Approaching The Scene 247: Epson’s ET8500, All-in-One Photo Printer Your Family Will Love

[@charlesmargrave6320]

Purchased the 8500 about a year ago and so far, I have printer count of 884. 58 B&W, 826 Color. Approx. 30-8.5 x11 photo art prints, 40 photo prints 8.5x11 and 60 5x7 art prints for my granddaughter to sell at fairs. Rest is general everyday prints. Used Scanner to Digitize art drawings with On1 PR to resize for best print. Ink level is at 1st mark at top of tank. So still have 3/4 tank full available. At 87 years on this planet, I have been through many printers and none of the printers holds a candle to this Epson 8500. Thanks for this video. I agree completely on your analysis.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

So great to hear!

[@jonsnell8959]

Thank you so much for such an amazing review. I found so helpful in my pursuit for a new printer

[@Alanrpw]

Just got one, so happy with it! Results are just amazing, really! Easy to use, very reduced operation cost, I love this printer! Ink tanks are the way to go when you think about the HP printer cartridges scam! I prefer paying more up front and have some peace of mind.

[@FaithByDesignMom]

absolutely I bought the epson 8500 and the 8550. can I fax from them wirelessly?

[@PatrickSmeaton]

I had an older Epson photo printer. It was still great for prints up to 8x10...until my wife decided to store bird seed next to it. Mice found the bird seed and decided to use my printer as an alternative storage area. 😭 I've been meaning to begin the arduous task of researching printers. Thanks to this video, I don't need to. I've added this printer to my wishlist.

[@gosman949]

I love my P900, but if I had a family with kids, this would be the one to get.

[@gavinjames1842]

Hi, have you done any prints direct from a memory card? My girlfriend’s dad wants to be able to print straight from the camera SD card..

[@ShelleSinger]

Hey Hudson, LOVE my Epson 8500. I've had it about three weeks. Watched Keith Cooper's multiple video review for this and the 8550 and that enabled an informed choice. I recycled my old Canon 9600 MkII. For the type of photography I do the 8.5 x 11 limitation is fine. I have a huge inventory of Red River Paper and they provided ICC profiles for the 8500/8550. Each ink refill is 70ml for about $20 each as opposed to the 14ml inks for the recycled Canon for the same price. Now I can print with abandon. Images are beautiful! Be safe my friend.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Great to hear from you Shelle!

[@luisfaustino]

Thanks for introducing this one Hudson, I ended up going for the bigger ET-8550 as my first photo printer and for the family. Maybe one day will upgrade to pigment ink printers if I see it justifies the extra ink costs.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

It's a fantastic printer. In the 2nd of our printing workshops a week ago, we had four participants who use the larger version as thier main photo printer. We had 3 of them in the studio alongside the Epson and Sony pigment printers and Rick shared higher end paper profiles he created for the Ecotanks. Everyone was pleased with the results. There is no smaller printer out that that competes in terms of value and ease of use. :-) Enjoy!

[@MRCHAT32]

More videos about printing pleaseeee!!! Iwill love to see other bigger printers.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I did just release one last week on our printing workshops. :)

[@LeeeMurray]

Would this printer be ok for selling prints? Is the quality good enough? Thanks 🙏

[@ameliarrw]

Hudson having problems finding the option to turn off printer profiles when using Mac thanks for all your videos so helpful

[@jitkabrokesova7099]

Hi, i loved your video, explained so much of the features. Really good for me as I'm not a pro when it comes to setting printers etc. I will print lots of labels and hope they will be as cool as the photos. Thank you, it was really awesome !!!! Jitka

[@jadeedmonds]

Hi, love your video! I have just purchased this printer, how many 4x6 photos would approx be able to print before the ink runs out?

[@estubee]

Hi Hudson, nice video. Any comments on the scanner quality/performance? We do a bit of old family print scanning, my guess is it would be fine for this.

[@CaroleRancourt]

Thank you so much for this review .... this printer is amazing and just what i was looking for ! :)

[@Lisa6401]

Hi. Great I formative vid! I'm a crafter who sometimes uses printable transfer paper which I cut and iron on tshirts. My question: will this printer accept/work well with this paper type? Looking for great color spectrum for this type project. Tks!!

[@HugoArtStudio]

Do you know if this printer can print labels and this type of paper. I want to dedicate myself to playing cards, what is the highest grammage that you have tried, my idea is 300gr at most or even a little more, thank you very much, kind regards.

[@kayblossom8505]

Hey, thanks for a great review. Would you recommend this printer for creating cake toppers? Like printed cartoon characters for example

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I'm sure it would do a fine job of that.

