Epson Stylus Pro 3800 vs 3880

[ronin94]

I'm currently in the market for a new A2 printer. And the 3800 fit the bill but Epson just released the 3880 with an additional Vivid Magenta. So is it worth going with the new one or save a few bucks and buy the "old" one?

http://www.epson.com/proimaging/StylusPro3880.html

[Jeremy Moore]

Buy it and tell us! It was just announced today so no one can tell you if it's worth it. You can read the specs of the 3880 vs. the 3800 and decide based on how highly you value the $ in your wallet.

[rdenney]

Up until yesterday, everything I read about the 3800 (and everything I've experienced with mine) suggest that it's just about the best out-of-the-box printer yet made. There are those who argue the fine details compared with the (bigger and more expensive) 17" printers (e.g., the Canon and the Epson 48xx), but those arguments live at the margins and also seem to center mostly around suitability for high-productivity environments.

The point is, the fact that Epson announces a 3880 printer that may (or may not), say, extend the gamut fractionally in one direction doesn't mean the prints we made yesterday on the 3800 are any less good than we thought they were yesterday.

Sometimes, there is a leap in technology, but it's getting harder and harder to imagine those leaps considering the quality of prints we are now seeing.

Rick "often the beneficiary of new product announcements by getting a good deal on the product being replaced" Denney

[Peter De Smidt]

The new print head and screening technology might be more important than the added gamut.

[BarryS]

I have a 3800 and don't see a reason to upgrade to the new model, but if I was buying today--it would be the 3880. Not because I think the 3880 is vastly superior, but because when it comes to digital products, the support half-life keeps getting shorter. as products age, it gets harder to find current drivers, software, and support.

[Jay W]

I'm still waiting for my 4880 (the shipper screwed up):

$1765 printer
186 shipping
-500 rebate
-106 bing rebate
-------
$1345
-110 free 17x25 Epson Exhibition paper (offer ended 8/31)
- 73 free 13x19 Epson Exhibition paper (offer ended 8/31)
------
$1162

At the risk of repeating myself, if you're looking at the 3800 or 3880, i think it's worth looking at the 4880 since the price is similar and it has some extra features.

Jay

[Peter De Smidt]

The 4880 is really different, though. For instance, it works best with rolls of paper, and it's a fast workhorse of a printer; and I don't know if it's screening is as fine as the 3800, which is especially important for people making digital negatives. But as you say, the price is really favorable, and it should certainly be considered, especially for high volume work.

[ronin94]

Buy it and tell us! It was just announced today so no one can tell you if it's worth it. You can read the specs of the 3880 vs. the 3800 and decide based on how highly you value the $ in your wallet.

Haha. Yeah. I would like to buy one, but the printer is officially released probably at the end of the month here in Sweden... And the wallet might protest. (Read: the wife... Haha)

[ronin94]

I have a 3800 and don't see a reason to upgrade to the new model, but if I was buying today--it would be the 3880. Not because I think the 3880 is vastly superior, but because when it comes to digital products, the support half-life keeps getting shorter. as products age, it gets harder to find current drivers, software, and support.

Yup that's my thought as well. I don't have any experience with Epson so I don't really know how long they usually support discontinued printers. Another question is how long the ink will be available. There's a big userbase since it uses the same ink as it's bigger brothers so that might not be a problem though.

[ronin94]

I'm still waiting for my 4880 (the shipper screwed up):

$1765 printer
186 shipping
-500 rebate
-106 bing rebate
-------
$1345
-110 free 17x25 Epson Exhibition paper (offer ended 8/31)
- 73 free 13x19 Epson Exhibition paper (offer ended 8/31)
------
$1162

At the risk of repeating myself, if you're looking at the 3800 or 3880, i think it's worth looking at the 4880 since the price is similar and it has some extra features.

Jay

Well. If the prices were similar to yours I would definitely consider the 4880. But here (Sweden) the best price I've found so far is $1795 for the 3800 and $3175 for the 4880. So considering that, it's a nobrainer for me.

The 3800 might suit my needs better anyway. I don't have that high volumes and will use a bunch of different papers so cut sheet will probably be sufficient. Plus the fact that you have to waste a substantial amount of ink clearing the lines if you want to switch from glossy/matte media.

[rdenney]

At the risk of repeating myself, if you're looking at the 3800 or 3880, i think it's worth looking at the 4880 since the price is similar and it has some extra features.

It depends on where you want to put it.

Rick "glad not to have to make space for that beast or carry it up the stairs to the cramped loft digital 'darkroom'" Denney

[h2oman]

Is anyone keeping track of Rick's self-characterizing quotes? :D

[rdenney]

Is anyone keeping track of Rick's self-characterizing quotes? :D

Rick "no" Denney

[venchka]

I am.

Wayne "was going to copy him, but decided it would be bad form. Or just bad." Grinning.

[Rider]

The new print head and screening technology might be more important than the added gamut.

What is screening, are you sure 3880 screening is better than the 4880?

[Mike1234]

I copied Ricks sig style once and stopped.

Mike "one who tried copying Ricks sig quote style once but stopped because he's too darned good at it and I suck at it" Parrish

[Kirk Gittings]

What is screening, are you sure 3880 screening is better than the 4880?


# Improved screening The new screening algorithm, called AccuPhoto HD2, is probably the most important enhancement to the Stylus Pro 3880. Epson says that this technology provides "smoother color transitions and better highlight and shadow detail" on photographic prints, even at lower print resolutions. It should also further reduce the dwindling instances of metameric failure, a condition in which the the human eye detects a shift in color when viewing a print under different light sources. AccuPhoto HD2 is the result of an ongoing partnership between Epson and the Rochester Institute of Technology (which also resulted in the Stylus Photo R1900's Radiance technology). When used in conjunction with the printhead and the UltraChrome K3 Vivid Magenta inks, we should see much richer prints on a wide variety of media, with smoother transitions and improved shadow detail.

[Rider]

Thanks Kirk; I should have done the Google search before asking!