Epson vs Canon. What's the best 17 inch printer for you? P900 vs PRO-1100 vs P5300 [P5370]

[@KeithCooper]

Correction: The P5300 is 52kg! I'll have the very detailed PRO-1100 review in due course. Please just ask if you've any questions? Don't forget the full categorised index of all my videos at www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/ If you'd like to make a small donation towards my testing, I have a Kofi page: "Buy me a coffee" ko-fi.com/keithcooper

[@EthanHill-o3j]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@peternavanac9310]

My Epson 3880 just bit the dust. Am in the market, but unsure. The best bit was when Keith said “if you got a problem with prints, it is not the printer, it is some level of ineptitude with you”. Too true! Super helpful. Thankful for YT and this channel, where you can access this level of timely, circumspect and balanced insight.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - Glad it's of interest!

[@cesarebeccaria7641]

My 3880 died in August. I bought the Pro-1100. I REALLY miss my 3880. Not sure about the two Epson printers covered here but based on a month of owning the pro-1100, I think I made a mistake and should have stayed with Epson.

[@veivoli]

@@cesarebeccaria7641 It must be the season for it! My 3880 just died as well with the Photo Black/Matte Black issue, such that neither appears at all in a nozzle check. This was preceded by black ink smearing on prints. Although a P700 (P706 in this part of the world) would have met my needs as I don't really need A2+, the ink cost pushed me to the P906. Picked it up this afternoon and will set up tomorrow...

[@hadleyimages]

@@cesarebeccaria7641 Curious why you say you should have stayed with Epson. My very trusty but older 2880 died last month. Not to mention Epson stopped making cartridges for it. So I'm torn between the Pro 1100 or going for the much larger Epson 5370. The P900 has some pretty bad reviews, but I have always been an Epson person. We sell our prints at art fairs and on-line.

[@HeritageFocus]

@@hadleyimages FWIW, my R2880 died a couple of years ago, and I replaced with the Pro-1000. Extremely happy with it, I don't miss Epson or the 2880 at all.

[@blackcygnus3177]

Thanks so much for another excellent video Keith. Packed with information from a practitioner perspective, not marketing ! So often we get bombarded with the hype, rather than the real experience.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks for that - I'm trying to emphasise that I don't sell kit, so have no benefit in pushing anyone to any particular printer.

[@puck528co]

Very helpful and detailed. Thanks.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - it was always going to be a long one! ;-)

[@DanDill]

Such a helpful, comprehensive review! Thank you very much.

[@KeithCooper]

Thank you - I'm always a bit wary when they end up so long, but there is a lot to cover.

[@brentj7564]

excellent contrast/comparison review!

[@KeithCooper]

Thank you!

[@christopherminnerly1133]

Your best video to date, excellent.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ricnet9717]

Hi Keith, as a functional comparison, if the P900 could take all photo / art papers from 290gsm+ through the front feed, then perhaps its paper handling would be a little less awkward than the rear feed of the PRO1100? I know my R2880 won't let just any paper go into it's thicker paper front feed so I have no choice but to couch the rear manual feed into not mis-feeding aha.

[@KeithCooper]

Actually, I find the front feed of the 900 rather more effort to use than the rear feed of the 1100. The need to ingest paper and it going in/out gives its own slight awkwardness. For any of these modes it helps to read the manual if a feature is important - I have been known to miss/forget things ;-)

[@Richardincancale]

I’m a bit wary of border-free printing due to the issues you pointed out of ink spattering the inside of the machine. I invested in a good quality A2 wheel cutter that I can use even on 2mm mounting board with photo paper glued to it. Thus I always just use minimum border and accept a couple of mm loss edge on each sheet

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - that's the only reliable way to get a true edge. A lot of people forget the need for expansion.

[@shortypictures]

Best Channel when it comes to photo printers! I do also love how you present/ talk. For me as a non native English speaker its easy to follow and to understand :) Would you consider $300 off for a Pro-1000 a good deal? I don't need the printer desperately yet, I can wait until the Pro-1100 is better available again.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks A good question is perhaps to ask whether the PRO-1100 is $300 better than the PRO-1000? Longer prints and a bit more intense dark colours on art papers - inks likely to be easier to get in 10-15 years... ?

[@shortypictures]

@@KeithCooper Thanks a lot for your answer Keith! You always ask the right questions! I honestly watched more of your videos and may even consider a Pro-300. That printer is currently discounted as well. I am new to photo printing and just a hobby photographer that wants to test print my own photos but also be able to print and sell them on trade shows etc. I do like the A2 size of the Pro-1000/1100 but I also think that A3 size would be a good enough start for me. The thing that scares me the most with the Pro-1100 is that it uses so much ink to clean. Like I said I am not a professional photographer but also would love to have the capability to do my own high quality prints. And the Pro-300 seems to be a bit better when it comes to cleaning and wasting ink.

