Comments on: The Stylus Pro 3800: Still the king

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:22:52 +0000

I am glad to hear (Above) that the ink has no “use by” issues once installed in the printer… I liked the larger format capability of the 3880 – but ended up w a 2880 since I read that the 3880 makes you replace the ink cartridges every 6 months – and I thought that would be a large expense in my low volume use..
thanks for the info that the ink cartridges can stay in the printer for a long time without the printer demanding they be replaced prior to their consumption.

By: David

David — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:33:11 +0000

I’ve been holding off upgrading to “Snow Leopard” because Epson has not bothered to create a new driver for the 3800. Is there a good option for the missing 3800 Epson print driver for Snow Leopard?

David

By: Rick LePage

Rick LePage — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:42:03 +0000

Nancy, my 3800 has gone months between printing jobs, without any trouble. It’s not like they become unusable, or less potent without use, although I’m sure if inks sat for years they might clump or become less viscous.

Rick

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:04:21 +0000

I have the same question which was not answered yet.

Any information on how long the printer can sit with its cartridges, before they go bad?
Clearly, although the cost of ink is much less for the 3880, if it can go bad through lack of use, then it could be more economical (in the long run) to go with the 2880.

By: Bob Wall

Bob Wall — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:21:25 +0000

Any information on how long the printer can sit with its cartridges, before they go bad?

Clearly, although the cost of ink is much less for the 3880, if it can go bad through lack of use, then it could be more economical (in the long run) to go with the 2880.

By: Rick LePage

Rick LePage — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:36:34 +0000

And I wrote about it when it was announced, here: Epson announces the Stylus Pro 3880

By: Christopher John Shaker

Christopher John Shaker — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:17:16 +0000

The 3880 was announced a few days ago now:

http://www.epson.com/proimaging/StylusPro3880.html

Chris Shaker

By: Bob Coles

Bob Coles — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:29:27 +0000

I have held off for about a year on getting the 3800 because of the rumored pending upgrade. So, is a replacement pending soon, if not, is it still the best printed to replace my R2400. I print less than 5-prints per month, but need professional quality results.
Thanks

By: Phil Waters

Phil Waters — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:17:43 +0000

Well, it’s time for a revisit to this thread. I still haven’t pulled the trigger on a printer decision but have found new info that is taking me away from an Epson option. That is, operating humidity specs. Of the big three, Epson requires the most, HP in the middle with Canon the least at 10%. Now, for most folks this may not be an issue but with a studio at 8,000 ft I think I now know why I’ve been frustrated with my old Epson 2200 clogging from the get-go. Now, that leaves the only other 17″ option with the Canon iPF5100. In my heart I’d rather get the HP 3200 but wonder what your take is on buying a 24″ printer where I’d be mostly printing sheets at 17 x 22 or less with only an occasional 24 x more for special projects?

By: Rick LePage

Rick LePage — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:48:50 +0000

Laura -

With a RIP like the ColorBurst, you should find that the 3800 is a great proofer. We used the 3800 as our prepress unit at Macworld, and I use it on my current publication.

Epson spends quite a bit of care on the Pro products to make sure that there’s little or no color drift over time with the print engine. Of course, if you’re serious about all this, you should also make sure that you’re regularly profiling the printer.

Rick