Probably the most common questions I've received since building this site are: "What printer should I get instead of an 870/890/1270/1280?"; and "I've already got one, what should I do?" Those are hard questions to answer. Let's split this into two parts: First, what to do if you don't already own one of these printers?
Until recently, I've had a hard time recommending one of these printers to a new purchaser. If it weren't for the absolutely beautiful output these printers are capable of, I'd probably have returned mine (but then I'd have missed all this fun!). Until recently, no other current printer produced equal output at even twice the price. Now, the Canon S800 essentially matches it, and seems to basically match the longeivity of the Epson printers, good and bad. Good light fastness, but bad gas fastness. Aside from that, Canon offers no wide carriage version of this printer to match the 1270/1280. The Hewlett Packard photo printers seem to offer reasonable (but not great) print life. But image quality, while very good, is a definite step down from the Epson, and the prints aren't exactly archival, either.
But recent developments make it easier for me to recommend one of these printers, although with some reservations. The new version of the Epson inks may be less prone to orange shift (keep an eye on this site for test results). And several new papers are looking very promising. In particular, the Epson ColorLife and Ilford Gallerie series papers are looking very good. And the availability of 3rd party inks for these printers offers many more options. And, of course, you can always frame your prints under glass, or put them in albums, and the problem goes away.
If you already have a photo printer that you're pretty much satisfied with, you may want to watch and wait. This is a dynamic market, and it doesn't require any inside knowledge to know that Epson, Canon and HP are hard at work on their next generation photo printers. Maybe Epson's next printer will solve this problem. Or maybe Canon will get longevity to match it's quality (and offer a wide carriage version). Maybe HP will figure out how to get a 3 ink printer to match a 6 ink printer in quality, or go back to a 6 ink design.
But if you're not really satisfied with your current printer, or if you must buy a new photo printer today, then evaluate your priorities. If ultimate print quality is important, and you're willing to protect your prints (or try alternate papers or 3rd party inks), there's still nothing better than the 870/890 and 1270/1280 printers. If you really want optimum print life, without the agony of experimenting with 3rd party inks, papers, and profiling software, there's nothing to match the P2000. If you want snapshots for friends and family, homemade Christmas cards and the like, the HP printers are, in all honesty, good enough. The Canon S800 has very good output, but is as prone to orange shift as the Epson printers.
There is always the option of 3rd party archival inksets, both dye and pigment based. But be prepared to spend lots of time and money experimenting with papers and profiles. That option's not for me, yet but it may be just what you need. And it may be the option for me, soon, if the new Epson inks and papers don't adress the problem.
If you were hoping I'd tell you what to do, sorry! You've got to make up your own mind on this one.
When I first wrote this, my comment was "For me, the answer seems almost a no-brainer. Epson America is offering the 1 year buy back option. I've essentially got a free, one year lease on the printer."
But while that program is still in effect for earlier purchasers of the 870 & 1270 printers, I don't believe it applies to purchase of the current photo printers. If you don't absolutely need archival prints right now, my recommendation would be to keep it. Experiment with the newer papers and inks, and consider the use of 3rd party inks and papers. Use PGPP or similar papers where you can protect them from air, and Epson ColorLife, Ilford Gallerie, Red River Premium Glossy, or Epson Heavyweight Matte where you can't.
If you really need a printer with guaranteed stability today, the Epson dye printers may not be the answer. The Epson 2000P is certainly worth considering, but be aware many people find its metamerism to be unacceptable. MIS Associates, Generations, Cone, and others make archival pigment inksets that might be worth a look. And there's always the option of digital to Type C photo paper. Photolabs with the Fuji Frontier printing system can take digital files on CD-R and print to normal photographic paper (up to about 8x12 inches). For larger sizes, various custom labs can print digital to photographic paper using the Lightjet printer.
But none of these options is without issues, either. So be prepared to do some research, compare print quality, and decide what you're willing to give up in exchange for longevity.
I've gotten lots of questions about how to protect prints from these printers The common wisdom says there are three things you can do. Frame under glass (or keep your prints in albums), laminate, or spray and pray.
Frame the prints The evidence seems to support Epson's claims that framing your prints under glass, to protect them from the atmosphere, works. Even better, framed under glass its very hard to tell what the underlying paper is, anyway. Print on Epson Matte, tightly frame under glass, and you should get print life approaching Epson's claim of 20 years.
Laminate the Prints A good laminator will seal the prints away from the atmosphere even better than a picture frame. And since the lamination ads thickness and weight to the print, you can use a thinner paper than you might otherwise. But good laminators aren't cheap, and cheap ones give cheap results. And then you've got to decide between cold laminating, hot laminating, thickness and textures of laminating films. and on and on. I currently have a laminated print undergoing test, and it seems to be completely immune from orange shift. It does, however, change the look of the print. It's very obviously a plastic coated print, and not a "real" photo print.
I'm not willing, at this point, to spend half as much as the printer cost (or more) for a laminator, nor to become expert at another arcane skill. If someone can point me to a good resource for information about laminating, however, I'll post a link to it.
Spray, and pray. Will a spray coating protect a print from ozone? While not conclusive, tests conducted so far indicate the answer is "probably not."
Finally, you could try the new Epson and Ilford polymer papers, or Red River Premium Gloss
The Red River paper works for me, and the other's are looking good, but
no promises, mate. I make no warranties, express or implied, for the accuracy of anything
on this site. Your mileage may vary. Consult your physician. Expert printer (hah!) on closed
course. Test procedures not authorized for use in nuclear power plants or air traffic control
systems. Do NOT try this at home.
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