Looking at Epson 11880 and HP Z6100

[zoulas]

We are looking to buy one or the other. Currently have an Epson Stylus Pro 9000. Lasted for 10+ years. Will be used for signs and photos. Any feedback would be appreciated. Is the Z6100 the only HP that comes close to the Epson?

Many Thanks

Aristotle Zoulas

[Acksys]

The HP inkjets don't come close to the Epsons. They are slow to boot, slow to clean, slow to print, and difficult to load with paper. Inferior in practically every way.

If you'd like to comparison shop vs. the Epson x880 series, I'd recommend taking a look at the Canon iPFx100 machines. Both these manufacturers have a great line of printers.

[A.B Ula]

i'd recommend you the Canon iPF9000s
for many reasons.

quality, speed, ink consumption, driver capabilities and the main feature it self and the high reliability of the machine.

if you need detailed info, please let me know

[Ian Mackenzie]

We have 15 printers in our lab including all of latest HP, Epsons and Canons.
We believe that the Canon iPF series is the overall best printer on the market.

- they use less ink (than Epsons)
- they are built better (than HP)
- they are faster (than Epsons)
- they have individual replacable heads

[csm20]

We have a hp 5500, roll satin paper about 36 inch width works great inks about $260 per x 6, we run out of yellow and black first but all the cartridges will last a long time.
CSM20

[comholt]

The HP that comes closest to Epson in terms of quality is the Z3200. It's much less expensive than the Z6100, has additional gamut-expanding inks (Red, Blue), a Gloss Enhancer for dealing with gloss differential, and clogs infrequently. It's relatively slow, however, and the cost per sq-ft will be higher than the Z6100 or 11880. Both the Z6100 and Z3200 have neutral black inks, so (unlike Epson) you can print highly archival black ink only B&Ws that won't be subject to metameric shifting.

We have in-depth reviews of both the Z3200 and Epson's latest x900 series printers on our web site. Product Reviews

You may also want to consider a RIP for productivity enhancement (nesting, tiling, rotating, etc.) and to simplify your color managed workflow.

[monkeyboy]

I would go for the HPZ6100 for speed and quality, but, the Canon IPF9000 is a beauty, considering cost of inks, but heads are a little more expensive if they fail.

Epson 11880, is a transition product, same as the epson 10000/10600, I have worked extensively on these and would not buy one.

Also the new HPz3200 is a very good product, but for photos does not come close to the Epson 9900, which is a great photo quality machine.

Choice is large, but personally if I was buying, I would get the HPZ6100.

[andyplowman]

We supply Original HP inks for the Z6100 at £135. You can contact me on a.plowman@sourcemedia.co.uk if this is a saving to you.