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Epson 820 or 785EPX - which would you choose?

RossMAN

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
My three biggest concerns are:
1) The best near-photo quality output (assuming I high quality glossy paper).
2) Low ink per page costs.
3) Reliability.

If you're going to recommend the highly rated Epson C80 please state why.

I'd like to know which HP 9xx models you guys would recommend.

Thanks.
 
hp 932c

1) The best near-photo quality output (assuming I high quality glossy paper).mine prints photo's pretty well others may do better?

2) Low ink per page costs.=higher than most

3) Reliability=mine is 3 to 3 1/2 years old and not one single problem ever

hope this helps

can't speak for epson i never owned a comparable model=dollar for dollar
 
I ditched my Epson last summer. I hate it that the print heads are in the printer. I found that if I did not print regularly, the heads would clog and I'd use half of the ink tank to clean them. Went the HP route so I get new heads in with each cartridge. My photo quality was as good if not a little better with the 952 than my Stylus 800. Can't comment on the picture quality of the C80 but they still have the head problem.
 
1. any of the epson 6 color are going to give you the best photo prints. The 820 has a $50 rebate. The 785EPX runs about $169, has better build quality, CF card reader and paper roll support to do continuous rolls of paper. The C80 is a nice printer, but it will not give you the best quality photographs that Epson 6-color printer will. It simply does not offer the color gamut required. The 820 can be bought under $100 with the rebate.
2. The Epson 820/785EPX are going to give you the lowest cost per page. Genuiun Epson Color ink carts run about $13 online, black is around $17. You generally go thru 2 color for every 1 black.
3. Epsons are reliable, but they tend to clog if not used properly or not used over extended periods of time. HP's are very reliable since you replace the print head everytime you change the cartridge, but the costs are very high.

I have a 785EPX, it has been great. It would knock your socks if you saw some of my prints. Premium Glossy photo paper and Epson Matte Heavyweight are the best. Only use Epson paper and inks. Anything else you will be winging it as far as the end product quality goes.
 
I've had an Epson 740 which has served me well for nearly 2-3 years and at the time it was a very highly rated printer.

The printer will be used a few times a month, at least once a week so I doubt the ink will clog.

The built-in CF reader is nice but really not necessary since I prefer to d/l digicam picts from the digicam to PC, to organize, touch up, etc. then print from PC to printer.

So if you had to choose between the Epson 820 and 785EPX, which would you choose and why?
I want:
1) Near photo quality output (on the right kind of paper).
2) Low ink per page costs.
3) Something fast and quiet would be nice but not really required if the above 2 criteria are met.

Thank you everyone for your input!
 


<< The built-in CF reader is nice but really not necessary since I prefer to d/l digicam picts from the digicam to PC, to organize, touch up, etc. then print from PC to printer. >>



that is what i use it for. It acts like any other CF reader. I download my pictures to the computer, touch them up, then print. You can also print directly from the printer, don't even need to turn the puter on. Does your Sony digicam support Print Image Matching? If you already got a method to download, you'd probably be better off with the 820. I like the paper roll support of the 785EPX though. I can crank out 26 feet of 4x6 photos.

I've had 1 or 2 clogs on mine, but nothing overwhelming. It uses up a bit of ink doing the head cleaning. Epson ink cartridges are not that expensive though.
 
I purchased the 785EPX, that is one awesome printer. It does eat ink, just about like every photo inkject, but the prints that come out are amazing. If you print on either the Photo Quality Gloss, or the Pemium Photo Quality Gloss you'll be very happy. I like the Premium myself, you cant tell the difference between the prints and 35mm prints with the naked eye.
 
I havent had a clog problem, but i use mine atleast 1 a week. I think the problem is with people leaving them on and also not using them for a long time. I suggest pulling the carts if you dont use it for an extended period of time. Put them in a ziplock and seal them up good. Otherwise just run something off ever 2 weeks to be sure it doesnt get clogged.
 
I've had Epson inkjet printers and the last one (740) is still running great and I use it at least twice a month, with sudden spurts of use in between.
 
epson did a product demo here at work... the photos were pretty amazing looking, and the roll paper is a very nice touch.
 
