Unboxing the Epson ET 8500: Specs, First Thoughts & Setup

I wanted to show you guys the latest investment I made for my business! The Epson ET-8500 Photo Printer! This is my first impressions of the printer and I will do an In-depth review later once I have had the chance to thoroughly test it!
Printer Link: amzn.to/3rQuPxI
Here is a few of the shortcuts to the important points of the video!
0:00 Intro
4:58 Taking it out of the box
7:42 Removing the Tape
9:14 Setup
15:01 Specs
19:53 Test Print
20:25 Art Test Print
20:55 Final Thoughts
Disclaimer: I may get a small commission for any purchases from the Amazon Links. The products I have linked here are all ones I have personally used and would never recommend something I did not find useful.
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Music credit goes to Epidemic Sound
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[@Artistically.Autistic]

Thank you. This video is really easy to follow and helpful when i got stuck.

[@crystalforged]

I'm very glad it helped!! Thank you! I will eventually make more videos detailing some settings to help people get better print qualities also :)

[@svendolenielsen3569]

Nice review. Love the music and how cozy the video is Thumbs up 😀

[@crystalforged]

Thank you so much!! 😁😁 I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope it helped!!

[@lewiswashingtond]

I enjoyed this review. You answered questions that I was thinking about. I’m going to do as much research as possible before I get a new printer for my new crafts. I have a epson work force printer and those ink cartridges are killing me. Thank you for the review-Debbie

[@crystalforged]

Thank you!! The ink cartridge prices were a major reason why I went with this printer over a canon. I can get a pretty good quality print on this printer and so far I've been quite happy with it. I have printed stickers and small prints and I think the quality is pretty decent, but we will see how it holds up and what else I learn about it to share when I really dive into print making! Definitely watch the review videos on various printers you're considering since that is what helped me make my decision and I'm very glad my review helped! 😁

[@jaroslavbuchtik1296]

One of the few "unpackings" where the removal of all the safety tapes and the initial configuration process is demonstrated. Many users find only in operation that the printer tries to "tear" the forgotten tape. Also, the "lengthy" initial configuration process is briefly outlined. A surprisingly valuable review

[@crystalforged]

Thank you so much! When I was researching this printer to buy originally a few reviews mentioned a longer setup process than they were used to. I figured I would show that part so anyone else who sees this will understand that setting up a higher end printer more geared toward and art and such is a different process than your basic office printer :)

[@benclark1753]

Beautiful cat 😊

[@philcourtney7831]

Great video ! How many blank 5x7 greeting cards can you load in the printer? I like using red river paper. Also which red river paper would you recommend for watercolor images. Thanks

[@crystalforged]

Thank you! To answer your question you can fit only 20 sheets of 5 x 7 and those would go in a smaller tray that sits within the front tray. The front tray itself can hold 100 sheets of regular paper, less if it is a thicker cardstock type paper. The rear feeder can hold 50 sheets. I can't say yet which paper I would recommend best yet, but so far I have ordered the Aurora Natural 250, the 60lb Polar Matte, and Aurora White 250 from Red River Paper. I feel like for me the Polar Matte prints digital artwork quite nicely although I have not watercolor painted anything nice enough that I wanted to print yet. I also have seen some really cool canvas type papers and just recently picked some up so sometime in the next month or two I will be doing a video on printing artwork on different papers and how the printer fares with high quality prints.

[@MrsSilkiebantam]

Nice setup and review video. I'm looking at this printer to make my own photo cards and to do test prints for my photography.

[@crystalforged]

Thank you so much! I have started playing around with it to do art prints of digital art and so far I love it, but I'm still learning a lot. I will eventually create another video about the art printing process and what I've learned to hopefully help others who may want to do the same.

[@melanielukic9203]

Hello. I have spent hours setting up and experimenting with my 8500. I cut a lot of card stock on my Brother Scan n Cut and would like to be able to print on card stock for this purpose. I'm particularly interested in the rear slot (not rear feeder). I use a MacBook (Monterey)... I've designed some paper on Photo+, but when I go to print, the rear slot is not an option. I've been playing around with the printer's control panel. If I go to "various print" and pick one of the ruled papers, then paper source, I get the option of the rear slot. If I pick a pattern under the design pattern paper, that is not a choice! Seems like there is a firmware glitch, or maybe just operator error. If you know how to choose that option (rear slot) on any job, please let me know!

[@crystalforged]

Hello, apologies for the delayed reply, but when I saw your question I wanted to do a bit of research to see if I can help. I do not have a macbook so I spent some time googling around. I did not find a solid answer but I have some suggestions that may help. When I print on a thicker cardstock I change the paper type on the printer itself and in my printer settings on my PC which will say cardstock depending on the program I am using or I use a presentation matte setting for slightly thinner cardstock. That option forced me to use the rear feeder tray even when I had a thinner cardstock that could have easily printed from the regular tray. Another suggestion is to check if there is an firmware or driver updates for the printer itself. Have you tried printing from different programs to see if it gives you that rear feeder tray option such as Photoshop or Affinity Designer (if you own those programs?) Let me know if something works for you! This printer is amazing for some things, but it can be frustrating at times for sure since I am having a slight color quality issue, which is due to me still learning a lot about color and print settings in relation to my design programs.

