Artist Review Epson Expression XP-970 Printer | How I Print Art Prints, Stickers and Cards at Home

My experience using the Epson Expression XP-970 printer to make art prints, stickers, and greetings cards at home.
TIME STAMPS:
Printer price, inks & specs: 01:12
What I use the printer for & examples: 03:44
Paper, sticker paper & card I use: 05:53
Printing an art print start to finish (print time, noise, quality): 06:46
Final thoughts: 09:01
All these are links to products I've mentioned. Affiliate links are marked with a * (doesn't cost you any extra, just gives me a tiny commission :D fank you so much!)
Epson Expression XP-970: www.johnlewis.com/epson-expre...
*Epson Claria Photo HD Ink Cartridges: amzn.to/3wBgc06
*Epson Archival Matte Paper (for my art prints): amzn.to/3wqYD3J
*Matte sticker paper: amzn.to/3yM8CSQ
*Glossy sticker paper: amzn.to/3wF2wRJ
300gsm white card (for my cards): www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174470418239
Rounded corner cutter: www.hobbycraft.co.uk/round-up...
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Insta: @AliceLadkinArt
Website: www.aliceladkin.com
Thanks for being here! :)
Alice xo

[@subtlelifestyle]

Thank you for this video. I've been researching printers for AGES! Looks ideal for me.

[@AliceLadkin]

So happy you found it useful! Hope it works out for you 😄

[@Ambergrayglynn]

Love my little shoutout 🤣 and that corner cutter!! WHAAAT! Great video and super informative

[@AliceLadkin]

haha hey Amber 👋 plugging the podcast in every video too 🤣 Rounded edges, baby! 😁💙

[@inclementillustrations]

This is so helpful!! Thank you for being so thorough, it's so difficult to shop for paper/printers online. Love your work too! x

[@AliceLadkin]

Aw thanks Sara! Right back at ya - your arts so cool 😍💜 Its soo tricky isn’t it haha 😅 So happy you found it helpful x

[@QueenPicklePuss]

Soooo glad I found your video, I've been driving myself mad last couple months trying to find a printer for my crafting, I've looked at sooooo many review sites my phone auto puts review when I start typing lol. This printer seems exactly what I need, takes thick card and does stickers. So not looking any more, going to buy this one tomorrow. Thank you soooo much for ending my printer blindness stress. Your art is AMAZING , so Fun 💜

[@AliceLadkin]

Aw thanks so much Samantha! 🥰 you’re too kind. I absolutely love my printer, has a couple of niggles but I don’t regret it at all and it’s been a game changer for my business. Totally get your printer frustration - took me about 6 months of going mad before I finally got mine! Pressed buy before I could change my mind haha 😅 Hope it all works out for you! ☺️💚

[@x3rxd]

I can't say it loud enough... THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! x

[@mardiellendesigns4298]

Thank you for this! I was the same when I bought mine! I couldn't find any good info on which printer to use for art. I love mine and have recently put all my faith in it for printing off my art and it has not let me down.

[@AliceLadkin]

aw yey that’s awesome! It can be such a minefield can’t it 😅 so happy yours is working out for you! 💜

[@daraohara3278]

Thank you for this! I too have been spending soooo much time to finally choose a printer, spending all that £££ makes you nervous so your video has really helped to reassure me that I'm making a good choice to select this one :)

[@AliceLadkin]

Eugh yeah I feel you! Aw so happy it was helpful and I hope it all works out for you 💙I still love mine and no regrets 🥰

[@wateringsan9718]

Thank you so much for this video! My printer stopped working today ( crying ) I happened upon your video and it pulled me over the line! I’ve ordered it and it should arrive tomorrow evening! I make foiled bookmarks that I sell on Etsy and I’m SO excited for it to arrive.

[@AliceLadkin]

aw no, sorry to hear about your printer! I hope you enjoy your new printer and all the best with your Etsy shop 😍

[@itswillsmith]

Love the detail in this thank you!

[@AliceLadkin]

You're welcome, I hope it was useful! 😊

[@kristiapamungkas697]

Thanks for the review! I ended up buying the same printer. I must say besides the bluetooth problem, I am quite happy with it.