[@kayblossom8505]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto thank you ☺️ I just lost a bid for one on eBay but I'll keep my eye out for more x

[@ajayalmighty]

Does this use pigment or dye inks?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

It's a hybrid. The black is pigment. The colors are dye.

[@amaimani]

One of the issues that I faced wwith similar cosumer printer from Canon was that no drivers exist for MAC platform. Does this one have drivers for mac and is it without hickups?

[@ShelleSinger]

No problems with Monterey OS.

[@mcmickey3344]

Do you think a new model will come out soon? How about this vs 8550 that prints bigger?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I use this more for family snapshots, printing direct from the phone and as a household all in one. I have a P700 and 9900 for larger work. I think that the P900 is a fabulous printer for those serious about printing images larger.

[@debrawallace4779]

Stupid question but can you print from an iPad? Thank you.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Yes. Just like I show from my phone. A tablet behaves the same way for either ios or android.

[@martineudall]

I think the 8500 does landscape off sheet paper ( not rolled) as well. Been thinking of buying one for some time.

[@deidre-annwilliams6139]

What’s the best photo paper brand to use to have quality prints ?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

@deidre-annwilliams6139 it's like asking what camera brand to use for that. There are many great papers. Epson, Hannemule, Moab, Red River, Canon and the list goes on. A great print can be made on many papers, but it takes practice and skill to achieve. It's another art within photgraghy. My personal preference these days are Epson's Legacy Fiber and Legacy Palatine.

[@ChrisWilliams-vm1do]

I have a Canon ink tank printer (G6020) and it’s pretty useless now. The ink doesn’t stay in the tubes that deliver it to the printer heads. I’m having to do many ink flush/head cleanings and it still can’t print as well as it did when new. I think the trick to keeping them working, is to print often. Do the Epson printers suffer this issue? I’m looking to replace my Canon but don’t want to go with another Canon.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

All printers will clog a bit with disuse, but a simple cleaning routine gets my Epsons going after a month of disuse. A full cleaning does the trick for longer periods of inactivty. I've never had an issue resurrecting neglected Epsons.

[@rodrigovidela273]

Does it fax? And print from direct USB memory stick?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

@@rodrigovidela273 no idea. :⁠-⁠) I'm sure the online user manual can help.

[@techpcgamepassionrobypass]

Ciao, Ma alcuni c'è supporto "Fine Art" su Epson questa ET8500 o 8550 no?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

To use a paper like Legacy Fibre is suggest the P700/900 series.

[@techpcgamepassionrobypass]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Epson SureColor SC-P700 e 900? Non mi piace troppo grande.

[@SmartVideoBE]

i have watched the whole video just to see how long it will take you to print A4 photo…..and you speed up that part :D So, how long does it take to print an A4 photo from a SD card on highest quality?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Never printed with it off SD. It's a fast little machine though. Just as fast or faster than my P900 and P700. I think it's as fast as any inkjet I've used.

[@samanimeguy23]

Hello... Did you ever try the print on Disc yet?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I don't think I've used a disc in a decade. :) I'm sure it works, but I just never thought to try it.

[@samanimeguy23]

@HudsonHenryPhoto I still have printable CDs that I could use...and this epson model has disc printable tray...😄😄😄 we'll see ..alittle pricey for me

[@olik9281]

Hi Hudson, thank you very much for this enthusiastic video of this printer. Good to hear from your perspective that this little printer is doing a fantastic job. I am thinking about to buy his big brother the ET-8550. But I am not yet sure about. Specially in regards to the WAF (wife acceptance factor) and on the cost per picture as I am only printing for family and myself. But nevertheless it looks like there is a option to do kind of fine art prints with this printer family. I found out that there are ICC profiles around for some fine art papers like ILFORD, Canson and Hahnemühle etc. On german youtube photography channels some guys order their ink (for EPSON surecolor printers) from a third party producer of inks, which are quite good in quality and much cheaper. By the way they also sell pigment based inks for the ET8500 (with ICC Profiles). The company is called farbenwerk. So this is an option I am thinking about…well, hopefully I will come to a decision….Thank you very much for your content…much appreciated….Greetings from Switzerland…Oli

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Hey Oli, just know that aftermarket inks will definitely throw off the icc profiles for the papers you want to use. The cost of the actual Epson ink is very reasonable for the ecotanks compared to other printers. :-)

[@blueants-lq7lr]

Subscribed.

[@airship9637]

Regarding photo output, how do inkjet printers compare to laserjet printers? I've read ink-based printers render better photo quality but I've not seen a direct comparison where each is adjusted using color management profiles.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

There's no competition for photography. There's a reason no one even tries a comparison. Lazer is great for business graphics at best.

[@UrsulaJStLouis]

How is this printer just printing text? Thank you!

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

It's great.

