M9 & Epson 4880

[steve70]

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Hello,

I see pleanty of referances to the Epson 4880 on this Forum, so I have a question.

Up till now I have been using an Epson 2200. I just swithced to an iMac and I see pleanty of issues with the 2200 and the iMac such as no longer having the ink status bar, or the capability of doing a contct sheet with it and CS4.

I noticed that the 4880 comes in 3 different styles.

Is the regular model more than adequate for images?, especially B&W?

What kind of life do the cartridges have?

I noticed that they are in the $60.00 plus range, while for the 2200 the have been in the $10.00 plus range. Do they hold a lot more ink?

 

Thanks

[noah_addis]

I've been using a 4880 for a few months now.

 

I have the standard model and I'm using the standard Epson driver that came with the printer. It works very well, and I've mostly printed B&W photos from the M8 and M9.

 

The ink cartridges are much more expensive but much, much larger. The price per ML of ink is substantially less with the 4880, though it can be a shock if you need to buy a few cartridges at once since it's a lot of cash to put out. But in the long run, it will be much cheaper. The 4880 cartridges are 110ML each, but the 4880 can also use the 220ML cartridges, which are even cheaper per ML of ink.

 

I don't have my 2200 anymore but the cartridges are much smaller.

 

I've had the printer for around two months I guess and I've done about 40 17x22in prints and a bunch of smaller ones as well. (And I should add that many of my photos are quite dark with deep blacks.) Almost all of them have been B&W using the Epson driver's advanced B&W mode. I have not replaced a cartridge yet, though my photo black one is just now blinking that it's low.

 

If you don't print a lot I don't know if you'll run into problems with the ink going bad from old age. The instructions say to use it within six months of installation, though I haven't had the printer long enough to know if that's a real problem and in any event I'll probably print enough volume that it won't be a problem.

 

I've been printing on Hahnemuhle fineart Baryta paper and the results are stunning. I'm very happy with the printer. Also, if you do a lot of big jobs, the print speed is much better than the 2200.

[steve70]

Thank you Noha.

I actually was just talked into purchasing an Epson r2880.

Got it through Epson and they even have a $200.00 rebate, only if buy through them!.

Not fair to authorized dealers, but $200.00 is $200.00

I have been told that the B&W prints are about as good if not as good as the 4880

As long as it is reliable, I have had my 2200 for going on 6 years now and never had an issue.

Actually a friend gave me a spare one that he used once, I guess I can sell it on eBay.

Thanks again

[noah_addis]

I bought my 4880 through B&H and got an $850 rebate making the price similar to the smaller printers. (Actually there were two rebates in effect, one for $500 and one for $350). Just an fyi, don't know if they're still in effect.

[steve70]

Thanks Noha.

There is a $500.00 rebate on the 4880, bu tit is still a bit pricey.

Especially since I shelled out for the new iMac, CS 4 and new M9, a used 50 f1., used 16-18-21 Tri Elmar and a used 28-35-50 Tri Elmar. I have pretty much reached the limit, for now anyway.

So the Epson r2880 will have to suffice for a while.

Heck, I still have have to figure out on how to implement most of this stuff!.

Thanks

[innerimager]

I use the older 4000, and use the Image Print RIP. Great results! best...Peter

[wlaidlaw]

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I am going to go for a 3880 when I get back to France. I don't need roll feed and you don't have to change black carts to go from gloss to matt like you did on the 3800. I am not sure if you have to on the 4880.

 

My HP B9180 has died again and this time it is out of warranty. I see many of the B9180's are dying from the same cause at about 2+ years old (all the print heads show as faulty simultaneously). My brother also has a B9180, which he has never got on with and said I could have his, to use all of the spare carts I have from 5 warranty replacements, as you get a full new set of carts with each replacement. However he has just told me his is now showing three of the four print heads faulty, so that looks moribund as well. At least Epson offers a long extended warranty/professional service in France, which HP did not do, unlike other countries, where you could buy a 3 year warranty from HP. I tried all the tricks on the HP, like cleaning out the ink dump and cleaning bar and reloading the firmware, etc - no avail. The Canon Pixma Pro 9500 I have in the UK eats ink and the carts are tiny. It seems as I have to replace one or other of the 10 carts every time I print.

 

Wilson

[noah_addis]

You do have to change black cartridges on the 4880, though it's not an issue for me since I really dislike matte paper. I pretty much have standardized on the fine art baryta and it works great with the photo black.

