I'm looking for a 13x19 format printer and don't know much about the differences between dye-based and pigment-based inks. I'm looking the closest at the Canon Pro series - one using 8 dye-based inks and one using 10 pigment-based inks (including two blacks and a gray).
Could anyone having insight into the pros and cons of this decision please enlighten me. Is there any useful information on the web (I haven't found any)?
I also notice that many of you use Epson printers. Is there a reason Epson is a better choice than Canon or HP?
First, the easy question: Epson vs Canon/HP. For a long time, the choice was a bit of a no-brainer. Epson *was* the high end photographic print market. Quality of printing, archival if needed, variety of materials and lots of support, even by third parties.
With the introduction of high end printers by Canon and HP, the picture is a bit muddied. From what I can tell, their high end printers are about as good as it gets, on par with the Epson top models. Micheal Reichman on the Luminous Landscape has reviewed their offerings and print quality is not an issue. The user interface has has some complaints about - check his reviews.
Now the harder question: dye vs. pigment. My experience with the Epson 1280 and 4000 models is this: Dye is a bit richer color and works extremely well with glossy papers, but is not as archival and will fade noticeably over two year when near a window. The 4000 (pigment) is better on matte papers, with bronzing on glossy surfaces. (In all fairness, the new K3 pigment inks are supposed to be a huge imporvement on glossy papers). They should be more fade resistant, even under poor display conditions. This seems to agree with my observations, but I have only been using it for two years.
As Dan said, they really are all good products. It's more of a question of catering to your specific wants IMO. When I purchased my printer a short while ago, the Canon wasn't available. My final choice was the HP9180 since it has user replaceable heads, a closed loop self calibration system, larger ink cartridges and a nice tray design for the thick fine art media that I prefer. Epson has a much, much larger user base and would probably have more easily accessible profiles for papers available. The HP also doesn't have easy support for roll paper which would be an issue if you want to print panos. Also, if you have a printer issue, more people could probably chime in to help you if you were using the Epson.
Current dye and pigment ink-sets both look very good and the most recent pigment sets have a color gamut thats quite competitive with their dye brethren. As Dan said, the real difference is the archival stability of the prints. It's an issue that matters to me, so I went with pigment (my inkset is rated at over 200 years before fading). Nice prints can be obtained from dye printers if you're not as concerned with print permanence. The Canon 9000 does a nice job for a dye printer and is fairly economical.
If you want to take a closer look at some prints from the HP at some point, let me know. I have the majority of my favorite images printed at this time on Moab Entrada Natural, and it'd give you an idea of what the printer is capable of. Best of luck!
Discussion
2 repliesCould anyone having insight into the pros and cons of this decision please enlighten me. Is there any useful information on the web (I haven't found any)?
I also notice that many of you use Epson printers. Is there a reason Epson is a better choice than Canon or HP?
Thanks in advance for your help.
With the introduction of high end printers by Canon and HP, the picture is a bit muddied. From what I can tell, their high end printers are about as good as it gets, on par with the Epson top models. Micheal Reichman on the Luminous Landscape has reviewed their offerings and print quality is not an issue. The user interface has has some complaints about - check his reviews.
Now the harder question: dye vs. pigment. My experience with the Epson 1280 and 4000 models is this: Dye is a bit richer color and works extremely well with glossy papers, but is not as archival and will fade noticeably over two year when near a window. The 4000 (pigment) is better on matte papers, with bronzing on glossy surfaces. (In all fairness, the new K3 pigment inks are supposed to be a huge imporvement on glossy papers). They should be more fade resistant, even under poor display conditions. This seems to agree with my observations, but I have only been using it for two years.
They have reviews of single printers and also have a recent comparison of the HP9180, the Epson 2400, and the Canon 9500: http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/Pigs/page_1.html.
As Dan said, they really are all good products. It's more of a question of catering to your specific wants IMO. When I purchased my printer a short while ago, the Canon wasn't available. My final choice was the HP9180 since it has user replaceable heads, a closed loop self calibration system, larger ink cartridges and a nice tray design for the thick fine art media that I prefer. Epson has a much, much larger user base and would probably have more easily accessible profiles for papers available. The HP also doesn't have easy support for roll paper which would be an issue if you want to print panos. Also, if you have a printer issue, more people could probably chime in to help you if you were using the Epson.
Current dye and pigment ink-sets both look very good and the most recent pigment sets have a color gamut thats quite competitive with their dye brethren. As Dan said, the real difference is the archival stability of the prints. It's an issue that matters to me, so I went with pigment (my inkset is rated at over 200 years before fading). Nice prints can be obtained from dye printers if you're not as concerned with print permanence. The Canon 9000 does a nice job for a dye printer and is fairly economical.
If you want to take a closer look at some prints from the HP at some point, let me know. I have the majority of my favorite images printed at this time on Moab Entrada Natural, and it'd give you an idea of what the printer is capable of. Best of luck!