[@FloridaGrammy62]

How deep is the printer? TY

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

deep?

[@FloridaGrammy62]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto having a hard time believing that it is 2 ft deep

[@ChrisWilliams-vm1do]

Has it malfunctioned yet? My Canon ink-tank printer stopped working a couple of years after purchase. Ink clogged. Ink-tank printers are notorious for this. Is the pad that collects excess ink from print head cleaning, user replaceable? Canon allows only so many ink flushes or head cleanings until the pad is full, then the printer is no longer useable.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Nope. Not at all. Running as strong as the day I bought it. Last summer we resureccted an old Epson 4800 that had not been used in 6 years. It only needed several heavy print head cleaning routines in a row from its maintenance menu. With a few test prints, I discovered it's inkset is just in no way competitive with our more modern printers in the studio, but we got it working just fine to donate. I have yet to have an epson printer clog beyond the capacity of the in-menu print head cleaning routine's ability to clear. Yes, of course the maintenance tanks are replaceable in all the Epson photo Printers.

[@ChrisWilliams-vm1do]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto good info. I’ll be replacing my Canon with an Epson ET8500. Seems they’re just engineered better.

[@nealewatson3937]

I am struggling to get descent prints have Apple Ventura and help

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

With the ET8500? Ventura has some issues. Letting the printer manage color gives great results for snapshots. THat's the crazy thing. If you want to take control and softproof, calibrating your monitor and usinga low brightness of 80cdm2 is the most important first step.

[@nealewatson3937]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Thank you getting there but isn’t very intuitive

[@robinkitchen2182]

Wow!

[@dkastra26]

This or 8550?

[@rogermanning4353]

Hey Hudson, I love my Ecotank printer. I never attempted printing from my phone until this video. Outstanding . . . thanks! On another note, since you mentions PureRaw, I'm interested in your thoughts om Light rooms new "Denoise" vs PureRaw. It looks pretty competitive to me. Cheers!

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Stay tuned. :-)

[@zZola_Photography]

Can this printer print 8x12?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

Of course. It can print longer than 11, but not wider than 8.5 unless you go for the larger format 8550 model which does 13x19

[@zZola_Photography]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto if i was looking for an all around house printer but one that i could also do smaller prints like 8×12 for artfairs and such would this still be a recommendation?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

It does an amazing job as a household printer and prints fabulous vibrant dye based prints for personal use in an insanely economical way. I think to create prints for sale, you're better off with a pigment based printer like the P900 (which is more economical than the P700 on ink costs). The pigment longevity and paper compatibility are the reasons I say this.

[@hedydd2]

Has anyone used this printer and pushed the output tray in manually, as seen in this video, long term? Any mechanical issues from doing so? It is fully motorised with a button on the touchscreen to withdraw the tray and I always use that and it never occurred to me to force it in by hand and I’m a bit nervous about doing so.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

My wife, kids and I have been doing it for over a year with zero issues. Push a little and it retracts on it's own. Never noticed the touch screen button. I saw it demonstrated with a push before I got it.

[@SirIronJim]

Another Great Video, I currently have the Eason XP-830 which is just ok, but not too reliable when it comes to printing images, I’ll definitely look at the Epsons, in particular if any of their all in one’s can do Fax. BTW, after thinking about it, I have a ton of SD Cards, so looks like the Nikon Z8 is still in the running, thanks again for your Z8 review 😊

[@OMG-2]

Was this Epson ET 8550 one of the things that gave you trouble in the Print Workshop because of MacOS Ventura?

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

No It was universal with all the Canons and Epsons we used.

[@OMG-2]

@@HudsonHenryPhoto I bought a new M2 Max MacBook Pro specifically for photography, so it has Ventura. I am loving it for that, everything else not so much yet, especially the keyboard craziness coming from almost 30 yrs of Windows where you a have real keys instead of 3 finger combos. Not sure my photos are worth the price of ink but I was thinking of maybe getting the 8550 and giving it a go but I don't want to buy a problem so maybe I'll wait a little... Glad you had a good trip to Cuba, enjoyed the office hours, I'm going to miss being out with you guys this year.

[@danijelkadic7929]

what would you buy to print pictures today?

[@moguldog100]

They use dye inks, so not archival.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

It's a home/snapshot printer and for those just wanting to get into the art as stated in this video. There's a reason I have a 9900 as well as a P700 in my studio too. ;-)

[@dave2329]

I loved my Costco Epson eco tank until the heads clogged and the unit used about 15% of the nearly full tanks to clear the heads. I returned it to Costco for a refund.

[@HudsonHenryPhoto]

I know a dozen people with them. All of them including mine are going strong years after purchase. Yours is the first story I've yet heard from anyone remotely like that. Surely not my experience at all.