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How to choose your photo printer? All my advice to choose your next photo printer...
Several criteria should be watched closely when you want to buy a printer of photo quality. I would mainly name the number of cartridges and the ink quality. The number of cartridges will especially play a role in the quality of blacks and whites and the type of ink on the durability of your prints. Let's see that in details now...
1 - Ink: quality and number of cartridges 
2 - Printing precision: size of the ink drops and dpi 
3 - Printing size: paper format 
4 - What brand: Epson, Canon,... ?  |
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These inks are more suitable for prints that will end up in a photo album, protected from light or when you know you want to change the photo in your living room often!
Outstanding quality! Prettier gloss finish on "Glossy" papers than pigment inks (significantly duller).
At middle of 2019, it is safe to say that the life of the Canon and Epson dye inks has made enough progress to keep the original colors long enough for family use. These brands do not hesitate to advance the figure of 100 years when the draw is kept in an album.
These inks will also be perfect to make reading prints because the quality of colors can't be questioned once the printer is calibrated. The only problem with these dye inks has nothing to do with the quality of the prints but with their lifespan.
Printers using ink made of coloring agents have low capacity cartridges. Not because of a technical problem but for mostly marketing reasons: the printer isn't expensive so the manufacturer earns money on consumables.
With that in mind, I'll also add to play devil's advocate that it also enables to make printers that are less bulky.

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If you like Glossy papers: I advise you to use dye inks instead. Their progress in longevity is obvious and the results are just as beautiful or even more beautiful because their reflections on Glossy papers are more brilliant and less dull than with pigment inks.
If you sell your prints: As you'll have understood, you'd really better choose a pigment-based ink printer as Canon or Epson manufactures, especially if you intend to sell your prints. For Canon, the ink will be called LUCIA ® and for Epson, Ultrachrome K3 ® and Ultrachrome HD ® whose Dmax of blacks has made real tangible progress.
If you print on matt paper: The new Epson Ultrachrome HD pigment inks will be more suitable for printing on matt paper because their Dmax has been clearly improved. On this criterion, Epson and its new SC series are ahead of Canon.

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The augmentation of the number of cartridges doesn't have the same use depending on the printers and the brand: some cartridges are used to print more saturated colors, some other additional cartridges only have the effect to get nice rendering in gradations and some others are used to print black and white correctly. Indeed, when a printer must print white, it just has to avoid splattering ink on this area! Logical, but here's the problem: under certain angles, it is visible that the print doesn't have the same reflections where there was ink and where the paper was just left blank. The ink reflections are not the same as the paper's!

For those able to read a chromaticity diagram, it is undeniable that it is on printers with the biggest number of cartridges that we see the wider gamuts. But not everyone needs to print very saturated colors on a daily basis! My 7800 Epson printer is five years old and I never felt limited by my "tight" sRGB. Even the stained-glass windows of Bourges cathedral couldn't be improved much and only in reds if I changed for a more recent Epson SC-P6000 !
Those who choose Black and White printing BUT mainly on Glossy or baryta papers, will choose the Canon Pro-1 and its twelve cartridges, three of which are grey for the real neutrality of their monochrome printing. On matt papers, there is no photo, you will have to turn to the new Epson SC.
Note about Digigraphy! For an Epson printer to be eligible for the Digigraphy ® Epson program, the printer must have at least 8 cartridges, 2 black and one grey.
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After many printer tests, my opinion is clearly that no so you have the freedom to choose between these two brands. Frankly, I'm not going to be able to help you much because my heart is swinging... I certainly have an Epson 7800 but it is six years old and six years ago the competition was not the same. My next printer could very well be an Epson SC-P6000 as well as a Canon IPF6400 on this one criterion.

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Don't bother comparing these record figures of printing definition. They don't mean anything anymore. Just be aware that marketing services will do all they can to sell us the next 100,000 x 50,000 dpi because when we reach these figures, our eye won't have been able to make a difference for ages! However, when I print a photo with nice gradations, I choose the highest printing definition. Reliefs look even better and progressive.
Printing accuracy: Canon = Epson !

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If you really buy a printer because a print is a final goal for you, I highly recommend a printer with an A3 format as a minimum. A print of 30x40 cm seems "all right" to me to offer or sell it for instance. You can thus still choose between Canon and Epson.

However, if you're a fan of panoramic format like me, you'd better choose an Epson printer which, for A4 or A3+ printers, enables to print on roll paper. |
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Canon's pros |
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Epson's pros |
10 or 12 ink cartridges for the Pro-10 and Pro-1000 "photo" printers, so black and white prints are really perfect without calibration but be careful, on glossy papers (Glossy, glossy or baryta) only because on matt papers, the new Epson SC-P are significantly in front (deeper blacks).
Always very beautiful color prints after calibration, faithful to the calibrated screen,
The new Pro-1000 doesn't even need to be calibrated!
The Pro-100 with dye ink does not offer this advantage in NetB but remains an excellent choice for those who like colour prints on Glossy papers, glossy for a really beautiful glossy result.
Chroma Optimizer transparent ink to avoid unsightly reflections in the white parts of the print (not covered by ink) from certain angles.
Overall, a better manufacturing quality,
As many cartridges as print heads on "serious" models so it is not necessary to purge the black ink to switch from a print on matte paper to a print on Glossy paper.
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Printing in roll format (panoramic format for example),
The new Ultrachrome HD inks (pigments) really and very significantly improve the depth of blacks, especially on matt paper - a striking quality,
Cheaper than Canon in the high-end segment (but not as well manufactured),
Nearly fifteen years' experience at the top of photo quality, in colour and black and white, but always after calibration,
Digigraphy ® program for certified prints.
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Canon's cons |
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Epson's cons |
More expensive than Epson (but better quality of manufacture),
No roll printing - panoramic photo - on A4 or A3+ printers,
Black and white print of the Pro-100 not really neutral despite the grey cartridges.
Printing on matt paper is significantly reduced compared to the new Ultrachrome HD Epson inks.
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No transparent ink to fill the white parts of the print and give them the same reflections as the parts covered with ink. Only from certain angles is it actually visible.
Even in early 2016, the all-new Epson photo printers require black ink to be purged when changing paper types from matte to Glossy. Ink waste guaranteed but significantly less than five years ago (small defect in 2018!)!
Manufacturing quality, smoothness and quiet running one notch below Canon. |
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I give you some additional answers on the following page on my 2019 photo printer purchasing guide... very soon online again by print size, price categories, ink quality...
You will also find all of my advices to choose your photo papers... Soon |
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