Thanks. I'm inclined to use matt paper.
Wayne
Deep in the darkest heart of the North Carolina rainforest.
Wayne's Blog
FlickrMyBookFaceTwitSpacei
venchka, both answers above are on the dot. Basically I was just saying that the black ink switching annoyance doesn't affect me because I do not switch black inks.
I did evaluate, to a degree, both HP and Canon as well as Epson while looking for a printer. I ended up aligning with Epson very quickly. Their system, even with its quirks, is fantastic in my opinion. I came to the conclusion that Epson has the ball for cutting edge fine-art pigment printing. The UltraChrome pigments are fantastic, as is the print technology. It is also what my school uses.
Of course, opinions will differ.
I wouldn't touch a refurbished 3800. You might get a lightly used printer or you might get a beat-to-hell production printer with a history of problems. People have gotten burned on the refurbs and the new printers are available for only $150 more.
Barry,
I've had absolutely no problems with the refurbed letter sized printers I've gotten from Epson but that was only a $50-60 gamble. This is a lot bigger investment and I'll have to give it some real thought. I know that a new one is only a couple hundred more but that gets the cost up over $1K which I find VERY hard to take. But I wouldn't be happy either if I spent $900 and got a dud! I really don't think that Epson's refurbs have had a lot of use but that's just my small sample size.
Scott
I have purchased a refurbished scanner and a refurbished 3800 printer from Epson and both were in LN condition on arrival and have performed without flaw. I have also purchased refurbished computers from Apple, including a 24" iMAC and a MacBook. Both arrived like new and have not given me any trouble. All of this equipment came with the same guarantee that Apple and Epson give with their new equipment. Based on my own experience I don't believe there is any greater risk buying a refurbished 3800 than a new one.
A much greater risk would be to buy a used 3800 out of warranty, even if the price was very attractive.
BTW, I have had to return two photo printers, purchased new, for exchange within the warranty period, an Epson and an HP.
Sandy King
Last edited by sanking; 15-Feb-2009 at 09:07.
Scott-- Small format refurbs are probably a better bet because it's unlikely they've ever been used as production printers. I've read multiple reports of 3800 refurbs with issues. Do I think it's the majority of refurbs? No, but if you get a dog--you won't be happy. For me, it comes down to the small price differential. Unfortunately, Epson had a $200 rebate on the 3800 that just expired. You may want to wait a bit to see if they announce a new round of rebates. However, if the cost is a stretch--I'd still take a 3800 refurb over a 2880 any day. Good luck!
First, I would reiterate what was posted earlier by Ron. The 3800 comes with $450 in ink. The smaller version comes with less than $100 worth of ink. So any comparison would need to subtract $350 from the larger printer's price to be fair.
I used a 2400 for a lot of work and the frequency of cartridge changing started to drive me crazy. At times it seems like you're changing carts with every other print. Time consuming, not to mention more costly. For my use, I estimated the ink consumption to run about $0.80 per 8x10 as versus $0.50 for the 3800 (very rough calculation).
I also got this refurb 3800 from Epson and did a ton of printing with it last fall with no problems. I would guess that the majority of those come from people who returned a printer that was plagued by operator error. Most lay people I know who have these printers don't have a clue as to how they work, nor the patience to deal with much trial and error. Sometimes it takes having an impending order to really get your act together...
Also, with the forum activity such as this one, it wouldn't make sense for Epson to pass on intensely used or abused printers (with a warranty). When they have barely used ones coming in that are easily checked and serviced, why would they bother with a beat up printer? One bad experience and they'll get googled all over the planet as passing bad equipment. Of course, corporations don't always think things out too well, but there are elements of predictability.
John Y.
John Y. You have stated it very very well. I agree, there is nothing wrong with refurb from Epson. I would add that there is a rumor going around that the 3800 will be discontinued sometime soon. Not that it matters - it will be years before obsolescence point.
Me too, I have had very good luck with refurbs from Apple and Epson and saved a lot of money in the process. I've done a little more info gathering with respect to people who have had problems with refurbed Epson 3800s. From what I have read, the users who have had trouble have always ended up with a decent printer. I think the worst case was someone who went through 4 refurbs before they got a good one. I wouldn't want to deal with that but I'm feeling lucky
I am concerned about having it shipped this time of year since I live in Vermont and it gets darn cold here but the literature I'm looking at says that the printer is good from -4 to 104 Fahrenheit in storage. I'll check with Epson on that and see if I can get any additional discount on a new 3880 since I've bought several printers and my 4990 scanner directly from them and I have have friends buy their stuff based on my satisfaction.
Scott
Bookmarks