[@carlb401]

From the manufacturers websites the P5300 is 52kg, Canon PRO 1100 - 32.4kg, so your weights given are slightly off. As of 31/10/24 Camarthen cameras, Printerbase are selling the PR0 1000 for £779 if anyone wants it

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - on my own web site too... :-) Ah the problem of youtube - stuff is set in stone once published :-(

[@adsfaedaer]

I'm (finally) thinking of getting into printing my own pictures - probably a canon pro-300 - not commercially just for myself. I'm currently trying to work out what I would need to start off. I have a recent apple laptop with photoshop/lightroom, I need a printer of course, but what would your advice be about the general stuff like paper, more ink, perhaps a monitor calibrator etc, just to get started? What would you do (differently perhaps) if you where starting out in a non commercial setting?

[@KeithCooper]

Difficult to answer since I took up photography professionally some 20 years ago! See my 'best printer to start with video' - covers much of this kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmLMcqB-mtCfZ5I Then check my articles [listed in the notes] My videos are supplements - detail goes in the written stuff ;-)

[@prsearls]

This is a good discussion/comparison about these printers. It's refreshing to hear practical use experience and advise rather than advertising hype. I've done most of my photo printing on a Canon 6400 and it did a terrific job but in recent years, I didn't use it enough and I finally "killed" it. I think my biggest complaint about it was Canon's poor support of MacOS; it may be different now.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks It's OK for the 1100 - unless you are currently using Mac OS 15, where all sorts of issues occurred when it came out [it's why I won't install 15 on any 'work' machines] There is a new driver for the 1100 released last week

[@yoms9608]

@KeithCooper Historically speaking, has Epson always been ahead of Canon in terms of quantity of ink used for cleaning? Or is this specific to these models? Thanks.

[@KeithCooper]

That's a difficult one to give an evidence based answer to ;-) Two different head technologies, but speaking of larger format printers I've not noticed huge differences. The PRO-1000 and now 1100 do seem to be thirstier in this respect than the larger format Canon printers - but my last large format Canon I owned a few years ago took 350/700ml ink carts, so you perhaps don't notice it ;-) In the overall costs, it's relatively low IF you use your printer enough. BUT... There is a hefty amount of ill-founded conjecture in this area.

[@yoms9608]

@@KeithCooper Thanks for your feedback.

[@stephensmith9236]

vey helpful thanks - think you've persuaded me to go with a P900. Unless I go for a P700 albeit with higher ink costs but I'm not planning on a lot of prints. Though I hear you on ability to print larger prints on the P900

[@KeithCooper]

Glad I could help...

[@peterwilliams2889]

Unfortunately Epson Support is non-existent.

[@stephensmith9236]

@@peterwilliams2889 went with the P900 and generally very happy. That said the first one delivered had a fault and tech support wasn’t great but did agree to replace the whole unit straight away. The Epson agent did a great actually getting one for me in Ireland

[@peterwilliams2889]

@ I’ve been making GREAT prints up to 17” X 25” on Red River Metallic Gloss and also Canvas. I’ve been using the Epson Print Layout App. One day last week the Epson Layout App notified me that it didn’t see the Driver. After trying everything I could including starting at the beginning including loading all of the Drivers and a new App, no change. I was planning to give out calendars for Christmas but they’re going to be late. And maybe printed on a new Canon.

[@randyharbour8633]

Hello Keith, you bring up an issue I have not yet encountered - portability. I bought a Pro-200 to "learn on." I want to print my own pictures for personal use. I am lucky enough to live in one place 7 months/yr and another place 5 months/yr. How portable is the Pro-200? Any special considerations I need to take into account? Thanks!

[@KeithCooper]

The 200 is easily portable - just transport it mostly level. It can be moved easily enough, but not really in a shipping crate. I've not tested this, but if you make sure the carriage is locked in place [one of the orange shipping parts IIRC], it might take more rough handling, but I'd rather transport it in the back of my car than trust to a carrier.

[@inkheart124]

The only question left unanswered here is what would be the threshold for exceeding "occasional" use? Is that once per month or week? 3x per week? Other?

[@KeithCooper]

Ah - no simple answers to this ;-) A print a month is very light use! How often would I set my diary reminder to run off a print/nozzle check if I hadn't printed? For these printers likely every two weeks. The key is regular use... printing 50 prints just once every three months is what causes reliability issues for bigger printers. The P5300 is the one designed for heaviest print use. The cleaning ink use though is something I don't have solid data for, other than knowing not to switch off the 1100 - it just seems more fussy than I recall the 900 and 5300, which use a print head much more designed for intermittent 'consumer' style use.

