Epson SPC-P800 printer: the next stage Epson Pro 3880

What a disappointment....Still matte/photo black change needed.

Buy a Canon

Joke: they unfortunatily have no comparable printer

pharmacist said:

What a disappointment....Still matte/photo black change needed.

Click to expand...

Buy another 3880 and have the best of both worlds, one on Matte and the other on Photo black, there maybe discounts to be had, to rid the market of 3880’s

Basically it's a p600 for A2.
But I am curious how the new ink set work out, regarding not only d-max of PK and MK, but also the suitability for various sorts of paper, regarding gloss differential and similar potential issues of pigment ink.
PS: epson is claiming an "all new ink set"...let's wait and see...

The ink set seems to be the same as that for the 3880, all product codes are the same!

Harry Briels said:

The ink set seems to be the same as that for the 3880, all product codes are the same!

Click to expand...

Can't believe that..

Evaluating the ink set for surecolor printers "ultrachrome HD", there are some reliable reviewers reporting, that improvements of density are measurable but hardly visible (at northlight and aardenburg)...only at luminous landscape the reviewer reports clearly visible improvement in d-max of both PK and MK.

And for bronzing I only found one opinion until now - and this is really sceptical, reporting no visible improvements printing on glossy paper (from m. mccormick/aardenburg in the luminous printer forum)

a better Dmax is one thing with the black ink(s), I have not seen a remark which ink they refer to on which paper - glossy or matt or all ? Whether these HD inks give a wider gamut is another story, and the 3rd question will be to the 3rd party ink suppliers (those Lyson, Nazdar etc companies) whether they have as well such improved inksets available. The paper cutter is left to the Pro 4880 , Epson is differentiating the models here.

Hello MartinOreg,
You were right that the productcodes for the ink carts for the new P800 can't be the same as those for the Pro 3880:
They are different, the first two digits have been switched around, from e.g. T5808 MK for the Pro 3880 into T8508 MK for the P800.
Sorry for making this mistake!
Harry

Epson UltraChrome HD Ink
Ink Cartridge (80 ml)
Photo Black T850100
Cyan T850200
Vivid Magenta T850300
Yellow T850400
Light Cyan T850500
Vivid Light Magenta T850600
Light Black T850700
Matte Black T850800
Light Light Black T850900

For me the issue is that EPSON has not improved the basic 3880 to provide printers with a better product. By not doing so I believe they are trying to protect their shoddy wide format range.
Had they added vacuum to the print table and separate pk, mk lines they would have upset a delicate balance within their own marketing.
Such changes would have added to the price, and marketers are fixated on price point relationships to a degree that is truly comical at times......like this.

Unfortunately I am not nifty enough to reprogram the firmware of the Epson Pro 3880 or whatever 8 channel DX5-based Epson printer to accommodate the following ink configuration:

Matte Black
Photo Black
Grey
Vivid Magenta
Orange
Cyan
Yellow
Gloss Optimizer

This hybrid mix between the Epson R1900/R2000 and the R2880/R3000/Pro 3880 will have the best of both worlds: both the matte and photo black loaded, Vivid magenta to improve gamut in the reds, blues and purples, Orange for better skin tones, Grey ink for neutral ABW-mode, Gloss Optimizer to obtain superior gloss and minimal gloss differential en eradicating bronzing on glossy papers and also improves the Dmax of the photo black. Also the DX5 print head can produce variable droplets (Epson Variable Droplet Technology) to mimic the light colors, so no need use the heavily consumed light colors, thus saving ink usage as well (Note: the Epson R1900/R2000 don't have light colors, but still produces stunningly good light shades without the slightest visible graininess by using concentrated colors only).

I think this will be the ultimate way to produce the best Epson A2 printer using the above ink configuration. For some a configuration with the Orange or Photo Black replaced with White ink is also feasible and interesting (printing on slightly colored surfaces like papyrus or vellum).

Maybe we should all find someone who knows to program printer firmwares and start a crowd funding action to pay him/her to make this possible. Using RIP's is far too expensive and too complicated for most of us.