Epson SureColor P5000 17" Roll Printer
Ron's Take
This past October I sat down with Epson in New York to get an early preview of the new P5000 in a room filled with amazing images that were made with this printer. My 4900 created some of the best prints I had ever seen up until recently, so I was happy to see that its replacement satisfied my extremely high quality bar.
Instead of spending a lot of time fawning over the printer body, I elected to have a deep technical discussion about the print head, inks and what I could really expect from this new printer.
Head Clogging Problem Solved?
The print quality of the Epson StylusPro 4900 was regarded to be one of the best Epson printers, but it also had a reputation as a printer whose heads clogged easily. The head clogging problem ultimately sent my 4900 to its grave after about 4 years of limited use so I've been a rather harsh critic of the 4900 because of this.
The first question on my mind during my preview of the new P5000 wasn't about print quality - it was about <censored> head problem. During this discussion I was asked not to quote specific figures, but after a lengthy discussion on the topic I felt convinced that Epson definitely understood the problem and had made significant improvements to hopefully eliminate it. Time will tell and it will be something I pay attention to when I get my review unit, but my expectations have been set that this is a problem of the past.
What's in a name?
The release of this printer marks the end of the StylusPro series of printers that many print masters knew and loved.The SureColor printers represent Epson's latest and greatest printing technology for photographers, but the number of digits is actually relevant.
Three digit devices like the P600 and P800 that I tested and loved are geared for desktop users. Most of my readers fall into this camp and won't need a professional production class printer denoted by four digits as is the case with the P5000, P7000 and P9000 HDX ink based printers.
In the previous generation 3880 users who wanted roll support had to move up to the 4900 or greater, but Epson addressed this problem by offering roll support (albeit without a built-in cutter) with the P800. This is relevant because the P5000, just like its predecessor the 4900, is still a huge and heavy printer (albeit about 30 pounds lighter) that is designed for higher volume use. This means it won't go on your desktop and it's going to work best when used frequently versus the occasional print here and there.
New Ink Set
The new ink set is supposed to offer improved blacks that yeild a higher DMax, bronzing has been reduced, and with the new violet ink you can accurately reproduce 99% of Pantone colors.
Click here to learn more about the new HDX ink set on the Epson Europe web site and click here to see what Epson US says.
Q&A
Here’s a few questions I had about this printer that Epson provided for me:
- Is WiFi supported? No, an Ethernet network cable or USB 2.0 is still required which Epson claims was done for performance/reliability reasons.
- Is the annoying printable area issue improved to be more user friendly? Epson claims the Maximize feature I mention in my article has been made more discoverable, but I haven’t seen this UI change yet.
- Is it any faster? No, it performs about like the 4900. 8" x 10" prints from 0:59 to 2:26 (normal is 1:28) and 11" x 14" prints from 1:42 to 4:04 (normal is 2:31)
- Are letter size borderless prints possible? No, here’s the response I got from Epson:
When printing sheet media, the SureColor P5000 requires 3mm margins on all sides. The SureColor P5000’s setting are programed to print borderless on very common, specific photo sizes, including 8x10. However, [it] cannot print 8.5x11 borderless. With roll media, the SureColor P5000 can support borderless widths of 8”, 10”, 11”, 13”, 14”, 16”, 16.5”, and 17” print. Like the Stylus Pro 4900, the SureColor P5000 does not support Borderless on Sheet media (SC-P800 best choice if that is the primary need), you can make borderless 8" x 10 " prints by using a 10" wide roll of media and selecting one of the borderless trim modes for the cutter.
Press Release
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Jan. 11, 2017 – Epson is once again setting the benchmark for professional imaging excellence with the introduction of the new 17-Inch Epson® SureColor® P5000. Incorporating the latest imaging technologies, the SureColor P5000 resets the standard for the desktop photography, fine art, graphic design, and proofing markets. Leveraging the advanced Epson PrecisionCore® TFP® printhead and UltraChome HDX® 10-color pigment ink set, the SureColor P5000 delivers outstanding output with an increased color gamut, higher-density blacks and twice the print permanence than the previous generation1. A refined printer design includes improved dust and static control for reduced maintenance and increased durability and reliability.
“The SureColor P5000 is a replacement to the last Epson Stylus® Pro model still available – the renowned Epson Stylus Pro 4900. The Epson Stylus Pro brand was iconic, and it helped Epson build a pronounced reputation within the photography industry. We have since announced the SureColor product line, which is bringing Epson’s photographic technology to the next level,” said Larry Kaufman, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “The SureColor P5000 brings all of the SureColor printing technology into a 17-inch desktop model, providing photographers and graphic designers with the best imaging technology has to offer.”
