Summary of Customer Reviews
The Epson SureColor P900 17″ Photo Printer has received a wide range of feedback from users across various platforms, primarily praising its exceptional print quality and color accuracy. Many users highlight its ability to produce professional-grade prints, particularly for photographers and artists who need accurate and vivid color reproduction. However, the printer has also received criticism, especially regarding its high ink costs and occasional issues with paper handling.
PROS
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Outstanding Print Quality: Users consistently mention the Epson SureColor P900’s ability to deliver exceptional prints. Whether printing photos, fine art, or greeting cards, many users rave about the vibrancy and accuracy of the colors. A customer on Amazon said, “The print quality is excellent, and perfectly replicated that on my screen monitor which I had calibrated prior to printing”.
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Dual Ink System: The printer uses both matte black and photo black ink without needing to switch manually between them. This feature is highly appreciated by users, especially those who have used older models that required manual ink swapping. One reviewer from Walmart shared, “No cartridge swapping! The printer senses which type of ink to use based on the paper selected”.
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Supports Large Formats: The ability to print on large 17″ paper is a significant advantage for photographers and artists. Many customers appreciate the flexibility in producing larger prints. As one reviewer noted, “I chose this printer for its wide format capability and it hasn’t disappointed”.
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Versatile Media Compatibility: The P900 can handle a wide variety of media, including fine art paper, roll paper, and thick materials like watercolor paper. A user mentioned, “I’ve printed on satin canvas and matte fine art roll paper, and the results are amazing”.
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Compact Design: Compared to other professional-grade photo printers, the P900 is considered relatively compact, making it a great option for home studios or smaller spaces. “It’s smaller and takes up less room than my previous Epson printer,” noted one satisfied user.
CONS
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Expensive Ink: One of the most frequent complaints is the high cost of the ink cartridges. With 10 individual cartridges, the printer can be costly to maintain. As one customer put it, “Expect to spend $2-3 per sheet of paper and over $400 for a pack of inks”.
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Paper Handling Issues: Several users have experienced issues with paper jams or the printer not feeding paper correctly, especially with thick or curved paper. One customer noted, “You must have flat paper to keep this printer happy. Unfortunately, a lot of paper comes right out of the box with curved edges”.
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Slow Printing Speed: A few users pointed out that the printing speed is slower compared to other printers. This can be a concern for those needing high-volume prints. As one user said, “My P800 spits out 50 prints compared to the P900’s mere 5 sheets in the same amount of time”.
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High Initial Ink Usage: Some reviewers have mentioned that the initial ink provided with the printer is consumed quickly during setup, leaving users needing to purchase replacements sooner than expected. “My printer used about half of the ink during the priming process,” one user shared.
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Complicated Setup and Learning Curve: While many found the setup process straightforward, some users, especially those new to high-end printers, noted a learning curve. “There’s a learning curve, but with research and patience, it’s worth the effort,” one customer observed.
Who Should Buy?
The Epson SureColor P900 is ideal for photographers, artists, and designers who need precise, professional-quality prints. It is particularly suited for those who regularly print large-format images or require accurate color reproduction in their work. This printer is also a great choice for users with space limitations who still need a high-performance machine. However, if you are concerned about ongoing ink costs or printing speed, it may not be the best option for users with high-volume needs.
Do Users Recommend the Product?
Overall, most users recommend the Epson SureColor P900 for its excellent print quality, especially for professional or semi-professional use. Many buyers are impressed by the vibrant colors and fine detail, describing it as worth the investment despite its cost. However, users who encountered paper handling issues or high maintenance costs were less enthusiastic, with some advising caution due to the printer’s operational quirks and expenses. A few reviewers expressed frustration, especially when dealing with technical issues, but even they acknowledged the superior quality of prints when the machine operates smoothly.
In conclusion, if print quality is your top priority and you’re willing to invest in the upkeep, the Epson SureColor P900 comes highly recommended by most users.
Customer Reviews
Updated on April 8, 2024
Amazing print quality, but fails to deliver on basic feature
I’ve been using the new Epson P900 printer for the past two weeks now. Overall, the print quality of the printer has been incredible – when I can get it to actually print. One of the features I use in modern day printers is bulk-loading paper in the feeder and printing multiple photographs. This is pretty standard on printers these days. However, this feature does not work on the Epson P900. I’ve had nothing but trouble with the top multi-page feeder. I’ve even gotten a replacement printer from Epson after extensive testing with their support people. The second printer didn’t deliver any better performance.
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Dramatic Improvement by Epson + Worth Your Investment
I’ve been working with Epson printers for years – from the r3000 to the P800. I mostly loved the P800 but the P900 is significantly improved.
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- 3
Excellent prints when it works, major flaws in paper handling
Upgraded from an Epson R2880. Prints are excellent quality when it works. Paper handling is annoying enough to feel like 2 stars is appropriate, given the price. I’ve been using the P900 roll adapter and Epson Legacy rolls, and the printer often damages the paper. Unfortunately, that’s led to a lot of wasted time, paper, and money trying to get this printer to do what it’s designed to. I’ll go with Canon next time.
