epson 2200 printer and performance

jcool · 07-08-2009, 09:11 PM

someone gave me an epson 2200 printer and I do not really know much about it specifically. From what I have found on the internet it must have been a decent photo printer in it's prime, is anyone still using it and is it worth setting up? how is it on cost per photo, I understand It can print up to 13 x19 prints with startleing quality, it may be slow but I do not intend to print many larger prints, also not sure of costs whith this printer as far as paper, ink etc.....any input will be a big help, and thanks.......

photog · 07-09-2009, 01:43 AM

Do you know anything about price and availability of inks? Software? Drivers etc?
Ron McDermott

felix68 · 07-09-2009, 12:30 PM

Originally posted by jcool

someone gave me an epson 2200 printer and I do not really know much about it specifically. From what I have found on the internet it must have been a decent photo printer in it's prime, is anyone still using it and is it worth setting up? how is it on cost per photo, I understand It can print up to 13 x19 prints with startleing quality, it may be slow but I do not intend to print many larger prints, also not sure of costs whith this printer as far as paper, ink etc.....any input will be a big help, and thanks.......

It is pretty good printer but the ink carts are really small for a 13" wide printer. If someone gave me one, I would certainly set it up and use it. I have a R280 which uses Claria dye based ink and wish I had a pigment printer for the longevity. The 2200 uses pigment ink.
As to cost, if you are printing 4X6, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target, etc, will always be cheaper. It is probably a wash at 8X10 but the quality of the prints are actually better on the home printer. There is a learning curve where you will use a lot of ink and paper with bad output.

Originally posted by photog

Do you know anything about price and availability of inks? Software? Drivers etc?
Ron McDermott

All still available. Atlex.com has the carts for under $10 each and you can use any paper that is rated for pigment ink. I personally use Red River's papers and am very pleased.
Premium Photographic Inkjet Paper by Red River Paper
The drivers can be downloaded from Epson's web site.

Vertex Ninja · 07-13-2009, 05:47 PM

I had a 2200 for a few years when they first came out(using a 3800Pro now). It is an excellent printer! The prints are rated to resist fading for a long time when using genuine epson inks and papers.

Because of it's small ink cartridges, don't expect it to be a better value over sending out for chemical prints. I'd guess it'll cost you $2.00-3.50 per A4 sheet of paper printed. More if you use an expensive paper. For comparison my cost with the 3800 are $1.18 per A4 Premium Lustre print including 25% ink overhead.

Pointers I can offer are to standardize on either matte or photo black. Switching between them cost a lot of money in wasted ink, it needs to purge the lines each time. Make sure to soft proof your images in your printing software to prevent waste. I suggest getting QImage and look into Quadtone RIP for B&W

As far as paper choices I am in love with the new Epson Exhibition Fiber. It is kinda pricey, but I have never seen better print quality. It is sharp, has very deep blacks, and has a huge color gamut, supposedly the largest of any paper made. It is similar to an f-surface if you have ever seen that. Epson Ultra Premium Lustre is also very nice. It is a luster E-Surface similar to Fuji Crystal Archive Matte. I will be trying Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl and Ilford Gallerie Gold Fibre Silk. The former similar to Epson Lustre but with a heavier base and the latter similar to Epson Exhibition Fiber, but substantially cheaper. Can't comment on them yet but they're worth a look. For what it's worth, I preferred matte papers on the 2200.

There are so many paper choices out there, that you might want to look into getting a sampler pack and finding what you like best. Felix's recomendation for Red River papers is a good one too, I've never used them, but they are well liked. I buy nearly all my paper and ink from Amazon.com. Inkjet art is also a good place: Inkjetart.com : Welcome.

Some links:
2200 BW
Battle of the Barytas
Epson Exhibition Fiber Review
Epson 2200 with Epson Exhibition Fiber? - Luminous Landscape Forum
QuadToneRIP Overview

Hoped I've helped a bit.

PeterAM · 07-15-2009, 08:46 AM

Vertex Ninja's points are well taken. I have had/used a 2200 for probably 4/5 years;I now have a 3800 also. Still have the 2200, but use it less and less.