[@BonkersAboutAlice]

Great video. I'm looking for an A3 printer so this helped.

[@MrTomo89]

excellent video came for the printer review and found the art ideas great for my 11 year old daughter who is really into this style and loves drawing , informative to the point and the camera you use it great quality video so a sub from me and my daughter 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@sookim2017]

omg I didn't know I can put paper on the back side! thank you so much

[@mysticsoul4351]

Thank you, for the information.

[@AliceLadkin]

You’re welcome, hope it was useful! 😊

[@chazsutherland]

Nice artwork! If you ever review another printer in the future, would you mind showing how it does gradients?

[@suelensuelal]

this video is so damn helpful for what i'm going through right now, tysm!

[@suelensuelal]

also loved your art!

[@AliceLadkin]

aw you’re so kind thanks so much! 🥰 so happy it was helpful for you! 💜✨

[@vincentkc48]

Appreciate you Alice!

[@AliceLadkin]

☺️

[@maymay015]

Ahhh thank you so much!! This is sooo helpful! Can I ask how you cut stickers to have a silhouette like that? They look amazing!

[@AliceLadkin]

Aw yey so happy it's useful 😊 I just cut all my stickers by hand atm lol! One day I hope to be able to get a Cricut machine to do it for me haha 😁🤞

[@loveisontheroad7155]

Thanks a million

[@kaiochin95levez85]

hello, the rendering is really great, however I noticed that it is only necessary to use espon paper or special photo sticker ... I tried on clairefontaine dcp 250g paper and the rendering is really not great while on my other printer does better do you have any paper advice?

[@Kelmosa]

Great video review, appreciate the work. I know someone asked about ink yield earlier but I wondered if you had figured out how many pages you can print before needed to replace the ink since then, or the cost per page perhaps? I'm also a vibrant color illustrator and I was wondering if this would be more cost effective than using a local print shop.

[@AliceLadkin]

hey! So I worked out roughly for me it’s around 50p-£1 per full colour print on best including the paper. I’m hesitant to say more precisely as I change the inks at different times and the art being printed and paper makes a difference. Just know for me personally it works out financially and for my business model / plans 😊

[@marklola12]

Have you had issues with blobs of dark into on prints, i did 5x7 prints but not sure if its because i loaded it into cassette 1 and maybe when it feeds the paper around its bending it and touching the print head.

[@Teddykhil]

I purchased this model printer, bloody yippa model. Would have no worries about recommending this printer to anyone, even at home or office. As for purchasing EPSON inks, I've always used the first ink tanks, then purchased CISS sytem for it and have had NO problems with using it, also, never have I had problems with the output of the color of prints. I've had 4 different models over the year, but the use of CISS from RIHAC here in Victoria Australia are the best. Far bloody cheaper than purchasing original ink from Epson, even Canon (when I had one), SOOOOO much cheaper than originals. Even RIHAC photo paper is first class, great prints. I recon I save nearly $1500 over purchasing originals.

[@AliceLadkin]

It's an awesome printer isn't it! Happy you like yours too Teddy 😀Yeah the original ink is EXPENSIVE haha, I'm just too scared to try other inks as my friend did once and it messed up her printer - haven't heard of those inks or paper though. Thanks for sharing!

[@Teddykhil]

Hi Alice, As 4 the non name ink, U gotta at least get in touch with some one that uses the CISS system an if they get it from a reputive seller/supplier, then at least do some research about it all. I've had 4 printers that I've used the CISS on them, 4 on Canon, no probs, and this EPSON is the first A3/A4 photo printer I've had, and have NO problems about using CISS system on it from my RIHAC shop. I take my printers in each year just 4 a service, an yeh, I can do it myself, but they no printers inside out, an if there's a tiny bit of a problem, they fix it, all for a service fee of $35. So find yourself a GOOD service printer shop, and ask them how many part-time photographers that use the CISS on there printers coz really, buying brand name inks is a mugs game of paying way tooo much, All the best Alice, if you want my shop 4 their website etc, just ask. Cheers, Teddy

[@alisonm.willoughby3075]

Thank you so much for making this video! Do you know if this printer has a replaceable print head?

