Time to switch from Epson printers?

[Norm Buchanan]

I have been using an Epson R2400 for a couple of years and had no serious complaints until recently - in fact I love the quality. Recently I started printing on heavier cotton-based papers like the Hahnemuhle photo rag and museum etching papers. Feeding these papers is a pain and often takes several attempts before the printer doesn't "jam". I have read that this is a common problem. I have been considering getting a 3800 for a while and now I am having second thoughts. Does the 3800 have this same issue? If so what printer should I be considering? An HP?

Any insight would very helpful.

Thanks,
N.

[coops]

Are you loading the paper manually from the back or using the paper feeder? I had the same issues but started manually feeding the paper and it works fine.

[Kirk Gittings]

The 3800 has a higher quality feed mechanism than the 2400. The Hps seem to be real contenders these days, though there continues to be some complaints about the color gamut from really picky color printers.

[photographs42]

I have printed several thousand book pages on double sided Photo Rag on a 1280 and it is a pain. Every 8 or 10 sheets, I remove the paper and press the paper advance while holding a damp rag against the feed rollers. Then I let it set for a few seconds or feed a scrap page through to pick up any residual moisture.

It’s not a fix, more like a work-a-round, but it works.
Jerome

[Ted Harris]

My choice for a smaller sheet feed printer is the HP B9180. If you want to take the step to a wide format printer then go with the Canon IPF 5100 sheet feed and 17" rolls, 12 inks, 16 bit printing without a RIP.

[Lenny Eiger]

- in fact I love the quality. Recently I started printing on heavier cotton-based papers like the Hahnemuhle photo rag and museum etching papers. Feeding these papers is a pain and often takes several attempts before the printer doesn't "jam".
Thanks,
N.

I have always suggested that people using small printers move up to the next level of quality, which is a printer with metal parts vs plastic. You will get much more from a 24 inch printer than just size. While it's nice to be able to make a 16x20 print on a 24 inch roll, what you really get is a much more controllable system, you can use rolls or sheets, and the printer handles them both well. I would go for the 7000 series.... Bite the bullet on the initial cost, get a used one if you want... They use less ink.

Don't go for the deal that gets you a bunch of Epson paper, get some Hahnemuhle in rolls. shadesofpaper.com is a pretty good source... if you haven't found them already..

Just my 2cents...

Lenny

[Norm Buchanan]

Are you loading the paper manually from the back or using the paper feeder? I had the same issues but started manually feeding the paper and it works fine.

Hi Coops. Yes I am using the manual feeder at the back.

Kirk, do you know how the HP printers are with respect to neutral B&W? I am not too concerned about very slight color gamut issues but I definitely want neutral black and white prints.

[Asher Kelman]

If cost was not a difference then what would one choose for a 24" printer?

The Canon 5000 machine has lead to concerns about the whole Canon professional printer series. I'd like to hear some reports from people who use the HP's and Canons to find out where we are up to in quality and reliability.

Wanting to move away from Epson is a repeated subject of threads, so there is a lot of interest in this subject. What there's a thirst for is reports from the HP and Canon users.

Asher

[Keith S. Walklet]

FWIW, the 9180's paper path was insufficient to handle the heavier rag papers I wanted to run through it. I ended up with an Epson 4800 as my desktop printer, which has an adjustable paper platen and a paper tray that handles multiple sheets of the heavy stock with no problem.

[Dave Aharonian]

I've has a 3800 for almost a year now and I only print on heavy papers. I use the rear manual feed slot and I've never had a problem with it.