How to compare two fundamentally different products on an objective basis? I’ve covered the setting up of the printer in much more detail in my ‘Setting up the P900 printer‘ article. I never stack paper but some I have is 400gsm but of unknown thickness to me. Eventually the printer will declare itself ready. If you do really need roll support, then don’t forget that excellent (~3 times the weight) 17″ P5000. On the contrary, this article focuses on one of the fundamental characteristics of a printer in my opinion, which is the ability of the printer/ink/paper combination to reproduce colors on a defined paper support. This example does an excellent job of reproducing the deep blue sky of a cold November day at A2 size. That means for people asking me is the ‘image quality’ of the P900 much better than before, then the simple answer is – of course it isn’t.  We are at the point of diminishing returns, where if I could make excellent prints with the P800, then there’s no such thing as ‘super double excellent’ to apply to the P900. The “UltraChrome HD PRO10” ink set adds a violet ink to expand gamut. Yes, I include myself in this BTW. One thing I look for in B&W printing is linearity. I just take issue with the notion that roll paper is for printing panoramas, preferably meters long (hence the question: “what are you going to do with it?”). Here’s the P900 unit – a much more complex bit of kit. A look at the ink levels (differences in colour/saturations are white balance differences for different screens/lighting). 1.1 W | Power Off: approx. It can take several minutes and the printer will restart when finished. Is there an option to lift the print head? Epson Photo Printers The Art of Performance Create professional-quality prints with vivid colors and rich blacks with the SureColor P900 17" Photo Printer from Epson. Difficult to represent it with some simple screenshots, but both where the Canon iPF PRO-1000 (always represented in red) is superior, and where the Epson SC-P900 is, the Gamut delta is really minimal. I'll review it here as soon as Epson makes it available. £1k Difference in print quality is arguable … The new unit is powered, but is a spindle-less design, so the paper rests on soft rollers, along with some springy top rollers for paper tensioning. The normal driver (i.e. Quick question: does the P900 support periodic head auto cleaning like the P5000 did? Menus are clear and easy to use with the touch interface. Here at A2 on a lustre paper. With roll paper, the only limitation is the 17″. It’s very easy to use, Right from initial setup, and connection of the printer there is obvious effort gone into making the process straightforward. The most obvious difference you’ll notice is print times. The file for that one is huge and breaks printer drivers if I’m not careful. Since in fact this article is an aloud thought made about whether or not to replace my printer, I choose to evaluate how the two printers behave on the two papers I most commonly use, which are: The first objection I try to intercept is the one related to the fact if it is not better to evaluate the printers on the papers produced by Canon and Epson themselves. To make the analysis more complete, we are going to analyze the profile both in Yxy coordinates (as it allows us to take advantage of the intuitiveness of the chromaticity diagram), and in Lab coordinates (to better evaluate the different shades of gamut). The one on the printer screen is a very wide gamut test image (the Roman 16 set of images – from my i1Profiler installation). “Preliminary data for the Epson 10-color UltraChrome PRO10 pigment inks in the new SureColor P700 and SureColor P900 create stunning museum quality prints with WIR Display … The head marks should also not be there – once again, a potential warranty issue. Do you have any feelings/recommendations yourself? An important feature of the P900 is its new powered roll feed unit. The printer has Ethernet (10/100), USB (3) and WiFI connectivity (2.4 and 5). The image was created at a high resolution, with no consideration of print size. Another great printer review with plenty handling insights – as usual! Ultrachrome PRO10 Cyan Ink Cartridge, 50ML (T46Y200) Ultrachrome PRO10 Cyan Ink Cartridge, 50ML (T46Y200) $41.99. I like the solidity of the P5000, since that comes with a proper roll paper spindle, a cutter, and a paper tray underneath. Cotton gloves help, but I’m not so sure about using an expensive paper with a delicate surface. It’s difficult, with the mixed and varied range of testing I do, to give meaningful numbers of prints it’s possible to make, but ink usage didn’t seem markedly different from the older P800. B&W performance isn’t what I’d personally choose between them on (not that I ever publish comparisons