A good printer?

[the_mongrel_cat]

<p>Hi</p>

<p>I've been trying to research a good A3 photo printer. Naturally I've come across about a million different pros and cons, features, price ranges......<br>

Does anybody have an A3 printer of their own that they can recommend?</p>

<p>Much appreciated<br>

David</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Epson 3880. I'm very, very pleased.</p>

[the_mongrel_cat]

<p>thanks for your input matt</p>

<p>it was one that i kept coming back to. it seems that the image quality is superb. do you find it cost effective? how often do you replace inks?</p>

 

[neilambrose]

Ditto Epson 3880.

[Matt Laur]

<p>To my astonishment, David, I'm still using the ink that originally shipped with the printer. I've been using it weekly for several months now, printing everything from runs of greeting cards to Super-A3 sized prints on 100% Rag (and ink-hungry!) fine art paper. Three cartridges are just about on fumes, now, and I have spares ready to go. I'm truly amazed at how much mileage I've seen out of the first round of ink. <br /><br />At least a few hundred dollars out of your purchase of that printer is represented by that first big ol' bucket of ink they ship with it. Quality-wise, I've been nothing but delighted. It's so good that it's changed how I shoot, why I shoot, and how (and to whom, and how often) other peoplel see what I do. A very good investment. Compared to lab printing - especially on larger prints on fancy-pants paper - the printer has already paid for itself. To say nothing of my bad habit of printing at 2:00AM when I've got to show work at 10:00AM in the morning!<br /><br />If you can swing the price tag, you won't be sorry. Set aside some desk space, though - it's not petite!</p>

[jtk]

<p>3800. Because I do a lot of B&W I've replaced all the blacks once, and a cyan (light cyan?). I print a few dozen letter-size prints monthly and sometimes a few 11X17 or 13X19 (super A-3). Two years old, zero grief. I print on rag and on baryta semi-gloss. If it sits for a week I do a clog-test, which costs almost no ink. If there is a clog it's minor and is fixed with one cleaning cycle...not cheap but totally reliable in one pass. My old 2200 was just as reliable but it slurped a lot more ink and the tiny carts added up to be way more expensive...was only good on rag/matte.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Out of curiosity, John, who's baryta paper are you using? Been thinking of breaking my luster-and-matte habit for a few tests.</p>

[the_mongrel_cat]

<p>thanks neil and matt<br>

that's great to hear that your original inks have lasted you well, and on a variety of uses. i'll certainly bear what i have learned here in mind.<br>

also, it's interesting that you say how it's changed how and why you show work. to be honest that's kind of what i'm looking for (i don't ask much from my printers!). but to be able to just rattle off a quality print would be of enormous benefit. the immediacy would make showing work that much easier - no waiting on delivery, no premium for next day etc.<br>

thanks a lot</p>

 

[the_mongrel_cat]

<p>thanks john<br>

it's good to hear about the 3800, not least because it saves on an initial outlay. reliability and zero-grief-ility score very highly with me, so that info is useful too. i've been unable to find a negative review on that model (also with the 3880), so it may very well come down to these two.<br>

thanks a lot</p>

[alan_goldhammer]

<p>@Matt,<br>

Try Ilford Gold Fibre Silk; it's a wonderful baryta paper and has a great color gamut with deep blacks. I've printed both color and B&W with great success. It's also reasonably priced.<br>

@David, you cannot go wrong with the 3880. I've finally had to change the first couple of cartridges after six months of intensive printing. Regarding the 3800, Epson are not manufacturing this any longer and I think the only ones available if you can find one are refurbished printers.</p>

[JeffOwen]

<p>I bought a Canon i9950 a few years ago and have been extremely pleased with it. It uses eight ink cartridges and I have been using alternative inks in it ever since the first inks ran out. It goes to Super A3 and also print directly on to suitable CDs & DVDs. It does use a fair amount of ink but as cartridges can be changed individually and can be obtained at about one third of the Canon costs it doesn't hurt so much.</p>

[jtk]

<p>Matt ... <strong>Ilford Gold Fibre Silk.</strong> Great stuff and the price is right. The "silk" name is misleading...it has zero fabric texture and isn't at all stippled. Maybe it hints at an almost orange-peel surface (but it's neutral, neither warm nor cold) :-) <br>

I'd ONLY buy "refurbished" and ONLY direct from Epson. Extra level of quality control. I bought my old 2200 and Epson scanner that way, saved a bunch of $$ and have been 100% happy. <br>

I'm not sure what the advantage of 3880 might be over 3800. Maybe the newer machine would be better if a graphic designer wanted flashy graphics along with photo, like for a short run of brochures. I doubt the newer is better for photos.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Thanks for the paper recommendation, guys. I've got some on the way!</p>

[r_c15]

<p>Id recommend the epson 3880. Here is a video i found that make help you make you decision. Cheers</p>

<p>

[shawngibson]

<p>3880 has performed flawlessly so far, incl. some wacky paper and non-use for a week.</p>

<p>Question to those who know: I recently read someone printed a 17x30" print on a 3800. I thought 3800/3880 couldn't use roll paper? Is that just because the mechanical roller isn't built in, or will the printer actually print 17xwhatever, no real constraint?</p>