stump4545 Posted October 7, 2011 Share #1 Posted October 7, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) wanted to avoid buying a printer and just use an online photolab but it seems it is convenient being able to make your own prints on a whim. should i go for broke and get the epson 3880 or should i get something different? i will be printing mostly 4x6, 5x7 and 8x12, and i know the 3800 is a wide format printer so i am not sure if it is a waster for me. not sure if getting the 3880 is good for the long term. opinions please Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 7, 2011 Posted October 7, 2011 Hi stump4545, Take a look here should i buy the epson 3880 or something else?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
otto.f Posted October 7, 2011 Share #2 Posted October 7, 2011 If you print reasonably often it will be cheaper than the lab or the 2880 (which has too small inkt-cartridges). And you will, if you want to get acquainted with the ins an outs of digital printing. I own its predecessor, the R3800 since 2 or 3 years and it functions flawlessly since then. I doubt if the 3880 brings me really better prints and that will probably be the same for the successor of the 3880. The improvements can't physically be that big as in digital cameras. Thus far I think the 3800 was a lifetime investment for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbengtson Posted October 7, 2011 Share #3 Posted October 7, 2011 The first 3800 I bought was dead out of the box. Epson replaced it overnight. It has worked flawlessly for 3+ years. I bought a second one refurbished to keep at my parents home, and another that I sent to my niece. All 3 work fine and the consistency of prints between them is absolute. One thing to note is that the inks have "expiration dates" on the cartridges. Ignore them, the inks do not go bad or shift, the date is more for inventory management and warranty purposes. I was told this by an Epson engineer (off the record). I have used inks for a 4800 (same inks, different package) that are 2-3 years out of date with no discernable difference in the prints. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
archi4 Posted October 7, 2011 Share #4 Posted October 7, 2011 I had the 3800 for quite a number of years and it still worked perfectly when I traded it in for the 3880. No problems whatsoever with both and amazingly wonderful prints. Prints match my screen to perfection, on condition of course that monitor is calibrated correctly and using the correct profiles for the paper. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stump4545 Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted October 8, 2011 is epson the way to go? any need to look at other brands? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delander † Posted October 8, 2011 Share #6 Posted October 8, 2011 Yes, Epson is the way to go, it has by far the major part of the market, the widest range of pro printers, all paper manufacturers offer downloadable profiles for Epson printers and there is a wide range of Epson's own papers. B&W is also great from an Epson. I have had the 3800 for a couple of years now. It often sits idle for several weeks. I do a nozzle check before I start it up, but in those two years I've only ever had one blocking problem which was easily resolved with a nozzle clean. Go here for a proper review of the 3880:Epson Pro 3880 review The large ink cartridges are relatively economic (you get a full set with the printer, worth quite a lot). With my earlier printers with small ink cartridges it felt like every time I wanted to print I needed to replace an ink cartridge. A neat feature is that you can run the printer until a cartridge runs out midway through a print and then replace the cartridge and continue! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stump4545 Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted October 8, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) since i will mostly be making small prints 4x6, 5x7, maybe 8x12, should i go for a smaller epson or should i just buck up and get the 3880 with an eye on the future? thanks a lot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marquinius Posted October 8, 2011 Share #8 Posted October 8, 2011 In all fairness, you're asking an impossible question. I understand what's happening in your mind (and belly mostly ), but making choices like that, well, it's just like that. Don't worry about the Epson: best there is. But that's not your dilemma, isn't it? Big printer, often heard people talking about it, super colours and B&W, BIG cartridges (that's a REAL plus and I can know it: come from a 2400 and kept on buying these things), cool A2 size possibility .... versus ... that's a LOT of money, can I spend so much on myself, will I really print A2 that much. Good luck trying to find a logical answer. Follow your belly. And when in doubt, do the management trick (= do nothing for a while) and see what comes up in a week or so. PS: those 6x4 prints that I make before I go A2 ... awesome. Gnagnagna, heheheh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delander † Posted October 8, 2011 Share #9 Posted October 8, 2011 since i will mostly be making small prints 4x6, 5x7, maybe 8x12, should i go for a smaller epson or should i just buck up and get the 3880 with an eye on the future? thanks a lot You could try the newer 3000 which has smaller ink cartridges. If you get a 3880 I dont think you will be that satisfied with small prints, that being said I've not yet made an A2 print. My standard of paper is A3+ or Super A3 as Epson call it. The printer is the smallest of Epson's Pro range but make sure that you have room for it and a sturdy table for it rest upon. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
otto.f Posted October 8, 2011 Share #10 Posted October 8, 2011 since i will mostly be making small prints 4x6, 5x7, maybe 8x12, should i go for a smaller epson or should i just buck up and get the 3880 with an eye on the future? thanks a lot Well, the psychological fact is that you forget the buying price of the machine, which is almost double the 2880, but you will be remembered/frustrated anytime you have to change your expensive cartridges too soon with the 2880 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stump4545 Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share #11 Posted October 9, 2011 will the espon 3880 deliver lesser prints in any way when compared to great online photo labs? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
