printer purchase: epson3800 or hp130nr

[charlier]

I'm new to this site, and I was looking for opinions with regard to my next printer purchase.  I run a research group that uses high-resolution satellite images, B&W and color aerial photographs.  I need both glossy and matte paper output.  Water resistant would be nice, but quality of output is more important.  The printer must be reliable – it will be networked via fast Ethernet to Intel Macs.  The image files sizes will vary from say 20 MB to >100MB.  

I have been reading about the Epson 3800 and HP-130nr printers on the site.

Any experience or suggestions would be appreciated.

[jhein]

I have a 130NR for sale in the for sale forums that you might want to check out.  I have no experience on the 3800.  The big pluses for the 130NR are

Lowest cost for ink.  This printer is amazing in how little ink it uses to make a print.
Great glossy and satin prints.  Beats almost all pigment printers except the Z3100 which has the gloss enhancer.
It will do a good job with matte paper so long as you don't care about the print lasting decades.
No clogs

Minuses:
Prints are not waterfast using swellable polymer papers.  BUT this has never been a problem for me.

hope this helps
Jim

[charlier]

Minuses:
Prints are not waterfast using swellable polymer papers.  BUT this has never been a problem for me.

hope this helps
Jim
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=116838\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks for the response.  I am not sure that I will be able to purchase a used printer, but thanks for the information.  Is there anyway to treat matte paper to make it more waterfast or purchase matte paper that is not swellable?  I will mostly use 11x17" glossy paper for output, using both color and B&W.  Charlie

[matt4626]

The 3800 is by far the best printer I've ever used.

[jhein]

Thanks for the response.  I am not sure that I will be able to purchase a used printer, but thanks for the information.  Is there anyway to treat matte paper to make it more waterfast or purchase matte paper that is not swellable?  I will mostly use 11x17" glossy paper for output, using both color and B&W.  Charlie
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=116975\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

The key is how long you want the prints to last.  You can get outstanding results using the many "Instant Dry" papers out there and they will be waterfast.  Using the dye inks of the 130 they will only last a short time, few years tops .  Genuine matte papers (like Epson Enhanced Matte) are not swellable so the ink is also waterfast.  You only need to spray them if you want the prints to last more than a few years.

If you need the prints  to last and don't want to spray, then a pigment printer like the HP Z2100 or Z3100 might suit your needs better

hope this helps
Jim

[charlier]

The key is how long you want the prints to last.  You can get outstanding results using the many "Instant Dry" papers out there and they will be waterfast.  Using the dye inks of the 130 they will only last a short time, few years tops .  Genuine matte papers (like Epson Enhanced Matte) are not swellable so the ink is also waterfast.  You only need to spray them if you want the prints to last more than a few years.

If you need the prints  to last and don't want to spray, then a pigment printer like the HP Z2100 or Z3100 might suit your needs better

hope this helps
Jim
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=117001\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I want the prints to last.  I will use high quality matte paper and will use spray as well.  I have a high quality HP plotter already, but really need to find a 11x17" high quality. I've had good luck with highg-end HP products (plotters and printers).  My only experience with Epson has been with their low-end consumer products - I was not impressed.  So, that is why I was thinking about a Epson 3800/4800 or HP130nr.  Charlie

[vandevanterSH]

I just got my R3800 last night.  I have no high end printer experience and just getting started on high end digital photography.  With that said, the 3800 and LR started producing very good prints right out of the box and with me not having much of a clue of what I was doing.  After seeing a few ltr sized prints of, what I thought were pretty good images, I am now motivated to give the printer better than pretty good.


Steve

[neil snape]

Welcome to the forums.
I know the 130 inside out.

I know others that have the 3800 already.

For the richness of the darks the 130 goes well beyond any pigment printer, including the 3800 and or Z series. Yet printing on matte reduces the lightfastness to around 30 years according to some tests by WIR, behind glass that is.
Yes if you spray with Premier art shield the lightfastness goes up and the reistance to splashes goes to almost watrproof depending on thickness.

The 130 is a very reliable printer with few of the problems of other printers in it's class.
The 3800 is a very good printer for price point and the image quality is great too.
Roll media though on the 130 makes it a great choice for network printing.

There is quite a bit of info on the 130 on my site.

[dgillilan]

There is quite a bit of info on the 130 on my site.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=117124\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Neil,
Where is your site? I am interested in reading and staying abreast of printers and inks, although I have just purchased an Epson R3800, I would enjoy reading your material on the 130,
Thanks, Debra

[neil snape]

Neil,
Where is your site? I am interested in reading and staying abreast of printers and inks, although I have just purchased an Epson R3800, I would enjoy reading your material on the 130,
Thanks, Debra
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=117170\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If you click on my login name in the users profile there are sites for those who wish to publish them publicly. Of course neilsnape.com works too.

[dgillilan]

If you click on my login name in the users profile there are sites for those who wish to publish them publicly. Of course neilsnape.com works too.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=117171\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks Neil ! Got it, bookmarked it, will review it thoroughly this evening !!
Thank you, Debra

[charlier]

I will probably purchase the HP130NR or HP130GP printer.  My last question purchasing a RIP.  I use postscript for much of printing.   The .ps files might be > 500MB.  I will use mostly Premium Plus Photo Gloss Paper or HP Premium Plus Satin Photo Paper.  I might experiment with other paper - matte for B&W aerial photographs.  

One possibilty is the HP EFI Designer Edition RIP for HP XL, $650 - for an Intel Mac.  One other choice is the ImagePrint v6.  This costs more than the EFI, but ease of use, Mac support, and printer support is also important.  Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.

Thanks, Charlie

[neil snape]

I will probably purchase the HP130NR or HP130GP printer.  My last question purchasing a RIP.  I use postscript for much of printing.   The .ps files might be > 500MB.  I will use mostly Premium Plus Photo Gloss Paper or HP Premium Plus Satin Photo Paper.  I might experiment with other paper - matte for B&W aerial photographs.   

One possibilty is the HP EFI Designer Edition RIP for HP XL, $650 - for an Intel Mac.  One other choice is the ImagePrint v6.  This costs more than the EFI, but ease of use, Mac support, and printer support is also important.  Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.

Thanks, Charlie
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=117765\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I'd start with looking for a copy of the long ago disconitinued HP RIP which is a Scanvec. They were giving them away at the end of life. It won't be UB but will run under Rosetta. That would give you time to look at both EFI and ImagePrint. For photography there is no question , IP V6 (I'm now testing V7) is the right choice. You'll need the Postscript version. EFI DE or ColorProof are both based on Adobe Ps but have screens that are inferior to driver or IP screens. The color matching is good, the Postscript is very good. Support is poor on EFI to non existant, so your not going to like that side. As far as EFI goes you probably don't need much tech support anyway but have to get used to their way of doing things. I don't knwo where they are with Vista or MacOs X.5. I do like EFI's control strip printing, settings for unmanaged black only printing, integration for CLC, easy no color management for profiling.
Otherwise there is GMG, the king of rips but tht is around 2-3X the cost of the printer itself.