The Epson SureColor P600
I don’t very often take on testing out a printer like the Epson SureColor P600 because I tend to look at printers that would be best suited for a small office environment. While you can certainly use this printer in an office environment, you’d definitely be wasting it – where this printer is best suited is with the graphic artist, pro or semi-pro photographer or any serious artists.
The control panel on the Epson SureColor P600
It’ll do a smash up document in black and white or colour, but it’s when you start to do creative designs or photograph reproductions that this printer just flat-out rises to the top of the heap. With a suggested retail price of $879.99CAD, the SureColor P600 definitely isn’t for anyone, but if you’re someone I was just talking about, this printer is definitely for you.
The picture reproduction quality is, in a word, spectacular.
The SureColor P600 isn’t the fastest printer on the block, but you won’t even think about speed when you see the quality.
The Epson SureColor P600 can print on 13″ rolls up to 10′
I’ve been printing everything I can get my hands on, on this printer. From 6” x 4” shots to 13” W x up to 10’ L banners and huge 13” x 19” prints, the quality of reproduction is amazing.
The P600 comes with nine UltraChrome HD 25.9ml ink cartridges – Photo Black, Light Black, Matte Black and Light Light Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Vivid Light Magenta and Yellow. With all those colours to choose from, the images produced from this printer are very close to matching the original colours in your images, and the detail and bright vibrant colours are easy to see. It’ll print at a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi, and the three levels of black ink especially, deliver smooth transitions that really make photos pop.
The Epson SureColor P600
The Epson SureColor P600 will connect in a number of ways – AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, so you should just about be covered for any alternative in printing. The minimum ink droplet size is 2 picolitres and Epson’s variable droplet technology can produce up to three different droplet sizes per print line. A real bonus is when switching black inks when going from Matte Black to Photo Black – you can set it to only use 1 ml instead of 3 ml in Save Ink Mode. It’ll print on a maximum paper width of 13”, a maximum cut size of 13” x 19” and has a maximum printable area of 13” x 129” and a minimum printing area of 3.5” x 5”.
The SureColor P600 is quite quiet for such a large printer, putting out only about 38 dB – as a comparison, the average office operates at about 50 dB and quiet conversation would measure about 30 dB. It’s a behemoth though, so you’ll need a lot of desk space or a dedicated table to hold the printer, and you’ll want extra space behind and in front for printing from a roll. The P600 is 61.47cm W x 36.83cm D x 22.86cm H and it weighs in at about 15.9kg.
While the amazing print quality is really something special in a printer at this price, so too is its ability to print on a wide array of different paper sizes and types. Ink cost will be high depending on what you’re printing, but the emphasis here is on quality of output rather than cost of ink because this device isn’t designed to print off multiple copies of a project like an ordinary office printer does. It’s designed to do an amazing job of reproducing your original image.
The Epson SureColor P600 prints archival quality images
There are no input slots for flash cards or memory sticks; this is decidedly a single-function type of printer. That doesn’t make it any less of a printer though because of the market it’s aimed at, because of it’s focus on printing exceptional pictures on a variety of papers.
The Epson UltraChrome HD ink is fast drying and if left to sit undisturbed for a few hours, will become quite water resistant.
The 3.5” LCD touch panel control screen on the front of the P600 is quite useful for maintenance and paper handling, and that’s where you set Wi-Fi up.
I printed panoramas and large images on 13” x 19” – everything turned out pretty well dead on the original. I am not a professional photographer, but I was in the printing business for nearly forty years, so I know what good colour should look like. The output from this Epson SureColor P600 is exceptional.
PROS: Amazing, detailed, vibrant, deep colour; fast for this type of device; quiet; can print on a large variety of different paper sizes and types; Epson ink offers archival quality.
CONS: Expensive to run; no USB, Flash or Memory Card input slots.
TO SUM IT UP: Designed for the discerning person who wants the highest quality at a reasonable price, the Epson SureColor P600 doesn’t miss the target. Printing beautiful, vibrant images on a wide variety of papers makes this a must-have printer for someone looking for great quality and performance.
Murray Hill is lead tech writer at communicatto.com. You can reach Murray by email at murray@communicatto.com or on Twitter at @MurrayDHill
Tech Talk: Epson SureColor P600 offers exceptional print quality for graphics professionals is a post from communicatto, a social media agency. Need a social media speaker, strategist or trainer? We have that!
About Murray Hill
Murray Hill has been a freelance columnist appearing regularly in some of the most prominent Canadian newspapers since 1974. He began writing about technology over twenty-four years ago and he still maintains the belief that there's a gadget or gizmo for every situation and application. His fascination with technology and gadgets has endured for over fifty years, and has led to many familial discussions about the the difference between the words "need" and "want" when referring to tech. Based in Saskatoon, connect with Murray at: murray@communicatto.com
Author's Note: I write a column on a single product, rather than comparing products. I do this because what I write is my personal opinion on a particular product. Sometimes I get something sent to me automatically, but mostly I ask manufacturers for a particular product to review. I usually have these products for a period of a few weeks to a few months, then they are returned. I get to keep some products - usually the ones that would cost more to ship back than they are worth - and most of those items get given away. I do get an honorarium from Communicatto for writing, but get no compensation from manufacturers or the firms representing them - so nobody buys my opinion! I also try to use photos and graphics provided, mostly because I'm a terrible photographer!
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