otto.f Posted October 9, 2011 Share #12 Posted October 9, 2011 will the espon 3880 deliver lesser prints in any way when compared to great online photo labs? Not at all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted October 9, 2011 Share #13 Posted October 9, 2011 Buy the Epson R3000, A3, so not excessive for the small prints you want, and with larger ink tanks that last longer and are cheaper in the long run. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
archi4 Posted October 10, 2011 Share #14 Posted October 10, 2011 You may want small prints now, but just as it happened to me many years ago, you may yearn for larger and larger. I am already looking to go beyond A2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted October 11, 2011 Share #15 Posted October 11, 2011 will the espon 3880 deliver lesser prints in any way when compared to great online photo labs? Printers aren't plug and play, at least not if you want fantastic prints as opposed to pretty good prints. One needs to fully understand, and execute, a disciplined workflow from camera, to processing software, to printer, and this includes proper settings (of which there are many possibilities and combinations), properly coordinated calibrations (reflecting good color management), good paper stock with custom profiles, and so forth. Beyond this, and perhaps more importantly, one needs to have a good eye in order to make judgments about a fine print, and then know how to execute to achieve that result. This is no different than what makes a good photographer; it's not the camera alone, as this is merely the tool. Similarly, it's not just the print machine (although a good one helps, and the 3880 is very good), but how one uses it. So, in a long winded way to answer your question, the 3880 is fully capable of meeting and exceeding photo lab results if the user can deliver the goods. This is no different than in the darkroom days, when good equipment was perhaps necessary, but not sufficient to exceed lab results. Personally, I would never outsource my prints unless the size exceeded my printer capabilities, and that's not likely. One can of course exert control over lab results (issuing instructions about papers, inks, processing edits, etc), and many good photographers follow this approach, but this is costly and time consuming (if one wants custom prints), but for me not nearly as controlling or satisfying. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick in CO Posted October 13, 2011 Share #16 Posted October 13, 2011 My experience lends me to agree completely with Jeff S. Just to add that this also includes an investment in a decent monitor that allows calibration, profiling device, etc. These are in my opinion, more critical than the choice of printer. I use an old Canon i960 for prints 8.5x11 or smaller, and an Epson R1800 for 11x14 to 13x19. They both still give excellent results. However, I find it more economical to outsource anything 5x7 or smaller, but then my local photo lab has dedicated printing people who take time to do a good job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted October 13, 2011 Share #17 Posted October 13, 2011 Just to add that this also includes an investment in a decent monitor that allows calibration, profiling device, etc. These are in my opinion, more critical than the choice of printer. Agree about needing a well calibrated monitor; the workflow I discussed, along with the need for good calibration, was of course intended to include the monitor, even if not specifically stated. Not so sure I'd agree that this is more important than the printer, however, since the monitor shows a preliminary rendering that ultimately doesn't matter if the printer can't deliver the resultant print. The idea is to get the two to match, but unlike many others, I have no interest in screen displays other than as a means to an end, i.e., the print. But, we're certainly in agreement that the whole chain needs to be optimized and coordinated. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1JB Posted October 18, 2011 Share #18 Posted October 18, 2011 The 3880 is the successor to the 3800 which I've had since it was first introduced. The 3800 is an excellent printer. The results are far better than any of the back and forth I had in the past with photolabs, file formats, color idosyncracies and so on. I calibrate my monitor every few months. Shoot in dng and save as tif. I don't use jpg. CS5 is set to adobe rgb. I use Qimage to print with no color adjustment and select the profile through the paper. Its a bit of a challenge at first to understand the interactions of the settings but really it's not hard. If your blacks aren't black for example you have a clogged head or Adobe, Qimage or whaterver your using to print is controlling the color incorrectly. Print 4x6s as you play with and learn the settings. Once it looks right you're set to go up to 17x22. Paper makes a difference. Velvet Fine Art is incredible but has a different look and feel from glossy and certainly watercolor. Get the printer. You have your own darkroom. You'll figure it out and make some mistakes but the thrill of handling it from f/stop and speed to the post processing and printing is worth every penny. You will love the 3880. You will want it's larger cartridges. It's less expensive than outsourcing it if you don't count the indulgent cost of the printer. Paper and ink is a bargain. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootinglulu Posted October 19, 2011 Share #19 Posted October 19, 2011 I asked the same questions before buying the 3880..Now a year later I would say absolutely get the printer. Printing is now a very important part of my photographic process, when I like a photo and even if this does not happen every day!...Just got a delivery of some A2 Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta.. so exciting. I would not swap printing my own with a lab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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