What would be wise the purchase of the 3880 or the new P800?

[Harry Briels]

I just sold my 6 year old 3800 with the intention to replace it with the Epson Pro 3880. Then the replacement of the 3880 was announched .
Forgetting the price differences what would be a wise decision?
The purchase of the 3880 or the P800?

 

[The Hat]

With very little new improvements to the model p800 and the price difference, the 3880 is a far better buy considering it had a proven track record and you know what you’re getting, and you may even be able to get two 3880’s for the price of the P800.

My advice would be to wait 12 months for the dust to settle and then see if the P800 is all it’s cracked up to be, it just doesn’t make sense replacing the 3880 when it’s such a good printer..

 

[3dogs]

I have already started the process of buying a second 3880 to put in storage so that if the current one I am using has a problem in the next two or three years I will have a replacement that I know I can trust.

By then the P800 will have had a chance to settle in and show if it is a good replacement, but I am thinking that I will be using 3880's till Epson are ready to replace the P800.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

if you don't need a specific feature of the P800 which the 3880 does not provide I rather would stay with the 3880, and if you do refill, or plan to do you are better off with a unit for which refill cartridges etc are already on the market and tested. It will all become available as well for the P800, sooner or later, but you probably don't want to be an early tester for that.

 

[RogerB]

if you don't need a specific feature of the P800 which the 3880 does not provide I rather would stay with the 3880, and if you do refill, or plan to do you are better off with a unit for which refill cartridges etc are already on the market and tested. It will all become available as well for the P800, sooner or later, but you probably don't want to be an early tester for that.

The refilling issue is a big one I thnk. One of the advantages of the P800 over the 3880 is the new UltraChrome HD ink set which gives denser black, wider colour gamut and much improved stability of the yellow pigment. Third-party inks will never equal these OEM inks no matter how long you wait IMHO. The only benefit then is the (optional $200) roll-feed unit. If you need that then the P800 is the obvious choice.

Keith Cooper has just published his review of the P800. You can find it at http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/epson-sc_p800_review.html Looks like a very nice printer!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

If you are already refilling a current model - 3880 - you could as well tap the new Ultrachrome HD cartridges and use that ink with your current printer, getting a new printer to use the new ink would not be necessary really. For some reason Epson is using some other Ultrachrome XD inks on the wider Surecolor models, there is quite a diversification of Ultrachrome inks, and I guess Epson marketing claims that all are the best.
Lyson is offering refill inks for the P600, it is possibly worth a try whether their blacks are
better as well , and with less bronzing as current K3 compatible (as claimed) inks.
http://www.specialistinks.com/epson-surecolor-sc-p600-lyson-ink-refills.php
I hope inks become available pretty soon.

 

[3dogs]

The refilling issue is a big one I thnk. One of the advantages of the P800 over the 3880 is the new UltraChrome HD ink set which gives denser black, wider colour gamut and much improved stability of the yellow pigment. Third-party inks will never equal these OEM inks no matter how long you wait IMHO. The only benefit then is the (optional $200) roll-feed unit. If you need that then the P800 is the obvious choice.

Keith Cooper has just published his review of the P800. You can find it at http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/epson-sc_p800_review.html Looks like a very nice printer!

I must be missing something is UltraChrome HD a new ink?..if yes how is it that yellow is now improved in the life department.

And what does this do for the " Professionals " selling big expensive prints.

Imagine if you will two executives standing in the entrance foyer of their Corporate Castle where said 'featured' print is displayed.

The conversation goes like this :

" Barnsey tells me we paid half a million pounds for that "
" Oh! how long have we had it?"
"Arrived last week, fellows who hung it wore gloves!"
" Bugger!"
"Why?"
"Well Epson just released Ultrachrome HD inks for their new printers and the new yellows have a significantly longer life than the K3 inks Darren uses for these prints."
"Oh Hell! Barnsey will be furious with me for recommending Daffodils there is a sea of bloomin' yellow and green there!"
"Don't sweat it! I was talking to him yesterday, he already knows and said that only bloody muppets would be listening to that tosh! "
" Heck there is a BIG difference!"
"Yes I said that to him"
"So what did he say?"
'Said its a load of BS, by the time the yellow fades he will be dead and gone by natural causes as will you and your grandson can worry about the onset of fading when he is Chairman of the Board!"

................................

 

[Emulator]

" Barnsey tells me we paid half a million pounds for that "
" Oh! how long have we had it?"
"Arrived last week, fellows who hung it wore gloves!"
" Bugger!"
"Why?"
"Well Epson just released Ultrachrome HD inks for their new printers and the new yellows have a significantly longer life than the K3 inks Darren uses for these prints."
"Oh Hell! Barnsey will be furious with me for recommending Daffodils there is a sea of bloomin' yellow and green there!"
"Don't sweat it! I was talking to him yesterday, he already knows and said that only bloody muppets would be listening to that tosh! "
" Heck there is a BIG difference!"
"Yes I said that to him"
"So what did he say?"
'Said its a load of BS, by the time the yellow fades he will be dead and gone by natural causes as will you and your grandson can worry about the onset of fading when he is Chairman of the Board!"

................................

You're a playwrite too!!

 

[3dogs]

@RogerB
What are your thoughts on the new print head for the P800?. The review seems to indicate that some mods have had to be made to the original head, and some software changes too....whilst it does not HAVE to be a game changer, I am curious as to the effect it will have on the printers ability to avoid clogs in the same way as the 3880 does.
I must confess I just DO NOT understand what it is that makes the printhead on one perform so well and the print head on another model by the same manufacturer misbehave so badly.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I don't think the printhead is so much responsible for clogging or not, as long as the nozzle diameters and droplet volumes don't change too much. It is much more the cleaning unit, the tightness, the amount of underpressure, related firmware , the early automatic detection of missing nozzles etc.