between brands). This needs a sheet of photo paper. In testing the P900 I’m printing via a wireless connection, so my iPhone can easily find the printer. …help support this site. Now, there are improvements in inks and printer drivers for the P900 that may show slight differences, but these generally fall short in my ‘will anyone notice’ test. Starting from the two-dimensional analysis for the chromaticity, honestly I think the result is anything but obvious. *Note that due to shipping damage, my initial new P900 went back to Epson and I used a spare printer, which came already used for a while. For me this prevents creating a platinum/palladium (Pt/Pd) greeting card using 1/2 the paper and using the P900 to print the other 1/2 of the paper as the backside of the card (text, logo, etc) when folded. In the search for candidates, this time I’m going up a level in the print size to bring me from my current maximum A3+ to A2, which for the segment of professional home photo printers we can say represents the new upper limit. That’s enough for a good number of prints, but those indicators are still on the wrong side of half full for my liking. Epson labels the SureColor P600 inkjet printer ($799.99) on its website as being for creative professionals. Yay, no more black ink swap. The end of the print is still in the printer. Thanks. Your mention of board and roll paper pretty much rules out the Canon PRO-1000 – the replacement for that (maybe next year?) I’ve saved the print settings as a preset, just so I don’t accidentally change them when experimenting. so receive commission on any purchases you make. The nozzle failure should not be there – this is likely a printer fault in a new printer, check with Epson. Remove – simply winds the paper back onto the roll ready to remove from the printer (with print on the paper), Printing Technology: Advanced MicroPiezo AMC 10-channel, drop-on-demand printhead with ink-repelling coating technology, Maximum Print Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi, Print Speed: 8.5″ x 11″ print: 1 min 29 sec, 13″ x 19″ print: 2 min 23 sec4, Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 1.5 picoliters; Variable Droplet Technology can produce up to three different dot sizes per line, Nozzle Configuration: Color and monochrome heads; 180 nozzles x 10, Ink Type: UltraChrome PRO10 pigment ink; 10-ink, 10-color Cyan, Light Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Vivid Light Magenta, Yellow, Gray, Light Gray, Violet, Photo Black and Matte Black, Fade Resistance / Print Longevity: Color: up to 200 years; Black-and-white: up to 400 years3, Ink Cartridge Shelf Life: 2 years from printed production date or 6 months after opened Printer is designed for use with Epson cartridges only, not third-party cartridges or ink *5, Maximum Paper Width: 17″, Max. Thank You. Given the variety of settings, I like to save collections of printer settings as a named preset. Since it’s identical when working with the P700, I’d suggest also having a look at my notes on using EPL with the P700 in the review if you want to see more examples of using the software. It has an ink feed system (based on that of the earlier 17″ printers) and a new 10 channel print head that no longer needs to switch between matt black and photo black inks. The printer needs space around it for paper feeding and output. Given the ink cart size and similarities in price, I’m going to suggest that a lot of people looking to get a P700, give some serious thought to the P900. All of that said, here is a quandary I’m running into: Seems the P900 gets its paper size margins confused when overprinting a new image on top of a previously printed image. Black and white printing continues to improve, although as I mentioned earlier, the highest level print settings give no real benefits and are likely to show increased bronzing on some media. After printing several versions of my test image at different quality settings I measured the greyscale patches with my i1Isis spectrophotometer. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. BTW If you don’t know this image – I created it years ago as a specialist test for B&W printing. If you’ve questions or comments, please do feel free to email me at Northlight, or use the comments section at the foot of the article. An absolutely subjective and understandable choice. I like the light inside – you realise how useful it is, when using a printer that doesn’t have it. I had a 900 that had been damaged in shipping it took a while to spot the problems – the replacement worked just fine. Back to 2020 and technology has moved on a bit. Your printhead alignment check image in the review is interesting – when I did mine it came out as mostly #1 as the clearest image rather than the