Epson P800 Printer: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Epson SureColor P800 is Epson's flagship desktop photo printer, designed for professional photographers and graphic artists who require high quality color accuracy and archival print permanence. As the successor to the popular Epson Stylus Pro line, the P800 incorporates the latest in Epson printhead and ink technology to produce gallery-quality prints up to 17 x 22 inches on a variety of fine art papers and canvas.

Equipped with Epson UltraChrome HD pigment inks and advanced screening algorithms, the P800 delivers outstanding color gamut and saturation, with rich, deep blacks. It utilizes a 9-channel MicroPiezo AMC printhead with droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters for incredible detail and clarity. The printer supports print resolutions up to 2880 x 1440 dpi, with an ink-repelling coating that virtually eliminates nozzle clogging issues.

Print Quality

The Epson SureColor P800 is capable of producing professional quality prints with its advanced printhead technology and wide color gamut. It utilizes Epson's UltraChrome HD pigment ink to achieve high resolution prints up to 2880 x 1440 dpi.

The ten ink cartridge system with nine individual color inks allows for precise control over color mixing and transitions. It can produce advanced black-and-white prints with the addition of a gray ink cartridge. The printer has an exceptionally wide color gamut, covering up to 98% of the PANTONE color space.

The Epson P800 uses Epson's MicroPiezo AMC printhead to lay down ink with impressive accuracy. The printhead can produce variable-sized droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters to enable smooth gradations and transitions between colors. It results in outstanding print quality with sharp detail and clarity.

The combination of high resolution, advanced ink chemistry and an optimized printhead allows the Epson P800 to deliver gallery-quality photographic prints as well as commercial color proofing and reproduction at a professional level. It satisfies the needs of demanding creative professionals and artists looking for a desktop printer capable of matching proofing and printing presses.

Print Speed

The Epson P800 has impressive print speeds, especially for a high-quality professional photo printer. It can print a 4" x 6" photo in as fast as 28 seconds. An 8" x 10" print takes 1 minute and 34 seconds, while larger formats take a bit longer - around 2 minutes 45 seconds for 11" x 14" and 4 minutes 30 seconds for 13" x 19".

For regular document printing, the P800 has a max speed of 16.5 pages per minute for black text and up to 15.5 ppm for color prints. It can churn through letter-sized prints rapidly. The one caveat is that the printer needs time for preparing the ink after periods of inactivity, which can add to the first print time. But after the initial preparation, the P800 delivers consistent speeds during a print job.

The P800 has fast processing thanks to its quad-core processor, so you won't be waiting long when printing from a computer. Overall, the P800 delivers professional-level print speeds that are impressive for a 13-inch printer. It's significantly faster than previous Epson Stylus Pro models. The accelerated performance makes it a great choice for photographers and artists that need to print frequently without delays.

Connectivity

The Epson SureColor P800 is equipped with both wired and wireless connectivity options. It has built-in Ethernet and WiFi capabilities for connecting to a network.

For wired connectivity, the P800 has a Ethernet port that you can use to connect it directly to your router or network switch using an Ethernet cable. This provides a fast and reliable wired connection to your home or office network.

For wireless connectivity, the printer has built-in WiFi that supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. You can connect the P800 to your wireless network and print from anywhere in your home or office wirelessly. It supports the latest WiFi standards up to 802.11ac for fast data transfer speeds.

The P800 also supports WiFi Direct, which allows you to connect your mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets directly to the printer without the need for a wireless router. This provides a convenient way to print from mobile.

With its versatile connectivity options, the SureColor P800 gives you the flexibility to set it up and print in whatever way works best for your environment and workflow. Its Ethernet, WiFi and WiFi Direct capabilities have you covered for wired and wireless connectivity needs.

Paper Handling

The Epson SureColor P800 has excellent paper handling capabilities. It comes with two paper input trays - a rear tray and a front tray.

The rear tray has a 250 sheet capacity and can hold paper sizes up to 17" wide. The front tray has a 1 sheet capacity and can hold thicker papers up to 1.5mm thick as well as larger sheet sizes up to 17" x 24". This makes the P800 a good choice for artists and photographers printing on fine art papers or poster board.

Both trays have an adjustable slider to keep paper firmly in place during printing. The maximum printable area on the P800 is 17" x 24" when using a roll or large cut sheet paper. For regular sheets, the max print size is 17" x 22".

Overall, with dual trays and the ability to print on sheets up to 17" x 24", the P800 provides excellent paper handling and flexibility for printing on various paper types and sizes. The front tray in particular gives it an advantage over other printers when printing on thick, fine art style papers.

Ink System

The Epson P800 uses Epson's UltraChrome HD ink, providing a wide color gamut for vivid and accurate prints. It supports 9 separate ink cartridges, including Light Black, Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Vivid Light Magenta, Yellow, Light Light Black, and Matte Black.

