A2 photo printers are best for those looking for a decent-sized print output, while not compromising on the image quality and longevity of the print. Hence, if you’re considering buying an A2 printer, you should know which printers out there give you the best bang for your buck, yet provide excellent print quality in tandem to lower costs.
Today, after a thorough investigation into the world of photo printers, we present to you two of the very best in the business: Epson’s SURECOLOR P800 and Canon’s imagePROGRAF Pro 1000 printers. Both of them look very similar on paper: high-quality multiple ink systems, the ability to deal with roll or cut media, and feature the best connectivity features on offer today.
However, both of them have some very crucial differences, which we will reveal when we start with our product reviews. To help you make the choice, we then present general guidelines on how to go about getting a large printer for art prints or photos such as the two presented below. Without further ado, let’s begin with the product reviews!
Epson P800 vs Canon Pro 1000 | Best Two A2 Printers
Table of Contents
Epson P800 vs Canon Pro 1000: Let’s see who will come out on top!
1. Epson SURECOLOR P800 – Best for Large Prints
This printer is one of the best on the market today, and this statement is further buttressed by the sheer amount of firepower it brings to the table. The eight-ink UltraChrome HD system gives you superior color accuracy and print speeds, the resolution goes up to a cool 2880×1440 dpi, and the droplet sizes can have three options even during a single print!
- Unit Dimensions: 26.93"W x 14.80"D x 9.85"H |...
- Maximum Printable Area: Maximum paper width: 17" |...
Experience
The SURECOLOR series has been known for its speed, accuracy, and precision with which it reproduces photos on paper. You can print in a large variety of sizes with full borderless options. This printer also brings the option of having roll papers with a maximum width of 17” and a 2”/3” core, for all those large panoramic prints if you also do large prints.
The eight-ink system is equipped with photo black/matte black ink switching capabilities, with some loss of ink within the operation. You also get, as options, a roll media adapter as well as a replacement ink maintenance tank. A spectrophotometer is notable for its absence, both from the standard kit as well as the options list. Otherwise, the printer comes pretty well stocked.
Epson promises a time of 200 years for colored prints and 400 years for black and white prints, which is mighty impressive by any measure. The connectivity options include WiFi, WiFi Direct, Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, and Epson’s own app. It doesn’t feature any specialized software to touch up your photos before printing, however. All in all, a solid photo printer.
- Comes with a whole host of features which make your printing experience more intuitive
- 3.5 picolitre droplets give you unbelievable print quality, much better than most competition
- Inks are all pigment-based, and color reproduction is top-notch
- Does not feature a spectrophotometer, and ink tanks are on the smaller side
2. CANON imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 – Best for Camera Pairing
This printer is all about making your print experience more intuitive and is focused on making sure your photos come out top-notch. The specialized software, the 11 ink plus Chroma Optimiser ink system, and the widest color gamut of any printer on the market make the PRO-1000 much more desirable and interesting than most other photo printers out there.
- Anti-Clogging Technology: The Fine print head...
- Air Feeding System: The Canon Air Feeding System...
Experience
While Epson is all about making sure your printing experience is intuitive and easy, Canon is focused on making sure you get the most out of your photos. This starts with the direct pairing of your camera to the printer (if you do own a Canon branded camera), which in most cases eliminates the need for a computer at all!
However, that’s just the beginning. Canon also throws in a set of wonderful tools which allow you to track expenses per print including paper and ink costs, a final touch-up software that works almost like Photoshop, and a whole host of printing options that the Epson doesn’t feature. The print quality is slightly better on the Epson, however, all things considered.
The Canon also gives you a number of features such as no switching between photo black and matte black inks, an air feeder system that makes sure no page gets skewed during printing, and the LCOA Pro engine which handles complex printing tasks with ease. It can process multitudes of complex high-quality images with ease. This printer won’t disappoint!
- Delivers stunning blacks, the Chroma Optimiser works to ensure solid color accuracy
- Widest color gamut helps you get high quality images
- Software tools with and on the printer make your life much easier
- Spares are a little harder to come by as compared to most other printers
Epson P800 vs Canon Pro 1000 Comparison Table
| Product | Dimensions | Weight | Wireless | Connectivity | Printing Technology | Printer Output | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epson P800 | 26.9 x 21.7 x 21.7 inches | 43 pounds | Yes | USB 2.0, 10/100 Wired Ethernet, Wireless (802.11n) | Inkjet | Color, monochrome | 3 years |
| CANON Pro 1000 | 17 x 28.5 x 11.2 inches | 70.5 pounds | Yes | USB, 802.11bgn | Inkjet | Color | 1 year |
Now that you know which printers are best on the market today, a little walk-through through the factors we used to filter through the crowd and select these two printers. The factors which we used to determine which printers were the best are:
Cost
You should definitely have this in mind. These printers are expensive, but their per-print costs aren’t exorbitant and give you superior print quality. If you can compromise on quality, you should go in for a cheaper printer. The same goes for the feature set.