Pros:
– Print quality is amazing out of the box (selecting appropriate color management, etc)
– Easy setup
– Wifi connectivity works well
– See-through window showing prints is useful
– Screen interface performs well
– Feels like it was designed by a human, maybe a first for printers I’ve used
– Relatively compact for 17″ width
Cons:
– The roll adapter is designed poorly and damages most papers I’ve tried (Epson manufactured papers). This means you buy an expensive roll adapter, expensive paper, and it ruins your paper pretty consistently. Not cool. Epson support has nothing to say about it.
– Driver doesn’t allow you to print borderless at higher quality settings. Why?
– Driver software needs an overhaul, it not easy to use.
– Starter ink cartridges are ~75% empty after initialization. Disappointing for a printer that costs this much.
– Full set of replacement inks is +$400.
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Prints as crisp and vibrant as photo labs
I’m a novice to high-quality printing, having sent off all my wall-hangers to professional labs. But those are pricey and time-consuming. I chose the P900 over Canon’s PRO-1000 for the lone reason the Epson is a 2020 release and Canon’s is getting up there in age. Not saying I wouldn’t have been just as happy with the Canon; I’ve never used it, so I can’t compare.
Set-up was straightforward and from box to initial print was less than an hour. I’d caution new owners to follow the instructions to the letter, including shaking the ink cartridges a bit before insertion. I didn’t and caught it just in time before it started charging the lines.
I’ve been printing my favorite vacation photos on a variety of different Epson premium papers to find my preferred look. I printed a photo I took in Santorini (so lots of hard lines and vibrant colors) and it looks exactly as it did on my monitor. Lines are crisp, shading is smooth, and the colors pop.
I wanted a desktop printer with photo lab quality and I’m not disappointed.
If this helps anyone, I struggled with deciding on furniture to put it on. I ended up with an Ikea Besta TV stand that’s 47.25″W X 16.5″D X 29″H. Depth was my main concern and it fits with about a half-inch to spare front and back. The dimensions for the unit are for the feed and output trays extended.
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Don't buy this printer.
I am a professional photography and have used Epson printers for 20 years. My Epson P800 has been in the shop for over a month waiting on a part. I had to have a printer and finally found the Epson P900 from another vendor. The print quality is impressive, but the most sheets I can add to the rear printer feed is 3 sheets without a jam. Lots of time it jams every sheet. I have to baby sit this printer and that is tough when you print 1000 prints a week. Some engineer at Epson should be tarred and feathered for designing this paper feed system. Image quality is impressive and ink use is efficient. Just be prepared to had feed each sheet. I also had to use a C-clamp to hold one of the sides close to the printer because it won’t close. I keep getting an error telling me to close the side panel.
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Didn't even make it through the set-up process 🙁
I have been looking forward to getting this printer for months. I was sooo happy when it was finally delivered. Not so happy anymore. Video says it all.
- 34
- 0
Ink-Guzzling Wonderprinter
Speechless how good these prints are. Don’t skimp on paper: you’re going to spend a ton more on ink, so let it rest on the best paper you can get.
- 33
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Front and rear feeder issues
This printer is beautiful to look at and easy to setup. Unfortunately in the two days that I have had it, it will not print to either Moab or Canson fine art paper that I purchased from B&H specifically to use with this printer. Both the front and rear feeders will not take these papers. The front feeder will take take the paper, but then displays an error message on the LCD panel that the incorrect paper has been loaded. The rear feeder simply will not accept the paper at all. I’ve googled the issues that I have had and I have come across others with the same issues. Epson has been made aware of these issues by others.
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Frustrating...
The print quality is phenomenal. when it actually prints. You never know when it will decide to print your photo. Some times it will print right through without issue, but most times it will pull the paper in and print about 4 passes then stop. When you are printing on 17×22 papers that cost about $6 a sheet this adds up to a lot of waste, not to mention the ink wasted when the print gets halfway through then stops. This reminds me of the early days of CD burning when blanks were still expensive and you never really knew if the burn would actually complete without buffer underruns. We made a lot of coasters back then and this is what this Epson seems to like to do. I have had many Canon and Epson printers over the years and have never had these kind of issues before. I also noticed that when you do get a print to complete, it is not centered properly on the paper. I notice this most on 17″ prints where the margin line drifts more and more as the print gets to the bottom of the page. For $1,300 this printer should be able to properly center a sheet of paper. If Epson could resolve these two issues this would be a great printer, but until then I don’t recommend it.
- 31
- 0
Have to return it!
This printer didn’t even print once. I set it up according to the instructions. I set up printers all the time. When I turned this one on and asked it to print something, it made a very, very loud grinding noise. I took the paper out and now it says that there’s a paper jam. It will not let go of this notion no matter what I try. The grinding noise is unlike anything I have ever heard coming from a printer. I noticed that there was another one star review of this printer on the Amazon site. That person posted a video of her P900 having the EXACT same problem as mine. So, obviously this is not a rare fluke. I am so disappointed after having waited so long to get a hold of what was supposed to be one of the best photo printers out there. At this point, I just want my money back!
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