[@AliceLadkin]

no problem! 💜 really sorry I have no idea! 😅

[@JosettedeBlock]

Hi Alice. Thanks so much for the video. This was really helpful! And the result of the printing is amazing! I was wondering what media you select for the cardstock 300g/m2? I saw in there specifications that there's no option for 300 g/m, or am i mistaken? I've been trying to figure out if its doable or not with 300 g/m2 paper. Do you happen to know if it could also print on handmade paper?

[@AliceLadkin]

Hey! Do you mean 300gsm card? I use 300gsm matte card and print from the rear feeder using the photo matte setting on best. I don’t know if it can print on handmade paper sorry! 💜

[@lukemac_geniushsly6989]

hi Alice! thank you for sharing your wonderful insights about the printer! I have the XP-750 version which also uses the same cartridge ink system.. I was wondering if you have any tips on how to start my journey in digital art making ? like which program do you use to make art and etc. Thank you again Alice! hope to hear from you... // from Luke Mac :)

[@AliceLadkin]

Hey! ooh cool. I use Procreate on an iPad to make all my art, I love it! 😄

[@IanHutchinson100]

Can you print exact dimensions? Say if I loaded a3 paper but I wanted to print the image size 25cm by 32.5cm on the a3 size paper, is that possible or will it just be a ‘fit to page’ option?

[@JessicaCantellMakeup]

Thanks for the video! I ordered this printer after watching your video.. My printing doesn't seem as good though :( Do you think it mainly depends on the paper you use? Thanks again x

[@AliceLadkin]

Hey Jessica! Oh no! 😫 What are you printing and what paper are you using? What’s wrong with the prints? 💚

[@jacquelinemoore611]

Hi, I have just bought this printer and when I select matte paper it only gives me the option of standard quality setting, not best quality, that option isn’t available to select, and my printing preferences box looks completely different to yours, any idea why this is? Thanks

[@skollar0001]

Will this print on canvas paper ?

[@marklola12]

I use sticker press white mate and gloss sticker paper best by far for me, i tried the only you use ages ago but was not so keen on it till i found this brand 50 sheets £13.99 you should maybe try a smaller pack i think you will much prefer it and its cheaper so less money to spend so more profit.

[@oliviakboateng]

Its an injet printer, not laser right? Are you happy about the ink not running, or have you had any complaints about it?

[@britcompilations318]

Thank you for this - how many prints would you say you get from one lot of ink?

[@AliceLadkin]

Ooh apologies that’s really hard to say, I’ve never tested it 😅 I’m pretty happy with things and I print almost every day. Depends on paper and settings as well.

[@RaiXKimLuver]

Hi! This is such a great video! I've literally just bought this exact printer and have no idea what type of paper to use but you've really helped on that aspect of things. I just have a quick question, How do you layout your artwork to print A6 prints from an A4 page? I have Epson Archival paper too but have no idea how to set it up and I use Procreate to draw and Photoshop to fix it up.

[@AliceLadkin]

Hey! Aw awesome, thanks so much 😄 so I dunno if there’s a better way lol, what I do is literally copy the canvas on Procreate I want onto a new A4 sized canvas, and make it A6. I put 4 A6 prints on the A4 canvas, send to Lightroom, edit, then print as borderless A4, and cut. If this makes sense or is at all helpful?! 😆💜

[@RaiXKimLuver]

@@AliceLadkin it sounds a bit confusing haha! Will you make a video on how to do this?? It would be great to have as a guide 🙂

[@AliceLadkin]

I just put 4 images onto one A4 page basically 😊 what is it you’re struggling with? 💚

[@RaiXKimLuver]

@@AliceLadkin when I try that it overlaps the images and when I print it idk where to cut it and then it becomes wonky looking.

