Best print detail settings for the Epson ET-8550 and ET-8500 ecotank printers

How much difference does using the best print quality setting make on the 8550 and 8500 ecotank printers. Does sending higher resolution images improve print detail.
A look at how image detail and printer driver settings affect how much detail is in a print.
The written article this video supplements is at
www.northlight-images.co.uk/b...
There is more background discussion of PPI, DPI and print detail in the article for the P700/900
www.northlight-images.co.uk/d...
See also
www.northlight-images.co.uk/b...
www.northlight-images.co.uk/b...
www.northlight-images.co.uk/b...
www.northlight-images.co.uk/b...
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If you'd like to make a small donation, I have a Kofi page:
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[@fred5968]

Thank you, Keith. I appreciate how your videos on photography and printing are not just informative, but are also practical!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@user-pd4pd2vr3g]

I have recently purchased the et8550 and been watching all your videos! I really dont no what i would have done if ii had not found your page. Thank you so so much for taking the time to create these videos, i appreciate them so much! I have no one I could ask about it and have been so confused, but learning lots from you. xxx

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I'm publishing the ET-8500 review video in a bit [warning 50 mins!] and written review notes. The 8500 is identical to the 8550 except for paper width. Might be something helpful in that too...?

[@pmcbMadeInIreland]

Thanks Keith, you answered a key question I didn’t realise I needed answering. 🙏

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@nunilatheone]

Thanks to your great reviews I could choose wisely a printer for my needs (watercolor fine art printing) and bought the ET-8500. I followed your instructions and advices on color management (with an epson paper for starters) and I was amazed by the accuracy of the printer that was more correct on color management than my local printing professional (who uses a professional Canon printer with the right ICC FOGRA profiles corresponding to my files). Thank you for your advices, and detailed reviews !!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - that's really kind of you

[@seahorsecrazy]

Thank you Keith, love your no nonsense approach, always so helpful, i always stuck to 300dpi now i will experiment / test

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@deraldart]

thanks so much, i learn tech stuff that i need but it's the way you look at the world that i love

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - appreciated!

[@robinjones6999]

A high quality presentation as usual Keith. I couldn't see a difference between Standard and High quality. I think when a picture is heavily cropped thats where a difference is seen

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - you need to look quite closely. The images in the actual article show it quite clearly

[@charliemiller5831]

Yes!!! What you said about Epson's alignment printout page is so true.... It is needlessly difficult to discern the difference between those overlapping blocks. And even more so when printing on regular plain paper. I thought the next time I do the alignment print I should use a glossy photo paper but I think I heard you say no.. hmmm. (I'm new to printing and rely on your videos) THX from Toronto

[@KeithCooper]

I did want to try the lustre paper, but it specifies plain paper in the paper tray - it won't take paper from the rear slot :-( Thin photo paper in the front tray might work, but I've none that will feed that way

[@mikepenny2491]

Excellent Keith and thank you

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@neildoherty9428]

Thank you this is great information

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was of use

[@jessekoskinen]

Very enjoyable and educating.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - glad it was of interest

[@martincregg]

Excellent, non-wafflely info.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ahmetbahadircan]

Thank u Keith i got this machine

[@KeithCooper]

I'll have more 8500 stuff in due course, but it is almost identical to the 8550, where I've already got many articles and videos.

[@Axmaxify]

That would be great Keith! 8550 and 8500 are so popular.

[@nikonlover6602]

Love your videos Just got the Epson 8550 and I’m confused on how to adjust the media on the printer that you bring up on lots of videos Please help

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks -See the main [written] review at www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/

[@QuickQuips]

After seeing the article it seems 720 dots high quality is sufficient. Thankfully the tanks make a heavier use of ink relatively economical and pain-free. I also will use some matte photo paper to do the alignment checks first.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was of interest...

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

I always assumed it would use more ink in high quality, but if it's less banding for longer print times it seems a good tradeoff

[@KeithCooper]

No significant difference in ink load as far as I know - of course, with a tank type printer it should be of no real concern ;-)

[@MrMick560]

Its a p.c. Keith thanks for trying though, all the best, Mick. p.s. I love the 8550 printer.

[@KeithCooper]

Ask on the printing forum at dpreview.com, but be much more forthcoming in details of what and on what you are doing it

[@MrMick560]

@@KeithCooper Cheers.

[@MrMick560]

@@KeithCooper I will Keith, not very good with tech.

