Repair/Replace damaged Epson 3880 printer ?

[Ken Lee]

A few years ago I converted my Epson 3880 printer to MIS Eboni inks (http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/carbon/index.php) and Quadtone RIP and have run it with minimal problems. However, after an extended period of inactivity, some of the channels became clogged.

While cleaning it according to this excellent video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocoX1WJbJPM&feature=youtu.be) I damaged the damper mechanism.

There is an authorized Epson repair facility within a few hours of my home, but I wonder if I should repair it, replace it with another of the same model, or look for an improvement.

My main complaint with the 3880 is the feed mechanism, which uses rollers. They get dirty and leave smudge marks on high-key prints. When loading large sheets, the 3880 requires manual pressure or it misjudges the size of the paper, printing only part of the image. This causes waste of paper and ink.

Given that the cost of ink is very low and therefore not part of the equation, are there other good reasons for getting a different model ? It has to be supported by Quadtone RIP as described here (http://www.quadtonerip.com/html/QTRrequire.html) and make prints up to 16x20 inches.

Thanks in advance for your help !

[Keith Pitman]

I just received notice today from Epson that they have introduced the replacement for the 3880. It's the P800 and the street price is lower than the 3880 at $1,195. I don't know about Quadtone RIP, though. You probably need to contact Quadtone to find out.

[andy]

The p800 seems like a really good printer, it has some smart updates to the 3880, and even has a roll feed attachment. It's supposed to have solved a lot of the problems with the printer damaging paper and all that.

it doesn't seem that it's supported by QTR yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time--the printer has only been out a few months.

[Peter Langham]

The 3880 is gone. It looks like the few new ones that remain are being sold for big $$. P800 is very new, so 3rd party carts and QTR probably will take a while. I'm sure Epson tried to make it harder to make 3rd party carts. I am also sure (hopeful?) they will come. Roy will almost certainly update QTR at some point, and I bet if you used 3880 settings on QTR it might work now. You could also look at 4900. I think 3rd party carts are available. QTR is supported. I think it doesn't use rollers, but I think there have been a lot of complaints about clogging.
Repair may be a good option if you got the clog cleared before damaging the dampers. Some clogs seem to be terminal.

[Ken Lee]

Thanks to all.

For now I will try to repair my 3880, since that is the least expensive option, it makes nice prints, and it's already configured with 3rd-party carts etc.

From what I can tell, the main advantage of the newer printer is mainly in newer inks - of interest to people who make color prints for sure - but not to me.

[Oren Grad]

Ken, the timing of the P800 rollout, including third-party support, is obviously awkward for you, so the whole thing may be moot.

But for completeness, the most prominent difference in the inks would appear to be in the blacks, which in principle could affect one's decision as to whether to use third-party inks for monochrome.

Only review I've seen so far is at LuLa:

https://luminous-landscape.com/new-epson-surecolor-p800-printer-review/

[John Bowen]

Ken,
You can purchase an ink assembly which includes the dampers. It's available from CompassMicro.com The part # is 1607156 and the price is $176.20 + Shipping. While you are in there, you might also want to replace the wiper, cap and pump assembly # 1617498 for an additional $62.10.
And while I purchased this part to put on the shelf, I haven't tried to replace this on my 3880.
According to Jon Cone, you may be able to find 3880 dampers on Ebay.
Good luck,
John

[Ken Lee]

Thanks, it's good to know that the parts are available. My clumsy nature (which broke the parts) inclines me to seek professional help. They can look around and fix whatever else is failing, while they're under the hood.

[Kirk Gittings]

Ken, the timing of the P800 rollout, including third-party support, is obviously awkward for you, so the whole thing may be moot.

But for completeness, the most prominent difference in the inks would appear to be in the blacks, which in principle could affect one's decision as to whether to use third-party inks for monochrome.

Only review I've seen so far is at LuLa:

https://luminous-landscape.com/new-epson-surecolor-p800-printer-review/

I had heard before the roll out that Epson was going to improve the fade resistance of the yellow ink in this cycle of printers. Anyone see anything related to that about this one?

[Ken Lee]

I dealt with an EPSON-authorized firm in the Boston area named Mardek Printer Services (http://www.mardek.com/). I recommend them highly.

They replaced some of the internals and my 3880 is now like-new. It wasn't cheap but it was considerably less than the cost of a new unit.

They are great to deal with and were very accommodating of my non-standard hextone Carbon pigment setup with aftermarket cartridges, etc.

High-key images make a good test: smooth, baby !

http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/printerfixed.jpg

[John Bowen]

Ken, I know this is too late for you, but you can purchase a refurbished 3880 from Epson for $849 here:
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/BuyEpson/ccProductCategory.jsp?UseCookie=yes&oid=-13270
While they last.....
We B&W folk can then sell the Color Carts on Ebay for approx. $400 netting a 3880 printer for about $450. That's probably less than your repair cost.
John

[Ken Lee]

That's good to know. I spent more of course. Oh well.

[Ken Lee]

Postscript: My printer got clogged again over the holidays and it took several weeks to get it working properly again.

This time I did not take it to Epson, but got help from forum members (Sandy King in particular) and found resources on the internet.

Because it was difficult to find this information conveniently on the web, I wrote a short article here: How to Clear a Clogged Printer Nozzle (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/carbon/index.php#clog). If it saves one person the frustration I endured, I will be very happy.