★★★★★ 5
Epson ET-8500 versus Canon G620
I am an accomplished amateur photographer, not a professional or a techie. I take photos with an iPhone 12 and a Panasonic SLR. I do not make highly technical adjustments to the images. Both of these printers produce excellent results. I purchased them for two reasons: saving on ink, and printing photographs with accurate colors. I have used Canon Pixma printers for decades, so I first tried the G620. Although I do most of my shopping on Amazon I purchased it at Best Buy for ease of potential return. It cost $330 (rounded up by a penny).
THE CANON G620:
PRO’s:
It was easy to fill the six ink tanks. Canon cleverly designed the tops of each one so they can only be inserted into the correct tanks.
No problem connecting to my wi-fi.
Documents printed quickly and looked fine.
The first 4x6 print I did was acceptable but not as good as I had expected. I corrected this quickly per the next bullet.
By default my Windows laptop installed its own drivers for the printer. These are not as good as Canon’s. I went to the Canon website and downloaded and installed their drivers for the 6 series.
Voila, very good photos, with accurate color and sharp edges! Thanks to other Amazon reviewers for calling this to my attention.
Photos printed quickly enough.
CON’S:
The most significant one, and why I switched to the Epson, is the paper handling. There is only one input tray, at the rear of the printer, which takes all sizes and types: 8x11 plain paper, 4x6, 5x7 and 8x11 photo paper, etc. At first I didn’t think I’d mind changing the paper, but after a while I did, per next bullet.
The display on the top of the printer is small, dim and awkwardly placed. I thought I might not need to use it that much, but every time you change paper you have to.
You need to pull the output tray out manually. No big deal if you are at your desk, but if you are in another room and want to print out an item on your phone you have to go the printer. A minor inconvenience but a nettlesome one at times.
THE EPSON ET-8500:.
PRO’s:
Equally easy to connect to wi-fi.
Even easier to set up. The correct drivers were downloaded automatically.
A terrific screen on the right front of the printer. Large, bright, easy to use.
Two input trays at the front, one for 4x6 and 5x7 photo paper, the other for 8x11 paper of either type.
Another input tray at the back! I use this on the relatively few occasions I print 8x11 photos, and I keep plain paper in the front tray. This is extremely convenient.
When you send an item to the printer it wakes up even if it’s turned off. The G620 did not do that.
The output tray comes out automatically; no need to pull it.
There is a button on the screen for pushing the output tray back in and closing the front.
That bright tilt-able front screen has every setting you need and is very intuitive.
Everything I printed came out fine and quickly. The photos were equal to Canon’s in quality, plus there is an Epson app for making further adjustments to them. I downloaded it and found it easy to use.
CON’s:
The cost: $700. That’s more than double the Canon G620, which is a significant consideration.
Two others that are not significant. The photo tray can be a little tricky to pull out and a tight fit when reinserting (it goes well toward the back). This can be relieved by first pulling out the 8x11 tray underneath it, giving your fingers more room.
Not really a con but when the printer is finished the screen shows two items: a little Home icon on the left and a larger “Troubleshooting” message next to that. Some users might think that means there was a problem, but it’s just in case there was. Touch Home and you’re set, then touch the Close Tray button on the bottom right.
BOTTOM LINE:
You may be wondering, Why spend that much more? And, why not buy a Canon Ink Tank printer of equivalent cost? Re the first, for the convenience of the paper handling and ease of use of the screen. I keep printers a long time and the cost spreads out over the years, especially not needing to buy cartridges. Re the second, I did research those, but prefer the size of the Epson, which is comparable to the G620. The higher priced Canons that I looked at were bulkier.
I hope this helps others. If I omitted anything you think should be included, or if you have questions or a difference of opinion, leave a comment and I’ll respond to it.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2022