First, make sure that everything is working properly, so that you aren't trying to resolve issues when printing. Run a nozzle check and move forward accordingly. I would suggest getting some lower end Epson papers - Premium Matte, Super Premium Matte (whatever they are called) - and starting with them until your skills and feel for the machine get up to speed. Ink and paper costs mount up fast. I second the comment about sticking with matte or semi/glossy to avoid switching inks, which is really costly with this printer. After some experimenting at the beginning, I only printed with matte papers on the 2200. The best source that I've found for ink and paper is Epson HP Canon Printer Inkjet Photo Papers Ink Cartridges ATLEX.COM. They have the best prices, good service and shipping is quick and reasonable.

Don't even think about trying B&W without using the Quadtone RIP as mentioned;I wasted a lot of ink, paper and time/effort until I figured that one out. Qimage is also a good idea.

The 2200 is a good solid printer and will deliver excellent results once you learn it's limits.

jcool · 07-15-2009, 09:18 AM

Thanks everyone, these suggestions are awesome and will hook it up this weekend and see what happens, I have many great photo's so I have been selecting the ones I really want to mount and show.

Wombat · 07-16-2009, 05:59 AM

I picked up a 2100 (the Australian equivalent) for $50 and it's produced exhibition-quality prints for a reasonable - not spectacular - cost. It's been solid as a rock, reliable, easy to work once you've had some practice. I can certainly recommend the Ilford papers - very well-behaved. Whatever you do, don't use el cheapo papers or you'll waste a huge amount of ink and just get horrible results. I'd also thoroughly recommend getting hold of Rob Sheppard's "Epson Complete Guide to Digital Printing". It's really well put together, with chapters on workflow, software, preparation, sizing & sharpening, papers, B&W etc. - everything you want to know, beautifully illustrated with plenty of examples. See if your library can get a copy in for you.
As for inks, I haven't tried refills or alternate brands. The Epson ones are expensive (and you'll be forever running out of Light Magenta!) but if you want the very best out of it, go for the proper ink. After all, you got the printer itself for nix, lucky you.

07-08-2009, 09:11 PM	#1
jcool Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: north nj usa exit 156 Photos: Albums Posts: 81	epson 2200 printer and performance someone gave me an epson 2200 printer and I do not really know much about it specifically. From what I have found on the internet it must have been a decent photo printer in it's prime, is anyone still using it and is it worth setting up? how is it on cost per photo, I understand It can print up to 13 x19 prints with startleing quality, it may be slow but I do not intend to print many larger prints, also not sure of costs whith this printer as far as paper, ink etc.....any input will be a big help, and thanks.......

07-09-2009, 12:30 PM	#3
felix68 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 281	Epson 2200 Originally posted by jcool someone gave me an epson 2200 printer and I do not really know much about it specifically. From what I have found on the internet it must have been a decent photo printer in it's prime, is anyone still using it and is it worth setting up? how is it on cost per photo, I understand It can print up to 13 x19 prints with startleing quality, it may be slow but I do not intend to print many larger prints, also not sure of costs whith this printer as far as paper, ink etc.....any input will be a big help, and thanks....... It is pretty good printer but the ink carts are really small for a 13" wide printer. If someone gave me one, I would certainly set it up and use it. I have a R280 which uses Claria dye based ink and wish I had a pigment printer for the longevity. The 2200 uses pigment ink. As to cost, if you are printing 4X6, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target, etc, will always be cheaper. It is probably a wash at 8X10 but the quality of the prints are actually better on the home printer. There is a learning curve where you will use a lot of ink and paper with bad output. Originally posted by photog Do you know anything about price and availability of inks? Software? Drivers etc? Ron McDermott All still available. Atlex.com has the carts for under $10 each and you can use any paper that is rated for pigment ink. I personally use Red River's papers and am very pleased. Premium Photographic Inkjet Paper by Red River Paper The drivers can be downloaded from Epson's web site.

07-15-2009, 09:18 AM	#6
jcool Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: north nj usa exit 156 Photos: Albums Posts: 81 Original Poster	printing Thanks everyone, these suggestions are awesome and will hook it up this weekend and see what happens, I have many great photo's so I have been selecting the ones I really want to mount and show.