[@inkheart124]

@@KeithCooper Thanks for the extra info Keith, and the good review!

[@Hikebike365]

Hi Keith, thanks so much for the stellar reviews. I hope you can help me make a decision. I'm still running my E3880. I have to say it's been brilliant. It never clogs. I travel for long periods. 6 months or longer. Once i left it sit when we got stuck (2020 covid) for 13 months. Didn't even need a cleaning cycle. Just patience, turning it on and off, letting it sit and running nozzle checks. Never switch blacks and always move out to the basement and places it directly on the floor when traveling. I need a second printer at another location. Given my use scenario, do you have a recommendation? Moving it limits the weight but i think i have another answer to keeping it in a less dry storage condition. Thanks!

[@KeithCooper]

At 17" the 900 is the only real option. Leaving printers for 6 months simply isn't ideal, but it's more likely for the 900 to be OK [unless you find a used 3880!] ;-)

[@inaoifeble]

i just let my p900 sit for 9 months and i had to run 3 cleaning cycles to reprime a couple of the colors, but there were no clogs and it's been running like a dream ever since obviously not ideal and i was fully expecting there to be some serious issues, so I'm really impressed that it seemed no worse for sitting around

[@elnitram4313]

Great video, thanks. Looking at those printers I would expect the pro1100 to be priced in the middle. I just saw the pro1000 for £240 above the price of an ink set. Not much for a printer like this.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - some good 1000 deals about.

[@hadleyimages]

Hey Kieth, Why do you think all the Canon 17" printers are on backorder? Can't seem to get a recent answer on-line.

[@KeithCooper]

Where? Supplies vary around the world.

[@hadleyimages]

@@KeithCooper United States. All the 17" models (Pro 1000, Pro 1100) are backordered at Canon US, B&H as well as Adorama. Just curious if there is some sort of shortage of parts or whatever. Thanks! Your reviews are very helpful.

[@KeithCooper]

Nothing here - someone did suggest a rush to order imported products to beat enforced hefty price rises in the US?

[@terjesoreide6282]

Thank you!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@robertobrighetti8584]

Thank you so much Keith for this video. It confirms why I chose the P900. After watching this video I am happier than before with my choice.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - all three are good printers, just some suit better than others ;-)

[@zakcortez4160]

Hey Keith love your videos. I've had my eye on the epson p900 for mid range printing. I see you bring up the ET 8550 alot. I was looking to get one but saw you can't do anything bigger than A4 size. I want that A2 and A3 print range, But I love the refilling feature in the ecotanks. What do you recommend?

[@KeithCooper]

The 8550 is A3+ or 13" width - the 8500 is the A4/8.5" version www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/

[@davecornish1072]

Hello Keith, I'm quite surprised / shocked to hear of the amount ink used for cleaning after turning the printer off. I have an Epson P700 do you suggest leaving it on 24 hrs a day ? Thanks for all the detailed videos !!

[@KeithCooper]

I was just talking about the PRO-1100 in this respect. For the P700/900/5300 I'd let it go to sleep after the default time, but leave it plugged in

[@chrisgibbsphoto]

Question Keith: I had the old Epson 4900, it had the vacuums feed as you know, BUT also had the mechanical pizza wheels that could scratch the last part the print on exit. Does the Canon Pro-1100 have ANY pizza wheels in the paper transport mechanism that assist its vacuum feed? I currently run the Canon Pro-300 too, cracking little printer, but it is has the mechanical transport (pizza wheels) and can scratch certain papers too.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - they are there. The only printers I know where they can be 'deactivated' are the P5000/P5300. Because the paper is then rear fed, it does mean a longer trailing edge margin

[@chrisgibbsphoto]

@@KeithCooper Thank you Keith.

[@wilfredobenitez7275]

What about P900 durability? Is it as robust as the Canon printer?

[@KeithCooper]

I cannot say - it certainly is not as solidly built I simply don't have access to any data concerning this I'm afraid

[@johnvaleanbaily246]

Another excellent review. Thank you. Have you ever considered a review on how to prepare a printer for placement into storage, say a Pro 300 and the best way to clean up that printer for short/long term and for eventual re-use or sale ? So prepare for storage and eventual preparation for reuse some months later.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah - not something I've ever done. I have no significant practical experience of this. Sure, I've picked up tips and the like over the years, but I'm loath to put it in a video - an article maybe, since I can update/correct/expand that

[@JanicevD]

Question - I am considering the Pro-1000 but am worried about how long they will support the old inks. Do you think I might have trouble finding them in a few years? thanks!!!

