Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

[Danny Chau]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

Try to look for a used 4800, this will give you best of both worlds, apparently, but then again, 6 months is a long long time in computing terms.

On anther issue, have you ever tried adding film grain to your small digital files before blowing them up or add unsharp masking, this will give you extra boost for up sizing. I have just compared a 6mp file (from RD1) to a 6200dpi scan image file off 35mm slide film yesterday, only find that the 6mp file resized to 153mb (same as the 35mm size file) is every bit better than the film scan.

[JSR]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

On anther issue, have you ever tried adding film grain to your small digital files before blowing them up or add unsharp masking, this will give you extra boost for up sizing. I have just compared a 6mp file (from RD1) to a 6200dpi scan image file off 35mm slide film yesterday, only find that the 6mp file resized to 153mb (same as the 35mm size file) is every bit better than the film scan.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that.

I originally tried printing the 13"x36" prints via Qimage in the hope that I would benefit from its upsizing routines. After waiting a fair old while for it to finishing sending the job, the Epson "Print Preview" screen crashed and ended up sending a misaligned print to the printer.

When printing from a standard DTP - with paper size set to 13"x36" and manually stretching the image to fit - the Print Preview was fine and the poster-length print came out very nice. Of course, being that this is a couple of 2.1MP images stitched together, the DTP print shows signs of pixellation if you look too close but it's okay as a nice banner poster on the wall.

[Bearface]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

I guess if you're a previous (or current) 4800 owner and prefer to print on cut-sheet rather than roll paper, than the 3800 makes economical sense. If you're an R2400 owner and believe the 3800 is a 17" upgrade, then you're going to be disappointed.

I've been considering both the Canon ProGraf 5000 and the Epson 4800, but not (necessarily) for their ability to print onto roll paper; I just want to make decent quality A2 prints on a regular basis. This therefore means that the 3800 is now most definitely on my list.

A question: When you suggest / state that the 3800 isn't an upgrade to the R2400, are you basing this entirely on the fact that the 3800 lacks the roll facility, or are you saying that the 3800 is in some other

[JSR]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

A question: When you suggest / state that the 3800 isn't an upgrade to the R2400, are you basing this entirely on the fact that the 3800 lacks the roll facility, or are you saying that the 3800 is in some other way inferior to the R2400? I'm just curious.

No, I'm merely saying that it can't do all the things the R2400 can - in this case, print longer than 37". I use the term "upgrade" to mean that the new model can do everything the one it's upgrading can do, and then more. In other words, it can 100% replace the lesser model. In the case of the 3800, it can't replace the R2400 because of the lack of long paper support.

As I understand it, the maximum size the 3800 can print is either 17"x22" (cut-sheet) or 16.5"x37" (long sheet cut from a roll). The 37" max. length is unconfirmed (it's what people have seen in the printer driver). If that fits your needs, then I'm sure the 3800 is a fine addition to the K3 range.

I can't help but have this nagging feeling that the 3800 is nothing more than a stop-gap before Epson unleashes something "new" onto us.

[Danny Chau]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

I've been considering both the Canon ProGraf 5000 and the Epson 4800, but not (necessarily) for their ability to print onto roll paper; I just want to make decent quality A2 prints on a regular basis. This therefore means that the 3800 is now most definitely on my list.

A question: When you suggest / state that the 3800 isn't an upgrade to the R2400, are you basing this entirely on the fact that the 3800 lacks the roll facility, or are you saying that the 3800 is in some other

Hi Bearface, I strongly suggest you go for the Epson 3800 than the Canon 5000, reason is very simple, the Epson K3 ink once calibrated, will give you perfect black and white prints from an RGB file (latest HP is another printer can do just that, but they don't have an A2 printer yet), while the Canon's metamerism is so strong, that I have tried to profile it a few times, failing to get a neutral bw from this printer or inks, it wouldn't be much of a problem if you do colour the whole time, only the printer do cost more than the 3800.

Danny

[Bearface]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

No, I'm merely saying that it can't do all the things the R2400 can - in this case, print longer than 37". I use the term "upgrade" to mean that the new model can do everything the one it's upgrading can do, and then more. In other words, it can 100% replace the lesser model. In the case of the 3800, it can't replace the R2400 because of the lack of long paper support.

