Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Epson 3800  (Read 5870 times)

JohnKoerner

  • Guest
Epson 3800
« on: April 29, 2009, 12:21:57 pm »

I was seriously considering getting the 7900/9900, but it seems like almost everyone who owns these machines encounters problems. Even at best, these machines seem to suck ink much faster than desired.

By contrast, it seems the 3800 has a much higher "user satisfaction ratio," and most users seem to agree that that the 3800 uses far less ink per print.

Other than the 17" limit on print size with the 3800, I am curious if owners of both machines would agree that the quality of the 3800-produced images is equal to the quality of the other two printers (7900/9900) ... or is the quality of these larger printer models better?

Thanks,

Jack

Logged

Schewe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6229
    • http:www.schewephoto.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2009, 01:07:37 pm »

Quote from: JohnKoerner
I was seriously considering getting the 7900/9900, but it seems like almost everyone who owns these machines encounters problems. Even at best, these machines seem to suck ink much faster than desired.


Well, if you are going to make your decisions based on forum posts you are never going to have any sort of true understanding. Forums are made for people to complain or get help...so, people who have problems are predisposed to post to vent or resolve issues....you won't have a bunch of happy users who have zero problems come posting that they have no problems...I would venture a guess that the number of users who are having issues is a small subset of the installed user base.

As far as comparing the 3800 to the 79/9900, you've got to be kidding right? 10 color, new math for screening, 360 nozzles/inch, up to 2x the speed, built like a tank...yes, there is a tremendous difference between the two sets of printers and yes, you can see the differences in print. For the price, the 3800 is a fine and dandy printer...but no, it doesn't have the capabilities that the 900 class has.
Logged

Eric Myrvaagnes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22814
  • http://myrvaagnes.com
    • http://myrvaagnes.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2009, 02:52:36 pm »

Quote from: Schewe
For the price, the 3800 is a fine and dandy printer...but no, it doesn't have the capabilities that the 900 class has.
...or the price tag.  
Logged
-Eric Myrvaagnes (visit my website: http://myrvaagnes.com)

JohnKoerner

  • Guest
Epson 3800
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2009, 06:20:43 pm »

Quote from: Schewe
Well, if you are going to make your decisions based on forum posts you are never going to have any sort of true understanding. Forums are made for people to complain or get help...so, people who have problems are predisposed to post to vent or resolve issues....you won't have a bunch of happy users who have zero problems come posting that they have no problems...

The only way to get a "true understanding" would be to buy, and use both, which I am not willing to do.

Your rendition of "the purpose" of forums is infantile. It is also wrong. I have seen as many people gush the praises of the products they own as I have seen people decry the products they own. And yes, many times forum posts have helped me (and countless others) reach purchase decisions.




Quote from: Schewe
I would venture a guess that the number of users who are having issues is a small subset of the installed user base.

Thank you for your guess. My guess is the Epson 7900 and 9900 are having some serious issues, which is why so many people are complaining about them.




Quote from: Schewe
As far as comparing the 3800 to the 79/9900, you've got to be kidding right? 10 color, new math for screening, 360 nozzles/inch, up to 2x the speed, built like a tank...yes, there is a tremendous difference between the two sets of printers

No I am not kidding. Were you kidding about the laughable idea that I should buy and use both, and then decide, or that all these forums are for is complaining?




Quote from: Schewe
and yes, you can see the differences in print. For the price, the 3800 is a fine and dandy printer...but no, it doesn't have the capabilities that the 900 class has.

Thank you for at last answering my question. Sort of.

I did not ask if the 3800 had all of the "capabilities" of the 7900/9900; I only asked if the ultimate visual quality of a finished print (of comparable size) was equal. The other rhetoric wasn't called for.

Jack

.
Logged

Schewe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6229
    • http:www.schewephoto.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2009, 07:36:22 pm »

Quote from: JohnKoerner
I only asked if the ultimate visual quality of a finished print (of comparable size) was equal.


No, the visual quality of a finished print (the same size) is not the same on a 3800 and 7900....the 7900 is capable of a larger total volume of color and much higher detail resolving.

Quote
Your rendition of "the purpose" of forums is infantile. It is also wrong.

