contract service only our Noritsu inkjet Green and silver halide, $2000 to $5000 depending printer type a year for electrical including Laser head and printhead, but not the mechanical part. For inkjet printer that prints about 1000 4x6 a day and silver halide that prints almost 10000 4x6 a day, that's a bargain. Here in Asia part and service are cheaper than europe or america, once our canon printer has fatal error,via online they checked the printer remotely before sending the tech support. after they said that the error was fatal, and not worth to repair, and within a week they send me a new printer and when i asked do i need to send the bad printer, they said if i want to, i can send it to them but if inopt willing to send they told me to disposal the printer properly.l..that's how good canon service here....
I have a Canon prograf 1000 pigment ink a2 printer. And ihave a Epson 8550 ecotank. The Canon print costs border on the criminaly expensive. probably costing more than 20 times as much as the epson. The epson is less in blacks and black white foto`s, for glossy color i prefer epson. The canon stands empty now, a ink refill will set me back at 600 euros. You probably can print a lifetime with that on the Epson. I would never have bought the canon if i knew it would throw half the ink away in its maintance cartidge. A shame really because it does certain things exceptional.
@@KeithCooper I have 2 a 24" z3200 and 44" z3200ps, I print for charities events as a hobby. It does a really gret job on photo enlargement as well. I like HP becuase of how well it holds up with intermittent printing and the user replacable printheads are very nice.
@@MartinCHorowitz Ah, my mistake - I did test this one in 2009 www.northlight-images.co.uk/hp-designjet-z3200-review/ It's the current version I can't get them to let me try...
@@KeithCooper Z3200 is supported but discontinued Z6 and Z9+ are current series, but fewer inks. They claim higher quality but many people still think the z3200 prints look better.
Lightfastness of Epson ink? I wouldn't recommend dye over pigment for "serious" printing... and in terms of price.. just refill your own carts... see JoseR for details on his channel!
Ah - you have alternative image permanence testing data? Definitions of 'serious' also vary widely - the figures from the Wilhelm testing suggests that it might be just fine for many people. As for refilling carts - no, not a choice I'd ever make or advocate, other than perhaps for specialist B&W print setups - even there it's not a trivial choice... As ever, choices of 'cheap ink' and their longer term effectiveness also vary widely - for some it may be an acceptable option - just not here.
@@KeithCooper Well. this is why there are as many opinions as RU-vid video makers.. I'll stand with Jose Rodriguez, pigment inks and refilling carts... why buy a cart for $30 when I can easily refill it with top choice Precision Inks for $4? To each their own!