 

But if you do switch back and forth, it can get expensive since it wastes ink.

[smgorsch]

I've used the Epson 3800 w/ M8 for the past couple of years and had no problem generating great A2 prints. Really quite impressive for.

 

Unfortunately, my printer has decided to die moments before the M9 arrives (I hope). Other than roll paper, any reason to opt for the 4880 in lieu of the 3880?

 

stefan

[sanyasi]

I purchased the Epson 4880 about two months ago. It is fabulous. A full set of inks (110ML) runs around $400. You get a complete set when you buy the printer. Others indicated that about half the ink is used to prime the printer the first time you use it. That may be a slight exaggeration, but it is close. Yet I have been printing on largely 17 by 22 for two months and am still working on the first batch. I'd say I have printed about 60 prints. Of that, I think one or two were bad. The next batch of cartridges should produce more prints, at least that is what people say who have experience. You quickly come to appreciate that you aren't being forced to order cartridges every week--with them running out at inconvenient times. I did a calculation, which I don't remember exactly, but I think that when I was paying $12 or $13 for an R2400 cartridge, the equivalent cost went down to about $10 or $11 when you use the 4880. There is some savings, but not a lot.

 

What I like about the Epson 4880 is the exact borders that I get. I was using the more consumer Epson R2400 and the borders were nowhere as consistent. I also had a lot of paper jams. Not with the Epson 4880. I use Moab Gloss, which is about $90 for a box of 25 sheets. I tried the roll, which I estimate gives you about 27 sheets, but I didn't like it. The paper comes out curled. There are devices to fix that, but since you don't get a big if any discount for buying a roll, I don't see the need. However, the sheet fed paper does not let you bleed the print (full page coverage). If I recall, you are forced to have a .56 inch margin for at least one side, which effectively forces margins for the other sides unless you use a paper cutters. You can get closer to full print coverage with the roll, but I like a border so I have switched back to sheet paper.

 

Be forewarned: The Epson 4880 is huge. Take a close look at the measurements to make sure you have the space. You can buy a stand for it for around $350.

 

I bought mine two months ago when Epson was giving a $850 rebate. That really cuts the cost. That sort of discount suggests that Epson may be coming out with a newer version. The one thing I might wait if I were you is that you can't load photo and matte black at the same time. Epson gets a lot of criticism over that, so one of these days I suspect that they will come out with a printers that allows the two to co-exist at the same time. I limit my printing to photo black so I don't really care.

 

By the way, set up was a snap, once I got some one to help me lift the thing. Don't do that on your own.

 

I bought the standard one. I asked someone about the other ones. Apparently, they have special software. For example, one version is designed for situations where photos are being combined with text in design layouts. If I recall, I was advised that for straight photography, there is not need for the this software, but check.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Jack Siegel

[Jeff S]

Other than roll paper, any reason to opt for the 4880 in lieu of the 3880? stefan

 

The 4880 can use 220 ml cartridges, not just 110...compared to 80 ml for 3880. The 4880 also has auto nozzle/head cleaning function, unlike 3880. The paper feed and handling is also built to higher standard on the 4880 (not just the roll paper capability). The 3880, however, has one additional cartridge bay, which makes switching between matte/gloss black easier and less expensive. A quick Google search will give other relevant differences in specs and features.

 

I own the 3800, and have a 4880 on order, which I intend to dedicate to B&W using Cone inks (7 shades). The discounts made the choice between it and the 3880 a no-brainer, since the dealer gave me a $250 discount in addition to the $500 rebate (available in US until year end)...making the 4880 cheaper than its smaller sibling.

 

Be careful, though, to factor in shipping and delivery costs, since the 4880 is a monster. The printer and its optional stand each weigh over 100 lbs boxed, and the packaging is substantial. My dealer gave me a break on this part, too, and is helping with unpacking and placement upstairs (for a small fee).

 

Jeff

[wlaidlaw]

The 4880 can use 220 ml cartridges, not just 110...compared to 80 ml for 3880. The 4880 also has auto nozzle/head cleaning function, unlike 3880. The paper feed and handling is also built to higher standard on the 4880 (not just the roll paper capability). The 3880, however, has one additional cartridge bay, which makes switching between matte/gloss black easier and less expensive. A quick Google search will give other relevant differences in specs and features.

