Epson Vs Canon

[langier]

The banner material I was using was the Lexjet Satin--http://www.lexjet.com/p-707-LexJet-8-Mil-Production-Satin-Photo-Paper.aspx
The stands were also from Lexjet, their retractable that work like a movie screen--http://www.lexjet.com/i-11633-LexJet-Retractor-6-RTRC6.aspx

The banners had a nicer look than vinyl and in the stands, it was very convenient to set-up, put the pole together, pull the banner out of the stand and hang the rail. Takes just a minute to assemble and the banners look super.

[Zave]

My friend, Jim Doyle at Shades of Paper:  http://www.shadesofpaper.com/  has deep knowledge of both lines of printers and sells both to print shops.  He also ships worldwide.  You might want to contact him.

[enduser]

There's one other thing to consider, which I too would like to know the answer to: as I consider going up a size I am mindfull of the much feared need to buy a new print head for my Canon 6100, which is an outlay close to $1000 for both.

In going up a size I could go to Epson machinery, which doesn't have replaceable heads, but does that mean they last longer, or what?  Or do you just have to get a Techie to do it and end up paying the same or more?

Put in its simplest terms. which of the two has the lowest printhead costs over their predicted life span?

Thanks for any info.

[na goodman]

You're talking about two different technologies. Epson's print heads are piezo heads, which do not use heat to distribute the ink and are meant to last the life of the printer.
Canon and hp heads are user replaceable because of the difference in the ink delivery system which is heat. I don't think anyone can guarantee you an Epson head will not go out before it should but they are theoretically supposed to last the life of the printer.

[langier]

My understanding of the three heads:

HP has the sprectro since heads need to be replaced every few complete ink cart change. The heads change as the heads age, thus need to be re-profiled regularly. Heads are fairly inexpensive and user replaceable.

Canon's heads get replaced at a longer interval, but stay within color tolerance during their useful life. Heads are more expensive but user changeable.

Epson's heads stay in specs until they die (my oldest of four dates to about 2002 and the heads are fine), then have to be changed and aligned by the Epson tech and are far from cheap.

[deanwork]

You would be wrong about that assumption. I have used my Hp Z3100 for nearly 4 years now, every day. So far I have only replaced 4 of the 6 heads ( two ink channels per head, 12 inks), which cost me about $65.00 each. I've never seen a degrading of image quality due to the head wear except on one occasion. That was when I ran a couple of 44" rolls of  huge textured rag prints with total black backgrounds and that finished off my Mk head. At that point I needed to replace the MK head because it wore out. That was after 2.5 years of heavy use on all kind of media. Head alignment is fast and fully automated. These very inexpensive heads are very durable, and run very cleanly  They never clog ever,  which is well worth a new set every couple of years.  But I've never had to come close to even doing that. I relinearize the various media about once every couple of months, though I've never actually seen the output drift. But since it only takes 10 minutes and it fully automatic, I do it anyway. I've had Epson heads go out on me in less time than this and that is $1,200.00 if your lucky, probably a lot more these days. Now the ink carts can be used up fairly quickly on the HP since they are only 130 ml. That's a drag, Hp needs bigger carts. You use more of the light gray, gray, and black than any of the others generally. Some of the other channels like the blue, green, and red last a very long time for me.

The only situation that would worry me about the new Cannon's is the very expensive price of replacing those heads. Some people just give up on the printer and buy a new one at that point. I don't have any idea why the Canon thermal heads cost so much since they are easily replaced and do essentially the same things the hp heads do. But the Canon ink carts are huge and last forever practically.

[Gandalf]

If you live in a place that is off the beaten track, I would think that reliability and some way to get service and parts is more important than any other properties, as either Epson or Canon can make excellent images. I think this is more important, say than the price of consumables.

+1 to that. While there is a wealth of information in this thread, I think you are asking the wrong questions. What matters most in a print business is that your machines are reliable, serviceable and that you can get parts and consumables quickly and easily. Servicing printers takes money and time away from running your business, and downtime is costly. Quality is pretty similar on modern printers, but if you can get parts and consumables (ink, paper, maybe heads) more easily from one company, I would go that route.

You also need to look into the total cost of running the printer. Will your current computer work or will you need a dedicated system? Can the printer build adequate profiles for your desired/required media or will you need to buy a separate profiler? Can the printer software handle multiple print jobs or will you need to buy a RIP? If a printer is purchased through a vendor like B&H and shipped to you, would that void the warranty? How much will consumables cost when they arrive on your doorstep?

[lighthunter]

+1 to that. While there is a wealth of information in this thread, I think you are asking the wrong questions. What matters most in a print business is that your machines are reliable, serviceable and that you can get parts and consumables quickly and easily. Servicing printers takes money and time away from running your business, and downtime is costly. Quality is pretty similar on modern printers, but if you can get parts and consumables (ink, paper, maybe heads) more easily from one company, I would go that route.

You also need to look into the total cost of running the printer. Will your current computer work or will you need a dedicated system? Can the printer build adequate profiles for your desired/required media or will you need to buy a separate profiler? Can the printer software handle multiple print jobs or will you need to buy a RIP? If a printer is purchased through a vendor like B&H and shipped to you, would that void the warranty? How much will consumables cost when they arrive on your doorstep?

in the palce i live in there is no service center for canon or epson or hp ... i need to do it my self or use a not authorized center
so i need the most reialablity printer.