[@melanielukic9203]

@@crystalforged Hi there - thanks so much for taking the time to do some research on my behalf. I have since learned a couple of things I can share. It is a printer limitation that I cannot chose "rear slot" when working with the printer console and trying to print "various prints", "patterned paper". But you CAN choose rear slot when you print ruled paper, go figure. I found ONE sentence in the entire manual that says how to choose the rear feed or rear slot from your application (at least for MAC). The sentence reads, "Note: To select the rear paper feed slot as the paper source, select the option for the compatible paper size in the Paper Size setting." I didn't really get this - I just kept selecting 8.5 x 11 and not understanding what I was supposed to see. FINALLY, I saw that beside several of the paper sizes, there is a little arrow which you must click on to get more options - at last - THAT is where I found the option. It would have been nice if the user manual at least had a graphic pointing to this procedure (for people like me!). Thank you again.

[@scottgust9709]

This was really good, thank you. Wishing you well with YT algorithm...it can be a B :)

[@crystalforged]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad my video was helpful. :) And I know its tough but all the little comments and likes are definitely helping.

[@nekitovampire3072]

buenas noches, para configurar bien la epson et 8500 para que salgan los colores tal cual la pantalla vengo un hp envy photo y me lo cogía bien pero con esto impresora de alta gama me cambia los colores a más oscuros y no entiendo el motivo he probado muchos perfiles icc incluidos los que tiene la propia et 8500

[@crystalforged]

Eso es algo que todavía estoy aprendiendo para ser lo más fiel posible al color. Creo que la clave será simplemente experimentar, especialmente porque el monitor de cada persona es diferente y los perfiles definitivamente ayudan, pero no son perfectos. Espero que esto esté bien traducido ya que usé Google Translate.

[@karenjenkins4020]

Wish I had watched your video BEFORE trying to set up my new 8500! Instead of downloading the app I selected “continue without app” because I didn’t know how to scan the code 🙄

[@crystalforged]

Well I hope the video helped you set up your new printer 🖨! Setup for new tech has changed a lot recently with so many things going to an app setup, and many people are not familiar with that so that was why I wanted to make a video of the setup and a mini review :)

[@billandsandycortright3143]

Considering this printer. Does it brick after X number of cleaning cycles, like canon?

[@crystalforged]

So I can't answer that question, but I hope if someone does know here they chime in! I did do a bit of googling about that issue as I haven't come across it and from what I saw the issue people were having was if they install non-epson ink cartridge the printer could get bricked for those printers that use the cartridges. There was a class-action lawsuit against them for it but I did not find an outcome yet. I have only had this printer since Sept and have had to clean it yet. I use it quite a bit, but since it has not been acting up I did not want to dive into cleaning it yet. I did just print out some new thank you cards and I think I have fine tuned it enough that now that I do a get pretty nice color saturation and clear quality with my prints. I also printed on pretty heavy duty hard stock which did just fine in that printer. I hope that helps!

[@philcourtney7831]

I’d like to buy a few of your cards that you printed with this Epson ET 8500. This would help me make up my mind whether I want to by the by the printer. Can you give me a link or direct me to where I can buy some of your cards that were printed on this printer ? thanks for doing this video.

[@crystalforged]

I would love to be able to sell you some, but I do not have any prints available in my etsy shop yet. So far I have been using my printer to make high quality packaging for my shop and mostly printing thank you cards and product care cards, and such. I hope to have art prints available within the next few months. If you are looking to buy something for high quality photo or art prints I know canon is a very popular choice but personally I mostly chose this printer due the ink bottles which means I spend a lot less money on cartridges. I know this printer may not fully live up to the quality of a very high end Canon, but for a small business I am very happy with it after using it the last few months. It all depends on what you want to do with the printer. I hope that helps a little. I'm sorry I can't give you a more direct example of how the print quality looks in person.

[@matejbednarik8736]

5:13- the printer is some easy, i had Canon pixma pro 1 and that 30kg machine was another story (or you are a strong fit woman😁).

[@crystalforged]

This printer is not too heavy actually. It weighs about 24lbs or about 11kg, but thank you :)

[@andreiafreitas5583]

Hi. I would please ask you. Can we put regular paper in de sheet under? Not this behind. Sorry for mi English 🙈. I live in France. I’m searching for a printer for regular use with kids but also for my new friend Cricut ( to make print en cut) card and and and.. you have it you for a bit time. It is worth buying it?! Thanks for your help

[@crystalforged]

Hello, Yes you can definitely put regular paper into this printer in both the front tray and the rear feeder tray. I use this printer for my business which means it also does a lot of everyday printing such as invoices and documents for my records. I also use it to print high quality thank you cards and packaging which I am very happy with the quality. I have started using it to do art prints and while I am fine tuning the settings for it I do find that I am very happy with my purchase, but mostly because it has reduced my ink costs greatly. The biggest con about this printer is the price point which makes it quite a bit more above the average printer, but if you will use it a lot and want some high quality printing for photos, art, crafts, and etc then I would recommend it! I have used this printer with my Silhoutte Cameo (kinda like the Cricut) to make stickers and it works great with print then cut!