The high capacity ink cartridges allow you to print up to 100 Letter-sized prints with the starter set of inks. Epson estimates the inks will last up to 2 years before needing to be replaced when used regularly.

Switching between Matte Black and Photo Black is done automatically by the printer, providing convenience when printing on different paper types. The additional light black inks produce excellent detail in highlights and shadows.

Overall, the 9 ink cartridge system provides outstanding print quality with smooth gradations, wide dynamic range, and reduced metamerism. The high ink capacity also means less frequent and lower long-term costs for replacement ink.

Printing Software

The Epson P800 comes bundled with several useful software utilities to help you get the most out of the printer.

Printer Drivers

It includes printer drivers for Windows and Mac operating systems. The drivers allow you to access all the features of the printer and provide an interface for print settings like print quality, paper type, color management, and more. The drivers are easy to install and use.

Epson Print Layout

This handy software allows you to create custom layouts, print business cards, greeting cards and more. It makes it easy to print multiple images on one page.

Media Installer

The Media Installer makes loading thicker paper stocks much easier by automatically adjusting the printer for the thickness you select.

Scan Utility

While the Epson P800 is primarily a printer, it does have an integrated scanner. The included scan utility provides an interface to access the scanner and save scanned documents.

Printer Utility

The printer utility provides tools for nozzle checks, head cleaning, and alignment. It allows you to easily maintain the printer.

Overall, the included software bundle adds a lot of value and makes using the printer much more convenient. The utilities cover the entire workflow from media loading, to printing, scanning, and maintenance.

Maintenance

The P800 has been designed for low maintenance and minimal user intervention. The printer automatically performs maintenance cycles to keep the printhead in optimal condition.

The main user-replaceable parts are the ink cartridges. The P800 uses Epson’s UltraChrome HD ink, and comes with 8 ink cartridges. The inks have a shelf life of up to 2 years, and Epson estimates the cartridges will last for around 80 A4 prints. Replacing the cartridges is a simple process that takes just a minute or two.

The printer also comes with a maintenance box that holds discharged ink from the cleaning cycles. The maintenance box should last for around 10,000 sheets before it needs replacing. Replacement maintenance boxes are readily available from Epson.

Overall, the maintenance of the P800 has been kept as simple as possible for users. The automated cleaning cycles minimize the amount of manual printhead cleaning required. And the user-replaceable ink cartridges and maintenance box make maintaining the printer straightforward.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Prints professional quality fine art and photographic images with advanced grayscale performance and an incredibly wide color gamut

• Uses Epson's advanced 10-channel MicroPiezo AMC print head for remarkable precision and smooth gradations

• Supports print sizes up to 17 x 22 inches on a variety of fine art papers

• Fast print speeds for high productivity

• Built-in wireless and Ethernet connectivity for flexible setup

• Accommodates rolls up to 17 inches wide and cut sheets up to 17 x 22 inches

• Uses Epson's UltraChrome HD pigment ink for archival print life and vivid, saturated colors

• Advanced screening algorithms for astonishing detail and clarity

• Intuitive setup and operation with 4.3" touchscreen control panel

Cons

• High upfront cost for printer and ink

• Requires more maintenance than standard inkjets like head cleanings and ink stir cycles

• Borderless printing requires purchase of additional roll spacer

• Does not have fax capability or print CDs/DVDs like some other Epson models

• No built-in document feeder for enhanced copy/scan productivity

• Ink is more expensive than standard inkjets with smaller ink cartridges

Conclusion

The Epson SureColor P800 is an excellent choice for photographers, artists, and graphic designers looking for a professional-grade desktop photo printer. With its wide color gamut, accurate colors, and ability to print borderless prints up to 17 inches wide, it produces gallery-quality prints that pop with vivid detail and clarity.

The printer excels at printing photographs as well as fine art papers and canvases with its UltraChrome HD inkset. The ink is highly pigmented and offers an exceptionally wide color gamut. Blacks are deep and rich while color gradients are smooth. Overall print quality is exceptional.

While not the fastest printer, print speeds are respectable for a desktop model. Connectivity options are robust with USB, Ethernet, and WiFi. The rear paper feed accommodates thicker fine art papers and sheets up to 1.5 mm thick.

Maintenance is straightforward with user-replaceable ink cartridges and automated head cleaning and nozzle checks. The ink is also fairly economical considering the print quality.

For professional photographers, graphic artists, and design studios needing a powerful A3+ desktop printer capable of gallery-quality prints, the Epson SureColor P800 is easy to recommend. It produces stunning photographic and fine art prints that will impress clients and stand out in exhibitions. Just be prepared for slightly slower print speeds compared to some other models. Overall though, the P800's exceptional print quality makes it a great choice for artists and photographers who want to print their vision.