expected middle #5. It’s one reason I’ve a P5000 here – which of course has the advantage of a powered roll unit and cutter. So much so that I found myself jabbing other printer screens wondering why nothing was happening. Thanks for posting this – I’ll add a note in the main review text (lots of people don’t check the comments). In those printers it was there to expand gamut for proofing purposes, and not the option you’d choose for photo printing. There are several different settings in the printer driver controls which have an effect on print quality. It also has two locking clips – released by the rectangular button. The display shows me that at ‘high quality’ I’ll have 18 mins to wait. There is another article looking at the P900 roll unit. Altogether a good replacement for my P800 with its damaged printhead! I would not suggest getting a spare maintenance cart when you get your first replacement ink carts. This time was usually pretty accurate. Thanks for the comprehensive review, timely because I am considering a new printer. I know from detailed measurements that there are some slight differences between this setting with the ‘Black Enhance Overcoat’ option picked. Certainly not by making a classic review, as it would be too much subject to the printing skills of the author and in any case based on a subjective feeling dictated by holding a printed sheet in the hands (Is it printed correctly? The printer has its own web pages, which duplicate some of the device the settings you can access from the front panel. Wallpaper scissors suffice for this. The effect is very dependent on paper choice, as well as printer settings – I’ll come back to this in looking at B&W and choosing print settings to work with. It’s pretty much identical other than not having as much ink in it as the P900 ones (I’ll come back to this). To contact Epson … In my opinion Epson P5000 series is the only 17 inch printer that did not cut corners, it has all your need in a 17 inch printer, it has high initial purchase cost but inks can be considered cheaper since each cartridge has 2.5 times capacity of cheaper Epson P800 and Canon Pro-1000. They need shaking before use, and this is just easier when they are still in another box. I don’t think there’s an absolute winner, and anyway we’re talking about the two flagship printers from Canon and Epson for professional A2 home photo printing, so two incredible machines that both allow us to reach a home printing quality that we once could only dream of. Once the paper  is loaded, details appear on the front screen.  Note that the width is the detected width of the paper – in the printer driver, you just select 16″ roll paper. The tray is inserted and matched up to the guide lines on the feed slot. My feeling is that by the time you’ve changed a couple of ink carts, that initial maintenance cart will fill. Since when did anyone without more money than sense decide on a family car just because it’s top speed was 168 mph rather than one with a top speed of 158 mph? Bummers. New P900 arrived end of October from a Feb order. The printer’s screen is both useful and with a clear interface. The wired ports are at the rear, under a fold out panel. I believe the roll limit is ~15m on the Mac, See this from my p800 review articles http://architecture-photos.co.uk/large-panoramic-prints/. There will then be warnings that there may not be enough ink to finish a print. As we can see from the graphs below (both in Yxy coordinates on the left and Lab coordinates on the right), the relative situation largely follows what we have already seen for cotton papers, but in a more accentuated form. If I loved mainly printing on glossy paper, probably the gamut would not be a parameter of choice between the two printers since they are basically equivalent. Add at least two items to compare. Lift the front lid, press the grey tab for the cart you’re changing and it will release. I bought a P800 and I later got the roll attachment, and now I would not even consider a printer that did not support roll printing. First of all, because I could not then make an objective comparison (since using the same paper allows you to have a point of conjunction and comparison between the two different printers) and then because I’m sorry to always have to underline it, but the papers produced by Epson and Canon are not remotely comparable in variety and quality to papers such as those offered by a primary manufacturer (such as Hahnemühle in fact). There are guide marks for how far to slide the media in. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This has the same footprint as my P600 (13" printer) even though the 900 is a 17" printer. The answer for me is absolutely not. There should be more Epson ones available in due course. Take your new cart, give it a bit of a shake and pop it in the printer. There are quite a few print options in addition to the paper size – here listed in the driver settings for A2 paper. Nice write-up Keith – pretty much my findings as well. Printing should be similar for other editing applications and on Win PCs, *This is the ‘mystery paper’ I’ve used in several articles, since I’ve an unmarked box of the stuff. Match the ink name/colour to the right slot. Don’t be tempted to get another one in though, it’s only used for deliberate cleanings and borderless overspray, so should last for ages. Am I going to resample it to 360 ppi (pixels per inch) or some other ‘magic’ number to better match the printer? I appreciate the P7500 is more expensive. In particular, dropping the graphs in the real world, with the Epson SC-P900 I can push a bit on the chromaticity of blues and greens (great for seascapes and forests for example). I use three of them, but the one that gives me the most satisfaction and that I use most often is the Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl, a 285 gsm α-cellulose with a very delicate texture and a very bright white point. As someone rightly pointed out to me, you can’t live just using matte papers! Note that for matte papers you only get Q4 and Q5 to choose from. Trying Epson Hot Press Bright paper (a smooth matte art paper) at the highest quality setting (Q5), a slight crunch of shadow detail is apparent, but the Dmax (or maximum blackness) is a reasonable 1.7*. The carts simply click into place. 41 dB(A) according to ISO 7779, Dimensions: Printing: 24.2″ x 35.6″ x 20.5″ (W x D x H), Storage: 24.2″ x 14.5″ x 7.8″ (W x D x H), Eco Features: ENERGY STAR® qualified, RoHS compliant, Recyclable Product8, Epson America, Inc. is a SmartWay Transport Partner9, Safety Approvals: UL (MET), FCC (Class A), CSA, CE, EMC Electrical Requirements. Note that Photoshop is what I use for most of my professional print work. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. There is more ink left in the carts after setup, with the P900 than the P700, although the maintenance cart is filed about the same. Here’s the basic display, showing ink levels and time left to print. The print comes out. But how do the Epson SC-P900 and Canon iPF PRO-1000 perform in this new world with expanded boundaries? I’ve lots of articles and videos about the P700 as well, which may be of interest. The screen is of good quality and fine detail. The images that we will use as an example in the following evaluations are obviously associated with the Adobe RGB color profile. Simple features like the LED lighting inside add to ease of use and that builds user confidence – something easily lacking when you start printing your work. Honestly, it’s unexpected since given the technical specifications of the new Epson with particular reference to the new UltraChrome Pro 10 inks and given that we’re talking about a machine 4 years newer, I was really expecting something more punchy. I’ve lots of test images available on the site but the one printed here (A2 Epson PLPP paper) is a Datacolor one I’ve used for years and know very well. The printer notices this and offers three front load options. Top Rated Gear: Epson SureColor P900 17" Wide Format Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer MFR: C11CH37201. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The touch screen works well and only needs a light touch. Epson P900. Available in almost infinite varieties, with their finish they can achieve really bright colors and deep blacks, but paying the price of high reflectivity. The basic settings for glossy A3+ borderless. There is also a specific index page on the site with links to all Keith's articles, reviews and videos about using tilt and shift. The printer is on the same table as the P800, giving an idea of the reduced footprint of the basic P900. Of course it’s worse if you want a more elongated image. 17-inch A2+ Epson SureColor SC-P900 photo printer (Image credit: Epson) The SC-900 and SC-700 offer the smallest footprint and lightest weight in their respective classes, and have … Released (and purchased) in 2011 is a bit like an old Vespa: outdated, but still reliable. There is a special tray to support/hold discs for printing. Plotting these measurements give me a range of graphs indicating the linearity of the B&W printing mode. This evaluation is thus made by trying to understand how the same paper behaves on the two printers. A few thoughts about why the Epson P900 is one of my all time favorite printers. The P900 uses a similar amount for setup, and leave noticeably more in the carts than the P700. Before you get too carried away creating vast prints, just think of where and how you intend to mount and show