As I understand it, the maximum size the 3800 can print is either 17"x22" (cut-sheet) or 16.5"x37" (long sheet cut from a roll). The 37" max. length is unconfirmed (it's what people have seen in the printer driver). If that fits your needs, then I'm sure the 3800 is a fine addition to the K3 range.

Sounds like just the ticket to me, although I'll need to know precisely what I'm getting before I buy one.

I can't help but have this nagging feeling that the 3800 is nothing more than a stop-gap before Epson unleashes something "new" onto us.

[JSR]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

As I understand it, the 3800's maximum resolution is 2880dpi (like the 4800) while the R2400 is capable of 5760dpi in some circumstances. Whether that's significant enough to be a factor is up to the individual. I print most of my photos on my R1800 at "Best Photo" (2880dpi) and only rarely use 5760dpi, so that wouldn't put me off considering the 3800 if I was looking at it.

This nagging feeling I have comes from the fact that the 3800 brings nothing new to the table. The K3 inkset is, frankly, getting a bit long in the tooth these days. Sure, these printers produce fantastic cutting-edge prints, but Epson are allowing competitors to catch up. The 3800 is the only new pigment release since the R2400 over a year ago. They've got to be working on something else that'll make their rivals look like they're in the slow lane again - otherwise, what have Epson been doing since releasing the R2400?

In 4-6 months time, I'll be looking to replace my R1800 so I'm keenly watching where the market is going. I'm waiting for Epson to release a worthy upgrade from the R1800 - it's not the 3800, that's certain.

Time will tell, I guess.

[Bearface]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

As I understand it, the 3800's maximum resolution is 2880dpi (like the 4800) while the R2400 is capable of 5760dpi in some circumstances. Whether that's significant enough to be a factor is up to the individual. I print most of my photos on my R1800 at "Best Photo" (2880dpi) and only rarely use 5760dpi, so that wouldn't put me off considering the 3800 if I was looking at it.


This nagging feeling I have comes from the fact that the 3800 brings nothing new to the table. The K3 inkset is, frankly, getting a bit long in the tooth these days. Sure, these printers produce fantastic cutting-edge prints, but Epson are allowing competitors to catch up. The 3800 is the only new pigment release since the R2400 over a year ago. They've got to be working on something else that'll make their rivals look like they're in the slow lane again - otherwise, what have Epson been doing since releasing the R2400?

In 4-6 months time, I'll be looking to replace my R1800 so I'm keenly watching where the market is going. I'm waiting for Epson to release a worthy upgrade from the R1800 - it's not the 3800, that's certain.

Time will tell, I guess.

For me, the very fact that the 3800 offers LF, high-quality printing for less than a grand means that Epson have brought something new to the table. Combine this with the knowledge that Epson is unrivalled in this price-range and it's clear that relatively speaking, rivals such as HP and Canon are most certainly in the slow lane. Not that it matters to anyone except Epson and it's rivals, of course

From my own point of view, should I be worried about the advances - if any - that HP and Canon may or may not be making relative to Epson? We're already in agreement that Epson's leading products produce cutting-edge results, so why should I be concerned about the relative age of the K3 inkset? Progress and development in such areas is constant, so surely whatever I buy in the short-term will become obsolete pretty quickly? However will that technicality have any effect on the prints I get from the 3800, assuming that I buy it? Will the fact that the K3 inkset is likely to be updated/improved/renamed compromise the results I get from my own K3 inkset? Will I care if the latest Epsons are scientifically proven to produce results which are up to 10% better than my own? Of course not.

If your decision to replace your R1800 (itself not an old model by any means - it's hardly a 1290, is it..?) is governed entirely by a new model's absolute dominance in terms of it's technology, specification and it's place in the market relative to it's rivals, then I'm sure you will find satisfaction, at least for a limited period. For me it's more to do with finding a high-quality product for the right price, which does exactly what I need it to do. Right now, the 3800 fits that bill perfectly. And uniquely...

[JSR]

Re: Epson Stylus Pro 3800 9 inks into one print head

If your decision to replace your R1800 (itself not an old model by any means - it's hardly a 1290, is it..?) is governed entirely by a new model's absolute dominance in terms of it's technology, specification and it's place in the market relative to it's rivals, then I'm sure you will find satisfaction, at least for a limited period. For me it's more to do with finding a high-quality product for the right price, which does exactly what I need it to do. Right now, the 3800 fits that bill perfectly. And uniquely...