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Experience With Epson SureColor P5000

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:51 pm
by Porsche917
Friends:

Do any of you have experience with the Epson SureColor P5000?
Of particular interest to me is whether this machine is prone to
clogging if it is not used daily or weekly?  

Thank you in advance for any guidance that you can give me or 
experience that you can share with me on this subject.

Best Regards,

Roman     :D

Re: Experience With Epson SureColor P5000

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:02 am
by signgrap
I can't speak specifically about the P5000 but when I purchased a P800; when trying to replace my dead 4800, I asked Epson that very question. Their answer was:
"Epson Professional/Commercial printers are designed for commercial production which usually dictates a daily use or a minimum use of at least 3 times per week. In other words was designed for production printing. If you want a printer that will be used periodically with periods of non-use then you should buy a Prosumer printer like the P800 which is designed not to clog when not used for periods of time."
I followed their advice and got the P800. I have left the P800 idle for months at a time and have experienced only 1 minor clog that was easy to unclog.
I would suggest you speak to Epson and get them to answer your specific questions re clogging of the P5000.  
My experience with the 4800 was that it clogged frequently but produced great prints. I think over its (4800) life I think I ended up using as much ink trying to unclog the print heads as I did printing. The 4800 was notorious for its clogging issues. I do believe that Epson's commercial printers are better in regard to clogging but don't expect them to be as clog free as a Prosumer printer.

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:16 am
by peter makuch
HELLO ROMAN,
I HAVE A EPSON STYLUS PHOTO R3000 AND WHEN NOT IN USE IT WELL TO THE SAME AS YOUR MACHINE, SO ALMOST ONCE A WEEK YOU HAVE TO LET IT PRINT ANY PIECE OF PAPER SO IT DOES NOT CLOG-UP, WHAT I HATE THE MOST WITH MY MACHINE IS THAT WHEN I GO FROM PHOTO TO MATT PRINTING IT ALMOST AT ALL TIMES EMPTIES OUT MY CARTRIDGE FROM ONE INK TO THE OTHER, THESE ORIGNAL CARTRIDGES THAT ARE RECOMMENDED BY EPSON IS A MONEY MAKING BUSSINES AND NOT SO MUCH AS THE PRINTER ITSELF, I HOPE THAT THIS ANSWERES YOUR QUESTION AND THEN SOME, I WONDER IF ALL THE PRINTERS OUT THERE ARE THE SAME !!!!
ALL THE BEST

PETER

Re: Experience With Epson SureColor P5000

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:52 pm
by Mark Picard
I have the P5000, 9900, and the old 4880 (still printing just fine). I had the P800 which I sold (didn't care for certain features of it) I print a lot, but occasionally will go a couple of weeks in between prints of these printers. I downloaded a McBeth Color checker chart and print out a small chart with all the colors once every two weeks if I don't use the printers regularly. I print almost exclusively on roll paper, so a 5 inch long test strip doesn't use up much ink for those test strips. I have had the 4880 since 2009, and every once in a while (say, maybe 3-4 times a year, it will need a cleaning - a normal cleaning works every time, and only requires one cleaning per episode.  I have had to clean the P5000 twice in a year, so it's pretty good at staying clean too. Go to www.inkjetmall.com for tutorials on how to clean the print head and wipers on these various model printers. They sell a inexpensive cleaning kit that works great with minimal time to execute. My 4880 is a real workhorse, having printed tens of thousands of prints with NO major clogging issues! 

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 11:04 pm
by Porsche917
Dear Dick, Peter & Mark:

Thank you very, very much for your comments. I presently have an Epson 4880 Stylus Pro that needs to be replaced. Your comments together with input from Epson itself have given me better information and a greater comfort level about which Epson large format photographic printer I will buy.

Best Regards & Happy Holidays,

Roman :-)