Epson Failure

[Canonshooternb]

I have an Epson 3880 that has given up and prints black and yellow together on the test print and by searches tell me the Ink delivery system is gone. The 3880 has had regular but gentle use and do not find that the Epson is a durable printer.  The quality of the prints are great but if you cannot rely on epson hardware there is no value. There is no authorized service center in the province and have had no luck with Epson support.
I have looked at the Competitive Epson and Canon models and wondering what is the best bang for the dollar.   Not just on the printer cost but how much they gouge us on the replacement inks.

Has anybody done the research here and have a clear winner ?  I would prefer a 17" but believe with the current costs I need to stay with a 13x19 max.

Any help would be appreciated.


Paul

[Jager]

Sorry to hear of your woes, Paul.  But many of us have made thousands of prints, over many years, with 3800/3880 printers.  I think most empirical evidence - which is the best we can achieve, given that failure rates are closely held proprietary information - would suggest, on the contrary, that those printers are quite reliable.

Ink costs are what they are.

Good luck with whatever you move to next.

Welcome to the forum...

[Conner999]

I've had a 3800 for a couple of years now. It's a love-hate relationship.  Never really clogs and works well most of the time (with MK papers only), but still an undue amount of BS and hair-pulling. I won't even walk PK papers past it anymore.

Given the lack of decent print shops in N.S. (the stories I could tell) and the fact that the (now dead) 38xx line is  arguably considered the least problematic in the family, I've ruled out moving up the Epson food chain.  

With zero Epson support in the area, I need to look at the probabilities of having ongoing issues vs. the cost of the printer vs. the chance of, and time wasted, trying (I stress 'trying') to get any issues fixed properly.  Junking a $1500 printers is one thing, but....

So the 3800 will be my first and last Epson unit, to be supplanted by a Canon iPf6400.

The fact that, unlike with $%^ Epson,  I can buy the ink, paper, heads, etc., from the US if I desire w/o any 'protect our CDN distributors' BS is icing on the cake. Much like a computer, I want a printer that just works and that I can keep 'fed' easily, quickly & w/o someone mandating from whom I have to buy supplies from.

No drama, no hand-holding, no searching forums for "Have your tried this..." remedies to issues that shouldn't have come up in the first place. Having the heads as user-replaceable consumables is well worth not standing over a client print for the Xth time waiting for the latest drama to unfold again for no fathomable reason.

I want to enjoy printing my images, not pay $$$$$ for a 'pro' printer just to dread the idea because you keep wondering what problem will rear it's ugly head yet again.

Short answer - maybe take a peak at what Canon offers?

[Jeremy Roussak]

I've had a 3800 for a couple of years now ... I won't even walk PK papers past it anymore.

Why not? I'm very happy with the results on GFS, and from posts here I deduce that many others are, too.

Jeremy

[Canonshooternb]

Thanks for the great information and I from the maritimes also (Moncton NB) and know too well the issues about trying to by the Epson or Canon brand from the US.     Epson support is NIL in this area and would cost a fortune to ship to Montreal.

I did love the printer until it failed and like many I expect longer life out of a well maintained piece of hardware.



Cheers

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Like Jeremy I push lots of PK papers through my ancient 3800. I gave up on MK papers years ago because they never had the dynamic range I was used to from my darkroom days. So I have used nothing but PK papers for a good six years.

I too use mainly Gold Fibre Silk and Canson Baryta. For some time now I've been waiting for my 3800 to quit so I could upgrade to a 3880. But I've now missed the boat on that one.

From what I've read the vast majority of 3800 and 3880 owners are delighted with their printers. Most of the complaints one sees on the web are for the larger Epsons. So it seems as if you got a (rare) lemon. I'm sorry about that, but I wouldn't give up on Epson for that.

Living near Boston I have a printer service outfit that handles Epsons within 20 miles. I had to use them once for my first digital printer, an Epson 2200, but I've never needed service of any sort for my 3800. I sometimes make several dozen prints per day for a few days, and sometimes the printer sits idle for several weeks. It is so reliable that I almost never bother with a nozzle check. That bad habit has bit me about three times when I started making a print after the printer had sat idle for quite a while. When the print looked weird, I did a nozzle check, saw the problem, did a clean or two, and it was back to normal.

I have no personal information about Canon printers, but if you have parts and service available in NS, that could be a good idea.

[howardm]

Eric,

I'm in MetroWest Boston.  Can you give me the contact info for the repair station?

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Eric,

I'm in MetroWest Boston.  Can you give me the contact info for the repair station?

It's so long ago that I used them that I couldn't remember their name at first. I remembered that they were in Weymouth on the South Shore. From the Epson Service Center list I found them, and the name sounds like the one I used on my 2200:

Try:   MARDEK COMPUTER SERVICE INC.
         84 COMMERCIAL STREET
         WEYMOUTH, MA 02188
         Phone: (781)340-5559, Fax: (781)340-0088

I hope they can help you.

