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New Printer Lust

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I have an Epson 2400 and am lusting for something with larger ink tanks. I think that my reasonable alternatives are the 3800 and the 4880.
I like the idea of a cheaper 3800, but I also like the vivid magenta ink system of the 4880.
Comments folks?
thanks
-bob
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
As you know, I have a 3800 and love it. That said, I would sure be tempted to see the same print from a 4880 and 38/4800 compared directly before buying an older generation printer... IMO every new Epson generation to date has pretty much outperformed its predecessor.
 

woodyspedden

New member
Jack

I agree and just bought the 3800 to go along with my large format 7800. So I do proofing and smaller prints on the 3800 and when I go up to 22x36 I use the 7800. There is no doubt that the new 7880 with the vivid magenta cartridges goes another step up the ladder. When I was at the Charlie Cramer printing conference he showed us some very large prints done with the 11880 (64 inch if I remember correctly) by Bill Atkinson who we all know is a printing genius. The results were just sensational. So before I bought the 3800 I inquired of many folks in the industry as to whether a 3880 was in the works. The responses I got was not in the next year at least and maybe never. I guess Epsons response is to get you to go to the 4880 for the 17" solution to the vivid magenta ink set.

As you know, I have a 3800 and love it. That said, I would sure be tempted to see the same print from a 4880 and 38/4800 compared directly before buying an older generation printer... IMO every new Epson generation to date has pretty much outperformed its predecessor.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Woody,
Just out of curiosity, why did you buy the 3800 rather than the 4880?
I am stuck on this question myself.
-bob
 

PSon

Active member
I am too stuck at this question whether to buy the 3800 or the 4880. If I buy only one printer I would buy the 4880 or new 7800. Besides the vivid magenta color both the 4880 and 7800 offers 16 bit in OXS while the 3800 does not. However, I would love to hear the guru in printer like Jack to comment on these printers.
 
D

DougDolde

Guest
One of the best things about my 3800 besides the low price is that I can move it single handedly.

I previously owned a 2400 and it was a total ink pig because of the tiny cartridges.

But if I were buying now, I would get the latest generation **80
 

woodyspedden

New member
Woody,
Just out of curiosity, why did you buy the 3800 rather than the 4880?
I am stuck on this question myself.
-bob
Hey Bob

I have no need for roll paper as I already have the 7800. The size and weight of the 4880 is prohibitive in my studio (most of the room already taken up by the 7800). The cost to switch blacks is very low with the 3800. The 3800 I got for $1295 which is a long way from the 4880, particularly if you need the stand as well.

Woody
 

etrigan63

Active member
I too am looking at the 3800 to replace my beloved R800. I want to move to making larger prints but was put off by the "cheapness" of the R1400 & R2400. Is the 3800 more solidly built?
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
The 3800 is built almost as well as the 4800, which is perhaps half a notch behind in "robustness" to the 78/98/10880 --- IOW the 3800 is pretty well built, especially for the money :)
 

Terry

New member
I'm reading this thread with interest as I haven't figured out my final printing solution. B&H shows 3 different versions of the 3800. Professional, Portait, basic. Best as I can tell it is software differences. Is there a major difference?

I have access to the digital labs at ICP where I've used the 2400's and am currently signed up for a class on large scale printing which is scheduled before Moab which is a huge bummer (so I may postpone the class). If I bring my own paper and print on the 2400 I just pay for ink useage at cheap rates. So, I figured printing there was the best idea until I can't use the labs anymore. I can always be convinced that this is a flawed strategy (since all the time I wonder if it is a mistake) but the setup is pretty good with mac pros and EIZO ColorEdge monitors. I can print 8x10 at home off a canon basic 5 ink printer.
 

Paul2660

Well-known member
Re: New Printer Lust 3880 versions

The Professional comes a RIP, I don't know if it's a Epson brand or imageprint. The Professional 7880 and 9880 come with imageprint.

The Wedding version comes with a software package designed to help you output images for a wedding environment. It is basically an entire workflow for a wedding photographer from producing a test sheet to the final prints for the client.

The basic version just is a 3880 with no additional software.

Paul C
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
It looks like I am still between Scilla and Chrybdis...
7880 is just too big
3800 looks nice, but I like the '80 features and inks
4880 can't handle anything smaller than letter size (maybe with roll paper but it seems not? Can it print a four inch long borderless print on 13 inch roll paper? What is the narrowest roll paper it can handle?)
If the 4880 can handle narrow rolls, then that is how I will go I guess.
-bob
 

jlm

Workshop Member
in the 4880 manual:
roll paper:
8.3-17" wide;
max external roll diameter:
2" core: 4"
3" core 6"

max paper thickness .8-.5mm

and:
"some 2" core roll paper at widths smaller than 10" may cause the print head to strike the surface of the paper...If you notice this paper damage, epson recommends using paper on a 3" core."
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
It feels like I am being maneuvered into a 3800 or maybe a 4880 and keep my r2400 for the small stuff, or maybe a 3800 AND a 7880.....
-bob
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Looking down the barrel of another $200.00 or so of ink for my R2400 I ordered the 3800 instead.
I am just hoping that Epson does me the courtesy of not announcing the 3880 for about a year. :angel:
-bob
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Bob, the 3800 is a great printer and given the cost, not overly expensive to run while we wait on the 3880. In the end, you are giving up some super-saturated reds, pinks and blues that rarely if ever turn up in nature, but of course do in city signage and logos; for me as primarily a landscape shooter, it is not a huge concern. (In fact, the older K3 actually has a slightly LARGER green gamut than the new inks, which can help with landscape.)

Of more interest to me, is the 16-bit driver option for Leopard. Apparently Epson was only going to be offering these for the x880 printers, but when I loaded the latest 3800 drivers for Leopard that option is included. I have not experimented with much it yet, but it could be a very cool feature.

Here is the gamut comparison: http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/printers/epson9880.html

Cheers,
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
I'm currently using an HP Z3100ps. This is a great printer. Quality is very very high. The gloss enhancer eliminates bronzing and gloss differential. The fact that it has self-contained hardware calibration for ink limits, etc. and for ICC profiles makes it easy to set up a new paper, and profiles can be checked every time you change a cart. The calibration and profiling processes are totally automated. I'm using it primarily for B&W and in terms of tone graduation and freedom from color shifts it's as good as my dedicated septone setup. Check out the review on Luminous Landscape.

I'm printing on the new Ilford baryta paper (after trying a number of papers). Again see the LL review. I agree with LL's assessment that Ilford Galerie Gold is overall the best of the new barytas. (The Harmon Gloss FB is a lovely paper but for me the surface is too fragile for real life.) The effect is very much like a silver print on F surface fiber-based paper like the old Oriental Seagull - the Harmon paper is the most convincing in this respect.

The software is terrific. It integrates nicely into LR which adds some of the flexibility in terms of layout that you would get in a RIP.

HP support has been very good so far.

Downsides: it's really big, substantially bigger than the typical 24" printer. Also no real capacity for sheet feed (you have to do it by hand).
 
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