Just a few small quibbles....not sure now important they are; the 4880 comes with the very VERY special (wink wink) "Vivid Magenta" inkset while the 3800 does not. Unless the 3800 can accept those inks as well (I don't really know...I don't have one.). Also...here is the info from Epsons website:
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Epson 3800
MicroPiezo® AMC™ Print Head Technology
One-inch wide, high performance print head offers a maximum resolution of 2880 x 1440
Produces variable sized droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters to greatly decrease print times, while optimizing photographic quality
Extremely sharp and accurate placement of ink droplets consistently delivers outstanding photographic print quality print to print
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Accuphoto™ HD Screening Technology
Highly precise screening technology uses a radical new algorithm to determine dot placement, resulting in an extreme level of photographic image quality
Produces extremely fine photographic prints, even in bi-directional and lower resolution print modes
Compensates for various ink densities between resolutions, allowing for a single ICC™ profile to be used per media type
Epson 4880
Eight-Channel MicroPiezo® AMC™ Print Head with Ink Repelling Coating Technology
Print head design capable of handling eight separate ink channels
One-inch wide high-performance print head with 180 nozzles per channel
New ink repelling coating to dramatically reduce nozzle clogging
Epson AccuPhoto™ HD Screening Technology
Advanced screening algorithm resulting in prints with superior color and clarity
Maximum resolution of 2880 x 1440 dpi for incredibly sharp text and line art
Extremely accurate fine blends and photographic transitions
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What I can tell you is that when I was buying my printer I went to my local Calumet photo and they printed out samples from each. I couldn't really tell the difference in the samples that I received; but they were different papers, different photos, etc. But what I can say is that the prints from my 4880 TOTALLY ROCK!!
:-)
Cheers....
Todd in Chicago
Comparing the 3800 to the 4880, the prints will be virtually identical. If you examined the prints at high magnification, some might say that the 3800 would be better due to more advanced dithering. Other than that, the inks, etc., are the same. I'd be in favor of the vastly more home-friendly form-factor of the 3800.
I have no direct experience with the Canon printers save for playing with them at my friendly store. Sorry. But the Canon is an absurd beast that would not be welcome in my home, at least unless it had a 24" carriage (which it doesn't) plus if I printed in far higher volumes.