Hp 9180

[Kevin]

I know this printer has been out for a while now and many of our members have it. Curious if you're still happy with it? Would you buy it again?

I'm thinking of adding this to my Santa list. :brows:

[Rudi]

Plenty of happy users out there, Kevin, and some unhappy ones. I've heard of a lot of printers having trouble straight out of the box, but HP being good about replacing them. Another thing - they are NOISY! I've seen one printing, and it sounds like a broken steam engine when it first starts printing! Is there any particular reason that you're looking at the HP??? Their ink cartridges are expensive... rolleyes;

Here is a good comparison of the three 13" wide printers out there from Canon, Epson and HP: http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/Pigs/page_1.html

That said, I would (and did :D) look at the 17" wide Epson Pro 3800! The reviewer gushes about it, and my personal experience agrees with his. A little more costly up front, but with the amount of ink included, and the cheaper ink cost over its lifetime, it's actually a better proposition (nobody says you MUST print that large but it's nice to have the ability to do so :) ).

Epson Pro 3800 review: http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/Epson%20Pro3800/page-1.html

Hope this help. I don't think you can go wrong either way, it depends on what and how much you're going to be printing. Just FYI, my prints out of the 3800 easily beat lab prints that I get locally - maybe because I have control over the whole process, maybe because they run a business and aren't as anal about print quality as I am. Whatever the case, if I want the best quality, I print it myself!

[Kevin]

Thanks Rudi. I was looking at the HP9180 last year. I had done some research on it and the Epsons. What concerns me about the Epson is the head clogging that seems to be continually reported. I don't know anything about the 3800 but will look into it.

Primarily, I was considering the HP because I've had HP printers in the past. The idea I liked about them is that the head gets replaced with the cartridge even though it does cost a bit more to replace.

The whole printing process makes me a bit nervous as there is so much to learn about profiling and all but I need to get some of my stuff printed up and up on the walls. I'd also like to do my printing inhouse rather than use a lab so I can have complete control over the whole process. I'm sure there's a learning process involved but it's not anything more difficult than any other aspect of photography, I suppose.

I really wasn't wanting to spend a fortune on a printer which is why I narrowed it down to the HP or the Epson 2400/1800. But I'll check the one you mentioned. I think I saw you guys talking about it in the other thread and it was around $1300 or so.

[Rudi]

Kevin,

Here is what I posted in a thread at DPReview recently:

"I would not avoid Epson just because you're worried about clogging! The last two generations of Epson printers really have no issues. I have not used my R800 for several months at a time, and never had any issues. My 3800 has never needed a cleaning cycle yet, and even my old 1290 only needed two cleaning cycles to work perfectly after sitting in storage (under my desk) for nearly four years!!!

I think the Epson head clogging issue is blown out of all proportion, especially when talking about new models."

BTW, I know it's cutting it a bit fine, but I'm quite happy to print and mail you a sample print (you send me a file you want me to print, I assume you have a calibrated monitor). If you can then get a sample print from the HP, you can make an educated decision...

The other thing that I like about Epson is the widely available third-party support - papers, canvas media, ICC profiles, etc, etc. No other manufacturer has anywhere near that sort of support (Epson have been doing this the longest, and lots of companies are setup for them). As far as purchasing the Epson Pro 3800, I've heard very good things about Atlex.com (http://www.atlex.com/) :)

[imageswest]

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[Rudi]

The HP is a great printer - no head clogging, and they only use a fraction of the ink the Epsons do, so even if their ink costs more, they are still far more economical to operate

Where did you hear this, Cliff??? About the ink usage, I mean.

The 3800's ink prices are close to half of the ink price for the HP, or many of the smaller printers (Epson's smaller printers are included in this), so I cannot see how the smaller printer can be "far more economical to operate"... rolleyes;

[imageswest]

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[David Cramer]

The HPs are more miserly with ink use than the epsons. But that is balanced by the fact that HP ink is more expensive. And since it is rated at 200 years lightfast, I no longer bother with uv protective glass for framing.

I'm loving the B9180. No need for profiles with the HP advanced papers. My mainstay papers are the satin (and occasionally the glossy), and hahnemuhle fine art pearl and torchon for fine arts (you can download good profiles from hahnemuhle or inkjetart). All of them produce great results. You should be aware that the ink cartridge/printheads are not a single unit. The photoshop plug in that Cliff referred to does not work with PS3. I've printed close to a thousand 13X19s and am just now having to replace two printheads. The printer will never clog if you leave it on (as is recommended). I also have the HP designjet 130, which is a true noise machine, so I think of the B9180 as rather quiet - it's all relative! If you get this printer, buy extra gray and yellow ink cartridges, as it uses those up faster than the others.