[@AliceLadkin]

​@@RaiXKimLuver under 'actions', there's an option for 'canvas' then switch on the 'drawing guide' - I use this to get 4 perfectly straight and perfectly sized A6 images onto one A4 page. Depends on your art - all my images have coloured backgrounds so I can see exactly where to cut. You could try drawing a light thin border around each image so you know where to cut? I also always use a guillotine :)

[@fionahunter72]

Thank you for this, very insightful. I love the quality of the print. Question if I may ; can I print directly from Procreate / my iPad ? Thank you 🙏

[@AliceLadkin]

I’m not sure if you can print directly from Procreate, but I remember printing straight from my iPad once! (saved the image to my photos first)… I think you may get less print options if I remember correctly 🤔

[@fionahunter72]

@@AliceLadkin thanks for replying Alice :) I do seem to be able to print from Procreate but like you say less options …. But I like the look of your printer

[@AliceLadkin]

@@fionahunter72 ooh cool I didn’t know you could lol! I made an updated printer video today that I’m posting tomorrow actually - has a couple quirks but I still love mine! 😍

[@fionahunter72]

@@AliceLadkin oooh I’ll check it out ! Love your work too xxx

[@martushka_art_illu1945]

NIce! I am in an intense time of looking for a printer. Could you tell me how would you rate inks productivity? Epson's quality also for photos is magic but..... inks are expensive. THank you.

[@AliceLadkin]

Yes the inks are rather expensive… zero complaints though and the XL ones last me a decent amount of time as I print regularly. It’s tough to say on an individual basis as it depends on what print settings you use, what paper you use, and whether it works out for you financially (if you’re selling your photos) 😊

[@seventyeight8571]

Re connectivity, I'd suggest you set it up to use WiFi instead of Bluetooth which allow you use the printer from any device on your network (eg your phone) as well as your laptop. Great video too many thanks.

[@AliceLadkin]

thanks! I bought a cable and better internet lol and now have zero problems 😄

[@seventyeight8571]

@@AliceLadkin Excellent well done. If you have wifi enabled on the printer you should be able to benefit from both. I hope it's all going well.

[@Marshallbynoe]

I just got this printer and I was curious what settings you use for your sticker pages

[@AliceLadkin]

I use matte vinyl sticker paper and use the Photo Matt Paper setting. Others I know who have this printer find the semi-gloss setting works best for their art… you’ll likely have to do some experimenting to see which setting works best for you 😊

[@Marshallbynoe]

@@AliceLadkin Thank you!! Much appreciated!!

[@techjunkie68smusicandtech56]

my printer is struggling to print on high gloss paper, even with the thick paper setting on, I am a bit disappointed that it smears on gloss paper, yet it prints fine on gloss vinyl sticker material.

[@AliceLadkin]

Hm weird, I’ve never printed on any gloss papers before so I’m not sure what to suggest. What thickness is the paper? What settings are you using and do you print from the rear feeder? Are you using genuine inks?

[@kitschculture4456]

Do you have to load one sheet of cardstock into the rear feeder at a time? Or can you put a bunch in?

[@AliceLadkin]

one at a time I'm afraid!

[@Elysianwisdom33]

The trouble I am having is making a smaller print from a sticker canvas I have made on Procreate. I’m trying not to have to use photoshop to tell my printer what size to print to see if I can cut some corners and save money. But.. I don’t want the printer to print it as an a4 by mistake or not be able to use the whole paper … so I’m stuck figuring this out with my iPad and a slow laptop

[@AliceLadkin]

hm this sounds a bit tricky! What size print are you trying to print? (sorry this is so late - hope you’ve found a solution!) 💚

[@glxnn555]

Alice I just got this printer and my prints are printing sooo dull! Can you help me. Your cards look so vivid. Does the Epson paper make the difference?

[@AliceLadkin]

Ahh no how frustrating! What paper and printer settings are you using? Do you edit at all before printing? Took me a little trial and error and editing in Lightroom (saturation and vibrancy + 17 and blacks -42) and I get vivid prints every time now on the matte paper best setting. Looks super vibrant on the screen but prints perfectly!

[@glxnn555]

I’m messing around with it now and it’s getting better.. Could you answer these 3 questions I would be so grateful. 1. I want to print 5 x 7 ( I have pre cut and scored cards ready made ) and this printer doesn’t print borderless for 5 x 7. There’s a white border that drives me mad because when I cut it with the guillotine it becomes a little too small looking for the envelope. Do you have any tips on how to get rid of the border ( I use my MacBook too ) 2. Is lightroom useful? Do you pay for it? 3. This is hard to explain but if I was printing a 5 x 7 print on an a4 sheet of card instead of the pre-made 5 x 7 , do you know how I can get it tucked into the corner of the a4 page so I just have to do two cuts , instead of it being centred and having to cut four ways around the card. I hope that makes sense. Ugh Thank you so much we don’t deserve you

[@glxnn555]

Ps. When I mean 5 x 7 I mean 10 x 7 full

[@neshiah4747]

I have an XP970. It’s a terrible printer. Why are the prints so dark? Can anyone help?

