What is up with the Epson P800 printer???

[ray .]

Thanks for that paddler4.

 

I'm pretty sure I've figured out the Epson P800 now. Instructions on placing paper into the front loader state "Make sure the paper is flush against the right, then pull the paper back gently to align against the edge of the manual tray." Maybe my reading comprehension is compromised when it comes to technical issues. My only thought was that the paper needed to be squarely flush against the right side along its full length. There's a lip about 1/2 inch long at the front of the tray that the paper needs to be up against, but with smaller lengths like letter size, if you push it completely flush against the right and leave it there, it ends up slightly angled inside the printer. With 13 x 19 paper it is straightened out since it extends further in, so it butts up against an edge that letter size doesn't.

 

I was confused why the front short edge of the paper was out of square with the front edge of the tray when keeping the whole paper completely to the right, and mentioned this to tech support, but I don't think they understood what I was saying.

 

When inserting the paper through the front it tends to get blocked, so last night I angled the front corner through the gap it needed to go through, observing from the open top. That paper printed fine but the corner came out a little dog eared, so it does seem it's better to just load paper from the back pushing it toward the front of the front load tray. Doing this with letter sized paper, you pretty much have to put your hand through the open top to help push the paper toward the front…… All in all, not an ideal design, but once you figure it out, as someone discussing the issue elsewhere said, "It's a design flaw but not a fatal one."

 

Hopefully this thread comes out a net positive. I think at least some of the people complaining about the front load mechanism trashing numerous pieces of fine art paper were making the same mistake I was!

Edited August 22, 2019 by ray .

[2Oceans]

I've used Ilford Gold Fibre Silk (which is not as thick as some other papers) in the top loader no problem, but have read that long term that will damage the printer.

 

 

Ray, I have been using Ilford Gold Fibre Silk for a while including other Baryta papers (Canson my favorite, Red River, Epson Legacy and Finestra) on my P800 and previously my 3880. I was not aware that top loading Ilford Gold Fibre Silk paper will damage the printer over the long haul. Could you please elaborate. I top load all my papers so I have some concerns. As well the 96 lb Red River Pecos River Gloss is thick stuff that I use occasionally. It did not come with any warnings. I appreciate any guidance you can provide. I bought my P800 last fall and was torn between Canon vs Epson and chose to go with what I knew. So far it has not let me down. Mr. Rodriquez’s site is by far the best I have seen for explaining things and helped me sort out that my black ink dampers needed to be replaced. Good hunting.

[2Oceans]

Ray, I just checked the Red River site and viewed a video that explained using the bottom path for thick media. I don’t think the 3880 had this option so glad to have learned from your post. Should have read the manual:)

[ray .]

Ray, I have been using Ilford Gold Fibre Silk for a while including other Baryta papers (Canson my favorite, Red River, Epson Legacy and Finestra) on my P800 and previously my 3880. I was not aware that top loading Ilford Gold Fibre Silk paper will damage the printer over the long haul. Could you please elaborate. I top load all my papers so I have some concerns. As well the 96 lb Red River Pecos River Gloss is thick stuff that I use occasionally. It did not come with any warnings. I appreciate any guidance you can provide. I bought my P800 last fall and was torn between Canon vs Epson and chose to go with what I knew. So far it has not let me down. Mr. Rodriquez’s site is by far the best I have seen for explaining things and helped me sort out that my black ink dampers needed to be replaced. Good hunting.

 

There is one video from Red River where the guy says you can load papers up to about 13 mil thick in the Epson P800 sheet feeder, but I've not been able to confirm that anywhere with Epson. I asked the tech if there was a max thickness for the sheet feeder and he only repeated what the touchscreen says for the range of thicknesses for the fine art front loader, which works out to anything thicker than about 11.4 mil. Generally though Epson's answer is just that the front loader should be used for 'fine art' paper.

[ray .]

Ray, I just checked the Red River site and viewed a video that explained using the bottom path for thick media. I don’t think the 3880 had this option so glad to have learned from your post. Should have read the manual:)

 

Is it this one, or something else?

 

[digitaldog]

Aren't the Chromalife inks tested for 100-year equivalent? This is as archival as any color "analog" photo and I think pretty close to the pigment inks.

And do they lack OBAs? That would be a deal breaker for archival properties if not.

Check for both:

Light Fade Test Database - i* Metric Test Results by Aardenburg Imaging

[ray .]

And do they lack OBAs? That would be a deal breaker for archival properties if not.

Check for both:

Light Fade Test Database - i* Metric Test Results by Aardenburg Imaging

 

Now I'm going to be interested to go back and see if the papers I used for silver gelatin prints used OBA's.

[2Oceans]

Is it this one, or something else?

Ray, that’s it. Thanks