This is livin' (EPSON 3800)

[fotogmarc]

Huh??
Sorry, I didn't get that last one Don.




If I'm not mistaken you've had the 3800 for over 2 months now. We haven't heard anything. Is it all it declares to be?
Tell us something. When someone takes that step to a superwide carriage, us mortals want to hear about the other side.

[DonSchap]

The images are impressive ... and big!

The EPSON 7700 (24" width) is capable of roll-feed, but people were having issues with it doing 8-foot long compositions. Stuff like panorama images of the cityscape. Now, the EPSON 3800 cannot do a roll-feed image of that nature, so that comparison is out of order. You would need to go with a EPSON 4880 (limited to 17" width) to even get close.

But, when people compare the new UltraChrome K3 inks, there are very impressed with image quality when compared to the older 7700 and 4000 printers, both glossy and matte finishes. The consistancy and surface is pretty amazing looking. The blacks are richer looking and provide for better shadow depth. That's important in the bigger images, where a much larger area is available for inspection.

The improved 2880x1440 resolution certainly adds to the smooth texture you can see in the image across the entire 17" width of surface. The larger images I wound up producing for the final were luster-surfaced 13"x19".

Once again, the class had unlimited access to the EPSON 800, 2200, 3800, 4000, and 7700 ... and to a student, the 3800 -overall- delivered the most impressive image and became the printer of choice for 7 of the 9.

My post-Christmas shots will be a real test, also ... as I want to try and capture the rich colors of the lights with this exceptionally high-reflectance paper my Color Management instructor provided, to see if I can boost the gamut of the image a little, in the brighter spots.

Personally, I'm very happy with the 3800's output and believe that for the price ($1295), it delivers a pretty good and consistant bang for the buck, big or kinda small. (4 x 6 is the suggested minimum size.) It also handles up to 1.5mm-thick posterboard, 16" wide and manually fed.

To keep the ink jets clear, it is recommended that it be used at least once a week ... possibly more. No folding it up and storing it for two weeks. You HAVE TO USE IT ... otherwise, like any ink jet, you will be wasting ink and get inconsistancies. This printer is a commitment to printing, have no doubt. Once you load it ... you are in production ... and it holds a hell of a lot of ink! 720ml ... overall

[fotogmarc]

Thanks for the update, sounds great. However you're right unless one is printing professionally or for a very large, extended family, cost vs use is questionable.
Epson announced the Stylus R1900 to replace the 1800. Waiting to hear what they say about that one.
If you hear anything, let us know.
Sounds like you have acces to some great gear.

[cdifoto]

What I'd be most interested in learning is how many prints per week/month one must make on it to keep it running smoothly - no clogs, no dried ink etc etc. I don't have a lot of volume when it comes to printing so I constantly had to run my printer through its self cleaning routine when I did want a print and it ate a lot of ink during that process. Another downside that I hated was it never-ever matched or came close to what I saw on-screen and I've have absolutely no patience when it comes to getting that squared away.

*knock on wood*

I hardly ever print and have yet to get a clog. My R2400 prints match about 95% I'd say. 13x19" is currently the largest I want to deal with. I figure anything bigger (dimensionally or quantity) can be handled by a lab.

That said, I'm considering a CIS so that I can make it a point to print more and stuff up the walls just for the sake of it.

[Falconest174]

How about talking about printers for those of us who aren't professional, (not yet anyway). I had been looking to replace my HP printer which has lately taken to not feeding paper unless I stuffed in by hand,very frustrating. after shopping around and reading some reviews, I was looking at one of the better HP printers.

Went to a local 'puter parts and accessories store and saw the Epson Stylus PHOTO R260. debated for awhile and finally bought it. I set it up and ran some new shots from my Fuji S700 through it, very pleased with the results. Crisp colors, reasonable speed for 4X6 prints. Printed a pic of my cat, see Fuji S700 gallery for the pic I used, very good and much better than a print of the same shot on the HP, in fact no comparison. Even under an 8X loupe I could not see individual ink drops in lightly colored areas. It looked like a print done the old-fashioned way. More tests seemed to confirm my initial judgment, and only under VERY close examination could I see any evidence of ink jet banding when looking at prints with the loupe.

Don't know about longevity or consumable usage yet, but I do like the idea of separate color tanks.

The R260 uses a 6 color system CMYK, plus light Magenta and Light Cyan. Check it out if you are looking for an inexpensive printer to make prints of your photos, I am certainly so far very pleased with it's present performance, time will tell if that will remain unchanged. BTW I paid $95 US plus sales tax for it. Have read where others have found it for as cheap as $49, so shop areound, I didn't 'cause my feet were tired.

[Charlie Hoke]

Don, Do you have a source for info to properly set up photoshop CS3 print boxes so that I can reproduce photos that look as good as CS2 doc's. Also, is there anyone I could call who could walk me through the color management process? I have an Epson 2200 printer and I'm running Leopard on my desk top. I once took a class from a photoshop guy, Carl Corey, from St. Paul, Minn, and he was excellent in pulling all the pieces together, but would appreciate any other names you could supply. Thanks

[DonSchap]

Well, I'm certainly no expert, but I can point to a few.

The manual I subscribed to is "Color Management for Photographers", by Andrew Rodney, Focal Press, 2005. It includes a tutorial CD for MAC and PC.

The second manual is "Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management", 2nd Ed., Tim Grey, Wiley Publishing, 2006.

Finally, "Fine Art Printing for Photographers", 1st Ed., by Uwe Steinmueller & Juergen Gulbins, Rocky Nook, 2007

These three publications will offer a very fine foothold on how to Color Manage, more formal use of Photoshop techniques and importing various printer/monitor profiles.

Good luck ...

[Charlie Hoke]

Don, Thanks, I'll check them out.

[DonSchap]

I decided to go with some bigger paper this year ... from 13 x 19 to ... 17 x 22. The cost of the paper is 30% more ... which is tolerable, I guess ... if you don't mess up too often. LOL

Remember: It is a lot easier to see a defect on a larger print than a smaller one. You have to get it right. Also, your ink consumption is seriously affected with a bigger area to cover.

Framing is another cost I am researching ... hmm, I wonder if I should just print a border and toss them a roll of tape. LOL

[Rhys]

Oddly enough I have been looking at larger format printer prices. There's an HP that does 13x19 but it's about $3 per print in ink and about 50 cents a sheet for the paper. The printer is $250 so I'm looking interestedly at it at the moment.

Having said that, the debacle of the Epson CX9400Fax almost makes me want to contract out for all my printing. That thing is currently disconnected and I'm working with my wife's HP all-in-one. The ink lasts longer, is cheaper and there's a refund on used cartridges from Staples. Can't get any of that with Epson!

The HP would pay for itself in probably around 30-40 prints. How quickly would your larger printer pay for itself, Don?