Posted by David Stokely on April 7, 2006 at 10:03 PM
Hello All,
I thought I would share my experience. I just replaced my old printer. I had a Canon i550, which I really was very happy with, but wanted to have the longer lasting photo inks. I did quite a bit of reading and I decided on a Canon ip5200. This is just a super printer. I cannot imagine better 8x10 images off of an inkjet. I've only had it for about 24 hours, but really super images. The resolution is tremendous, 9600 x 2400. It has something like 3800 nozzles and puts out ink droplets of 1 picoliter in size (whatever that means). I don't know yet, but I'm expecting similar ink economy as the i550. I did a wedding last weekend and with the i550 I printed 60 8 1/2 x 11 sheets off of (4) used & (1) new ink cartridges and didn't even have the low ink warning come on for any of the cartridges. I estimate that I can usually get close to 100 8x10 prints off of full ink cartridges on the i550. I'm hopeful the ip5200 will be similarly frugal with the ink.
It is a very basic printer as far as not having docking stations for camera's and it has no view screen or anything, but for the price. I got it a Amazon for $129. I give it a five-star rating. I'm very happy with it.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on April 8, 2006 at 12:21 PM
David, thanks for the report! I have an Epson Photo 960 which I have been extremely disppointed with - prints look just "OK" and fade very quickly. And that's with Epson archival paper and inks.
The 960 is a dye based printer (like the 1270-1280), so it will only be fade resistant with an enscapsulated paper such as Epson Colorlife. What paper are you using that fades so quickly and how are you displaying them? I've had similar prints on colorlife displayed behind glass for years with no fading yet.
Posted by David Stokely on April 8, 2006 at 10:56 PM
I've been using the HP Premium Plus High Gloss photo paper. I've used other papers with poor results. This is the best paper I've found. On the i550 inks, I can see no fading in one year. Reading on the Chromalife inks, very interesting claims are made. Time will tell the truth of them
Just looking at a print just made of a monarch butterfly on a thistle. I cannot see anything that I can attribute to the printer. If I take my glasses off and get as close to the print as I can focus, I can see some noise from the camera in the background, but the black veins in the wing and the orange field are just as sharp and crisp as on the actual butterfly. I'm just so happy with this. I'm reprinting shots done before just to compare the differences. It's really a neat printer.
Rob, I use Epson inks and Epson Premium Luster Photo paper, PN S041405 (8.5 X 11). But I think you may have identified the problem - the paper box states for use with the Photo 870/875DC/875DCS/1270/2000P.
Maybe I'm just using the wrong paper?
Posted by Toni Lankerd on April 9, 2006 at 8:43 AM
Jim,
If you prefer a matte type paper, try the Premium Semigloss instead. At the Epson site, your printer is included in those that can use it.
The encapsulated Epson Colorlife is the only archival paper for the dye inks that I know of that has been tested. Wilhelm says up to 27 years. Everything else is at least half if not a fraction of that time. Lustre is for the Ultrachrome pigment ink and is not made to protect the dye inks. The surface of the Colorlife is a semigloss, very close to Lustre. I've seen where some people have mentioned having problems getting colorlife paper. The Epson store does have it in 8.5x11.
Discussion
7 repliesI thought I would share my experience. I just replaced my old printer. I had a Canon i550, which I really was very happy with, but wanted to have the longer lasting photo inks. I did quite a bit of reading and I decided on a Canon ip5200. This is just a super printer. I cannot imagine better 8x10 images off of an inkjet. I've only had it for about 24 hours, but really super images. The resolution is tremendous, 9600 x 2400. It has something like 3800 nozzles and puts out ink droplets of 1 picoliter in size (whatever that means). I don't know yet, but I'm expecting similar ink economy as the i550. I did a wedding last weekend and with the i550 I printed 60 8 1/2 x 11 sheets off of (4) used & (1) new ink cartridges and didn't even have the low ink warning come on for any of the cartridges. I estimate that I can usually get close to 100 8x10 prints off of full ink cartridges on the i550. I'm hopeful the ip5200 will be similarly frugal with the ink.
It is a very basic printer as far as not having docking stations for camera's and it has no view screen or anything, but for the price. I got it a Amazon for $129. I give it a five-star rating. I'm very happy with it.
The 960 is a dye based printer (like the 1270-1280), so it will only be fade resistant with an enscapsulated paper such as Epson Colorlife. What paper are you using that fades so quickly and how are you displaying them? I've had similar prints on colorlife displayed behind glass for years with no fading yet.
Just looking at a print just made of a monarch butterfly on a thistle. I cannot see anything that I can attribute to the printer. If I take my glasses off and get as close to the print as I can focus, I can see some noise from the camera in the background, but the black veins in the wing and the orange field are just as sharp and crisp as on the actual butterfly. I'm just so happy with this. I'm reprinting shots done before just to compare the differences. It's really a neat printer.
Maybe I'm just using the wrong paper?
If you prefer a matte type paper, try the Premium Semigloss instead. At the Epson site, your printer is included in those that can use it.
The encapsulated Epson Colorlife is the only archival paper for the dye inks that I know of that has been tested. Wilhelm says up to 27 years. Everything else is at least half if not a fraction of that time. Lustre is for the Ultrachrome pigment ink and is not made to protect the dye inks. The surface of the Colorlife is a semigloss, very close to Lustre. I've seen where some people have mentioned having problems getting colorlife paper. The Epson store does have it in 8.5x11.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/colorlife.shtml