Epson Stylus Pro 3880

[toms]

<p>I am thinking about purchasing an Epson Stylus Pro 3880. Does anybody know if Epson is coming out with a replacement/upgrade any time soon. Does anybody have any reason why I shouldn’t buy this printer. Thanks for your response.</p>

[paul_kerfoot]

<p>Hi Tom<br>

The 3880 only started shipping in quantity in 2010 so Epson probably is not going to replace it soon. I have this printer and can recommend it highly, the only problem I have encountered is a "cartridge not installed" error message which was cleared by removing the offending cartridge and reseating it. The 3880 is on sale right now from Atlantic Exchange (atlex.com) for about $895 which is a very good price. To get better image quality from a photo ink jet, you are going to pay significantly more money. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Paul</p>

 

[paul_kerfoot]

<p>Hi Tom<br>

The 3880 only started shipping in quantity in 2010 so Epson probably is not going to replace it soon. I have this printer and can recommend it highly, the only problem I have encountered is a "cartridge not installed" error message which was cleared by removing the offending cartridge and reseating it. The 3880 is on sale right now from Atlantic Exchange (atlex.com) for about $895 which is a very good price. To get better image quality from a photo ink jet, you are going to pay significantly more money. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Paul</p>

 

[alan_goldhammer]

<p>Tom, the only possible upgrade given other pro printers would be to add the two additional ink cartridges but those are not going to result in a major improvement in 99% of the prints you make. If you want a cut sheet printer this is the one to buy.</p>

[stp]

<p>I think the 3880 is a great value. I hadn't used mine in about 6 months in the dry climate of eastern Washington (shame on me -- I should have run a test print every few weeks). I feared the ports would be hopelessly clogged, but it produced a perfect print on the first try (unlike other Epson printers I've had in the past). Great ink. I'm a very happy owner of the 3880, and it's the one I'd get if I were looking for a printer today.</p>

[pbarnes]

<p>I was told yesterday by an Epson retailer that Epson is about to release a new A2 size printer that will have roll paper capacity (the 3880 does not) and I think he said more ink colours.</p>

[danielleetaylor]

<p>I don't know what Epson's future plans are, but I recently purchased a 3880 and I couldn't be happier with it. The only drawback is that Epson does not ship 17x26 paper to make 16x24 prints. If you want the 2:3 ratio at that size you need to buy a roll and cut it yourself, or use a 3rd party paper.</p>

<p>Otherwise it's incredible. Both color and B&W image quality are excellent, some of the best I've seen from any lab or printer. This is especially true when it comes to B&W. Out of the box ABW mode gave me B&W prints which challenged my darkroom prints. I could get close with some (not all) photographs printed to a R800 using QuadTone Rip, but the 3880 is consistently producing excellent, faithful, neutral B&W prints of every B&W shot I throw at it using the Epson driver.</p>

<p>I am very, very happy with this printer.</p>