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A900: a few questions

fotografz

Well-known member
Jono, I know I need to do my little bit to keep the economy going but I've just had a google at the Epson 3800......and at £900ish for the printer and £425 for a full set of replacement inks, I can't help but feel there is plenty of life left in the o'l canon yet :ROTFL:.
Get the 3800 ... it'll be a revelation when you print the A900 files.:lecture:

IMO, get the version with Color-Burst Rip software ... especially if you print a lot at one time. I load an entire wedding album's worth of images instantly, and go on with other work while the 3800 relentlessly churns them all out on it's own ... no sending images one at a time like I had to do with my R2400.:thumbs:

IThe 3800 is pretty efficient on ink use, so the cartridges last a long time. :)

If 13" X 19" is big enough for your applications, (or 13" X44" with roll paper) look at the Epson R1900 @ $450. ... an especially good printer if you shoot a lot of people images due to it's additional red and orange inks. Plus, there is something Epson calls "Radiance Technology" that reduces grain and provides smoother color transitions while assuring that colors stay consistent in virtually any viewing light. It is supposed to be maximized for higher resolution printing ... which would place it squarely in the sights of A900 users.:thumbup:

IMO, it is only when one is printing that you really see what this camera is capable of ... if it's only for web display, most of the camera's abilities are wasted and it's drawbacks are magnified.
 

dhsimmonds

New member
Get the 3800 ... it'll be a revelation when you print the A900 files.:lecture: IMO, get the version with Color-Burst Rip software ...
Yep, I can feel another ton of my cash will be spent soon, replacing my ageing R2400. There ought to be a health warning about 'expensive habit forming' with this forum:ROTFL:
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Well what do you expect 2 gear sluts own it. :ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL:

This IS a dangerous forum. :bugeyes:
 

picman

Member
I'm pretty happy with the results of my Epson R2880 but I find the speed at which the ink goes and the price for replacements quite high.

Cheers, Bob
 

dhsimmonds

New member
Bob
Shop around on the internet for genuine Epson pigment ink replacements cartridges. In the UK 7 Day shop is a good starting place but even Amazon occasionally have them at half price. I usually buy in bulk quantities about twice a year.
 

dhsimmonds

New member
Guy, it sure is, almost as expensive as that other place where we first 'met'!:D This forum is much more useful and educational though IMHO:lecture:
 

picman

Member
Bob
Shop around on the internet for genuine Epson pigment ink replacements cartridges. In the UK 7 Day shop is a good starting place but even Amazon occasionally have them at half price. I usually buy in bulk quantities about twice a year.
Thanks Dave, I'll certainly keep an eye out for that.

Cheers, Bob.
 

Eoin

Member
Mark, with the Epson 3800, do I understand correctly that there are 9 ink tanks. All of which are installed in the printer at the same time?. 6 of which are for colour work and 3 (mat black, light grey, lighter grey) for black and white printing.

With the 3800 you don't need to replace the black tank with the mat black tank when you want to switch to B&W like you have to do with other Epson printers?. The printer somehow knows (perhaps print driver setting) that it's to use the correct black tank for the job and the printer doesn't have to purge out all that expensive ink on a change over?.

How's the colour burst RIP software, any problems on a Mac?. Is it PPC compatible, intel or both?.

TIA
:banghead: I don't need..... I don't need...... but I've seen one a very good price...... :wtf: you only live once...
 

Dale Allyn

New member
Eoin, as I understand it, the Epson 3800 still does a "line purge" when changing from photo black to matte black and visa-versa, though it is a much milder sort of purge in comparison to the older models. Do check with other sources to confirm this (like others here, etc.), but it was my understanding that Epson had still not "fixed" this design issue until the 7900/9900 models.

It's a deal breaker for me, and why I currently use Canon ImagePROGRAF printers (all blacks are "plumbed" directly to the heads). Though if I were to upgrade now I'd look closely at the Epson 7900/9900. Clogging is a big issue for me as I print sporadically due to my travel schedule and other commitments, and the Canon iPF printers have been bomb-proof for me in that regard.
 