[@KeithCooper]

Given the 1000 uses the same inks as their previous large format printers I'd not expect any issues for at least 8-10 years and probably longer than that

[@JanicevD]

@@KeithCooper thanks!

[@industryrule-4080]

Hey Keith, have you done any videos on printing PDFs? I recently struggled with printing my photography promos I made in Adobe InDesign that had lots of black & white images. Even exporting to Acrobat gave me bad results. But printing the photo files as TIFF through Photoshop looks amazing. Would love to know if you have any tips on that.

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry, no. My only use of PDFs is for document transfer. What are those B&W's? Are you using CMYK at all? Also depends on just what printer and media you are using

[@industryrule-4080]

@ was using Canon Pro 1000, Red River Polar Matte. Yeah, getting the tones to be neutral was tough and getting the contrast to match how the image files print in PS was even tougher. Display is calibrated and the correct ICC profile was used. Was hoping this was something you had run into or made an article about.

[@PSchin-vw7pv]

excellent video I really like it and it helps me make a proper decision. I would have overlooked margins. From all the inputs I have so far, I prefer the Pro-1100. I make prints mainly after vacation. I do so 3-4 times a year. So after some internet research about the pro1000 I learned I have to expect „ink waste“ up to 400€ per year if I do not print for long intervals. At least this is what some people experienced. If I print more often it looks like I would use less ink overall and reduce the risk of failure. Therefore I want to fully automate printing a file on a regular basis. On the top feed you say I can stack several sheets. Canon manual says „Do not load sheets of paper higher than the load limit mark (J).“ Do you have an idea how high the stacked paper can be at maximum? That would determine how often I would have to reload paper.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was of interest... The manual [on-line] has the limits for different paper types - a stack of plain paper suffices

[@dexon555]

Just adjust the power setting on the PRO300,1000 & 1100 to remain on all the time. When I do this, the only cleaning cycles occur when I change cartridges. Note: Ink agitation mode is not wasting ink.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - that is so, just not the default setting. Many printers can benefit from a bit of customisation - I'll usually cover this in most reviews. Indeed - ink agitation is not cleaning, that's what I'm referring to in the video

[@tor2919]

Somebody wrote somewhere else one should turn off the pro 1100 using the power button but NOT at the wall plug. Apparently the printer head “parks” itself which prolongs its life? When powered off with the button it’s not the same as wall power off and shouldn’t result in cleaning cycles? Is this true?

[@ferraphotography9448]

What do you think of the Canon Pro 1100?

[@KeithCooper]

Essentially this: www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-pro-1100-printer-review/ Covers my own minor issues and dislikes too. It's a good printer, not much different from the Pro-1000

[@ferraphotography9448]

What do you think of the Canon Pro 1100? Do you think it is better than the Epson P 5370?

[@KeithCooper]

Different... ;-) This sort of unanswerable question is precisely why I made this video. Anyone who does give you a simple answer is basically wrong... Read the two written reviews and see which features matter most to YOU I cannot give such an answer at all, since they are two different but both good printers. Either one will be limited more by the abilities of the person using it than the printer [this includes for myself using them]

[@toriomeemmanuel9437]

very very smart . for myshelf EPSON ET 85500 is the good one, ink are to mutch expensive , canon pro 1---- to heavy etc

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - it would have been even longer if I'd included smaller printers ;-)

[@lihermann]

Hi ! I wonder if those machine are good to print vector art ? I don’t print photos ..

[@KeithCooper]

Printing from what? If you export the image as a high enough resolution tiff or JPEG it's just an image being printed 'Vector Art' covers a multitude of things [and software], so whilst I see no difficulty, it's not something I can ever test.

[@lihermann]

@ sorry I was mentioning digital art from illustrator, I wonder what is the best format to print them and get the best quality from those printer

[@KeithCooper]

@@lihermann I'd likely export it [rasterised] at the actual size I want to print and sufficiently high resolution [600- 720 ppi] - then print as a normal image. Depends a lot on the image and the printer, and the media... The printers are RGB devices - just don't go near CMYK unless you know exactly why and how ;-)

[@lschiz-photography1765]

As always…Excellent information and presentation. And I made it to the end w no trouble😊. Question re button presses. You mentioned as much as 17 to get thru some menu setups? I have been printing w my Pro-10 for 6 years and all setup is via print driver and printing directly from LR or PS. PPL is not an option for the pro-10 as you know. So if I, when I get this the 1100 and PPL, can I avoid using the buttons and so all printing setup via PPL? Sincerely Thank you again Keith!! Scott

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - yes you can. Note that the printer will still ask for paper details when you put in a sheet, but you can turn off paper mismatch detection However, use that feature with care as you get used to the printer!