Eric

[Conner999]

On PK papers - MY 3800 scratches them - W/O fail. Tried everything - from various Epson and non-Epson stock (like GFS) through the most basic settings & paper handling changes to the most bizarre web voodoo 'fixes' -  including removing the pizza wheels.

The latter removed the PW marks but it still places fine scratches on any sheets larger than 8x10. I mean I tried everything.  From what I can tell, I've a unit at the tighter end of paper path tolerances and ANY swelling of a larger PK paper due to ink load has some part of it contacting sharp plastic bits along the paper path.

On MK papers it works fine (edit: IF I let the print drop as it exist the printer onto a rolling cart vs the level exit tray) and is very predictable if I keep the wipers and capping station clean. I also run a nozzle check before every print run, and periodically though a large one. However, I'll never buy ANY other 'pro' printer w/o vacuum hold-down.  Had someone run 1/2 doz 24" wide PK prints for me on an 8400 that were on black seamless & black acrylic floor (basically a worst case $#%-ton of ink load) and they were utterly pristine.

All pro printers have their issues and sample variation within models - some more so than others, and some they're infamous for, like Epson and clogging (beyond the 38xxx).

Thus living in an area with a) an utter lack of good pro print shops and b) where once the truck pulls out of the drive your own you own (baring phone support), means you need to lower the odds of having a terminal or ongoing issue vs. having say higher consumable (e.g. Canon heads). I don't even know if Canon has local support, I'm approaching the decision with a worst case, lets assume they're like Epson and do not.

[Herbc]

Dunno about 3880, but my 3800 is almost ten years old and has performed well, although it does not like canvas sheets, becoming a severe test of one's religion to make good canvas prints.  Print errors are almost non existent, even after a months non use.  I am in NC, a very humid climate.  That may have something to do with it.

[Conner999]

Should add my machine, from a clog perspective had been stellar. Bursts of infrequent use, do a nozzle check and, maybe 2, prior to printing and good to go.

[Jager]

Your scratches are an odd one, Conner.  AFAIK the only thing that physically touches the media on the print side are the tiny pizza wheels that pull the paper through.  (ergo, not surprising you might get marks from those with some ink/paper combinations).

Have you tried opening up your platen gap?

[ddolde]

My 3880 is still running but one complaint is with one ink cartridge at 8% it wont do a nozzle check or head cleaning. Epson is unethical about inks in my opinion. I'll keep using it for some small prints but my HP Z5200 44" wide printer is getting most of my attention now. It's a great printer.

That said I'll never buy another Epson when my 3880 dies.

[Conner999]

Actually, the only thing that's SUPPOSED to touch the paper are the PWs.

However, if you load say a 13x19 sheet or larger and print something with a good ink load, you can sit at the front of the paper exit and see many PK papers taken on the infamous "M" wave (see various posts) as different areas swell/warp due to ink load. This then causes (in my case) fine scratches in the new ink as various sharp bits just above the path (that aren't supposed to contact) grace the surface.

NOTHING has been able to fix it. I prefer matte 90% of the time anyway, but it's a problem that shouldn't be happening.

That said, some people never have this issue - sample variation.   

The 3800 for me has been good, but not great. The P800's lack of a rear feed (loading via the front for sheets is a PITA) and lack of vacuum rule it out for me. As for the larger Epson units - not worth the risk. The new units may be better - but I'd need 1-2 years of people's 1st hand experience before making such a move.

Combine that with fact CDNs MUST buy Epson-branded consumables in Canada, usually at higher prices, w/limited stocks and often $$$ shipping (I can get a 25lb light stand shipped from NYC cheaper than a couple of boxes of larger paper from T.O.).
 
The whole residual ink debacle isn't exactly endearing either.

The grass may always be greener, but myself and Epson have had our last date.

[Sal Baker]

My 3880 is 5-years old and has clogged one time when changing blacks.  It sits (covered) for weeks/months at a time and always fires up ready to go.  My fear is not being able to find newer models that are as reliable as the 3880.  I guess the jury is still out on its recent replacement model.

Sal

[Conner999]

It says something (what I'm not sure) that the lowest-priced Epson 'Pro' printer is the one you can buy comfortable that it has the lowest risk of having issues - none of which have anything to do with smaller size or lack of roll feed, etc.  All in the reliability of ink delivery (or risk of lack thereof).

[IanBarber]

I have an Epson 3880 that has given up and prints black and yellow together on the test print and by searches tell me the Ink delivery system is gone.

This is exactly what has happened to mine. I bought mine in 2011 and its done 2065 prints. Also the status monitor shows PK as 72% full but the cart is empty, do you also have this issue.


Ian

[Canonshooternb]

Yes I had the same issue.    The photo black status shows about 40% while the cartridge is actually empty.

[IanBarber]

Yes I had the same issue.    The photo black status shows about 40% while the cartridge is actually empty.

I believe I have now fixed mine once and for all. I wrote a small blog on it yesterday


http://www.ianbarberphotography.co.uk/epson-r3880-ink-system-repair/