Canon Pro-300 v Epson P700?

Law251 · Dec 20, 2023

For the last fifteen years I have been using an Epson Photo R2880 and I'd like to upgrade. There are a couple of improvements I'd particularly like to see:

Better paper feed. Due to poor paper handling I've never successfully managed to feed A3+ paper and printing on some other papers (of any size) can hit and miss.
No need to change between mat and glossy cartridges when changing paper type, which is extremely inconvenient and a waste of ink.

The two options seem to be Canon Pro-300 or Epson P700. There are loads of conflicting reviews of these two on the internet so I'd really like to hear from anyone with more that a few weeks' experience of either of them. Long term reliability is paramount and, in particular, has Epson sorted out the paper feed issue?

Any help with this would be much appreciated.

4season · Dec 20, 2023

Law251 said:
For the last fifteen years I have been using an Epson Photo R2880 and I'd like to upgrade.

15 years of serice from an inkjet printer is outstanding: I think you should be schooling us, not the other way around

Although not exactly the info you requested, my older Canon Pixma Pro-10 (2 years?) continues to amaze me, because to date, I've never had to manually run any sort of de-clogging procedure. Once, after a lengthy idle period, I got a faulty print and realized - it was actually out of ink! Popped in a new cart, and after a pause during which the printer automatically does whatever it does, normal printing resumed. I've never known this lack of drama with HP or Epson printers.

Also, Canon does not leave "pizza wheel" indentations on the paper, and the sheen of my glossy prints is uniform, without a hint of oily or metallic sheen.

Law251 · Dec 21, 2023

4season said:
15 years of serice from an inkjet printer is outstanding: I think you should be schooling us, not the other way around

Although not exactly the info you requested, my older Canon Pixma Pro-10 (2 years?) continues to amaze me, because to date, I've never had to manually run any sort of de-clogging procedure. Once, after a lengthy idle period, I got a faulty print and realized - it was actually out of ink! Popped in a new cart, and after a pause during which the printer automatically does whatever it does, normal printing resumed. I've never known this lack of drama with HP or Epson printers.

Also, Canon does not leave "pizza wheel" indentations on the paper, and the sheen of my glossy prints is uniform, without a hint of oily or metallic sheen.

Thanks for the info. Although the Epson looks attractive, and currently the price in the UK is lower, I am veering towards the Canon due to reported paper-feed issues with the Epson. The problem in deciding is that most consumer reviews say something like "It arrived yesterday, I've run off ten prints and it's great!".

Patrick Robert James · Dec 21, 2023

The only plus the Epsons have going for them is the control. If you want to change out the inks for black and white then Epson is the only way to go. Otherwise get the Canon and you won't have to worry about all the Epson problems. I've been using inkjet printers since the 90s and I wouldn't buy an Epson unless it did something specifically that I couldn't live without that Canon didn't do.

P1505 · Jan 28, 2024

I had the same decision to make and decided after a lot of research to go with the Canon. In the end for me it felt like although I could print cheaper via a converted Epson, the quality of the Pro-300 especially for black and white when you think about ease of use - it just won. I spoke to paper suppliers, profile makers, people who print for a living, and of course read everything Google could find.

Law251 · Jan 28, 2024

P1505 said:
I had the same decision to make and decided after a lot of research to go with the Canon. In the end for me it felt like although I could print cheaper via a converted Epson, the quality of the Pro-300 especially for black and white when you think about ease of use - it just won. I spoke to paper suppliers, profile makers, people who print for a living, and of course read everything Google could find.

As it happens I finally ended up buying a second-hand Pro-300, will update this thread when I've had it a while. Would love to hear your own experiences too.

Law251 · Jan 28, 2024

Many thanks for all the recommendations, the Pro-300 won out in the end.

Sam51 · Nov 19, 2024

Law251 said:
Many thanks for all the recommendations, the Pro-300 won out in the end.

I too have the R2880 since 2008 and am contemplating a replacement due to discontinued Inks. Still works like a charm though for what I do! Sad to have to invest in a replacement. I am also looking at the Canon Prograf Pro300 and the Epson Sure Color P700. After reading some very disturbing reviews on the paper feed issue with the Espon, the Canon seems to be the winner. However the size between the 2 is a big factor as well as the cost of replacing ink cartridges. Can you tell me what your overall experience has been with the Canon after having your very reliable R2880 for so long?

Law251 · Nov 19, 2024

Sam51 said:
I too have the R2880 since 2008 and am contemplating a replacement due to discontinued Inks. Still works like a charm though for what I do! Sad to have to invest in a replacement. I am also looking at the Canon Prograf Pro300 and the Epson Sure Color P700. After reading some very disturbing reviews on the paper feed issue with the Espon, the Canon seems to be the winner. However the size between the 2 is a big factor as well as the cost of replacing ink cartridges. Can you tell me what your overall experience has been with the Canon after having your very reliable R2880 for long?

So far so good and I'm now able to print A3+. At one point I did have a strange communication problem between my PC and the printer but managed to fix it with the help of this YouTube video (I was also using the Professional Print Layout software):
So if you've go the space I can recommend it.

koraks · Nov 19, 2024

Sam51 said:
discontinued Inks

https://shop.inkjetmall.com/Stylus-Photo-R2880 The replacement, refillable cartridges are apparently no longer being produced. You may be able to find a set on the second hand market.

Sam51 · Nov 19, 2024

koraks said:
https://shop.inkjetmall.com/Stylus-Photo-R2880 The replacement, refillable cartridges are apparently no longer being produced. You may be able to find a set on the second hand market.

Thank you for the link. I will check it out.

Canon Pro-300 v Epson P700?

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