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07-09-2009, 01:43 AM	#2
photog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brisbane, Qld, Australia Posts: 165	Do you know anything about price and availability of inks? Software? Drivers etc? Ron McDermott

07-13-2009, 05:47 PM	#4
Vertex Ninja Inactive Account Join Date: May 2007 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 652	I had a 2200 for a few years when they first came out(using a 3800Pro now). It is an excellent printer! The prints are rated to resist fading for a long time when using genuine epson inks and papers. Because of it's small ink cartridges, don't expect it to be a better value over sending out for chemical prints. I'd guess it'll cost you $2.00-3.50 per A4 sheet of paper printed. More if you use an expensive paper. For comparison my cost with the 3800 are $1.18 per A4 Premium Lustre print including 25% ink overhead. Pointers I can offer are to standardize on either matte or photo black. Switching between them cost a lot of money in wasted ink, it needs to purge the lines each time. Make sure to soft proof your images in your printing software to prevent waste. I suggest getting QImage and look into Quadtone RIP for B&W As far as paper choices I am in love with the new Epson Exhibition Fiber. It is kinda pricey, but I have never seen better print quality. It is sharp, has very deep blacks, and has a huge color gamut, supposedly the largest of any paper made. It is similar to an f-surface if you have ever seen that. Epson Ultra Premium Lustre is also very nice. It is a luster E-Surface similar to Fuji Crystal Archive Matte. I will be trying Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl and Ilford Gallerie Gold Fibre Silk. The former similar to Epson Lustre but with a heavier base and the latter similar to Epson Exhibition Fiber, but substantially cheaper. Can't comment on them yet but they're worth a look. For what it's worth, I preferred matte papers on the 2200. There are so many paper choices out there, that you might want to look into getting a sampler pack and finding what you like best. Felix's recomendation for Red River papers is a good one too, I've never used them, but they are well liked. I buy nearly all my paper and ink from Amazon.com. Inkjet art is also a good place: Inkjetart.com : Welcome. Some links: 2200 BW Battle of the Barytas Epson Exhibition Fiber Review Epson 2200 with Epson Exhibition Fiber? - Luminous Landscape Forum QuadToneRIP Overview Hoped I've helped a bit.

07-15-2009, 08:46 AM	#5
PeterAM Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Litchfield, CT Posts: 539	Vertex Ninja's points are well taken. I have had/used a 2200 for probably 4/5 years;I now have a 3800 also. Still have the 2200, but use it less and less. First, make sure that everything is working properly, so that you aren't trying to resolve issues when printing. Run a nozzle check and move forward accordingly. I would suggest getting some lower end Epson papers - Premium Matte, Super Premium Matte (whatever they are called) - and starting with them until your skills and feel for the machine get up to speed. Ink and paper costs mount up fast. I second the comment about sticking with matte or semi/glossy to avoid switching inks, which is really costly with this printer. After some experimenting at the beginning, I only printed with matte papers on the 2200. The best source that I've found for ink and paper is Epson HP Canon Printer Inkjet Photo Papers Ink Cartridges ATLEX.COM. They have the best prices, good service and shipping is quick and reasonable. Don't even think about trying B&W without using the Quadtone RIP as mentioned;I wasted a lot of ink, paper and time/effort until I figured that one out. Qimage is also a good idea. The 2200 is a good solid printer and will deliver excellent results once you learn it's limits.

07-16-2009, 05:59 AM	#7
Wombat Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 901	I picked up a 2100 (the Australian equivalent) for $50 and it's produced exhibition-quality prints for a reasonable - not spectacular - cost. It's been solid as a rock, reliable, easy to work once you've had some practice. I can certainly recommend the Ilford papers - very well-behaved. Whatever you do, don't use el cheapo papers or you'll waste a huge amount of ink and just get horrible results. I'd also thoroughly recommend getting hold of Rob Sheppard's "Epson Complete Guide to Digital Printing". It's really well put together, with chapters on workflow, software, preparation, sizing & sharpening, papers, B&W etc. - everything you want to know, beautifully illustrated with plenty of examples. See if your library can get a copy in for you. As for inks, I haven't tried refills or alternate brands. The Epson ones are expensive (and you'll be forever running out of Light Magenta!) but if you want the very best out of it, go for the proper ink. After all, you got the printer itself for nix, lucky you.

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