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advice on a printer for A3+


leicatraveller

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it's already few years that i m without printer, now i m totally out of understanding what is the "state of art" in this printers. I remember Epson was the top few years ago, but for what i see canon is growing fast in this field.

i need to print both color and black/white, i would like to print up to A3+

i would like to use also fine art paper (not always).also advices on paper are welcome :D

cost of inks is also important

i will prints from Full frame camera and also micro 4/3 files in my pre-Leica era

 

thanx for every advice i will get

 

ps i hope i posted in the right forum :cool:

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There are lots of threads in the Digital Post Processing (DPP) section, but the search box will pull up anything related from all forum sections.

 

Short story, Epson is still the lead manufacturer, with Canon also producing some nice gear. Within the Epson camp, a lot comes down to specs of each machine, including paper options (roll feed or not), paper size, ink cartridge capacity, ink set, etc, all of which is readily available for comparison on their site and elsewhere.

 

Short story, the Epson 3880 is a logical place to start for a 17" printer. The 4900 is a beast by comparison, with more inks and roll paper option, but it has been plagued with clogs.

 

Unfortunately, without much competition, Epson has really slowed down on new printer models. They finally seem ready to introduce a new line, but I wouldn't hold my breath. In the meantime, look for both manufacturer rebates and dealer discounts…both are frequently available, since the name of the game is to get you to buy the inks. There are 3rd party ink sets, but that's a discussion for another day once you get up to speed.

 

There are some great papers these days…the Canson line has become a favorite for many, including their wonderful Infinity Baryta Photographique.

 

As in the darkroom days, a lot comes down to technique and user judgment. The equipment options today are plenty good enough for some fine work…color and b/w.

 

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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Epson 3880 all the way, if you have space for an A2 printer. Much cheaper ink than the A3 models and when you calculate the amount of ink in this printer and its cost were you to use an A3 model's inks, the upgrade to A2 is basically free. Great printer!

 

Canson Baryta Photographique is a good one, but there are others I prefer personally. In the UK, the paper with the greatest depth (by far) is Harman by Hahnehmuhle (gloss). They do a warmtone version too. Relatively high gloss and no gloss differential or visible bronzing. Its in a league of its own in this regard. If you prefer more 'tooth' to the surface, I recommend Fotospeed Platinum Baryta (Fine Art range), which is heavy, has a nice base hue and has a lovely surface. These papers may go under different names in the US. Ilford Gold Fibre Silk is also a cracker, but with a warmer base. Great for B&W and used by Salgado in his Genesis exhibitions.

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For a 13" printer (A3), the OP might also research the new Epson Surecolor P600, which seems the replacement for the R3000. A google search will bring up various reviews and comparisons.

 

I personally prefer the 3800 series, with larger cartridges and flexibility to print larger, but tastes and needs vary.

 

Jeff

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According to Ilfords' web site Gold Fibre Silk is still available, as are all the other papers after the rescue of the Swiss company last year

 

Thanks….I didn't think this affected US supply, but it is in fact available. I called B&H, my usual source, and they verified, but explained that it's now being produced at a different plant under the new company. I wonder if it renders exactly the same….I'll find out once I exhaust my stock.

 

Jeff

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I'm also looking at possibly purchasing a printer. But my main concern is ink costs. Is it possible to get ink refills? I live in Japan os this might not be possible, but still considering that.

 

Epson 3000 seems to get a lot of good reviews.

 

Actually the R3000 has been superseded by the Surecolor P600, presumably the new platform for other Epsons to come. According to this article (one user's input), the R3000 has had some problems, but I'm not familiar with those.

 

On inks, I'm not sure what you mean about refills. Of course replacement cartridges are not only available, they are the profit basis for the manufacturer. There are 3rd party inks (full color ink sets and all b/w) as well, but one needs to deal with the quirks of introducing inks that Epson doesn't want you to use in their machine.

 

The cost of inks depends of course on both capacity and usage, the bigger cartridges costing less per ml. The 3880, for instance, has 80ml cartridges, while the R3000 has about 26ml. A machine should be used somewhat regularly to avoid clogging….this can be done by just running a print through once in a while if not otherwise active.

 

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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to this article (one user's input), the R3000 has had some problems, but I'm not familiar with those.

 

The R3000 is a fantastic machine when it's working, but mine lasted 13 months before a terminal blockage of the black ink, three checked and double checked replacements from Epson later, each of which failed in exactly the same way within three months, and I'm back to using Canon. Some people have no problems at all and its a reliable printer, so I wonder if something changed during its manufacture, but others seem to have had the same problem with the ink flow.

 

Steve

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Another reason for the tried and true 3880 if one chooses Epson. My 3800 has been terrific since purchase 6 years ago…the 3880 is a bit better, with no major issues that I know. With discounts and rebates, there's hardly any difference in cost compared to smaller machines, and if one prints fairly regularly, the ink costs are much better as well…plus the option to print larger if desired.

 

The 4900 has been well known to have clog issues (unlike the 4000 series predecessors), and production stopped for a while, I was told. I wasn't aware of the R3000 issues. This is apparently what happens when there's reduced competition in the printer world….no incentive for the company to continually improve and to introduce new models. Plus, I'm afraid that many just don't print anymore. Shame.

