Comparison Epson PX-1004 vs Epson L1800

The color palette that the printer can print. A large number of colors is required for high-quality photo printing and obtaining color prints with many shades. The standard is 4 colors.

The black and white print speed provided by the printer. It should be noted that this parameter is often indicated for low quality when the device is running at maximum performance; at a higher quality (even at standard), the actual speed can be noticeably lower, so you should choose with a certain margin. Also note that high speed significantly affects the price, power consumption and noise level. Therefore, it does not always make sense to chase maximum performance — for simple applications (for example, at home or in a small office), a relatively slow and inexpensive device may be the best choice.

As for specific values, speeds up to 20 ppm are considered relatively low, 20 – 30 ppm — average, 31 – 40 ppm — decent, and the fastest models are capable of delivering more than 40 pages per minute.

Colour print speed provided by the printer. Usually, the specifications give speed at low quality, when performance is highest; on standard and especially high settings, the print speed can be noticeably lower, so it’s worth choosing with a certain margin. It is also worth considering that high speed significantly affects the price, power consumption and noise level. Therefore, it does not always make sense to chase maximum performance — for simple applications and small print volumes, a relatively slow and inexpensive device may be the best choice.

The "slowest" colour printers today are capable of delivering less than 10 pages per minute. A more decent value is considered 10 – 20 ppm, a speed of more than 20 ppm can already be called quite good, and in the fastest models this figure exceeds 30 ppm.

Printer print speed in photographic (highest) quality. Unlike other similar parameters, in this case the speed is usually indicated for a 10x15 sheet (A6, the most popular format for photographs). In addition, photo printing speed is not expressed in pages per minute, but in seconds per page, because. printing takes a lot of time. This option is worth paying attention to if you plan to print photos frequently.

The maximum number of pages that the printer's ink (toner) can print. The value is rather conditional, in reality the deviations from the norm are very large (up or down). In inkjet printers, the cartridge life is relatively small and amounts to several hundred prints. In laser and LED devices, the bill is already in the thousands.

The maximum number of pages that the printer's ink (toner) can print. The value is rather conditional, in reality the deviations from the norm are very large (up or down). In inkjet printers, the cartridge life is relatively small and amounts to several hundred prints. In laser and LED devices, the bill is already in the thousands.

— Pigment. Ink based on pigments — solid dyes, which are diluted in the form of microparticles in a liquid filler to a state of suspension. Compared to more popular water-based inks, these formulations are noticeably more expensive, and the finished image may turn out to be somewhat less bright (compared to printing with water-based dye on the same printer). On the other hand, pigment ink gives higher detail, which is especially important for photo printing. In addition, finished images resist moisture better and do not fade as quickly in bright light — this resistance is not enough for outdoor use, but indoors such prints can be stored for a very long time.

- Water soluble. Inks based on water-soluble dyes allow achieving high realism of color reproduction in color printing, they are well absorbed into the deep layers of paper and are cheaper than pigment ink. Also, water-soluble ink does not dry as quickly in the cartridge or print head of the printer. They are recommended for use with inkjet paper - ordinary thin paper strongly absorbs dropsy, which can cause ink to show through on the back of the sheet. At the same time, water-soluble inks are afraid of moisture and direct exposure to ultraviolet rays - when water gets in, the paint “floats” on paper, and it fades under sunlight.

– Pigmented / water soluble. Some printers have a print head that allows you to print with two types of ink at once. A common case is when their black cartridge is filled wi...th pigment ink, and the color one is filled with water-soluble ink.

— Voice assistants. Printer support for one or more voice assistants. The most popular voice assistants among printers today are:

• Amazon Alexa
• Google Assistant
• Microsoft Cortana

We emphasize that this is usually not about the voice assistant built into the printer itself, but about improved compatibility with external devices where such an assistant is installed — so to use this function, you will also need an appropriate device. However, the ability to give voice commands to the printer significantly expands the control options, making it more convenient and intuitive; but the specific functionality and features of different voice control systems may be different. For example, Amazon Alexa is available both through special control devices (like Echo smart speakers) and through mobile applications for Android and iOS; Google Assistant is part of the Android OS and Google Home smart home systems; and Cortana is designed primarily for use with Windows PCs and smartphones, although it is also available as an Android application. The set of supported languages can also be different (in particular, English is almost always available, but Russian support should be specified separately).

— Printing on optical discs. Ability to use the printer to print directly on recordable optical discs (CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW). Thus, after recording a disc, you can put on its non-working surface (non-mirror side used for inscriptio...ns) an inscription or image as you wish. Often these printers come with software that makes it easy to create layouts for printing on disks. Please note that only specially designed discs can be used for printing.

— Printing on roll paper. Possibility of using for printing paper in rolls. Thus, the print size is limited by the width and length of the roll, which allows you to create materials other than ordinary A* sheets. Large-format paper and photo paper can be supplied as rolls.

The maximum grammage on which the printer can produce normal print quality. For details about the weight, see "Paper Weight (Min)". An attempt to print on paper of a greater density than the maximum for this printer will, at best, end in nothing (the printer simply cannot capture the sheet), at worst, it can lead to a sheet jam in the printer, followed by the hassle of removing it.