Found NOS Epson Ultra HD Photo Stylus R280... decisions, decisions!

[J.Emmett Turner]

Just found a brand new in box with all the ink and everything Epson Photo Stylus R280 "Ultra Hi-Definition Photo Printer" and I need a little help deciding what to do with it. It's an old model but I see it selling for 10x what I paid... likely because it's still used for DTG printing.

Anyway, my Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is a whole other class of printer so I don't think I personally need the R280. The R280 is A4 vs. A2 and 6 color Claria dye ink set vs. 9 color UltraChrome K3 pigment inkset. Only reason I can think of to use the R280 vs. the 3880 is for printing directly to photo-printable CDs, which I can probably do on the 3880 by making a disc carrier for the poster board feed tray, which is another thing I believe the R280 lacks. Guess I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell it unless someone can point out something I missed.

So, is this the kind of thing I should toss up on eBay, sell on a photography forum like DP Review, or find a local buyer? I'm no stranger to selling on eBay but I worry about shipping damage or scammers who just want to claim the ink or printhead and return their junk in its place. Thanks!

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I think it's your decision whether you want to start printing with an A4 printer wth dye inks, to offload some of the printing you may do in this format on your 3880 at this time.
The R280 is part of a family of Epson photo printers with 6 dye inks - including the predecessor R265 or the P50 following, or the L800/805 as an ink tank model, the current A4 photo printer is the XP55, and there are models with scanner and other options derived from this baisc print engine. If you want to sell it watch a few platforms for a short while for the actual pricing, you probably just find used models - in more or less good condition - at this time. An unused printer would be rather rare.

 

[The Hat]

Only reason I can think of to use the R280 vs. the 3880 is for printing directly to photo-printable CDs, which I can probably do on the 3880 by making a disc carrier for the poster board feed tray, which is another thing

There is an easier way to make Replicable disc carrier tray than using poster board, a 3D printer would print that out with ease, surly you have someone local that could run you off a new carrier board.. If you were on this side of the pond I’d do it for you with pleasure… Good luck with your Sale..

 

[J.Emmett Turner]

I think it's your decision whether you want to start printing with an A4 printer wth dye inks, to offload some of the printing you may do in this format on your 3880 at this time.
The R280 is part of a family of Epson photo printers with 6 dye inks - including the predecessor R265 or the P50 following, or the L800/805 as an ink tank model, the current A4 photo printer is the XP55, and there are models with scanner and other options derived from this baisc print engine. If you want to sell it watch a few platforms for a short while for the actual pricing, you probably just find used models - in more or less good condition - at this time. An unused printer would be rather rare.

Yeah, I see that most "new" R280 printers sold recently were open-box without the ink but I saw enough other examples to see that a totally new/unopened one typically sells for about 10x-11x what I paid at The Salvation Army thrift store. The "open box" ones reach the same territory often enough. Not looking to get top dollar since that also comes with risks and fees, just wanted to see if there was a better marketplace for this kind of printer, since I'm the type to rely way too much on luck for my own printer buys (thrift stores and flea markets) and never really hit those markets myself.

I don't think it will reduce that much wear and tear for me since I'm not set up for OEM refilling like I am for the 3880, but that is something I hadn't considered. I'll look into what it takes to set up for R280 refilling in case it's worth doing also. I did see that CISS conversions are a thing for it. Thanks!

Speaking of "luck:"
-Believe it or not, I was looking for a deal on a 3800, 3880, or P800 specifically for printing posterboard when I stumbled on mine at a Goodwill thrift store with hundreds of dollars of unopened ink. Of course, these places are simply selling charitable donations and never know what they have, so it was practically free. Cost me a little bit to fix the ink switch but even that was covered by selling the new/sealed T85 cart mixed in with all the T58 carts.

-I was looking for a deal on a specific color laser (Dell E525W) to economically print 1,200 Universal Game Case inserts from TheCoverProject when I recently came across one at Goodwill and then chanced across replacement carts at a salvage store the same day. Turns out the Dell was still on the initial carts and donated when it ran out of K toner. Just what I needed! I was getting ready to buy it the next time I saw it on SlickDeals for a reoccurring price that was still 5x-6x what I paid, and now I know that would've been an even bigger mistake (new firmware doesn't like refills!). Had my eye on it since it was recommended to me for this exact purpose years ago.

-I was also looking for a deal on an oversized MFP or flatbed scanner for A2 or A3 scans and even made a thread about it here. I soon found one for A3/Tabloid as part of a huge HP printer at Goodwill. No power adapter but I found the cheapest one on eBay was from another salvage store in Atlanta... on a day I just happened to be spending there (I'm somewhat close but I go months between trips). Came across an A2 pedestal-type "book" scanner at yet another salvage store back in October but decided to pass even though it was dirt cheap (HP seems to fit my needs). Salvage stores typically sell "scratch and dent," damaged, or returned goods... like they bid on Amazon pallets and then resell the items. Surprising what you can find at these places. Got my waterproof Note9 for a ridiculously cheap price just because the box had been a little wet at some point.

There is an easier way to make Replicable disc carrier tray than using poster board, a 3D printer would print that out with ease, surly you have someone local that could run you off a new carrier board.. If you were on this side of the pond I’d do it for you with pleasure… Good luck with your Sale..

Thanks! I actually have a small print farm going myself with a Creality CR-10 and two Ender-3 FDM printers. I've 3D printed about 10 parts since having to redo the bowden tubing on my backup Ender-3 last night (other one had the heated bed go out). I've almost always got one of them busy.

I don't think the 3880 ever had a carrier for printing directly to CDs but it does have an alternate path for thicker materials (printable posterboard) up to 16" wide and you can enlarge platen gap for extra-thick materials. My idea was to create a large template for printing to multiple discs then use one of my cutting machines to cut the same template out of those colorful adhesive-backed foam sheets you can get from craft stores. The workshop has everything from craft cutters to floor-standing plotter cutters so I figure one of these should be able to do it. The adhesive-backed foam sheet would be about as thick as a CD so it would only need to be slapped on a backing piece so that you have a tray with circular areas to drop discs into. The backing probably doesn't need to be a 3D print since it just needs to be a solid sheet the same size as the template. Thanks for the offer though.