[@johanfjellstrom1913]

Hi Keith and thank's for the good and informative videos. I wonder if it is possible to save different settings in this printer. My wife wants to print on regular paper via the cassette and Wifi and I normally print photographs direct via usb via rear tray. Is there a way to easily go from the one to the other. Thank you in advance, Johan from Lapland.

[@KeithCooper]

There are no printer based settings for this sort of thing - I've never come across it on any printer... However I believe it can have USB and wireless at the same time, but I don't know for sure - not something I tested I'm afraid

[@michaelspotts5011]

Thanks, Keith! You're the reason I bought an 8550. After following your instructions my prints look exactly as I hoped. By the way, does the $thanks feature go entirely to you, or does KZbin take a cut?

[@KeithCooper]

Glad to have helped! Thanks for asking - YT creams off a cut - It's why I have a Ko-Fi link for when I share printer profiles and the like. ko-fi.com/keithcooper

[@michaelspotts5011]

Glad I asked, @@KeithCooper . I used Ko-Fi. You deserve it!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - much appreciated

[@billfrank6505]

Thank you for a very informative article. I do amateur abstract painting (Corel Painter, PP. & PS) & print on my trusted Epson Pro 3800. From print sizes, 8.5x11 to 17x22, I usually sat the printer to 180dpi. It's been years since I did any tests, but I recall seeing little/no differences between that & 360/720dpi. What's your opinion on that?...TIA

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, depends a lot on the driver and printer as well as the content. Some images show it more than others. Actually trying it to decide is always the important bit.

[@billfrank6505]

@@KeithCooper I apologize that I wasn't clearer on my question...I was particularly interested what you thought about using 180dpi on the Epson. Have you compared it to the 360dpi setting, recently or perhaps in the past? I imagine in your long distance photo of the sheep, 180dpi would be inferior to 360dpi.

[@AC-eb5wj]

Thanks for sharing Keith! I just bought an ET-8550 for printing fine art greeting cards in colour, which I'd like to print on Hahnemühle German Etching paper. I reached out to Hahnemühle yesterday to ask if they currently have a paper profile for this printer. It turns out that they don't currently have any profiles for this printer because of Epson's long-term back order for this printer, but have told me that they do have the ET-8550 on their radar. I know that you print on Hahnemühle papers, and so I'm curious to know if you've tried printing heavyweight papers like this on the ET-2550. If so, do you have any suggestions around the particular settings I could use for printing on a 310gsm heavyweight etching board like this?

[@KeithCooper]

See my main written review for the profiles I produced in testing - there will be more added once I finish the ET8500 review, including a 310gsm etching

[@seahorsecrazy]

Mine left score lines on 300gsm , appeared to be from rollers, the 8550 likes 300 but sometimes rejects 310, it gets a fair bit of usage, for last years calendar alone it did over 3000 prints 😊

[@markhexamer]

Hello Keith and thank you for the videos you have posted, \I am a new user for the epson 8550 and I purchased the printer for photos. I tried a borderless print using the epson photo software, my problem is i am getting a white borderon the top and right side. I did some looking into the software and came across a slider telling me if there is a whiteboarder to slide it to the right. The slide was already to the right. Can you please help me? Thank You

[@KeithCooper]

Check the image expansion options - borderless always works best if the edge of the image is expanded past the edge. Trying to get it to precisely hit the edge can be tricky See the main [written] review: www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/

[@utilitymaximizer9026]

The setting you talk about such as standard vs high, do they apply to epson print layout or other printing softwares?

[@KeithCooper]

These are the settings in the printer driver [also EPL] Note that they may have slightly different name on a win pc, but I've not used one for many years. See the written article for actual screen shots and lots more detail

[@jeffhowe2892]

Thanks Keith, I have just bought my first proper photo printer, the Epson 8550. I had already done the good v best quality test and the difference to my eye (at A4) is minimal. My question is does best quality use more ink? Thanks again, I'm off to watch your other videos. Cheers, Jeff

[@KeithCooper]

See here - www.northlight-images.co.uk/best-epson-et8500-8550-driver-settings/ Using more ink is a very small amount if at all - it's slower though

[@jeffhowe2892]

@@KeithCooper Cheers Keith, I had already watched your excellent video on print detail and others. On the back of that I installed Epson Print Layout which I am currently testing with DXO. I love the idea of unidirectional printing, I will use it from now on. Thanks again, Jeff

[@MrMick560]

Thanks Keith thanks for the reply, It goes through the download process but when I click on finish there is no sign of it on the desktop or anywhere else. It has registered on my installed apps though, I have deleted it and tried again a few times.