[@AliceLadkin]

Hm weird, this has never happened to me! What are you trying and print, and what paper are you using? Do you use any editing software?

[@k3nny278]

Have you ever had a problem when the print cuts off the corners of the picture. Everything is fine in preview then printing it moves the image so it is off centre and loses a few mm's on the right and bottom of the image. This printer is starting to become a pain for me.

[@AliceLadkin]

What paper/card are you using and which feed are you using to print from? What settings do you use? I have actually experienced this a few times, only when I'm printing from the rear feeder and only when I'm printing onto 300gsm card (my art prints and stickers go through fine via the rear feeder). I had to adapt and have a bleed/border when I'm printing anything onto the thicker card 😊

[@shimulahmed3544]

Is inkscape and Affinity Design compatible with this printer?

[@AliceLadkin]

Hm I’ve no idea tbh as I don’t work with those but I don’t see why not 🤔 maybe ask Epson and double check?

[@MrHowardMoon]

When you print your artwork, what ICC profile do you use? I've been playing around with the XP 970 and different ICC profiles for photographs, but I want to print an actual A4 art print and I'm not sure which ICC profile to use. I'd rather not waste a lot of ink testing out an A4 print on each different ICC.

[@AliceLadkin]

hey Mick. I mostly use CMYK, then increase the saturation and vibrancy +17 in Lightroom before printing as otherwise the colours came out a bit dull (matte paper settings on best onto matte paper). I have also printed directly in RGB, but the colours I used were compatible with CMYK. I only noticed slight differences. My art may be totally different to what you’re printing so apologies I’m not sure what’s the best for you personally to use and do as there’s lots of variables 😬

[@MrHowardMoon]

@@AliceLadkin So you don't have your printer set to a specific ICC profile when you print or is that something you haven't changed at all?

[@AliceLadkin]

@@MrHowardMoon nope 😊

[@MrHowardMoon]

@@AliceLadkin I might just reset to default and see how it goes the 🤣 Thanks for replying!

[@AliceLadkin]

@@MrHowardMoon I don’t know much about the super technical stuff 😂 sorry I can’t be more help! Good luck with it 😁

[@nataliejeffries7471]

Have you tried putting 350gsm paper through the printer?

[@AliceLadkin]

I haven’t, I’d be a bit worried about it destroying my printer as epson recommend no more than 300gsm 😬 Might work, but will likely damage the printer over time if done repeatedly!

[@wiz6587]

Hi can you use a4?

[@AliceLadkin]

yes I regularly print things in A4 size, goes up to A3 😊

[@MrHowardMoon]

I'm looking to buy this printer for my small business printing photographs. The genuine Canon ink is very expensive. How long does it last and is it feasible to use it for printing customer photographs?

[@AliceLadkin]

Hi Mick! Do you mean Epson inks? I buy the XL ones from Amazon and so far they’ve lasted me a decent amount of time (still using the first ones I bought). Is that what you mean by how long do they last, or do you mean how archival are they? I haven’t printed any photographs yet, if you haven’t watched them already I recommend watching Robert Bishop’s videos on KZbin as he’s a photographer who has this printer - the quality he produces looks fab! A lot has to do with the paper and the quality of the photo / file in my experience. Hope that helps 😊

[@MrHowardMoon]

@@AliceLadkin Thank you for getting back to me. I mean how long does the ink last, yes. I currently have a small business that deals with instant film but I want to expand it into print products as well. The printer would be used to make Polaroid style photographs and photo booth strips on 250gsm+ glossy photo paper that I would then trim to size. If that works out well, I'd then look at expanding to making different print products using the printer. As I'm sure you can imagine, with such heavy focus on printing small photographs/artwork, I'm being cautious about ink before I spend £230 on the XP-970. Does the printer allow for custom paper sizes or does it only do the standard A3, A4, A5 and A6?