Overall, the Canon is a bit more expensive to print on but the output is superior as well, considering that the Canon is a tad cheaper upfront, in time, this evens out.
Ink system
Both of these printers feature multiple ink systems fitted with pigment-based inks. Pigment-based inks are much better than your all-in-one office inkjet, simply because they’re much more accurate and last exponentially longer than regular inks.
This completes our list of the most important factors to be on the lookout for when it comes to photo printers. You’re now ready to go out there and get the printer of your choice.
Have fun shopping!
Just kidding, you want to hear the winner right?
Dual Winner | Epson P800 vs Canon Pro 1000
I would like to start by stating that there is no loser in this game, these are two brilliant printers infamous for their extraordinary capabilities, regardless of what you choose, you’ve chosen right.
The choice is far more about what you are going to use the printer for than it is about anything else in all honesty as both are capable to do what they’re meant to brilliantly.
If we were to choose just one, it would be the Canon Pro 1000.
Why?
Overall we consider it a better printer, we simply see better prints out of it, better colors, and the blacks are splendid, shattering beautiful.
We also took into consideration that the paper feeding of the Epson is troublesome, not only on this printer but in general Epson printers, in our tests the Pro 1000 never skew or jammed paper in over 300 prints, the same cannot be said about the Epson.
Yes, we will miss the Panorama feature on the Epson and yes, the Canon is a bit more expensive to use over time but the replacements part for the Canon are easier to find as well.
It was a hard decision to make, and once more, we cannot emphasize how good these printers are, whatever you choose, you are right; for us, it has been the Canon.
If you are still uncertain these are the gods you would like on your side, more printers for architects can be found on Architecture Lab you can find the best A3 photo printers, best A1 plotters, best laser and inkjet printers for envelope, best 11×17 printers for architects, best printer for heat transfers, best printers for art prints, 4×6 printers, best archival and giclee printers and the best large format printer for photographers.
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Thank you for this very interesting comparison.
However, what bothers me more than cost, is the ethical point of view. I would like to use cruelty free ink (no animal ingredients and no animal testing) for my prints. So I did a bit of research. From Epson I have not got a very clear feedback yet, but looking at their safety data sheets (i.e. cyan T8502), it seems they do animal testing.
Contrary to the Canon PRO inks, where Canon informs, that their PRO inks does not contain animal ingredients and are not tested on animals neither in the development nor in the testing phase of the PRO ink.
Do you maybe know more about this topic?
Hey boy, my epson L800 and L1800 never got trouble on paper feeding even its been printing for 25000 ++ pages..in my country epson is most realistic for business,, it can handle many types of ink (dye, pigment, artpaper, sublime), while canon cant do that..Fyi, my printer l800 n l1800 use artpaper ink..
That sounds legendary, thank you for your feedback Metalizer!
These are not the only A2 printers on the market, there is another Epson P5000/P5070. You get a feeling both printers have some serious corners been cut to fit them into similar budget. Epson provides roll paper support but removed the automatic paper cutter, Epson also has continued with its Matte Black/Photo Black sharing 1 ink channel, over the long run this will be an issue for Epson printers. Canon on the other hand completely ignore the need to have a 17 inch large format printer with paper roll handling capability. Yes, Canon’s 12 colour system does give it a wider gamut over the 9 colour Epson printer but the 10 colour Epson has wider gamut than 12 colour Canon. In my opinion Epson P5000 series is the only 17 inch printer that did not cut corners, it has all your need in a 17 inch printer, it has high initial purchase cost but inks can be considered cheaper since each cartridge has 2.5 times capacity of cheaper Epson P800 and Canon Pro-1000. The on going cost with Epson P5000 is going to be cheaper. In my country P800 cartridges is about $65 and Canon Pro-1000 is about $71, Epson P5000’s cartridge is $139.
Beware that Canon needs to be used on a regular basis otherwise clogging occurs quickly, and your ink costs are growing insane. Epson is more tolerant with the casual printer; a print after a few weeks is of rest still OK.
First you say “The print quality is slightly better on the Epson, however, all things considered.” And further down you say the Canon has better prints. So which one has better prints?
It depends on use, Epson overall prints better and easier, Canon prints better at high resolution and in detail but Canons have always been higher maintenance.