[@andreiafreitas5583]

Dear @@crystalforged many thanks for you answers. I’m realy more and more interested in this printer.. but.. just a thing that I can find nowhere, may by you can help me. I have 2 childrens. They will begin to make more and more Scholl stuffs. The questions ist, if we won’t make a copie of many pages. It is just possible by page pro page in den scann or it is possible to put it behinds in the rear feed paper?! Because the the 4850 it is possible ( but yes it is not the same product and not the same qualities I thinks). Hope you can help me with this question. I’m beginner with cricut and I love it. Do you have a Chanel or a page with the things that tou make?! ☺️geeetings from France

[@jasonlindquistmedia]

hows that printer? ive always wanted a nice one to print my pics I take. worth $600?

[@crystalforged]

I honestly really like this printer so far although sometimes I have a hard time getting the correct print quality and colors for my art prints which is something I am very new to working with. I am pretty sure this is a common complaint with anyone using a higher end printer though. I bought this with my LLC to be used for buisness so in that case I do find it worth the $600 especially since the ink isn't even close to running out and I've been using it for months to print branded packaging and thank you cards, but if you want super high quality prints then there are still much better printers although they have a much higher cost of ownership since you need to buy ink more often. I think this is a phenomenal printer for the decent quality and amount it can print! Hope that helps!

[@transitengineer]

@@crystalforged I have owned this printer ET-8500, for 18-months and along with everything else (as an ink-jet printer), it prints excellent photographs. My prior printer which, I had for many years an Epson Artisan 725, was also very good at printing photographs. Both of these Epson printers use six (6) colors of ink which, helps to yield outstanding photographs (smile...smile).

[@ysro5519]

Iam a woman from Saudi Arabia. Do you know hom the large format printer works? Iwant to help you

[@sealandapostiye]

How feed rear at 8550 how is setup at printer and laptop?thanks

[@crystalforged]

The rear feeder is very easy to use. It is meant for thicker sheets of paper so I typically use it when I print on thicker cardstock paper and print business cards or thank you cards. The tray for feeder sets up very easily by opening the cover and pulling out the paper support. The LCD screen will register that the rear feeder has paper and ask you what kind of paper you are using. When printing the only tricky thing is making sure that whatever program you are using to print lets you select the rear feeder as an option. I typically print from photoshop or Affinity and in the printer properties I have to change the location to the rear feeder. If I print from Microsoft Word that option is a little easier to find. Hope that helps!!

[@sealandapostiye]

@@crystalforged thanks,I need print from corel draw and doesn't has that menu...but Im sending at Epson photos program for a3

[@yeseniamnz11]

@@crystalforged hi!! I print from affinity as well but I am not getting the option to print from the rear feeder slot. how do you get it to show up? not sure if there's something I need to download for that back feeder.

[@nv-slim4779]

How do you correctly power off this printer? Is the automated paper tray supposed close automatically when you power off? Poor manual, couldn't find answers in the manual. Hate this printer! Taco is a Cool cat!

[@crystalforged]

Apologies for such a late reply! With the holiday craziness I haven't checked the comments lately. So after seeing your comment I realized I also did not know the answer to that and after scouring google and experimenting on the printer I see a power off timer setting but mine does not seem to auto close the output tray when I try to power it off. The tray stays out and after printing I always go over to it and hit the output tray button to put it away. The manual is definitely not the greatest, but I do like this printer so far. And thank you! Taco Cat loves attention and she is happy to learn she is on the internet! :)

[@ysro5519]

good morning

[@ivanalvarezasturias]

what a knife

[@crystalforged]

Thank you! Its a golden dragon on the knife and despite the looks one of the most reliable knives I have ever owned. :)

[@ChrisWilliams-vm1do]

The price has come down quite a bit. Have you had any issues yet? My Canon ink-tank printer started having ink issues after about 2 years. Ink wouldn’t get to the printer heads, heads would clog. I would never buy another Canon ink-tank style printer.

[@crystalforged]

Hi! I have had this printer for about a year now and so far I haven't had any issues with it. I am not a super super heavy user of the printer but it does get used several times a week and other than user errors where I forget to change the paper type I never really have any problems with it. I have never used a canon printer so I can't compare, but I did have many HP printers over the years and always had issue with the print heads after about two years. So far I am planning on sticking with these Epson printers as I have had the best experience so far. If that ever changes I will absolutely be making a video about it.

[@ysro5519]

I want to help

[@ysro5519]

السلام عليكم

[@destinycarter9845]

GOD IS CALLING YOU!! Jesus loves you and wants to be with you. Turn to him if you haven't or come back to him if you left. He can and wants to save you, deliver you, and set you free. Don't worry about how you are now, give up your sins, surrender to him fully, and change your ways. We don't have much time until Jesus comes back. It is past time to wake up and now is definitely not the time to play. Make your decision now! You are not being forced to do this, but for the sake of your soul and how you spend eternity, Jesus is the way to go! Remember God loves you and I love you very much! God bless you! 💖