Epson P700 & P900 best print settings - what driver settings and how much image resolution is best

[@jarQ-]

Thank you Keith for these amazing videos! I could not wrap my head around why my drafts printed with standard quality looked better than the final printed with high quality. But thanks to you I today learned that print quality and percieved quality dont go hand in hand. Turns out that in this case the higher quality softens the result alot.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks, glad it helped!

[@jonkers2007]

Another eye-opening video Keith, many thanks. As someone who has blindly followed the 'if it's Epson you must send images to the printer in multiples of 360' mantra, I found your finding particularly interesting.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah yes - it was time this old chestnut was looked at again ;-) :-) Glad it was of interest!

[@ddsdss256]

I never cease to be amazed by your dedication to improving the quality of printing and am ever thankful for the help and perspective you provide. Thanks again, especially for the heads-up on B&W printing. I'd been using 1,440 most of the time for this particular paper (my default one) and you saved all of us from doing the in-depth analysis.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - glad it has some actual use ;-) I've just been working on a similar test for the PRO-300, where there are far fewer options and bigger ink droplets - I'll post it next weekend.

[@MrStarrchild]

Hi Keith. Thanks for all your photo printing advice in your articles and videos... I just picked my first nice photo printer (an Epson P900), and I'm really enjoying it.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - glad it's helpful (I've another new P700/900 one later today)

[@neildoherty9428]

Thank you ,I have a p900 so love this article very informative ( great sound now. )

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was helpful ...and that you could hear it OK ;-)

[@zBernie12345]

Thank you, very informative video! I think reducing your research to a simple idiom would be "The proof is in the pudding". Incidentally, Hahnemuhle documentation suggests using the "Standard" print setting as opposed to the "High" setting for all of their papers I've worked with, at least on my Epson XP-15000.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - whilst the results I have are specific to the 700/900 I can see they might be similar for other printers, but I've not tested this for more basic models. One thing to note is that there are sometimes profiling differences between the settings as well, so perhaps HM have noted this when testing.

[@pcsb]

If memory serves the "magic" 360 PPI for Epson printers was originally stated by Epson. Don't know if they still do or not. FWIW I have always sent the highest res imagaes I can to the printer when I print, both on my old Epson R2000 and the new P 700. Interesting video Keith, thanks.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - it might well have been via an Epson source originally. I've discussed this with several people at printer companies and they are well aware that 'advice' from 20 years ago has a habit of being 'set in stone' ;-)

[@edwinpalacio5080]

HI Keith Cooper your videos are very good this one help me alot. because i am looking to print on transparency film to project images. thank very much for this informative videos

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - Glad it was helpful!

[@derekcattani1144]

Hi Keith I`ve been watching your tips on printing for a while, just got a new Epson 900 so i`m looking forward to your advice and help with using it. thanks, Derek

[@KeithCooper]

Excellent! If you've not seen them, do check out the written articles as well. They are more detailed and unlike the videos are updated/corrected/edited over time

[@robertnystrom289]

Well done Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I just published the similar test for the P7500 www.northlight-images.co.uk/best-epson-p7500-driver-settings/ (video pending)

[@mrsmrs4844]

I have Epson printers (Stylus Pro 3880, SureColor P800 and SureColor P900). In Photoshop, when I go to File>Print>Print Settings, under Print Quality I see Max Quality and Quality Options. Is there a difference between choosing Max Quality or Quality Options and moving the slider to 5 when the Quality Options window opens up? I notice that if I use Epson Print Layout, however, and go to Max Quality there is no slider. Does that mean that the slider is not needed and it is already at the maximum quality? Thank you very much. I appreciate all you do to explain quality printing.

[@KeithCooper]

Every driver is slightly different in how these things work, but in general, the very 'best' settings don't show much difference. The options may things like allow turning off bidirectional print, which sometimes reduces banding in some papers See the actual article for far more, and why doing some small test prints is often the only real way of seeing what matters for you www.northlight-images.co.uk/driver-settings-and-print-detail/

[@ytuberization]

Very interesting Video, Keith. Thank you very much. Would be interesting to see how you optimize your images for the more perceptive “sharpness“. Are you using dedicated software like Nik Output Sharpener or QImage? Any advantages by using Gigapixel or other upscale software? Could be a topic for an upcoming video ;-)

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks I've already covered this in several written articles ;-) This one is a good starting point www.northlight-images.co.uk/upsizing-and-sharpening-for-making-a-print/ Written just before someone from Canon convinced me to have a go at videos ;-) However, it is an area I'm looking at covering in some videos to supplement new articles

[@bigpoewing]

Great Video! Thank you! What is that lamp on the p700? Im trying to find a good lamp to examine my prints under. Cheers Po

[@KeithCooper]

It's one of these www.northlight-images.co.uk/grafilite_2/

[@pasukart]

This is wonderfully informative. thank you!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - glad it was of interest!