I had 3 Epson's before I got my HP 970. All 3 Epson's were throw aways due to irreparable clogged print heads. My sister went through 4 Epson's with the same problems before she got an HP 940. The HP's work flawlessly. Photo quality on glossy paper is just as good as the Epson.
 
What do you guys think about the Epson C40? I can get one for free if my friend orders a Dell Dimension 4400 with 15" LCD for $899 with free shipping.

Thanks!
 


<< What do you guys think about the Epson C40? >>



well, it will print. don't expect great pictures out of it. It is the lowest priced epson available



<< The HP's work flawlessly. Photo quality on glossy paper is just as good as the Epson. >>



maybe epsons from 5yrs ago. They don't hold a candle to the current Epson 6 color printers. Only Canon can compete. Just go to any of the big digital photo websites and see how many HP printers they review. nuff said.

And of course HP has no head problems, you replace it at a very high cost everytime you change ink cartridges.

You can correct very stubborn clogs on an epson with some windex and an eye dropper. Besides, the have a 1 yr warranty Epson. HP has a 90 day warranty on some models of their printers
 
Well, after 7 Epson's failing between mine and my sister's because of the well known print head problems, I had enough. When I need to print something, I need it to work. I gave Epson more than a fair chance. A couple of them did go back for warrantee service. Until they fix the clogging issue, they've lost a customer.
 
<<Well, after 7 Epson's >>

Jeeze, sounds more like user error than anything. I've owned 4 epsons myself (800N, 740, 785EPX, and i forgot the other model number). I have 2 more at work (a 900 and 820), and my parents own 2 (they just got the 785EPX cause they loved my prints so much, they still use their 740 from years ago). I've never had an ounce of trouble from them. If you properly care for the print heads and use it atleast every 2 weeks (just a printer test will do fine), then you shouldn't have clogged heads. So out of 8 that i've had the pleasure of using, i've never had a single one fail. Kinda odd that you've had 7 fail.

Also Epson has the best photo printers out there. Nothing wrong with HP, but hes right that they dont hold a candle to the 6 color printers of Epson. I've yet to test a canon thouigh, so cant comment.
 
User error? Lets see...
1) open a document
2) print
3) see all these horizontal lines going through the document
4) try a cleaning cycle
5) if that doesn't fix it, goto step 4 again. After 3-4 cyccles (using up a ton of ink) sometimes it would be ok.

This was 3 of my printers (500, 600, 740). My sister went through a 500, (2) 600's and a 740. Tons of people have had the same issue. This is a very well known problem. Its like saying crashing 75GXP's are from "user error". Never had a single issue with the HP 970 or 940. Same users. Each time I tried the "new" Epson model, same problem. I had it. No more Epson for me until they prove this problem is fixed.
 
I've had an Epson 740 and 2 friends have also owned Epson 740's for at least 2-3 years and we've never had any problems.

With proper care, using the right Epson certified ink cartridges and printing at least 1 page every 1-2 weeks should prevent the ink from drying up.

So would you guys buy the Epson 820 for $70 shipped over the $160 Epson 785EPX?
 


<< So would you guys buy the Epson 820 for $70 shipped over the $160 Epson 785EPX? >>



weigh the pros and cons

820:

same printhead as the 785EPX
same ink carts used as the 785EPX
Parallel and USB port
No Roll paper support
Cheaper construction
$50 rebate

785EPX:

PCMCIA slot with CF card reader with optional adapters for sony memory stick and smart media
Roll paper support with included roll paper adapter
USB Only
Stand Alone printing
Better construction than 820
Better nozzle test pattern
 
rickn - Thanks for listing the pro's and con's for each printer. Since this is for a friend I'm going to e-mail them the best prices for all 3 printers and include reviews, would you agree with the following statement:

Good - Epson C80
Better - Epson 820
Best - Epson 785EPX

???
 
yes, i'd agree with that. the c80 is a different from the 820/785epx. it uses different inks, but it also lacks the photo magenta and photo cyan colors, which give the 820/785epx the edge in the photo quality department.
 
off topic a little. but what app do you all use to print yoiur photos? i've used photoshop, and it seems i always have to tweak somethin to get it to print right. was wondering if there was a better program. i know photosohp is the best for editing, but just wanted something that could do different sizes easily.
 
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