[@KeithCooper]

Is this Mac or win PC - If PC I can't help, since I've not used one for over 20 years

[@barryschneider5378]

Hey Keith, Your videos are always useful. Thank you for them. I have the Epson ET-8550 and recently purchased Epson's Metallic Photo Paper (Luster & Glossy), however Epson doesn't have ICC profiles for these for Mac OS Ventura. Only for OS 10.15.x (Catalina 2019). Epson tells me my printer doesn't support Metallic paper. What do do you advise?

[@KeithCooper]

Epson says a lot of tings ;-) - see the full list of papers I profiled in the main [written] 8550 review

[@barryschneider5378]

@@KeithCooper Thanks for the speedy reply. I’ll do that. Btw Epson’s Print Layout software would not load the Metallic Paper ICC profiles intended for an older operating system. (And I don’t have Photoshop or Affinity2 yet tho I suspect they might accept the ICCs for more current Mac OSs).

[@KeithCooper]

EPL will use any profile on your system. EPL gives the media settings for the 8550. The profiles should work anywhere - they are not OS specific.

[@barryschneider5378]

@@KeithCooper Well, would that were true. At Epson's ET-8550 support page, there are no ICC profiles to download for the current MacOS 13.x. However, the page 'detects' MacOS 10.15x and then displays for download ICC profiles for specialty art papers. This lines up with with Epson support told me by phone. And whether I store these ICC files (which have names like "EPSON_ET-8550_L8180_Series_Metallic_Photo_Paper_Luster.ICC dated May 24, 2022) in HD/Library/Colorsync/Profiles or HD/Library/Printers/Epson/InkjetPrinter2/ICCProfiles, the result is the same: the special art papers don't pop up as menu options when selecting papers at print time either in Epson Print Layout or Affinity2. I have asked Epson to please update the ICC Profiles for use on current OS for the Mac. Am I still not understanding something? Thanks for your time, Keith.

[@KeithCooper]

@@barryschneider5378 The profiles should work in the user/Library/ColorSync/Profiles folder and appear to any software wanting them. They will appear in EPL as profiles - not media settings. They are not on the Epson UK site, but I found them on the US site Downloaded them on an MacOS 13.3 system, and installed them in my user library folder (as above) I note that there are install instructions in the downloaded packages which also give this install location and preferred media type

[@richardsorge-]

Hi Keith. Watching Your videos I have learned a lot. Still I don't understand why some prints heve dull colors. My ET8550 is calibrated and ok, and when I print on Epson Glossy or Matte papers, colors are vivid. But today I tried the rear feed slot for extra thick paper (350 gr/m - not an Epson paper) and the colors were pale. Do You have suggestions ? Is a driver problem or is there some color profile I could buy or download to overcome this problem ? Thank You so much for any help.

[@KeithCooper]

With the 8550, it's all about the media setting, since that specifies which black ink is used. See the main [written] review for a discussion about this. www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/ Just one other thing... this 350gsm paper. Is it an inkjet paper, what media setting are you using, does it have a profile and are you printing on the right side of it [yes, I've done this]

[@richardsorge-]

@@KeithCooper Ah... I see. Mondi Color Copy ( is the only one I found of this weight, perfect for greeting cards). The envelope says "for digital color printing" - color Laser guaranteed - Inkjet suitable. So maybe not the best paper for Inkjets. I have to gain more experience. Thank You, again.

[@KeithCooper]

Could be an issue - there are thicker media optimised for inkjet use [see the mention of cards in the written review]

[@LOTUSARTSTUDIO-gx8yf]

Good Afternoon Sir, i am totally confused in pigment black and photo black ink on L8180 or L8550. When i was print on photo paper ,black ink feel like powder in photo paper surface. And when i print in plain paper with only in gray scale or b & w mode plain paper ink is totally wash out.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah - read the full [written] review. It goes into details about black ink use www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/ It is all about media settings choice.

[@joelkilgarriff4606]

help! I have the ET8550. I need to print on 250gsm card / full colour. I use the rear feed but keep getting faint horizontal white lines. I have tried cleaning the nozzels etc but no change. I don;t get the issue on regular photo copy paper. Help, what am i doing wrong?