[@AliceLadkin]

I think it depends on the paper and what settings you use, I can only speak from my experience and I’m happy with how long the ink is lasting me so far and I print quite regularly on matte paper on the best setting. In the paper size specifications on the John Lewis website where I bought my printer, it says: A3, A4, A5, A6, B5, C6 (Envelope), DL (Envelope), No. 10 (Envelope), Letter, 10 x 15 cm, 13 x 18 cm, 16:9, User defined, Legal As I haven’t printed in any other sizes other than A4 and A3 and I don’t print photographs, apologies I’m unable to share my personal experience on these specific things 😊

[@MrHowardMoon]

@@AliceLadkin I went ahead and bought the printer from John Lewis in the end. It was videos like yours that swayed me and the two year guarantee John Lewis provide was an added comfort. I haven't had chance to test it yet but I'm sure it'll be great. It did arrive through DHL with two holes in the box though and that is unnerving but the printer seems fine and that two year guarantee has me covered I suppose. I'm going to go buy a stack of different papers this week, get the printer set up and do some test printing lol :D

[@ninawilleboisdesigns]

This might seem like a silly question, but if your doing a bunch of rear end prints like cards or something, you have to put in the paper manually one by one right, we can't put in a bunch and walk away? I'm trying to find the most efficient way of printing cards where I wouldn't have to sit there and every few min put in a new page. How do you deal with this?

[@AliceLadkin]

Haha yes, I do have to put each sheet of card in manually. It’s fine for me atm, as for the price I understand it’s not an industrial printer that easily prints massive quantities of thick card quickly. Can be a bit annoying, but doesn’t bother me yet. If I needed to print massive quantities all the time, I would personally outsource I think 😊

[@ninawilleboisdesigns]

Thank you! I already bought the printer haven’t had to do a big load yet but was just wondering. Great video also! Your video had me cause of the colours and just really beautiful! Thank you!

[@ninawilleboisdesigns]

@@AliceLadkin One last question, how do I set up that it automatically pulls in the output tray when it shuts off? It's been driving me nuts can't find it anywhere. Could you help me out?

[@AliceLadkin]

@@ninawilleboisdesigns hmm that's really weird that happens! I'm assuming nothing is blocking it or getting in the way? Sometimes mine has a strop if its even lightly touched by anything underneath 😂 should happen automatically though 😬

[@ninawilleboisdesigns]

@@AliceLadkin Oh no mine doesn't! Ok going to see if I can get that fixed! Thank you its been driving me nuts!

[@beautifulbutterfly2046]

What were you using to ? Punch the art print at the end of of printing and why were you using it ?

[@AliceLadkin]

It’s a corner rounder cutter thingy, I use it to make rounded edges as I prefer that look for my prints 😊

[@gibby7233]

I Recommend using compatible ink, there is no difference between that and original, i have been using epson printers for about 25 years and have always used compatible ink, never had a problem, its much cheaper

[@Goat.Herder]

Amazon do a full set of genuine inks in "eco packaging" for about 40 quid 👍

[@AliceLadkin]

I'd love to check this out - could you perhaps send me a link? 😊

[@techjunkie68smusicandtech56]

John Lewis was by far the best price, about £220

[@AliceLadkin]

yeah John Lewis is awesome! 😁

[@emberthewolf1779]

Hello! :o) I don't suppose you've tried to print on acetate with this printer, have you? x

[@AliceLadkin]

Hey! No I haven’t sorry 😬

[@emberthewolf1779]

@@AliceLadkin aww no problem thanks so much for responding :o)

[@ericnoack1324]

I bought the 8700 the only difference it's not A3 and to be honest I have had at least 6 printers all A3 and never used the A3 size.Other than that the specs are the same so if you don't use A3 buy the 8700 and save a few dollars

[@bunnykins1450]

Do not buy this printer, not only is it rinky dink plastic, the management of the paper alimentation is not easy. Wasted money and valuable time on this printer. I will never buy an Epson ever again. Previously used Samsung and Canon. Will return to Canon

[@AliceLadkin]

Each to their own 😄 still love mine, perfect for my requirements and situation but won’t be perfect for everyone 😊