Anyone tried the Epson 3800?

[Doug Fisher]

Does anyone know IF Epson has changed things with the 3800 so that it doesn't flush ALL of the ink carts when it goes through the black cart changeover routine?

Norm's note about the Epson literature's statistics for the amount of inks flushed are interesting. Didn't the Epson guy in the Luminos video make a specific comment in regard to the fact the printer only uses 1 ml during changeover? Maybe I am remembering wrong but that seemed to stick in my mind. 4.5 ml of ink is about 5.6% of an 80 ml cart.

Carts are $59.95 or about $.75 per ML at inkjetart.com. Hopefully that will come down once places like Atlex start selling them where they usually offer a bit more of a discount. Just for comparison, ink currently sells at Atlex for approx:

R2400 $.86 a ml (assuming 13 ml)
4800 110 ml cart $.64 a ml
4800 220 ml cart $.51 a ml

So the 3800 fits nicely in the price ladder. Kind of like a gas station where the price goes up 10 cents per grade

Doug
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www.BetterScanning.com

[Ted Harris]

A note on the professoinal version. The RI:P that is included is a 'crippled' versionof the ColorBurst RIP. Crippled in that it only works with Epson papers. You can upgrade to the full RIP.

[Jack Flesher]

A small note on sheets versus rolls...

Since I have always printed my larger prints on a 9600, 7600 or 7800, I always used rolls for my larger prints on surfaced photo stock. The surfaced paper is thin enough that the curl is easy to deal with before mounting. However with the thicker art papers, the curl is a problem, so I always preferred sheet stock.

Now with the 3800, I bought some 17x22 sheets of Premium Luster thinking I might prefer using sheets for up to that size. Interestingly, the way it's packed -- at least with this first box -- leaves some minor impressions on the corners of the first few sheets. These impressions are visible in the finished print, rendering them not usable (IMO) for a print you plan to sell. FWIW, I never noticed before on 13x19 or smaller surfaced papers or any of the larger sheet stock sizes of the fine art papers, just on this recent box of 17x22 P-Luster. Maybe it was just an anomaly and I got a bad box or one stored at the bottom of a larger stack. Anyway, just a caution if you are going to be using larger sheet stock.

Cheers,

[robert]

Jack, In another forum someone posted a comparison of a 35x enlargement of the 3800 vs 4800. Apparently with the new printer head of the 3800 it showed an amazing increase in quality of the pixelation.(smoother or less grain for lack of a better word). Do you find this noticable in the actual prints you have made? Thanks

[Jack Flesher]

Jack, In another forum someone posted a comparison of a 35x enlargement of the 3800 vs 4800. Apparently with the new printer head of the 3800 it showed an amazing increase in quality of the pixelation.(smoother or less grain for lack of a better word). Do you find this noticable in the actual prints you have made? Thanks

I saw that, but keep in mind the 4800 uses the print engine of the 4000/7600/7800 while I understand it was further improved in the 7800/9800 printers. I have not compared output that closely between my 3800 and 7800, but the same print done at 360PPI gives the impression of being slightly sharper from the 3800. However, I have prints from the 7800 I can put my loupe to and see more detail, so IMO any added resolution here is becoming almost a moot point.

Cheers,

[JoelBelmont]

A note on the professoinal version. The RI:P that is included is a 'crippled' versionof the ColorBurst RIP. Crippled in that it only works with Epson papers. You can upgrade to the full RIP.

I am looking to buy the 3800, and am not sure if I should fork out the extra $200 for the RIP pro version.

I have not calibrated my system extensively, other than using the Monaco EZ-color software that came with my 4870. Is it worth having the profiles for epson paper, or would it be better to pick a few papers I will likely use, (such as sommerset velvet) and pay for the RIP's like they do through inkjetart.com?

I would appreciate any advice on which is likely a better choice, given that I may or may not print on epson papers.

Also, and recommendations for affordable but good quality paper? I am assuming it would be matte ink and paper, or a semi-gloss/luster.

Thanks,
~Joel

[Stan Wellback]

I currently have a 2400 and would love the ability to print larger. The changing cartridges problem would also be 90% overcome. The only worry I have is that Epson state that cartridge life is 6 months after opening the package. As I am only an amateur and not a large volume printer, at A$97 a cartridge I might get tossed out of home if they don't last longer than this. Can anyone tell me, perhaps a 4800 or 7800 user using the same inks, whether in fact they last longer than this?
Thanks, Stan

[Greg Lockrey]

I currently have a 2400 and would love the ability to print larger. The changing cartridges problem would also be 90% overcome. The only worry I have is that Epson state that cartridge life is 6 months after opening the package. As I am only an amateur and not a large volume printer, at A$97 a cartridge I might get tossed out of home if they don't last longer than this. Can anyone tell me, perhaps a 4800 or 7800 user using the same inks, whether in fact they last longer than this?
Thanks, Stan

I wouldn't worry about it Stan. Just shake them up from time to time. $97.00 a cartridge? Where are you buying? Check out DTG Web. http://www.dtgweb.com/

[Doug Dolde]

I just picked a 3800 up today. Easy to set up and works very much like my now sold R2400. The driver menus are a little different but not an issue.

Funny thing I asked for and paid for the basic model, when I got home found out they gave me the Pro model with the Colorburst RIP. Guess the warehouse guy picked up the wrong box Only the fine print differentiates between the two.

Haven't figured out how to use the RIP yet but it prints fine with the standard Win XP driver.