Epson 1280 Question

[Mike Cockerham]

I am looking to buy an Epson 1280 printer. Can someone give me information on the number of 11x17 color prints per ink cartridge? I need to figure out a per print cost to see if it is cheaper than my current lab.

Thanks

[Doug Dolde]

I don't have numbers, but have always looked at the break even point which would include the price of the printer, paper and ink. Then there's my time and the inherent hassle of doing your own printing...some would argue that a real "artiste" would print his own....but if you are doing 100% of the file prep then letting the lab print it you are essentially using their printer remotely.

I figured that to break even on an Epson 4000 doing 16x20 prints I'd need to do in excess of 100 prints vs the cost of having them done on a Lightjet. Of course after that the cost becomes less for doing it yourself.

So far I am still in Lightjet mode...and Chromira.

[Will Strain]

The epson site specifies 340 pages color at 15% coverage. I would 1/2 that for 11x17, then 1/2 it again for straight photo work (30% coverage)

so - 85 prints per color/black cartidge set.

Still seems really optimistic to me. I don't think I ever got that many prints out of a set - between cleanings and calibration - etc.

I wouldn't count on more than 50 full 11x17 prints per set.

[Jon Shiu]

My guess is $3-4 per print, depending on the paper. Maybe 12 prints per color cartridge. (I use 3 color carts for every 1 black cart.) I think you can get more accurate numbers on inkjetart.com

[Will Strain]

wow Jon - you really only think 12... I got at least 30 on a 1200 - and I assumed with the smaller dots, the 1280 would be more effecient (but maybe overall density is higher).

[Ed Richards]

As the owner of a 1270, which is about the same printer, I would suggest you consider a newer model. These are both so out of date that it is hard to get profiles and head clogging is a real issue, since the heads are built in. I am keeping mine going just a little longer to see reviews of the new HP v. the R1800, but it is a losing battle. I expect the ink to get more expensive as less of it is sold.

[Jon Shiu]

I don't really keep track, but because the cartridge is chipped it can't be run down as low as the 1200. I guess it depends on what colors your prints have.

My estimate is based on this-(inkjetart.com)
*When printing photographic images on "Photo" papers, using the highest quality settings, most users are reporting a capacity of 20 to 30 prints (8"x10" image area) before one of the color cells runs dry.

so maybe 10 to 15 11x17 prints would the range to expect.

[Will Strain]

The individual cartridges in the newer printers also have tons to recommend them as far as saving costs...

[Jack Reisland]

You might also want to consider that the 1280 inks are Epsons older dye based inksets, and they are not very lightfast compaired to the newer pigmented inks in the Epson 2200.

[Dan Neilson]

I've always had such a bad clogging problem with my 1280, and waste so much ink in head cleanings, that I would feel real fortunate to get 12 prints from a set of inks. Unfortunatly, thats been the case ever since I purchased it. I have never been able to get a neutral black print from it. Using dye inks, you will get rapid fading and weird color shifts.

Last weekend, I gave up and purchased a new R1800. My recommendation is to not even consider the 1280. Although the R1800 may be twice the money, It would be money well spent.

[Bruce M. Herman]

Mike,

One of the factors that you should consider is the kind of paper that you plan to use when making prints. If your goal is to make photo-realistic prints on glossy paper, you may be dismayed at the 7-10 year life expected for such prints from the 1280. The expected life for prints made on Epson's matte paper is closer to 25 years. On the other hand, the newer pigment based inks give a life of 80-100 years on most photo-realistic papers.

One area in which dye based inks excell is printing on non-coated papers. For instance, if you would like to print on watercolor paper or rice paper, the 1280 may be a good choice for you. There are coated watercolor papers and coated rice papers, but the results of printing on them is not at all the same as what you achieve with an uncoated paper. It depends upon the results you seek.

I suggest that you spend some time looking at a site such as www.inkjetart.com. They have excellent information on papers and printers, including the pros and cons of buying a 1280.

I have been using a 1280 almost since they were introduced. The original inks were more prone to clogging, but Epson has changed the chemistry over the years. I seldom have clogs now, except when printing on rice paper, and then it's ot the printer's fault. It's because of paper particles from the rice paper itself. I have used several 3rd party inks with varying degrees of success. The ink sold by inkjetart.com is pretty good, but when I last used it two years ago, it clogged more frequently than Epson's own ink. It is much less expensive than Epson's ink, though.

Best of luck.