Printer recommendation for nice colour, B&W, and alt-processes

[Rider]

The ink is not being used up. It is mostly just filling up the tubing between the cartridge and the print head and charging the print head. So the ink will end up being used for your prints. The true implication is really at the back end of the life of the printer. Whenever you sell or destroy the printer, there will be ink in the tubing that will not have been used. But for anyone who does much printing, this amount of ink depreciated over the total number of prints made during the life of the printer is not meaningful.

I respectfully disagree. This ink is being used in a way that forces me to buy ink faster than I would otherwise, hence money out of my pocket at the front-end and not at the back-end. Hence I would not subtract $400 from the price of the printer for the ink I'm supposedly getting for free.

[Rider]

Just a follow up. Thanks for your info, I ended up going with the 4880. There were a number of reasons:

-The difference in price between the 3800 and 4880 was $345
-I have various formats (35, 6x6, 4x5, plus a few pano's) so roll paper can be a benefit
-The 4880 should have a better paper transport
-Ebay has some good deals on 110 ml ink (cheaper than the 80 ml ink), but I don't know if that'll last
-I think I can print with the photo black only (I'll see how Harman FB and the Epson Exh paper look).

A couple things I found:

-B&H was cheaper (printer and shipping), but when I added two boxes Exhibition paper to the order, the shipping increased something like $47. (Both have to be on the same order to get the paper free.) So I ened up ordering through Adorama.
-You have to order through an authorized Epson dealer to get the rebate.
-The printer is being shipped from only 20 miles away (not from NY), so I should have the printer soon.

Jay

Enjoy it. Will you be getting the special cart that Epson sells?

[Jay W]

Enjoy it. Will you be getting the special cart that Epson sells?

For $350 + shipping, no. I have a four drawer metal cabinet that holds full size sheets of matt board. (It's probably 12-14" high.) That needs to go from the basement to my office and the printer will go on top of that. The cabinet needs a small stand (4" or so) to get it off the floor. I have some birch around for that. Once I get the printer and get a feel for the space it needs and how much it'll shake, I'll probably get some birch, pull out the table saw and make something so the printer is about waist high.

Jay