[@lschiz-photography1765]

@@KeithCooperThank you for your reply! Sincerely appreciate!!

[@ronboe6325]

Both brands are very useful for when you have a very bad experience with one brand you can say "never again!" and buy the other brand - still get good results. :^)

[@KeithCooper]

Very true!

[@wojtekkalinowski246]

Thanks

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks for watching!

[@shenzhenpingpong]

I had him on 1.5x video speed. But basically, Keith says they're all way good enough and plenty expensive to run, so choose based on whether you use roll paper. And damn the expense! :-)

[@KeithCooper]

A bit more than that, but yes...

[@shenzhenpingpong]

@@KeithCooper I am in the market for that size printer. I want to print big panos. Then I realized, even this size is not big enough, but 24" is super expensive, so would tiling 17" sheets work? I tested the concept making a big pano (over 5' long) using borderless A4 sheets on foam board.

[@KeithCooper]

For me it absolutely wouldn't work Tiled images look like tiled prints - Yuk [just my own personal view - YMMV] The largest single print I've made was ~47 feet long on 44" canvas

[@shenzhenpingpong]

@@KeithCooper , yes, of course, kinda yuck was expected. Still, I thought viewing it from afar, we'd not see the joins. 16 sheets of A4. 2 sheets of A4 high (long side). But, after mounting it to the wall, yes, we can see the joins. And borderless on a Canon megatank wasn't pixel perfect. The wife said, go buy your big printer... so I'm at your channel!

[@kostass3124]

Great presentation/comparison once again. We thank you Keith for covering most of our questions. I struggle between the P900 and the 1100 but I lean towards the P900. I already have the 8550 but I want to start printing on A2 as well, especially on canvas. On the 8550 I own, I have noticed that when using a thick fine art paper over 300gsm (I use cotton a lot), the print comes out showing marks from the internal feeding wheels (i guess) of the printer. Straight lines from top to bottom noticable when seen very close. It is not a specific printer problem, cause I own two of them and both have the same issue. Is such a thing noticable on the P900 or the 1100? Well I guess because the vacum type feeder of the 1100 this is not a problem. By the way, what is the max paper thickness the P900 and 1100 support without an issue? Thank you in advance

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks Yes - an all too common issue with the 8550 The 900 supports board via the front, but you will need to read the specs to find out actual limits

[@kostass3124]

@@KeithCooper thank you Keith

[@craigmeyer5777]

I just bought the 1100 a month ago and have printed over a 100 prints. I print a lot of 13x19’s using Redriver paper Polar Gloss Metallic. The quality of the prints are incredible and I honestly don’t think it is bad on ink. Just know when the ink warning comes on you can still print a lot. The printer is a tank and feels professional grade. I actually like the simple screen and buttons as it is very easy to navigate and easy to use. The vacuum feeder works incredibly well and I have not had any miss feeds. The printer is well made, feels it, looks it and prints it. I did tons of research between the Epson’a and the Canon as many of you watching this video have. I’m sure the Epson’s are great to but I’m glad I chose the 1100. Thanks for all your videos Keith!

[@BruceBurke-o6x]

Love the video, but the number of ads in this is insane!

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry for that, but it's the price of 'free content' - the revenue from this channel helps pay our household bills. It's made a real difference when, through family issues in the last 12 months, neither Karen or myself could do the amount of work we wanted. I'd love to offer 'ad free' memberships for example - but YT won't do that. It sets the ad positions/content when you enable them... :-(

[@BruceBurke-o6x]

@@KeithCooper I understand, it just seemed over the top this time. Like every other time I blinked.... :D Good luck!

[@stefanbadass5357]

@@BruceBurke-o6x Its a sad and annoying fact of today's KZbin. I pay for the premium version and am ad free. I do watch a LOT of KZbin however. So it goes...

[@armenianzombie]

I've had all sorts of problems with the p900 - especially with the print head failing, they fall apart super easily, and epson's customer service in the USA is uniformly awful. Maybe it's better on the 5370, but I think it's worth saying that the p900 is an absolute piece of shit in terms of long-term build quality, and cannot be recommended.

[@KeithCooper]

Your experiences don't match up with ones I've gathered from people here - but you are in another country. My advice to anyone reading anonymous comments on reliability is to do more research and appreciate that lemons do sometimes make it out... My experience suggests that Epson printers of this sort very rarely have head related issues - I do have other issues with the P900, especially the roll unit design.