[@DrewHarty-l2m]

Hi Keith, Thanks again for an informative video. Have you tested how PPI resolution affects smooth value gradients? I've noticed 720 PPI can cause slight banding in smooth value gradients with the Epson driver.

[@KeithCooper]

I've not seen that in any of my tests. I'd also suggest to have a look at the proper written article for this, since the videos are only supplements. www.northlight-images.co.uk/driver-settings-and-print-detail/

[@hans-peterkohler2993]

Pressing show more solved the question.

[@KeithCooper]

Hope it's of interest!

[@AndrewGrivjack]

Great and informative video. Thanks Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@Mr.HotRod]

Hi Keith: Thanks for your past answers to me. I have a question on the L-shaped lamp on the right side of your printer. I would love to have something like that for my p700 which is on it's way to me from B & H. The p700 is in a large dark cabinet and that lamp looks like it would do the illuminating trick for me just to see the printer a little bit better. Any detail on the lamp would be greatly appreciated. You R a good explainer of printing. thanks Hot Rod

[@KeithCooper]

It's a grafilite www.northlight-images.co.uk/grafilite_2/

[@Mr.HotRod]

@@KeithCooper Thanks again Mr. Keith O'Cooperski......:-))

[@cibinjankovic3722]

Thank you very much Keith for this sharing. A small question that I ask myself what do you think of the Epson Print Layout software. I print my photos on an epson SC P 700 and I am very satisfied. Thank you in advance. Sincerely .

[@KeithCooper]

The software works well - I include it in most of the examples in my written articles/reviews and videos. Personally I print directly from Photoshop on a Mac. However, for demo purposes, it's a lot easier to show the use of EPL, since it's the same for Macs and PCs - I've not used a win PC this century ;-)

[@cibinjankovic3722]

Thank you very much Keith, kind regards.

[@cibinjankovic3722]

Merci beaucoup Keith pour ce partage .Une petite question que je me pose que pensez vous du logiciel Epson Print Layout . J'imprime mes photos sur une epson SC P 700 et j'en suis bien satisfait .Par avance merci . Bien amicalement .

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry - I don't speak French...

[@gordw6402]

Thank you for another great video. Since I'll be purchasing the p900 and printing black and white. To start, I wanted to print all my photos on 4x6 but noticed there is no 4x6 matte paper available from Epson. Do you recommend two 4x6 photos on one 11x17 matte.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks Small prints can be problematic on larger printers. Borders can be awkward to set up accurately. Other suppliers do make small media like this. I rarely print my own work this size, so I've only really experimented when doing the original review to see if it worked.

[@gordw6402]

@@KeithCooper Thank you for the heads up. I expect to be trimming them all from the 11x17 then.

[@nancygphotography8838]

Hi Keith, Love your videos. I am printing on Epson velvet fine art paper and was wondering if I can load it in the rear paper feeder with the thick paper setting on. I find it time consuming loading it in the front when doing a large number of prints.

[@KeithCooper]

If you look at the main written review, you'll see I used the top for almost every print. I only used the front feed for board. Watch out for marks though with the top feed

[@idontwantacallsign]

Thank you so much Keith. Great test. I have an 900 and I still use 360 ppi, for my larger prints but use the same file to print smaller prints so basically letting Photoshop or the printer driver resizing the image and i haven't seen any quality or resolution difference by doing that. Do you know what is done when you do what I do? Is it keeping the PPI but resizing the image ?

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks I believe it just sends a higher PPI to the driver - worth doing for smaller prints. I just send whatever is there to the printer, if it's enough. I need to look further at lower res images and what happens

[@MikeDeissler]

Thanks for a great video. I think I'll get one of these bad boys with the roll feeder. If you could please set me straight on this, great thanks. I can't get my brain around this. Your test prints definitely bear out the differences in the driver settings. There's no doubt about it. So, here's what I don't get it in terms of just plain physics: we have this magical print head that can lay down amazing ink. The printhead has a finite physical holes in it to pass the ink to the media. I think that's where the magic 360dpi thing comes from but I'm so confused, if that's the wrong number, my bad. But the puzzle for me is how can telling the driver to send 1440dpi going to change what the print head can do? I mean your tests show it obviously does somehow. Conversely, if you send 50dpi, you've still got to push ink though those same finite number of holes you can't turn any of them off or on can you? I'd love to read the written article but I'm too thick to locate it on your site. Can you leave a link? Cheers.

