Inchiquin Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 For years I made lovely colour prints on an Epson R1800 but it now seems beyond its useful life. I don't think I could justify a like-for-like replacement as it would never pay for itself, but a cheap printer might do so eventually. Does anyone have any experience of the Epson EcoTank ET1800? At £170 it's cheap enough to perhaps give me a return after 2 or 3 years, but can it produce prints good enough to frame and sell? Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 I have the Epson ET-2850. It produces excellent prints. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 1 hour ago, Inchiquin said: For years I made lovely colour prints on an Epson R1800 but it now seems beyond its useful life. I don't think I could justify a like-for-like replacement as it would never pay for itself, but a cheap printer might do so eventually. Does anyone have any experience of the Epson EcoTank ET1800? At £170 it's cheap enough to perhaps give me a return after 2 or 3 years, but can it produce prints good enough to frame and sell? I’m not familiar with this printer but the specs say it’s a consumer 4 colour printer so the quality would be questionable. Prints good enough to sell is entirely subjective - depends on your own standards and those of the people you are selling to. Longevity is something you might want to investigate as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Something from Tim Hunkin here with a good word for Epson inks https://www.timhunkin.com/a115_inkjet print longevity tests.htm A year in the sun seems reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ramsay Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 9 minutes ago, spacecadet said: Something from Tim Hunkin here with a good word for Epson inks https://www.timhunkin.com/a115_inkjet print longevity tests.htm A year in the sun seems reasonable. Information now long out of date, I'm afraid, though I admire the author hugely Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 Inchy Quinchy > At £170 it's cheap enough to perhaps give me a return How’s this for cheap...? with library card Miami-Dade libraries allow up to (25) free copies daily that’s color or b&w, letter or legal size I guess one could insert photo printing paper in feeder…? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted October 12 Author Share Posted October 12 15 hours ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said: How’s this for cheap...? with library card Miami-Dade libraries allow up to (25) free copies daily that’s color or b&w, letter or legal size I guess one could insert photo printing paper in feeder…? Somehow I doubt if it's photo-quality... Also the flights to Miami would eat into any savings I might make. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inchiquin Posted October 12 Author Share Posted October 12 16 hours ago, spacecadet said: Something from Tim Hunkin here with a good word for Epson inks https://www.timhunkin.com/a115_inkjet print longevity tests.htm A year in the sun seems reasonable. Ouch, that's a pretty damning conclusion. I can vouch for Epson inks (and the cheaper replacements from Marrutt). I have Epson/Marrutt prints from the R1800 on my wall that have been hanging in daylight for 10 years and the colours are as vivid as when they were put up. But I do leave the printer unused for periods and this is obviously why my R1800 gave up the ghost - at least two of the nozzles appear to be blocked and although Magic Bullet is supposed to free them, it hasn't done so for me despite multiple applications. What worries me about reading that article though is that Epson are now using dye inks, and it seems to suggest they don't have the same longevity. I'm in a quandary. I reckon I can save about £3 - £5 per print by doing it myself as opposed to my local printer. I should easily be able to sell 20 in a year so the printer would pay for itself in 3 years, plus I can produce them on demand much more quickly and there are other things, e.g. labels, that it would be extremely useful to have in colour. I think I'm tempted to give the ET-1800 a try just for the convenience of having a colour printer, and continuing to pay the extra for printing if it can't do the biz for saleable prints. One thing is certain - I can't risk splashing out for an expensive R1800 replacement if I'm going to leave it unused for weeks at a time. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Inchiquin said: leave it unused for weeks at a time. Just pop out a colour chart (or a nice piccy and put it on the wall!) every month or so and call it maintenance. Edited October 12 by spacecadet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ramsay Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 FWIW, I've had my Epson SC-P800 for at least six years, sometimes leaving it for months between making prints, at other times using it intensively, and have never had a blockage. The prints, particularly b/w, seem excellent (to me), and appear to show no visible degradation, nor have I had any complaints from purchasers. I only ever use the Epson-branded inks. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 25 minutes ago, Alex Ramsay said: FWIW, I've had my Epson SC-P800 for at least six years, sometimes leaving it for months between making prints, at other times using it intensively, and have never had a blockage. The prints, particularly b/w, seem excellent (to me), and appear to show no visible degradation, nor have I had any complaints from purchasers. I only ever use the Epson-branded inks. Alex I have the 600 which is very similar. These printers are much less prone to blocking than older ones. I had an equivalent Canon before that and it would block up frequently and cost a fortune in inks due to the cleaning. However, these Epson printers are on a different level to the one in the OP. The print quality is excellent, better than traditional chemical prints, but there are 8 inks in use. A 4 ink printer will not give anything in the same league in terms of quality. I would consider it a likely waste of money for someone used to printing on a higher end printer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Harrison Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 (edited) 5 hours ago, Alex Ramsay said: FWIW, I've had my Epson SC-P800 for at least six years I'd say that was something of a classic, the '900' doesn't seem to have such a good reputation, I wish I had one in fact but buying used is too much of a risk, they go for quite a lot. It's well known for not blocking up after being left and excellent print quality. The same goes for MDM's 600, both pigment ink printers but the 600 is an A3+ 13" wide printer against the A2 17" width of the 800. Edited October 12 by Harry Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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