The SureColor P5000 leverages 200 mL UltraChrome HDX 10-color ink cartridges2 utilizing newly developed core pigments, including new Orange and Green inks, as well as Black inks that are 1.5 times denser than the previous generation, delivering a wider contrast ratio and improved resin encapsulation technology for superior gloss uniformity and optically clearer, sharper images. Touting a refined design, the SureColor P5000 supports a 10-channel PrecisionCore TFP printhead that includes a new ink-repellant surface coating, along with improved dust and static control for reduced nozzle clogging and maintenance, and supports printless nozzle checks for time, production and resource efficiency.
The SureColor P5000 can support two different ink configurations. The SureColor P5000 Standard and Designer editions leverage Light Light Black ink for twice the overall print permanence, smooth and neutral tonal transitions and support of the Epson Advanced Black and White print mode, ideal for photography, fine art and graphic design applications. The Commercial Edition includes Violet ink, in place of Light Light Black, for an expanded color gamut, to deliver an industry-best 99 percent PANTONE® PLUS FORMULA GUIDE solid-coated color matching3, ideal for commercial and flexographic proofing applications.
The SureColor P5000 offers versatile media handling capabilities with auto-switching between the high-capacity front paper cassette and roll media feeder. It includes a power-driven roll media spindle, ideal for producing panoramas and roll printing up to 100-feet, and an internal high-speed single pass rotary cutter. The high-capacity cassette can hold up to 100 sheets of premium paper for high productivity printing on sheets from 8”x10” up to 17”x22”. In addition, the SureColor P5000 features a front feed straight path for delicate fine art sheet media, including poster board, up to 1.5mm thick. Auto-switching between roll and cassette sheet feeding allow both sources to be loaded at the same time.
Additional Epson SureColor P5000 Features:
- Exceptional Print Permanence – Offers next-generation pigment ink technology for up to twice the overall print permanence than previous generation1
- Remarkable Detail – Epson PrecisionCore TFP printhead delivers high print speeds with 360 nozzles per color channel, with variable-size ink droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters
- Epson Precision Dot Screening Algorithm – Ensures incredibly accurate control of the sizing and mixing of ink droplets for beautiful prints
- Borderless Printing – Four-sided BorderFree® printing is available at common widths, including 8”, 10”, 11”, 13”, 14”, 16”, 16.5”, and 17”
- Optional SpectroProofer® UVS – Developed jointly with X-Rite, the in-line spectrophotometer provides automated color management and verification-related tasks for a range of proofing applications. It supports all current illumination standards for UV and UV-Cut measurement and is UV selectable between M0, M1 and M2.
- LCD Control Panel – Full-color 2.7-inch LCD panel allows for easy setup, control and maintenance of the printer
Conclusion
I’ll have more info after I have a chance to review this printer, but in the meantime if you have questions that I haven't covered here or in the press release below then let me know and I'll see what I can find out.
Where to Buy?
CLICK HERE to learn more or order a Epson SureColor P5000 Standard Edition 17" Wide-Format Inkjet Printer at B&H today.
Other articles you may enjoy
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:
- Epson SureColor P600 Printer Review
- Epson SureColor P800 Review
- Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Printer Review
- Epson Stylus Pro 4900 Printer Review
- How To: Using Epson’s Advanced B&W Photo (ABW) printing feature
- REVIEW: Epson Metallic Photo Paper Glossy & Luster
- Epson Legacy Papers Reviews & Video Tutorials with individual articles on Baryta, Etching, Platine and Fibre
- Epson Perfection V850 Pro Scanner
- Getting Great Color on Projectors (features Epson projectors)
- Printing Series - tips, more paper reviews and latest on Canon printers too
- Ron's Recommendations
Disclosure
If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.
11 comments:
Hi Ron, Thanks for the review of the P5000 printer. I have several pressing issues that I would need to know and have found the staff at Epson has no answers for me. Any insight on the following would be greatly appreciated.
1. I'm a textile designer I need the widest color gamut, darkest blacks, true greys and bright colors. Matching to pantones is a secondary concern and not really an issue. Which printer/set of inks (standard or designer) do you feel would satisfy my needs the best. Keep in mind that even though I'm a designer that it doesn't mean the designer edition would be best for me. As of now I'm using the 4900 for artwork with neutrals and the artisan 1430 when I need bright reds and silky dark blacks.
2. Cost per print. I know this is a tricky one. If the cost could be compared to the 4900 (or even the old 4880) it would be a great help to all struggling artists. Just about all our profits go into ink & paper.
3. How is the paper handling for cut sheets? Also very important.
Thank you so much for your time & any comments or even just opinions would be a great help. Take care, Frederick C
Hi Frederick,
Sorry for the delayed response. This wasn't my official review - it was just a product announcement along with my first thoughts based on what I know so far.
