New Epson 3800

I have an Epson 3800 on its way to my door, and I thought I would jot down a few thoughts related to this purchase.

I currently have an Epson 4000 as my main printer, and I have been looking for an upgrade in print quality for a few months now. I was all enthusiastic about purchasing either a 24" or 44" wide printer, but after careful size calculations I cannot find a place for a larger printer. So 17" wide it is, at least for now. My options were to upgrade to the Epson 4800, Canon IPF5000 or the new Epson 3800.

I passed on the 4800 for a few reasons. I print on different types of papers, mixing between matte papers and semigloss/luster papers. This would require switching out the photo black and matte black cartridges often, which is both an expensive and time consuming endeavor. If you have ever primed the lines in a 4000/4800 printer, you know exactly how much time it takes to lift up and down the levers over a 20 or 30 minute period. Huge pain in my side. I would gain better out-of-the-box black and white printing, but that is about it. The minuses are more than the pluses.

 

Drive-in Theater, 2003

The Canon IPF5000 caught my eyes, but between Canon's poor documentation, software driver communication issues, and a smaller community of users, I chose to pass on this printer as well. I passed mostly because of usability issues, not print quality. I have seen wonderful output from all of the 17" or wider pigment printers on the market, and I have to say that there aren't many differences between all of the offerings.

So then there is the Epson 3800. It is crippled in a few ways from its more robust brother, the 4800, but there are some improvements in there at the same time.

Pros:

• Lightweight compared to the 4000/4800 printers. UPS or Fedex can deliver. No shipping pallette required.


• Better for out of the box black and white printing, when compared to my Epson 4000.


• Auto photo black / matte black switching


• Built in ethernet port. This is a requirement for me, as my printing stand is stored inside of a closet on the other side of my study.

Cons:

• Cannot use roll paper with the 3800. Not a big deal, because I never use roll paper to begin with.


• Build quality is not as robust as the other pro level Epson models


• 80ml cartridges are slightly more expensive per ml than the 110ml carts. More details below.

When I need to print larger prints for print shows, I will outsource the printing to somebody local that has a larger printer. I will have to work with the printer on the black and white prints, as I am very picky about the quality, and will want to be a part of the process.

I did some research on the cost per ml of competing printers, and here are some ink cost numbers.
$1.35 / ml for HP B9180 ink cartridges
$0.95 / ml for Epson R2400 ink cartridges
$0.75 / ml for Epson 3800 ink cartridges
$0.65 / ml for Epson 110 ml ink cartridges used in 4800/7800/9800
$0.58 / ml for Canon iPF5000 ink cartridges
$0.51 / ml for Epson 220 ml ink cartridges used in 4800/7800/9800

Interesting data. I am not one to count pennies on the cost per print, but I had always made the assumption that a printer like the R2400 would have been more expensive than that. Or that using 110ml cartridges would have been much more cost effective. Very interesting.

I will be posting my experiences on the Epson 3800 in the coming weeks. I am not sure I will have much to write about, as I anticipate the 3800 won't be all that different than other Epson printers I have used. I will focus on differences and surprises, rather than rehashing what it is like to print with an Epson Pro Stylus printer.