No, it's been my experience (over 20 years on line) that people who are having problems are far more motivated to be posting (and complaining or asking for help) on line than people who have no problems.
Logged

dgberg

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2753
    • http://bergsprintstudio.com http://bergscustomfurniture.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2009, 10:09:30 pm »

I have both. The 7900 is superior in quality output (Blacks are stunning!)then my 3800. I will say this. The 3800 certainly has the quality in all areas to make excellent sellable prints. I print almost entirely canvas with the 7900. I do consider the 3800 more of a serious enthusiats printer. The 7900 is a true pro printer,size,weight,speed and cost! Meaning it is not without its overhead. If you sell a couple dozen or more prints a year and 17" wide fits what you sell the 3800 is the buy. If you have no problem spending $2500.00 on a set of inks and a $1,000 to stock up on a half dozen or more paper and canvas types then the 7900 may fit your bill. I  spent $7,600 the first month on my 7900 for printer,paper,canvas and inks. The 3800 was several years ago but I believe the tab was about $1,500 with some extra paper.
The last important item is roll feed. None on the 3800,sheet only. The 7900's roll feed is state of the art.
Dan Berg
Bergs Canvas Gallery

lensfactory

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 79
Epson 3800
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2009, 10:49:14 pm »

Yo John.., why do you always have your back up? You've got someone that has forked out the dough, is most likely a professional, and has a longer history of using professional photography equipment than you ...and yet you , without fail, seem to turn the query into some sort of personal affront.
If you expect to be treated more than some newbie with a G10 that shoots bugs, you should try to be a bit more respectful of people that actually have a well informed opinion on the subject matter.
I know you'll just insult me, and use your crackerjack philosophy degree to turn my infantile words into ether...sure. How is it though, that I just stumble on a post I have some interest in (epson printers) and that by simple virtue of it having your name attached to it, it will no doubt turn into a nasty back and forth until a moderator shuts it down.
hmmmm...
Logged

HowardG

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 105
    • http://www.hgrillphotographic.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2009, 11:14:34 pm »

John, I am one of those people who had a problem with the 7900.  The biggest problem I was having with it (see my post on 'black scuffing' in this forum) has now been resolved.  It is a new series machine and there are always going to be some issues that need to be ironed out with a new series.  I had assumed that the printer was going to 'act like' my 7600 in terms of some of the settings and it simply doesn't.  The problem was in driver settings not machine function.

The biggest issue that people seem to have with it (from reading these forums) is the issue of recurrent head cleanings. There is a solution to this as well.  Turn the auto nozzle check off.  That is what I have done and just check a nozzle pattern intermittently by yourself.  I do think the auto nozzle check isn't quite right but also suspect it will ultimately be fixed with firmware.  Either way, that aspect should not really effect your decision as it is not a printing problem but rather a not perfectly implemented feature.

I am still having some problems with green nozzle clogs but Epson is sending me a free set of carts to do a power clean and has said they will come back out if this doesn't fix it.

I am mentioning all this because I have a long thread that raised concerns about scuffing and wanted you to know that it has been resolved.  Like I said, most of the other complaints I have seen seem to revolve around the auto nozzle check and cleaning, which can be turned off.

The prints are stunning!  That said, I have never used a 3880.

Howard
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2009, 11:21:37 pm »

Quote from: JohnKoerner
I was seriously considering getting the 7900/9900, but it seems like almost everyone who owns these machines encounters problems. Even at best, these machines seem to suck ink much faster than desired.

By contrast, it seems the 3800 has a much higher "user satisfaction ratio," and most users seem to agree that that the 3800 uses far less ink per print.

Other than the 17" limit on print size with the 3800, I am curious if owners of both machines would agree that the quality of the 3800-produced images is equal to the quality of the other two printers (7900/9900) ... or is the quality of these larger printer models better?

Thanks,

Jack

Jack,

Unless you have an inside track on Epson's sales and service experience world-wide, to be quite frankly objective about it, you have no factual basis for asserting that "it seems like almost everyone who owns these machines encounters problems". I know people who own them and who do not have problems. But that's anecdotal too. Forum discussions would be much enhanced if contributors refrained from making even suggestive generalizations based on no real knowledge of either the numerator or the denominator.

I own a 3800, I'm intimately familiar with how it prints and I think it is an excellent, professional level printer within its class. It is definitely capable of producing prints to a high standard of commercial acceptability. I've also seen absolutely stunning results from the 7900, but I have not compared an image which stretches the capacity of a 3800 printed on a 7900, so I'm not in a position to tell you the extent to which the 7900 can exceed the capability of a 3800 for those images where the enhanced specs of the 7900 would really shine through - but Jeff Schewe has most likely done such tests because he normally talks what he knows about, so I would be inclined to accept his guidance as reliable.

But the real question for you - and only you can answer this - is what do you need a printer for? Do you need the specs of a 7900? Are the specs of a 3800 suitable for your needs? Can you go to a dealer with several good test images and give the 3800 a test drive to see whether its outputs meets your quality expectations, or do you know people who own them and can be of assistance likewise? I suggest these would be more important decision variables than what you read about service and ink consumption issues.


Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

Gemmtech

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 526
Epson 3800
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2009, 09:36:35 am »

I have to agree with Jeff when he states

"Forums are made for people to complain or get help...so, people who have problems are predisposed to post to vent or resolve issues....you won't have a bunch of happy users who have zero problems come posting that they have no problems...I would venture a guess that the number of users who are having issues is a small subset of the installed user base."