 

I own the 3800, and have a 4880 on order, which I intend to dedicate to B&W using Cone inks (7 shades). The discounts made the choice between it and the 3880 a no-brainer, since the dealer gave me a $250 discount in addition to the $500 rebate (available in US until year end)...making the 4880 cheaper than its smaller sibling.

 

Be careful, though, to factor in shipping and delivery costs, since the 4880 is a monster. The printer and its optional stand each weigh over 100 lbs boxed, and the packaging is substantial. My dealer gave me a break on this part, too, and is helping with unpacking and placement upstairs (for a small fee).

 

Jeff

 

Jeff,

 

Do you get a copy of the Epson RIP software with the 4880? I was very impressed when I was playing with this on my daughter's father-in-law's 7880 and 11880 wide format printers (bit of a long trip to use these as they live in Baltimore, MA). It seemed a big advance on the PS CS4 print interface for Mac. I also had some M8 images printed up to 24" x 36" by my local print shop in France, being up-rezzed by the Epson RIP engine. Again I was very impressed.

 

Wilson

[Jeff S]

Jeff,

 

Do you get a copy of the Epson RIP software with the 4880? I was very impressed when I was playing with this on my daughter's father-in-law's 7880 and 11880 wide format printers (bit of a long trip to use these as they live in Baltimore, MA). It seemed a big advance on the PS CS4 print interface for Mac. I also had some M8 images printed up to 24" x 36" by my local print shop in France, being up-rezzed by the Epson RIP engine. Again I was very impressed.

 

Wilson

 

Comes standard with Epson driver. However, I plan to install Harrington Quad RIP for use with Cone inks. I agree that the Epson RIP is very good, but for B&W work, the Quad RIP is better, even when using Epson inks. Some small amount of color ink is still used for B&W printing with Epson inks.

 

I know you meant Baltimore, MD (Maryland, not Massachusetts). I mentioned to you in a Barnack post that it's my home town.

 

Jeff

[wlaidlaw]

Comes standard with Epson driver. However, I plan to install Harrington Quad RIP for use with Cone inks. I agree that the Epson RIP is very good, but for B&W work, the Quad RIP is better, even when using Epson inks. Some small amount of color ink is still used for B&W printing with Epson inks.

 

I know you meant Baltimore, MD (Maryland, not Massachusetts). I mentioned to you in a Barnack post that it's my home town.

 

Jeff

 

Jeff,

 

Apologies for mis-stating.

 

Wilson

[carlos diaz]

Comes standard with Epson driver. However, I plan to install Harrington Quad RIP for use with Cone inks. I agree that the Epson RIP is very good, but for B&W work, the Quad RIP is better, even when using Epson inks. Some small amount of color ink is still used for B&W printing with Epson inks.

 

I know you meant Baltimore, MD (Maryland, not Massachusetts). I mentioned to you in a Barnack post that it's my home town.

 

Jeff

 

Question about the cone inks and 4880 (this may be a new thread). Will their use void the Epson warranty? I love the look of the print and took a workshop w/John Cone several years ago. The carbon based inks, which I assume are still used, had a beautiful black and white look............very much like platinum on matte paper but I too like the glossy inks. thanks

[Jeff S]

Question about the cone inks and 4880 (this may be a new thread). Will their use void the Epson warranty? I love the look of the print and took a workshop w/John Cone several years ago. The carbon based inks, which I assume are still used, had a beautiful black and white look............very much like platinum on matte paper but I too like the glossy inks. thanks

 

Will not void warranty, by law, although Epson may try to say this to encourage buying their product. Unless they can prove the inks caused the damage, there is no issue.

 

I plan to use Cone inks primarily on glossy papers. Currently they have K7 selenium inks with a gloss optimizer, which works on the 4800 series and, soon, on the 3880. It's a two step process, but allows printing on my favorite papers for B&W, like Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta and Photo Rag Pearl. By changing out the black in the set, the inks can also be used on matte finishes.

 

Jeff

[chrism]

I'm using an Epson SPR2400 with Quad Tone RIP for B&W, and the Epson driver for colour work. I have experimented at length with connecting it to an Apple Airport so that it might be used wirelessly - I have two other printers connected this way and it would be convenient to have them all in one spot where I can go and look at the output. Unfortunately the Quad Tone RIP doesn't like connecting without a USB cable (it is possible and I eventually made it work) but the Epson driver is the real hassle. All sorts of options disappear when connected through an Airport (forget the advanced B&W, and most paper types along with most paper profiles and the highest quality print settings). Alternatively, the Apple-supplied Gutenprint driver tries hard but doesn't begin to supply all the options. So I'm back to lugging the MacBook upstairs to plug in and print.