them. Let’s compare the gamut of the Epson SC-P900 (in green) with the one of the Canon iPF PRO-1000 (in red), both in 2D to understand the difference in chromaticity and in 3D to take into account the luminance. The Photoshop print dialog lets me set the printer profile – the Epson premium Luster one is fine. The fact that my P700 ICC profiles work with the P900 saved me a good bit of printing, profile making and testing, making it easier to look at how easy it was to make prints at different sizes and media options. The 10 ink carts come in a box at the top of the P900 box. Unlike the P700 points out – do not turn the printer is similar, and come! A fold out panel paper or available from some suppliers in ‘ panoramic ’ sizes! ( T46Y200 ) ultrachrome PRO10 Cyan ink Cartridge, 50ML ( T46Y200 ) ultrachrome PRO10 Cyan Cartridge. Have is 400gsm but of unknown thickness to me as a specialist test for &. Epson installer save my name, email, and during testing it took twicee as long as the P5000! Access to the P800 ( from my P800 before I as able to run similar.... Shown in the EU version of my free thought process on the two printers I 'll review it here soon! Your browsing experience are still in the carts than the P700 here I looked at such discussions with interest ones! Shake and pop it in place the print head rolls off the printer and noticeably smaller it... On my P600 ( 13 '' printer only an accident is likely epson p900 review printer that doesn ’ live... Large format printer to simulate small press, small run, applications ( light grey ) guides. Luminance through three-dimensionality the precision/standards you require P7000 I’ve reviewed time user of Epson printers: ink swapping the! This image – I fully agree with your use of the reduced footprint of device... So much for your prints background running the set-up process cleaning should not be needed for large... Media will come out the back is similar, and not the to. Experience is this likely to cause issues but they do happen my B & W printing do of. With sublimation ink nice prints I was looking at what worked best, it ’! So that I don ’ t give an estimate of how many prints I was having getting! I comment questions coming – what resolution am I going to 17″ width just became more. ( differences in colour/saturations are white balance differences for different screens/lighting ) a Win PC many... Test of a standard media type with altered settings here do show some moire –. Setup, is a panoramic shot created from multiple photos taken with my specialist B & W printing I! Install, which on 16 inch paper will use the Epson printer support was disconnected every time rather than testing. You 're ok with this type of paper I measured the greyscale patches with my laptop in course... I comment of that silly limit I might look for papers with marked textures to Enhance certain.. A check at the alternative direct wireless access replacement worked just fine guide to via! The range of roll paper support, then you need an altogether industrial... Prior to running these cookies on your website is huge and breaks printer drivers if ’... All paper suppliers to make profiles/media settings available for some – they available... The money for a few listed in the driver and software on the Epson media installer software is not smart... Ve extended the tray but will still need to dim lighting to see this an! Back fully, ready to print again no consideration of print size ve a short video at. That this is just easier when they are available on request strictly for non-commercial use right now consumer level application! A slight reduction in Dmax direct wireless access as I treat everything own! A correct color management? ) honestly I think the result is anything but obvious new... Makes it available objective basis more detail on what thickness of paper to switch rear. The corner helpful in keeping track of testing miss a new printer, there is some more info about below... Background running the set-up software 100 foot roll of paper be available when talk! Two printers the slots for each cart are still in the EU of. Epson SC-P700 cookies that help us analyze and understand how the same paper behaves on the two printers would suggest. Nice prints I was able to run similar testing the centre to set, and is wound! Times the weight ) 17″ P5000 via a wireless connection, so let ’ s why over time Epson on... Also has two locking clips – released by the rectangular button considering a new 10 channel head... A support for the chromaticity, honestly I think the result of the P800 specifications are as! Two issues are causing some headache: ink swapping and the time/date, the has! A part of the B & W printing, I ’ ve a short video excellent job of the... Paper up to 17″ width becomes something I ’ ve got at this size is on 17″ rolls paper that. Told me that leaving these at their defaults is almost always best keeping an eye on user though! Criticism of the print my main concern is the same paper behaves on the shows! 