Epson DPI on High Quality Plain Plain

[StillStihl]

When not playing with photos on my SC-P5000 and ET-8550 I churn out a couple of community newsletters on an ET-16680. I could really use something faster, especially on duplex, and am looking at the WF-C21000. I'm concerned about photo quality, as the WF-C21000 only offers 600 x 2400 dpi against the ET-8550's 4800 x 2400, but will it make any difference when both are on the high quality plain paper setting?

Thanks for any input.

 

[wilberforce_1]

When not playing with photos on my SC-P5000 and ET-8550 I churn out a couple of community newsletters on an ET-16680. I could really use something faster, especially on duplex, and am looking at the WF-C21000. I'm concerned about photo quality, as the WF-C21000 only offers 600 x 2400 dpi against the ET-8550's 4800 x 2400, but will it make any difference when both are on the high quality plain paper setting?

Thanks for any input.

Neither will print at the maximum dpi resolutions on plain paper. You need to find out what the printing resolution of each is on plain paper, which Epson deliberately obscures. There is also a trade-off between speed and resolution. Basically, the higher resolutions are achieved by feeding the paper more slowly. There is no point trying to print at higher resolutions on plain paper because it won’t be visible and the paper will just get soaked with ink and warp. Also note that the dpi of “high quality” is different for different papers, i.e. means a lower dpi for plain paper than for premium glossy.

The WF-C21000 is faster because it has a line head printhead, i.e. the printhead is stationary and prints an entire line at once, rather than a printhead that travels back and forth across the paper.

At least that is my understanding, I don’t actually have one.

btw, the max print resolution of the ET8550 is 5760x1440 dpi (on high quality paper). 4800x2400 is its scanner max resolution.

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

When not playing with photos on my SC-P5000 and ET-8550 I churn out a couple of community newsletters on an ET-16680. I could really use something faster, especially on duplex, and am looking at the WF-C21000. I'm concerned about photo quality, as the WF-C21000 only offers 600 x 2400 dpi against the ET-8550's 4800 x 2400, but will it make any difference when both are on the high quality plain paper setting?

Thanks for any input.

When you print on plain paper, you really can't get high quality out of an inkjet, especially for photos. (For text-type documents, some inkjets will print very good quality, but never IME equaling a good laser printer.) IMO if you want to print on plain paper, and especially if print speed is important, then a laser printer is a better choice. Plain paper cannot take the ink load for top quality. Also, especially with dye inks, the ink can't be kept in a super-precise position. Inkjet photo paper has an ink-receptive layer designed to accept and retain relatively more ink.

And that's at least part of the reason why when you select a 'plain paper' media type, and inkjet often won't offer 'best photo quality' mode.

 

[StillStihl]

Neither will print at the maximum dpi resolutions on plain paper. You need to find out what the printing resolution of each is on plain paper, which Epson deliberately obscures.

Yes, this is the annoying wall I've come up against, search as I might. I appreciate photos will never be great on plain paper, but I just want to know if the 21000 will print at a similar resolution the 16680, which is acceptable for newsletter images.

As you say, Epson seem to bury these figures now, although I recall them being open about it back in the early 2000s.