[@hans-peterkohler2993]

Dear Keith. Thanks for this information. Where do I find the article you refer to in the video?

[@KeithCooper]

In the description www.northlight-images.co.uk/driver-settings-and-print-detail/

[@Slave-Of-Christ]

I used to use Qimage on Windows and also in Linux through a virtual machine, or Wine, or something (can't quite remember). On Windows, Qimage was only able to upsize and print an image with a 720 ppi, but on Linux was able to upsize to 1440 and send to the driver (not the official Epson driver, but got excellent prints from it). Yes, there was a clear difference. 1440 produced a much nicer print with more detail and finer gradations.

[@KeithCooper]

That's interesting to know - the power of actually checking for yourself! ;-)

[@timothy790110]

Here is a question Keith, in the pritner setup box in photoshop, Im asked under "Media Settings" what mode i want, I can choose between Epsons srgb, Adobe rgb, photoenhance, Icm or Off. If my monitor has a 100%Adobe RGB gamut, and the color space of the file is Adobe RGB, should I use that there too?

[@KeithCooper]

icm? sounds like a win PC? With the slight proviso that I've not used one this century... so refinements/corrections are welcome ;-) If you are printing from Photoshop, select the profile in the Photoshop print dialogue, 'Photoshop manages colour', and 'off' in the colour management. The monitor colour space and working space are irrelevant in this respect.

[@timothy790110]

@@KeithCooper It is indeed a PC, thank you Keith!

[@50talist67]

Hi, I have enlarged the same picture in four steps and use Epson print software to view but have not printed them so far. Each one of them have different PPI going from 1500 down to 400 PPI when opening them in the Epson Print Software. My question is, which DPI will each print be pritend with on Epson SC-P900? Asking as I cannot find where to set a specific DPI on the above mentioned Epson printer. I can of course select print quality as standard or high. However not sure what that means in terms of DPI. Just to add, picture was taken with Sony A1 so I started with a 50 MB picture. Using MacBook Pro.

[@KeithCooper]

Did you read the main [written] article about this? www.northlight-images.co.uk/driver-settings-and-print-detail/

[@KeithCooper]

Also the key is starting at higher res and reducing - makes for a more realistic test

[@50talist67]

Ok I am getting the hang of it. Thanks. Just to add, in my opinion the prints from SC-P900 are very good to say the least.

[@50talist67]

Hi, what does Epson EMX offer vs ICC. Or do I even need both at the same time? Here is why I ask. Someone said that selecting an ICC profile in the EPSON print module, when printing to for example on SC-P900 and then, since as I was told they had loaded the EMX profile onto the printer the ICC profile will be converted by the EMX profile to create and even better color match, or so. It seems odd to me so hence the question Basically does one need both ICC and EMX or will one be fine. Just to add, perhaps one can only use one of them at any time.

[@KeithCooper]

Two very different things The icc profile is just that, it needs to be used with a driver and a selected media setting emx is a proprietary container for a custom media setting info file and optionally an icc profile. As far as I know your 'someone' was misinformed there is no 'conversion' going on This is from the original P900 announcement: "Epson Media Installer. As previously mentioned, Epson have a proven method of delivering medias via their EMX (Epson Media Extension) format. Each EMX file contain the relevant media LUT, ICC profile and mechanical parameters for the media. i.e. platen gap, feed parameters, bi-di timings/thickness adjustment, etc. This will allow the end user to simply run the application, browse for their media, download their media which is then applied not only to the driver, but to the printer for mechanical parameters also. This is a very good method to prevent confusing when setting the driver for medias that are not originally included in the install, and also stops the need to have region specific drivers for certain regional medias. End users who want to create their own profiles still can using the traditional methods as the driver contains all functions to disable colour management and let this be handled by the application." See also the custom media section of my P7500 review www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-surecolor-p7500-printer-review/

[@MediaSwipeandLike-ec4uv]

Thanks@@KeithCooper

[@Mr.HotRod]

Hi Keith: Hot Rod here: You have brought up a couple times mentioning A-2 or A-3 maybe B somethings. Are these in regards to different paper quality or paper sizes what's your brief explaination on those or where I can find a scale definition of this stuff. Thanks Chief and hang in there.........:-))

[@KeithCooper]

Standard ISO paper sizes - as used in most of the world ;-) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_216 I do sometimes still include inches in measurements though ;-)

[@Mr.HotRod]

@@KeithCooper Thanks Keith. I am going to print out the stat sheet for the paper sizes on my new p700 😁 U R still the man and a half.......