I agree with Rudi that epson, hp, and canon all make excellent printers. Just get the one that suits your needs the best. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

[Rudi]

Another benefit I forgot to mention is that HP's ink cartridges don't have the microchip that shuts them down (empty or not) when they reach a certain date, like many of the Epson cartridges do - so you can actually use all of the ink you paid for... rolleyes;

Again, no idea where you got that info - I have used cartridges that were out of date when I installed them, and they worked just fine! I am not saying that either printer is better than the other - everybody's needs are different, and each printer satisfies different requirements. But - spreading misinformation does not help Kevin buy the right printer for his needs!

The chips in Epson cartridges monitor ink usage, and ask you to replace the cartridge before it runs completely empty and fills your printer lines with air (which would be difficult if not impossible to clear). To compensate, Epson ink cartridges actually carry more ink than their specified capacity - my Pro 3800's 80 ml cartridges actually have 84 ml inside them - JUST FOR THIS REASON!

As far as the differences between the two printers - as David pointed out, the HP needs to stay on to prevent clogging. It does this by running a self-cleaning cycle every day or so, and this could actually be more costly if you do not use the printer on a very regular basis. This means that you could theoretically run out of ink without ever printing one print, if you left the printer on long enough... The Epson recommendation is to shut down the printer if you won't be printing in the next 24 hrs - so if you know that you won't print the next day, you just shut the printer down, saving power, money and ink. The printer head parks itself in a position where the nozzles are plugged, preventing the ink from drying and clogging the lines.

[Kevin]

Thanks for the opinions and advice, guys. It'll be my responsibility to determine what facts are most important so I appreciate the candor.

I remember reading about the clogging issues with Epsons in the past but I suppose they could be just like all the other dpr ramblings. Makes one have to have extraordinary wheat from chaff separating skills.

As I said, I have an old HP and recalled the salesman telling me that the heads get replaced with each cartridge. Just one of those facts that have stuck with me all these years. I have a coworker who owns the 1280 and she loves it and it does put out decent prints.

I'll begin this investigative journey and see how it pans out. I'm sure it'll boil down to $ as it usually does.

Thank you for the offers of sample prints, too. Though that would be helpful, I don't want to put anyone out.

[Rudi]

Thank you for the offers of sample prints, too. Though that would be helpful, I don't want to put anyone out.

It really would not be a bother, Kevin. Although - if you want it before Christmas, you'd better let me know real quick! :)

[David Cramer]

As far as the differences between the two printers - as David pointed out, the HP needs to stay on to prevent clogging. It does this by running a self-cleaning cycle every day or so, and this could actually be more costly if you do not use the printer on a very regular basis. This means that you could theoretically run out of ink without ever printing one print, if you left the printer on long enough... The Epson recommendation is to shut down the printer if you won't be printing in the next 24 hrs - so if you know that you won't print the next day, you just shut the printer down, saving power, money and ink. The printer head parks itself in a position where the nozzles are plugged, preventing the ink from drying and clogging the lines.
Rudi - the reports I have read suggest the HP actually saves ink under its "always on" monitoring system. Jon Canfield (http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_hp_photosmart_pro_b9180.php), Neil Snape (http://www.neilsnape.com/HP9180_review.htm), and Ben Long (http://www.creativepro.com/story/review/25204.html) have written good reviews on this.

Kevin - I haven't checked lately, but HP used to send you free 13X19 samples from this printer. You might check their site to see if this is still the case.

[Rudi]

Rudi - the reports I have read suggest the HP actually saves ink under its "always on" monitoring system. Jon Canfield (http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_hp_photosmart_pro_b9180.php), Neil Snape (http://www.neilsnape.com/HP9180_review.htm), and Ben Long (http://www.creativepro.com/story/review/25204.html) have written good reviews on this.

It's possible that the printer uses less ink by monitoring itself continuously, rather than having to do a power-clean when it is started up, I guess. The printer does do a self-cleaning routine though, so some ink will be used. I don't think it matters much either way... interesting to note though, thanks for the links! :)