[@KeithCooper]

Have you done the full head alignment [takes several sheets of plain paper]

[@irbeej]

Forgive me if you’ve covered this elsewhere, but what printer driver software are you using? I started with Epson software, then let the Mac OS “upgrade” (after it prompted me to do so) to the built-in Mac OS printer driver. I found that it had far fewer print quality options and reverted back to the Epson software.

[@KeithCooper]

Check that you are not using the airprint driver - I have a video specifically about his problem.

[@irbeej]

I am not. That was my earlier mistake. After that OS “upgrade” I removed the printer and re-installed the Epson software. I will look for your video on the subject- thank you!

[@KeithCooper]

If it's not airprint, then the normal Epson driver is the one to use. It hasn't changed in functionality for quite some time - it's the same on all my Macs Try Epson Print Layout to test printing - I never use any other driver than the Epson one

[@Stickiply]

Hi Keith! Wondered if you had come across this issue. I just got the 8550 and coming from a 2850 there's no longer any Colour Options, Colour Matching or Advanced Print Settings on the latest Drivers for my Mac on Sonoma. I have all the other options just no colour management. Is this something you have come across at all?

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - delete the printer and re-install from epson.sn read the instructions very carefully! [I've got this wrong] It's likely you have accidentally installed the airprint version of the driver See my video about getting rid of the airprint driver.

[@Stickiply]

@@KeithCooper omg thank you so much! Been searching all morning for solutions, I will give all this a go! 🤍

[@user-hb9eb4uk4o]

Hi Keith, I'm trying using Epson eco tank 8500 to print images 8,5x5,5 (like business cards) into semigloss paper 160/180gr but I can't get a high quality even if I select the option for high quality. I'm so frustrated I want to return it, but then searching on internet people can get really high quality and I don't know how.

[@KeithCooper]

Media type and paper feed used are my first thoughts - as with other basic settings - see my actual reviews for more. www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/ and www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8500-printer-review/ If on a Mac - check about AirPrint [in the review...]

[@attieyag]

SO CRAZY!!! Hahahahahaaa. Thank you so much for this video. I do comic conventions and I want my customers to get the absolute best quality print. I had all the best and most accurate settings and I had to wait and wait and wait for the print to be done. It looks outstanding, don’t get me wrong… but after a few hours of printing, I thought “Man…. Lemme see if there’s a big difference in just hitting PRINT.” It was WAY faster and only lost a touch of quality. The quality lost is only something I would see… no one els. I am thinking this will save ink as well? Am I wrong?

[@KeithCooper]

Saving just time - any ink savings are trivial on an ink-tank printer ;-) The linked article has more detail, but yes the top quality setting generally doesn't make much difference

[@attieyag]

@@KeithCooper ok. But what I don’t understand is how Epson estimates 1100 prints? I am not at 200 and there seems to be a substantial decrease in the ink. I thought this was because I had all the settings so high. Now, I’m not so sure.

[@KeithCooper]

The settings have nothing to do with it - the estimates are broad one dependent of the relative ink amounts used on prints... I take no notice of such figures ;-)

[@attieyag]

@@KeithCooper thank you. I really appreciate it

[@MrMick560]

I am trying to get the Epson print layout app for my 8550 printer, trying to download it but wont show on my p.c. any help please ? I should add that its registered in my installed apps, I have deleted and tried again a few times.

[@KeithCooper]

What is the issue? - you can't download, you cant install or it won't see the printer? Very different things - Is this Mac or win pc

[@SmartVideoBE]

How long does it take to print an A4 photo on glossy photo paper from a SD card on ET-8500?

[@KeithCooper]

Same as from a computer - you'll have to see the Epson specs though since I don't test timings other than in very broad terms

[@SmartVideoBE]

@@KeithCooper thank you for the reply, but specs lie... actual tests matter. I'm considering buying this printer coming from another epson ecotank just because the one i have is so slow and has no mmc slot

[@jfkcamelot]

Hi, I own a Epson ET-8550 printer. When I print cd's/dvd's I can only print them in 'standard' quality. I can't choose 'high' or best 'quality'. When I print on paper I can choose the print quality. Does anyone know how I can fix this,? It would be much appreciated.

[@KeithCooper]

DVDs - not a 'quality' medium to start with... There is nothing to 'fix' - much as most printers don't offer extra high quality on plain paper

[@kennethdodds2323]

Internet forums are often great sources of misinformation.

[@KeithCooper]

But mixed in with useful bits... Deciding can be the tricky bit.