[@Mr.HotRod]

Hi Keith: Hot Rod here again. My p700 is on it's way, be here this coming Monday. I have a basic question on using what sort / brand of paper for making cd/dvd labels for my music or family movie collection. Do you think epson makes a specific Satin / Lustre label paper or would you recommend a different label paper companythat sticks good to the top of the cd / dvds. Have you ever experiment yourself with trying to make cd / dvd labels and how did they turn out? Thanks Hot Rod 👍

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry, printing DVD labels are not something I've done for perhaps 15 years... Have a look at Epson and Canon's web sites, they may well still list specialist media ? Failing that, some of the bigger on-line stationary suppliers may be of help...

[@Mr.HotRod]

@@KeithCooper Thanks Keith. Do they celebrate Halloween over there? If so have a good weekend at least. Hot Rod

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - we've just had Diwali [big in Leicester] and have Guy Fawkes night on the 5th Nov. :-) As to halloween, it's got bigger, but kids going round begging is still regarded with suspicion by some ;-) :-)

[@Redserpent2000]

Hi Keith, another great video. OK, one more question about the P900. I watched some guy on YT from Photospeed who was comparing the Canon Prograf 1000 (I think) and the Epson SC P900. The point at which I became very interested was when he pointed out that when the print head finaly fails in the P900, the whole printer is then broken and cannot be used, whereas with the Canon you can swap out the print heads and carry on using the printer. But what got me was when he said that it takes around 2 years for the Epson heads to fail making the printer, basically, junk. Now he didn't mention whether or not that meant printing 24/7 or something else, but if I'm going to spend over £1000 on a printer, I want it to last much longer than 2 years. Can you shed any light on this please?

[@KeithCooper]

Canon heads are rated as consumables and not exactly cheap for larger printers, whilst Epson printheads are rated for the life of the printer. They can be replaced, but it is a service call, so not cheap. They are two different technologies. You rightly question the amount of usage this is rated for and I think the report you mention is being, shall we say 'unduly pessimistic'? Sounds right out of a marketing 'key points list' ;-) It's stuff like this that reinforces my decision never to do direct comparisons between brands - the answer is invariably "it depends" and needs so many caveats and riders that certainly with videos, no-one is going to sit through it. Too many viewers only want recommendations that back a choice they have probably already made ;-) Don't get me wrong- I get a lot of people email me with specific printer related questions, and I'm always happy to help, but some genuinely don't like me not awarding spurious rating 'scores' or 'best buy' accolades ;-) Oh, and I don't sell printers/papers/inks, so I've no other interests in what people decide to buy ;-) Would the replaceable heads be a factor in any personal printer buying? - no The only heads I've had fail were on my old Canon large format printer where the final one led to an otherwise fine 44" printer going out of the door as scrap. For larger printers such as the P5000 I have here I would get the extended warranty, but also note that the larger printers are rated for heavy use in a way that desktop ones are not.

[@Redserpent2000]

@@KeithCooper This is why you are my "go too guy" you don't have a horse in any race! Expect a good cup of coffee soon. Take care mate.🥇

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@jmphoto4569]

hello Keith thanks so much for this wonderful video and greetings from down under. I was having a problem printing with roll paper. I could not find the the paper source option in my printer dialogue in Photoshop on mac Monterey. With my previous epson and previous version of OS could always find option to nominate roll paper. Had set to roll on the epson SCP900 but got error message to re-load paper several times as soon as I sent a print. The only way I could get printer working with the roll feed was via Epson Print layout. Have you had this problem with mac? Airprint is definitely not installed. Driver version 11.01.Any advice would be appreciated.

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry, I've only tested up to 10.15 - no new Macs round here unless I win the lottery... The place I'd ask is the printing forum at dpreview - I'm sure I've seen this discussed

[@jmphoto4569]

thanks so much Keith and best wishes..good luck with the lottery !!@@KeithCooper

[@jmphoto4569]

@@KeithCooper thank Keith. I did go onto dp review and got help. paper source shows on the paper size dialogue if you click the side arrow. however only shows for standard print sizes and not custom. also only gives front or roll feed as options. Top feed missing. Thanks again for the tip. best wishes

[@dr5chrome896]

Keith. I was told by someone to leave my p900 on all the time...?? What is your take? TY. DW

[@KeithCooper]

I asked someone at Epson and was told it didn't really make much difference - the key is not leaving it unused for weeks on end.

