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by Cecil Gray on Tue Aug 19, 2014 3:03 pm
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Just a gripe but I have read of many more. Bought a used Epson 7900 Stylus Pro. After many struggles and a certified tech visit I am 3,000 out with no other option to buy another one or perhaps a Canon equivalent. Diagnosing and a new head became a waste of money at this point when a new one would basically be the same amount of money. Does Canon compete or is it another Epson venture this time with a warranty. The other one was only a year ans a half old.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Aug 19, 2014 3:35 pm
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Canon is really the only other real game in town. They are slated to introduce all sorts of new printers in the next couple of weeks so if you hold on a bit, you might find something from them that works.
 

by Cecil Gray on Tue Aug 19, 2014 5:08 pm
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Thanks E. J.
 

by Royce Howland on Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:26 pm
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Cecil, the Epson x900 models have been fraught with some pretty serious issues with the head & ink delivery system, as you unfortunately now know all too well. Unless somebody has done a very thorough amount of research, really knows what they're getting into with this series, and operates a pretty high volume production shop that can keep one or more x900's running (about the only way to mitigate the head problems, and amortize the cost of potential catastrophic failure), then I personally don't recommend the Epson x900 series.

I have spent some extensive time with the Canon iPF x300 and x400 large format printers over the past year, getting to know that series. No device is perfect and the big Canons do have a few minor quibbles. But fundamentally they are very serious printers and have a tremendous amount going for them, including:
  • a great ink set
  • a good head design (user replaceable by design at a cost that isn't equivalent to buying a new printer)
  • great detail & colour
  • high speed
  • the ability to easily define custom media types
  • and more...
If I was buying a large format printer right now, it would be the iPF 6400 (24") or 8400 (44"). Unfortunately I don't have the space for, nor can I justify the cost of, a big floor standing printer model.

If only Canon would produce an iPF 5400 to update their aged iPF 5100. This is the 17" desktop model, still running the old generation head design & ink set. I would quickly get an iPF 5400 type machine to replace my own Epson 4880. The Epson x880 series is the last one I fully trusted, and my 4880 continues to soldier on and produce great prints. But the manual black ink swapping and constant head clogs, both with their accompanying waste of ink, have become tiresome. I won't buy a 4900. What I really would like is an up-to-date Canon 17" desktop model. Hopefully they produce one eventually, before my 4880 dies and leaves me in the lurch.

I will continue to run an Epson 3880 or equivalent, converted to Jon Cone's K7 carbon B&W inkset. That's a very special purpose printing system that runs only with Epson hardware. But for colour, I would go Canon now if I could.
Royce Howland
 

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