My question, since the 4880 and 3880 are ethernet equipped, I assume their drivers are capable of working equally well over a network as when directly connected via USB. Can any Mac owner who has either printer and has used them over a network confirm this, please?

 

Chris

[wlaidlaw]

I'm using an Epson SPR2400 with Quad Tone RIP for B&W, and the Epson driver for colour work. I have experimented at length with connecting it to an Apple Airport so that it might be used wirelessly - I have two other printers connected this way and it would be convenient to have them all in one spot where I can go and look at the output. Unfortunately the Quad Tone RIP doesn't like connecting without a USB cable (it is possible and I eventually made it work) but the Epson driver is the real hassle. All sorts of options disappear when connected through an Airport (forget the advanced B&W, and most paper types along with most paper profiles and the highest quality print settings). Alternatively, the Apple-supplied Gutenprint driver tries hard but doesn't begin to supply all the options. So I'm back to lugging the MacBook upstairs to plug in and print.

My question, since the 4880 and 3880 are ethernet equipped, I assume their drivers are capable of working equally well over a network as when directly connected via USB. Can any Mac owner who has either printer and has used them over a network confirm this, please?

 

Chris

 

Chris,

 

I think that Ethernet printing on all printers seems to be "work in progress" on Macs. In the UK it will work perfectly for two weeks and then one or other of our Macs will lose its connection to the printer. You then have to reset the spool file on the transmitting Mac, delete the printer and reinstall. Now I watch for this but my wife has a tendency to send 10 emails to get printed and then deletes them before she has checked they have printed - it's all my fault of course. This is sending to a Xerox Wax Sublimation Phaser 8400.

 

In France, I had until it died a month or so ago, an Ethernet connected HP B9180. From time to time when you printed a photo, you would get messages like "no print heads installed, install all 4 and press start"; "no firmware installed - refer to manufacturer"; "wrong media size - change media" (when the correct size was in the tray) etc. Usually it just would start printing fine with no further action but sometimes you would need to delete the print file and start again.

 

I get far less problems with the Canon Pixma Pro 9500 photo printer we have in the UK which is USB connected to out PowerMac server and then Bonjour shared. I tried sharing it via the USB terminal on my Time Capsule but other Macs again kept losing the connection and the Time Capsule would sometimes not wake to pass on a print. I use the Coriolis "Wake-up" program to remotely wake the Powermac to print, as it is wired with a Cat 6E cable to our wireless router.

 

One of these days, life will be simple and computers and printers will work like it says on the box.

 

Wilson

[chrism]

Thanks, Wilson. I have a G5 iMac sitting next to the 2400 upstairs and could do as you have done, but this iMac is one of those that were prone to a capacitor failure in the power supply, and I hesitate to leave it on all the time as a print server (partly because it is the only Mac I have left as a spare to the G5 in the office that runs PPC-only software that lets me get paid!) I was rather hoping the newer Epson networkable printers could be relied on to be, well, networkable!

 

Chris

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[wlaidlaw]

Thanks, Wilson. I have a G5 iMac sitting next to the 2400 upstairs and could do as you have done, but this iMac is one of those that were prone to a capacitor failure in the power supply, and I hesitate to leave it on all the time as a print server (partly because it is the only Mac I have left as a spare to the G5 in the office that runs PPC-only software that lets me get paid!) I was rather hoping the newer Epson networkable printers could be relied on to be, well, networkable!

 

Chris

 

Chris,

 

I will let you be the guinea pig. I am going to get a 3880 when I get back to France. I also have to get a new office printer there, as Slow Leopard will not talk to my otherwise perfect HP Business Inkjet 1200D and I am having to use a primitive Linux driver to access it. It would make life much easier if Ethernet printing was foolproof and I could avoid having to do remote wake ups to use Bonjour.

 

Which G5 iMac has the capacitor problem - a 20" I am guessing? I had endless trouble with my 20" G5 and was eventually given a 100% credit against an Intel Core Duo one, which was even worse. I had 4 guarantee replacements (2 of them D.O.A.). They finally gave me a new Core 2 Duo one, which, touch wood, has been perfect since. My wife has a 17" G5 iMac which has not been switched off for 4 years!

 

Wilson