Printers ... what's good and what's not.

[Keith]

In the new year I'm planning to buy a new printer to replace my R2400 which has always been a bit of an ink glutton due to the constant head cleaning it seems to need. Perhaps I don't use it often enough and the small ink tanks are a pain.

The latest pro level Epson still appears to be the 3880 .... any opinions here or are there others (brands) I should be considering?

Thanks in advance. 🙂

 

[Jager]

The Epson 3880 probably has the best reputation among Epson K3 pigment models for reliability in an episodic print environment. I have gone weeks and months between print sessions with mine and it always just works. It seems the one model in Epson's lineup immune to the frequently advised mantra of "print at least once a week."

Highly recommended.

Among the 13"-footprint models, the 2880 enjoyed a pretty good reputation. My guess is that the R3000 may have inherited much of that good DNA. But no personal experience.

 

[lynnb]

I'm a happy 3880 user with intermittent use. I've also heard good things about the Canon equivalent higher end models (both the pigment and the dye ink versions) and have some prints from them, which look very good also.

The Epson won it for me with its support and lower operating costs, mainly due to the large ink carts, and the printer ships with a full set of carts rather than "starter carts" which are only part full.

 

[Keith]

I'm a happy 3880 user with intermittent use. I've also heard good things about the Canon equivalent higher end models (both the pigment and the dye ink versions) and have some prints from them, which look very good also.

The Epson won it for me with its support and lower operating costs, mainly due to the large ink carts, and the printer ships with a full set of carts rather than "starter carts" which are only part full.

Thanks Lynn .... the 3880 does seem very good though it has been around a while. And amazingly Kayell here in Brisbane seems to have the best price in Oz at the moment. 🙂

 

[Addy101]

I've got the A3+ Epson R2000, I'm happy with the results, but if I had to buy again, I would get the also A3+ R3000 because of the bigger ink tanks. The R3880 is a much bigger (17") printer, if you want that, by all means.

The only competition to Epson in the semi-pro/enthusiast department is Canon. Canon's 17" printer is the imagePROGRAF iPF5100, but the A3+ printers are the PIXMA PRO-1, PRO-10 and PRO-100. You might want to look into those as well.

 

[Richard G]

Just got the measurements for the 3880 online to see if it fits in a new cabinet we just bought. Raising a shelf one peg will do it. For the reasons Lynn gives it is the obvious standout. Nothing has superseded it as Epson can't make them much better.

 

[Bill Clark]

Could you hook yourself up to a lab and let them handle the printing? With the internet I can transmit my files to the lab and get the prints I need rather quickly.

I do have an older Canon Ink jet printer and I use it with an old Dell computer to print business stuff.

For my Mac items I only use a laser printer, black & white only, printing mostly pdf files.

I would rather spend the time figuring out home printing making photographs. Only 24 hours to each of my days!

 

[calebarchie]

Might be worth looking into PiezoFlush for intermittent printing or storage with epsons.

 

[robert blu]

I'm owner of a 8 years old HP9180B which I still find very good. Anyway I'm looking around for a possible substitute next year and I have been very well impressed by prints B&W and colors I saw from the new Canon models, of which I would prefer the pigment one.
robert

 

[barnwulf]

I had a R2400 quite a few years ago and while it was an excellent printer, it went through ink like crazy with those very small ink cartridges like Keith's experience. I had a Epson Stylus Pro 4800 for lots of year of trouble free printing. I replaced it last year with a R3000 and I am delighted with the prints that it makes. If 13X19 paper sizes works for you I think the R3000 is a nice option. It's ink cartridges are larger than the R2400 and I have had little very few problems with clogged nozzles that required cleaning. - jim

 

[splaaash]

I use a Brother laser and canon ink jet.In the past my canon a simple 2225 i think with two large cartridges which will keep printing even when empty as did my ip90 but not my 5555 which has five micro cartridges which cost more than the printer 69€

the las

 

[Dan]

I have a 3800 for 8 years and print sporadically. Must be lucky because I've never experienced any clogging, even when the printer sat unused for 5 months. The quality of the prints are outstanding and I see no reason to look at another printer until absolutely necessary.

 

[Peter David Grant]

Another vote for the 3880! Awesome prints, OK ink costs, and it can sit around for ages without being used.

 

[Godfrey]

I had my Epson R2400 from October 2005 until just a couple of months ago, when I gave it (still in good working shape!) to a friend who needed a better printer but couldn't afford anything. She's now continuing to use it to make prints for sale, as I did for the past decade. I never had much trouble with clogs using the R2400, an occasional cleaning is all it took to keep it perfectly happy and churning out high quality prints.

Since I don't really need larger than 13x19 inch print capability, I replaced the R2400 with an Epson SureColor P600. New, MUCH larger ink tanks; completely updated inks; much better paper transport system; plenty of excellent paper profiles available; etc etc. It is excellent, produces the nicest blacks and very fine tonal gradients. It also fits in the same exact space as the R2400 and is less fussy to use. I'm very pleased with it.

G

 

[Vince Lupo]

Just got the measurements for the 3880 online to see if it fits in a new cabinet we just bought. Raising a shelf one peg will do it. For the reasons Lynn gives it is the obvious standout. Nothing has superseded it as Epson can't make them much better.

Just make sure you have room to feed the paper -- if you're using 'manual front', you'll need to add at least 12" or more extra room behind the printer (as it pulls the paper from the front of the printer through to back of the printer). If you're top loading you'll need to add extra height for the paper when it sits in the loader. This is of particular note if you're planning on using 13"x19" paper.

I love my 3880 and do all my black and white exhibition prints with it (using the OEM inks).

 

[mfogiel]

Go with the P800 Keith.
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/epson-sc_p800_review.html

 

[chikne]

 

[KEH]

I went through every conceivable variant of cheaper Epsons, different ink sets, etc. I would gladly have taken each of them out into a field and shot them after a few months. Endless clogging problems.

The 3880 is simply wonderful. Beautiful prints. Never clogs, even with highly intermittent use. Wide support in terms of software and paper profiles. And it's not all that big for a 17" printer. I will use mine until it finally dies (or until I finally die).

For BW you may find that the best quality using Advanced B&W is with Epson papers - which makes sense since ABW is presumably optimized to work with these papers.

Cheers,
Kirk

 

[plummerl]

Add me to the chorus of 3880 supporters. Best printer I've ever owned.