 

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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  • 2 weeks later...
Another reason for the tried and true 3880 if one chooses Epson. My 3800 has been terrific since purchase 6 years ago…the 3880 is a bit better, with no major issues that I know. With discounts and rebates, there's hardly any difference in cost compared to smaller machines, and if one prints fairly regularly, the ink costs are much better as well…plus the option to print larger if desired.

 

The 4900 has been well known to have clog issues (unlike the 4000 series predecessors), and production stopped for a while, I was told. I wasn't aware of the R3000 issues. This is apparently what happens when there's reduced competition in the printer world….no incentive for the company to continually improve and to introduce new models. Plus, I'm afraid that many just don't print anymore. Shame.

 

Jeff

 

Jeff

the R3000 do have problems Do a search. Irreparable heads which clog, and new ones cost a small fortune. Generally after a couple of years.

My wife gave me one for my birthday. After two years it is in the repairers, and I hold little hope. They have been working on it for 3 weeks now.

 

I'm very disappointed, as the assessment has been paid ($66) and quoted to fix what they thought was the ink flow lines (nearly $500) ; now they find it may be the head. Just don't know what sort of $$$'s I'll be up for. But very disappointed, as said.

 

Dave S

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I just bought the Epson 3880 instead of R3000 a week ago, which I was originally thinking. The reason was purely financial, due to ink size. The price difference between R3000 and 3880 was so small, that if you add 2 full loads of ink to R3000, in order to equalize ammount of ink supplied with peinters, the 3880 is already couple of hundred euro cheaper!

 

So unless space is a concern, there is absolutely no reason to get R3000 instead of 3880.

 

//Juha

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I do think it is very hard to go wrong either way; whether it be Canon or Epson. The prints that come out of my Canon 9500 MK2 are amazing. I've also seen what the newer pro models can deliver. Wow.

 

I will concede that the Epson is the hobbyist industry standard. However when making my choice, I choose Canon over the Epson for one singular very good reason - not regarding price directly. There is a Canon store near where I live; which will allow me to very easily source paper and inks. With Epson, I'd have to get them shipped from over seas and deal with long wait times, expensive shipping, among other things.

 

My advice, find what is easiest to get near by. If you live in the U.S. i suppose everything is easy to order from B&H or Adorama. Unfortunately, I don't have that option because I'm not in the U.S.

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I agree that the Epson 3880 is the hobbyist industry standard, but the difference between Canon and Epson is marginal.

 

Regarding paper, the choice is almost unlimited and preferences are different, but I have landed on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta for B/W and Ilford Gold Fibre Silk for color.

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I bought my first R3000 in 2011. I was very impressed with how fantastic quality the relatively small printer could achieve.

Last summer it would no longer communicate with my computer.

A rumor says that EPSON embeds an automatic "suicide- function" in their printers.

I reckon that it was this one that had been triggered.

 

R3000 has not collecting tank for excess ink. So the printer also was becoming quite full of ink residue, which led to unwanted droplets of ink onto pictures.

 

I bought a new R3000 in September 2014. It began to fail after three months.

The printer increasingly insisted that the paper was jammed in the mechanism, and then refused to boot.

 

I E-mailed Epson - they replied that the printer had to be repaired.

I have neither read online or talked to people who have had a lasting successful repair of an affordable Epson printer.

Considering how expensive it is to package and send a printer, and to risk paying for new cartridges, - I dropped this.

Last month, I took the loss and bought the successor to the R3000, - the SC-P600.

Epson says in advertising that they have "addressed the problems" with R3000 when they constructed SC-P600.

 

The mechanics of R3000 consisted only of plastic. Honestly speaking the SC-P600 looks to be quite similar.

I have not had time to go to the recycling center the last six months, so now I have two scrapped R3000 standing here at home. Maybe I should just wait until the new SC-P600 printer collapses too.

 

Epson opened a wonderful world of beautiful photo printing for me, - and I am grateful for that.

But Epson has to do something serious with the reliability of their products.

As it is now, they are a major contributor to one of our times worst problem, E-waste astray in developing countries.

Here emphatically documented by UNICEF photograph Kai Loefelbein.

e-waste in Ghana, China, India |

Also known in the Leica Camera Blog:

Kai Löffelbein: UNICEF Photograph of the Year Award Winner

 

All in all I think the Epson 3880 is the best printer Epson manufactures, but it is a bit too much for my purposes.

3880 will probably soon get a successor from the P-series, because Epson has said that all photo-printers gradually will switch to the "Sure Color" ink.

 

Regards

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All in all I think the Epson 3880 is the best printer Epson manufactures, but it is a bit too much for my purposes.

 

With manufacturer rebates, along with retailer discounts, you should be able to find one for hardly more than yours. And the ink costs over the long term, which is where the real costs lie, will be much better per ml with the larger cartridges. Even if not used frequently, running a print through every so often will keep things in good shape. Plus you get a nice printer….with a large maintenance cartridge for excess inks (clean cycles).

 

Jeff

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