[@jameswalker7874]

The examples in the written review certainly make me feel like never drifting above the middle level isn't worth it. Though to be honest at the level of magnification you've gone to I can't help but debate whether the higher quality settings serve to simply take longer and use more ink in the real world. I've no idea if higher quality does use more ink or not, while none have white spaces on the paper, but I suppose there could be more layers of ink. It may be more worthwhile on very smooth paper, but certainly not on the Premium Luster, especially when you factor in how much magnification you've done. What would happen if you sent an image at, say, 2000 ppi (or any setting above the 1,440 you've quoted this image is sized to)?

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - higher input resolutions could well show through - maybe useful for making digital negatives and the like, and other more technical printing. As well as broadly answering my two original questions, doing this has led to many more ;-) I've already a few more ideas for additional articles/videos.

[@jameswalker7874]

@@KeithCooper Look forward to seeing them. You do a really great job of explaining things in language those who aren't experts can understand :-)

[@nigelkthomas9501]

How do you choose a print setting? My laptop just wants paper type and print. Job done, but the images I’ve printed are no better than the £150 printer I had before. Not impressed after laying out near a grand!

[@KeithCooper]

See some of my examples linked from the P900 and P700 reviews www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-sc-p700-printer-review/ www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-sc-p900-printer-review/ There are so may factors that affect printing... Optimal printing needs to use a paper profile, the correct media setting and to print from software that's up to the job The 'just hit print' approach doesn't really work for any printer - your results are pretty much what I'd expect... If someone sold you this as an option when getting the printer, it's not going to happen with any printer ;-)

[@pongokamerat8601]

Great video

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I've ideas for quite a few more along these lines.

[@pongokamerat8601]

@@KeithCooper In my opinion, Epson P900 is most bang for the money. Really beautiful prints.

[@jointherevolution5577]

Hi Kieth, I recently bought a p700 in Australia and then a month later i bought a second p700 off ebay that was selling with a load of paper and about two full sets of ink. I got it at a very good price. What i noticed was that if i swapped an ink cartridge from one printer to the other the ink level shows the same as the printer in came from, this tells me that the printer is writing the ink level in the cart to the chip! I was very surprised as i have not found anyone talk about this, is this a known thing?

[@KeithCooper]

A new one for me - no idea I'm afraid - never had two printers here! ;-)

[@thomaseriksson6256]

So shall I scale up my 12 Mpix picture to 500-600 PPI before print?

[@KeithCooper]

Not for me to say - experiment and decide for yourself... ;-) It's about so much more than just following the numbers...

[@thomaseriksson6256]

@@KeithCooper Thank you. You are right but that is not something I looking forward too. I prefer the part when I'm taking pictures. The PS (I liked working in darkrooms when using film more than taking pictures) and printing part is a way to get better as an artist...

[@Peliculasasaticasencastellano]

thank you i have nikon and canon let me tell you Nikon the best to print

[@KeithCooper]

Do you mean which camera maker is 'best'? If so, then neither have any inherent advantage - any differences with respect to print are largely due to user skill, software choice and editing ability when it comes to editing for optimal print, as well as the exact camera model used. Oh, and subject matter as well... There is no generalised 'best' in this respect...

[@dummatube]

...and we can thank Apple and their 1985 'LaserWriter' for everyone insisting that they will only accept '300dpi' for images!

[@KeithCooper]

Ah yes '300dpi' - one of my 'How much does this client know' tests...

[@dummatube]

@@KeithCooper for a laugh I sometimes just do what I am asked for and digitise 1.5m artworks at 300ppi as 16bit uncompressed TIF files and wait for the client response when their computer and dodgy Windows ‘Paint’ programs can’t open them! 🤣🤣🤣😈

[@KeithCooper]

I've been tempted to send photos at 300dpi but the size of a postage stamp ;-)

[@dummatube]

@@KeithCooper Haha! Another one is when someone has one of my huge 3+GB images and they ask for "a file around 10Mb". I am always tempted just to do an 8bit JPG 'Level 1' compression at the same image dimensions! Maybe we are both getting a wee bit 'jaded' but the many hours we have to spend explaining and getting to the bottom of what is REALLY needed is wearing us out!

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - one reason I don't do art repro as a commercial service ;-)