Epson L805 vs L130. Thoughts?

[Tassem]

Hello guys!

I'm a recent joinee here and was looking to buy a printer. I'm a hobby photographer and my primary use for this printer will be to make images that I can frame for my personal use. For all my commercial needs, I use a professional neighbourhood print shop. Being locked down at home made me realise that I do not have a decent printer that I can use for some home printing.

The biggest I will print will be A4. Looking at the below two printers:

Epson Inktank L805 Inkjet
Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
No of colors: 6
Colors: Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Magenta, Yellow
Droplet Size: 1.5 pl
Number of Nozzles: 90 Nozzles Black, 90 Nozzles per Color
Print Size: A4 Borderless
Price: US$250
Link to product: https://epsonshop.co.in/epson-l805-inktank-photo-printer.html

Epson InkTank L130 Inkjet
Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
No of colors: 4
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Droplet Size: 3 pl
Number of Nozzles: 180 nozzles Black, 59 nozzles each colour
Print Size: A4 Borderless
Price: US$100
Link to product: https://epsonshop.co.in/epson-l130-inktank-printer.html

My primary use will be to print photographs etc for hanging around the home etc. My question is, with the two additional colors in the L805, the smaller ink droplet size and more nozzles - how different would the photo quality between the two be? Only detectable under a magnifying glass or something more night and day? The print time etc. is of no consequence to me.

I will not be printing heavily either. But I can take a few prints every week to keep the printer in shape. Perhaps some coloring sheets for my 4 year old son

Would appreciate you expertise. Oh and I'm based in India. These models may be under a different name in your region, hence posting the specs. I'm also open to other models, but again, availability here may be an issue.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

If your prime interest is photo printing I would recommend you to get the L805, that one prints faster with more nozzles, and prints with a dye black ink . The L130 prints much slower - less nozzles, and effectively only prints with CMY 3 colors on photo paper, the black is a dark voilet mix of C and M. You may not see a difference between the 3 or 1.5 pl droplet size on the first glance but only with a magnifier, and I don't know if the L130 offers borderless printing at all or only for 4x6" prints. And yes - print plenty of those coloring sheets

 

[Tassem]

Hey thanks a lot for your reply. I had a stupid question - If the L130 uses a mix of C & M for black, what is the black ink used for? Only text printing or something? I'm asking cause it has 4 ink tanks, one being black.

Having said that I'm leaning towards the L805 too.

If your prime interest is photo printing I would recommend you to get the L805, that one prints faster with more nozzles, and prints with a dye black ink . The L130 prints much slower - less nozzles, and effectively only prints with CMY 3 colors on photo paper, the black is a dark voilet mix of C and M. You may not see a difference between the 3 or 1.5 pl droplet size on the first glance but only with a magnifier, and I don't know if the L130 offers borderless printing at all or only for 4x6" prints. And yes - print plenty of those coloring sheets

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Yes, that black is most likely pigment ink, and is used only with the paper settings of normal or matte/inkjet paper.

 

[Tassem]

Oh ok. Thanks, it's the L805 then!!

BTW, the L130 uses ink type T6641 for black, while the L805 uses T6731. They've mentioned that the T6641 is dye based. Not sure if dye-based is the same as dye or some marketing speak.

Is it normal to be this excited to buy a printer?

Yes, that black is most likely pigment ink, and is used only with the paper settings of normal or matte/inkjet paper.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Both the T664 and T673 are dye inks - what is the base of an ink - the colorant or the solvent ?

Is it normal to be this excited to buy a printer?

Oh well , yes, the excitement with your new printer can continue and grow to the point that you become a printer addict

www.printerknowledge.com/threads/you-know-youre-a-printer-addict-when.1401/page-11#post-120330

 

[stratman]

Is it normal to be this excited to buy a printer?

Yes, it is, at least in my opinion.

However, you might get some strange looks from people outside this forum when you tell them of your passion for printers and printing.

 

[Tassem]

Both the T664 and T673 are dye inks - what is the base of an ink - the colorant or the solvent ?


Oh well , yes, the excitement with your new printer can continue and grow to the point that you become a printer addict

www.printerknowledge.com/threads/you-know-youre-a-printer-addict-when.1401/page-11#post-120330

Haha looks like it! I placed an order this morning. Hopefully it'll be here in a couple of days. Amazon deliveries have slowed down cause of the pandemic.

Yes, it is, at least in my opinion.

However, you might get some strange looks from people outside this forum when you tell them of your passion for printers and printing.

haha! As it stands, I have a lot of hobbies that raise a lot of eyebrows. This will just add to that

 

[glasseye]

Tassem, I'm a retired cinematographer and I take photos now just for my own enjoyment. My Epson L 805 is an incredibly enjoyable printer and I've been using it regularly for a few years now with zero problems. Superb image quality.
My other printer is a $4K USD HP Z3200 wide format printer and its images are no better than the Epson's. Bigger, yes. But better? Nope. You're gonna love it.

 

[Tassem]

Tassem, I'm a retired cinematographer and I take photos now just for my own enjoyment. My Epson L 805 is an incredibly enjoyable printer and I've been using it regularly for a few years now with zero problems. Superb image quality.
My other printer is a $4K USD HP Z3200 wide format printer and its images are no better than the Epson's. Bigger, yes. But better? Nope. You're gonna love it.

Thank you Glasseye! I've been printing nonstop since I got the L805 and loving every bit of it!

Everything's great except that it seems to print perfectly only via the Epson software. This is strange. Printing via photoshop or any other software shows multiple issues like lines etc. on the prints.

What software do you use?



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