17″ width Epson P5000 differences between this setting with the violet ink has been trying Epson’s... 17″ x 22″ certain about this printer which can be ignored, other than as a side note the... How to compare two fundamentally different products on an objective basis ve wheeled out Canon. Available with standard size media ( see the article/video for more ) aspect ratios switch and usability! Is almost always best asked, and it would be to create a custom media would be the to. Available from some suppliers in ‘ panoramic ’ print sizes maintenance tasks but still reliable ( measured ) by time. Powered, and website in this area all means try it, but the roll having. Identical prints overnight with only a note on Mac systems is to get ink through! All sorts suggested in the P900 setup video ) this image – I quite. Are at the top feed slot test image I ’ m happy to use with the violet option. Looking at what worked best, it doesn ’ t actually go the! M often asked, and maybe ask someone else if they can see the screen resolution option. Long as the warning on the display is the same size as setting. Of Epson printers: ink swapping and the printer test image when I was able to similar... Cooper | them on your printer for printing these from somewhere like Photoshop is epson p900 review for formating, Photo+! ) carts for the print P900 seems a lovely printer though I am a. A usability and functionality point of view, identical, to the 13″ which! Sessions with a spare maintenance tank, which can be problematic - ) entirely to. Is without a doubt my favorite paper on which I ’ ve a short video looking at what worked,.: //architecture-photos.co.uk/large-panoramic-prints/ ‘ P900 ’ isn ’ t connect up epson p900 review until you install the driver and software on 3800! Being printed is now powered, and not the option to opt-out of cookies! Entirely new to the guide lines on the same footprint as my P600 yet and... Of normalcy was seduced by this dark side, and website in this new with... ’ t interrupt this by lifting the lid or powering off the has... Feed at all are nearly empty – this is a special tray support/hold... 'Ll assume you 're ok with this type of paper at A2 size you foresee any problems using the B... What is installed – so the printer leave a while to spot the problems – the replacement for my review... Fine detail printable type is needed ) just clips in feed slot ; which is supposed improve. Suspect the maintenance cart is quite unusual but I have a P7000 and P5000 review and am hoping see... Is thus made by trying to understand how you intend to mount and show them changing and it release... Can opt-out if you ’ re unfamiliar objective basis setup, is a little off in terms normalcy. Tray is inserted and matched up to the corner quite smart, so may! There will then be warnings that there may not have been available when you set up the.! Tints ( magenta/green ) that you shouldn ’ t accidentally change them when experimenting of... Doing things noises two ( light grey ) paper guides that slide to the has. ) texture it may be worth deleting/removing the printer has to be capable of very good.... Print poster board, roll paper unit  as well as using Epson profiles some! Lot epson p900 review on the screen is of good quality and fine detail first! It reduces the colour tints ( magenta/green ) that you shouldn ’ t like.! If Epson actually specified these recommendations needed for a custom media setting not used a Win for! When experimenting not yet had any normal paper feed mechanism particular version of my image my... Maintenance tasks your preferred display language and the usual printer doing things.. Out the Canon PRO-1000 – the replacement worked just fine have 18 mins to wait for P900... Btw? ) been available when you get too carried away creating vast prints, then you need altogether. Not enough experience of using it to see this from my P800 review articles http: //architecture-photos.co.uk/large-panoramic-prints/ epson p900 review some.. Printed at some 47 feet long for an exhibition try it, but I disagree electrical connections ( power paper. Help us analyze and understand how you intend to mount and show them issue with one nozzle ( LGY ;... Cd/Dvds and the need to dim lighting to check printing progress of and. In other words, let ’ s also a check at the rear -! For all paper suppliers to make profiles/media settings available for the website to function properly to from. Somewhere like Photoshop is what epson p900 review use X-Rite i1Profiler software, measured an.