Eoin

Member
thanks for that Dale, I hadn't thought about head clogging.
I tend to not print for a month or two, then I spend hours running off lots of stuff.

I wonder if Epson has improved this area?.
 

Dale Allyn

New member
thanks for that Dale, I hadn't thought about head clogging.
I tend to not print for a month or two, then I spend hours running off lots of stuff.

I wonder if Epson has improved this area?.
My printing sessions can look like that too. I have even turned my printer off for a few months (rather than leaving it to auto clean as needed), turned it on, it did a clean, and I resumed printing without issue. Others have reported the same.

Now with the newest firmware, the Canon printers are doing a better job of keeping ink consumption to a minimum for cleanings. The older firmware versions tended to waste more ink.

Not pushing Canon iPF printers here, just adding to the dialogue for those who might have printing habits which differ from others. Hopefully, these conversations help folks to consider needed features, and keeps pressure on Epson, HP and others to give us what we need. In my case, I print a lot on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, but like certain other papers which require photo black, and like to be able to print any paper type without delay or adjustment (or wasting ink).
 

Georg Baumann

Subscriber Member
Eoin,

I use both, the little 3800 and the "spaceship" :) 11880.

The swapping of blacks uses a little amaount of ink purge, nothing to be too fuzzy about really. I have not had a clogged head since August 2008, when I bought both maschines, and they do not print on a daily basis. I had both printers switched off during a 5 weeks period, returned, printed, no problem.

The 3800 is a very fine printer. Not the latest in ink technology, but well, it creates prints of excellent quality in deed!

It is not created as a high volume production maschine of course. But for smaller print runs it is just fine.

If you do print larger volumes, it might be the wrong maschine for you and you should look at the 7900 as an alternative, giving you the 24" option at the same time, the 3800 goes 17" only, and of course rollpaper and much larger ink tanks, hence better economics!
 

jlm

Workshop Member
my understanding with the 4880 is that it is better to turn off the printer when idle as the heads then park in a way that keeps them from clogging. i have done so with good results
 

fotografz

Well-known member
my understanding with the 4880 is that it is better to turn off the printer when idle as the heads then park in a way that keeps them from clogging. i have done so with good results
I wonder if that's the same with the 3800?

I go a month between printing ... sometime longer ... especially in winter when I'm not doing weddings.

I've never experienced clogs or the need to clean the heads as of yet ... but I do not leave the printer on when not using it.
 

Georg Baumann

Subscriber Member
Hi Graham,

according to Epson UK it applies for the 3800 as well, better to turn it off.

I turn off both maschines every evening.
 

Eoin

Member
Gentlemen, thanks for all the advice on the printers. I've some food for thought to keep me thinking for the next few weeks.

The 7900 is out of my price range for sure €3k this side of the pond.
The Canon is not well supported here either.

So that leaves me a choice between the 4880 and the 3800 at €920 & €1500.
I kind of like the ability to tray load the media and have the capability to use roll paper stock, but unless I was doing a lot of panorama stuff the roll function is a bit wasted for me now. The inks seem cheaper for the 4880 but it seems to waste lots of ink between gloss and matte media changes (20ml) according to some reports. Must have something to do with actually having to physically swap the tanks.

Sense tells me the 3800 is more of a fit to my needs, with the ability to print beyond A3+ to 17x22 (borderless). Ink changes use 1.5ml to switch from gloss to matte and 4.5ml to go back without having to swap out tanks.

I love the Hahnemuhle Photo Rag for monochrome, I presume I'll get good results with the 3800?. Photo Rag has a tendency to curl a little.

My only concern, is the 3800 is quite old now in printer life cycles. Support may become an issue over the next few years.

Greham, sorry, I don't know why I keep calling you Mark, Dhu!. I'll get it right one of these days :rolleyes:.

Thanks again Guys, feel free to persuade me otherwise if you think there is another option I'm missing without breaking the bank. :ROTFL:
 
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