1. This printer is supposed to offer the widest color gamut that Epson has offered, so if you found the 4900 insufficient then either you need a better ICC profile or perhaps this might not be the right product for you. I do find that my Canon PRO-1000 and PRO-2000 printers (see my reviews via the printing tab) have ICC profiles with warmer tones, so you might want to get a sample print and see how that compares. Epson's do tend to be more neutral so you'll need to compensate for that in the source image or by generating your own ICC profiles.
2. I can't help you there as there are just too many variables. Using Red River paper (see my printing tab) can help lower your paper costs, but I always recommend 100% original Epson inks.
3. I haven't tested this printer first hand so I can't comment on that yet, but everything I've seen so far sounds like the P5000 will behave very similar to the 4900 when it comes to handling sheet paper. My Canon PRO-2000 is WAAAAAAAAY better in this respect as it's a large format printer that handles single sheets of paper beautifully. It also supports two rolls of paper at once (with optional extra roll feeder) and can print sheets without the need to remove the roll. It also makes loading roll paper much easier than anything I've ever owned).
I expect this to be a good printer that will please Epson fans, and with Epson's excellent papers I think the results you can get with it will no doubt be exhibition worthy. However,it sounds like you might like the accounting manager feature of the Canon PRO-2000 to know your exact cost per print as well as it's better support for single sheet paper (get the PRO-1000 if you do > 1 sheet at a time) and its warmer ICC profiles.
Hi Ron,
is it possible to get some color reproduction comparision between this Epson Printer and Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000?
i am new to larger printers and was comparing the Epson sureColor P800 to Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000.
I almost bought the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 but now when the Epson SureColor P5000 is available I am waiting for some review/ comparision between P5000 and Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000.
Any opinion?
Thank you, Igor
Igor,
You've come to the right place as I've already done the first part of my review of the PRO-1000 and the long-term report will have image comparisons. I'll also be getting a P5000 later in the year - in addition. I'm also a P800 user.
I can tell you now that the ICC profiles generally tend to favor warmth on the Canon PRO series printers whereas Epson's tend to have a neutral color balance. It's like comparing Canon DSLR's (warm AWB) to Nikon (default neutral white balance) in camera results.
Canon's generally feature a nicer user interface, features and cost accounting in the driver UI versus the more Epson UI. However, if you work hard to get an apples to apples comparison (or you use ColorByte ImagePrint) you'll see that both are capable of results that are extremely difficult to distinguish.
You can't go wrong with either one. That said, the P5000 is not for occasional use so if you aren't planning on printing nearly daily (and at least weekly) then I think you'd be better off going with a P800 and the roll option or the Canon PRO-1000 if you can live without the roll support (or PRO-2000 if you want roll support and a printer that works fine with occasional use).
Ron
Thank you Ron for quick feedback.
igor
Hi Ron,
I bought the P5000 to replace my 4900. The head was clogged on the 4900 and just wasn't responding to anything I was doing and I had an exhibition coming up that I needed to print for. I love the P5000 and have no regrets, but unless I am not looking in the right place, Ilford has not created an ICC profile for the Gold Fiber Silk paper - or any of their papers for the P5000. Should I just wait for them or is there some other solution? I'd like to be able to keep my prints consistent with the same paper, but for now, I am using Ilford paper.
Thanks,
Zoe
Hi Zoe,
I'd suggestion you contact Ilford support and ask them to create one.
I can tell you that customers are able to get them faster than reviewers and partner companies which is why you'll see a delay.
ColorByte just announced today that they support the P5000 so if you use that product then they should be able to get you a profile. Learn more about ImagePrint 10 here
Ron- Thanks for your review of the P5000. I was intrigued by Epson's comment this unit is not WiFi enabled for "performance/reliability reasons." I use WiFi on my Epson P800, but I've been wondering if there is a print quality loss when using WiFi instead of a USB cable. I can't find any research on this. My intuition tells me that there must be a difference, but perhaps it's imperceptible to the human eye. But perhaps on large prints one might see a difference? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
1. Does this machine uses the same system of changing inks between matte and photo (like the 3880)?
2. Is the ink expense comparable to the 3880?
Thank you.
Hi, Ron.
I am the owner of a STYLUS PRO 4900. As many others, I love the quality of the prints, but I have experienced many problems with the printhead. Now, fix my printer is more expensive than buy a new one.
Initially, I decided to buy the successor: surecolor p5000. However, I think I will buy the p7000, in order to print bigger pictures.
My questions:
The quality between P5000 and P7000 is the same in both?
Do you thing that EPSON has really improved clog problems in these new printers?
David
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