I've always said People are more apt to complain then to commend.  In other words just about any business will receive more phone calls as such "My printer isn't working, it's clogging and the damn thing is pissing black ink all over every print" rather than "My printer is the greatest, it makes the best prints that I have ever seen, I'm 100% satisfied with my purchase"  We live in a complaining society, because of our expectations, when you spend a $1.00 on a product we expect it to work and when we spend $3,000.00 on a product, we expect it to work problem free for the rest of our lives.  I believe there's a reason for this attitude, I truly believe that older, mechanical, non-electronic devices simply worked longer without problems.  Run a Linux machine that just does email, it'll never die (software wise) Think about it this way, have you have had a corrupted negative?  I get corrupted image files, but I keep the raws backed up, I never had to back up my negatives and still print from 30 year old negatives and slides.  

I remember when "everybody" complained about the Epson 1280, it clogged, had color shift problems and naturally the prints faded.  Well, my 1280 is now 8 years old, rarely clogs and if it does a simple cleaning works, I don't have the color shift problems and naturally some prints fade quicker than others.  Unfortunately the pigment based printers can't print semigloss or gloss as well as the dye printers and receiving samples from the 7900 has convinced me that though we take 2 steps forward we take 1 step back.    

Obviously a company like Epson who wants to stay in business a very long time has to make great products and deal with the problems that arise, but I wouldn't doubt if they had a 95% satisfaction rate with the 7900, but that 5% unsatisfied is probably a lot of people (I don't know what their sales are)  I've had two problemed Mercedes Benz and one great one, I've owned 4 MACS and have had problems with all four, I've had more Epson printers than I care to count and haven't taken any in for service.  With that being said, I have decided to wait a "little" while until I buy my 7900.  The HP & Canon have their problems, so just pick the product you feel you have the best karma with, I'd say there's a great chance that you will receive a problem free unit from any of the 3 manufacturers.

Logged

JohnKoerner

  • Guest
Epson 3800
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2009, 10:00:34 am »

Quote from: Dan Berg
I have both. The 7900 is superior in quality output (Blacks are stunning!)then my 3800. I will say this. The 3800 certainly has the quality in all areas to make excellent sellable prints. I print almost entirely canvas with the 7900. I do consider the 3800 more of a serious enthusiats printer. The 7900 is a true pro printer,size,weight,speed and cost! Meaning it is not without its overhead. If you sell a couple dozen or more prints a year and 17" wide fits what you sell the 3800 is the buy. If you have no problem spending $2500.00 on a set of inks and a $1,000 to stock up on a half dozen or more paper and canvas types then the 7900 may fit your bill. I  spent $7,600 the first month on my 7900 for printer,paper,canvas and inks. The 3800 was several years ago but I believe the tab was about $1,500 with some extra paper.
The last important item is roll feed. None on the 3800,sheet only. The 7900's roll feed is state of the art.
Dan Berg
Bergs Canvas Gallery


Thanks Dan, that was exactly the kind of answer I was hoping someone would be able to provide, with print quality opinions and differences in expense. Thank you for taking the time.




____________________________________________
____________________________________________




Quote from: MarkDS
Jack,
Unless you have an inside track on Epson's sales and service experience world-wide, to be quite frankly objective about it, you have no factual basis for asserting that "it seems like almost everyone who owns these machines encounters problems". I know people who own them and who do not have problems. But that's anecdotal too. Forum discussions would be much enhanced if contributors refrained from making even suggestive generalizations based on no real knowledge of either the numerator or the denominator.

If everyone followed this cyber-rule you have laid out, then there would be virtually zero need for forums at all, but only company-generated cyber specs and reports. The truth is, if everyone would refrain from making snide comments, and would keep their unsolicited BS comments to themselves ... and instead only offer helpful answers to the questions that get posted (or keep their mouths shut), this is what would truly enhance forum experiences and keep things on track.




Quote from: MarkDS
I own a 3800, I'm intimately familiar with how it prints and I think it is an excellent, professional level printer within its class. It is definitely capable of producing prints to a high standard of commercial acceptability. I've also seen absolutely stunning results from the 7900, but I have not compared an image which stretches the capacity of a 3800 printed on a 7900, so I'm not in a position to tell you the extent to which the 7900 can exceed the capability of a 3800 for those images where the enhanced specs of the 7900 would really shine through - but Jeff Schewe has most likely done such tests because he normally talks what he knows about, so I would be inclined to accept his guidance as reliable.

Someone's "experience" doesn't matter if they come off in a rude or condescending tone in their response. There was no need for it. I didn't ask for a person to read his résumé to me, or to look down his nose at me, nor for that matter did I ask for anyone to provide their opinion as to "the parameters under which people should post" to me.

I asked for some pretty basic information about a print-quality comparison (and a user cost-comparison) between printers, that Dan Berg was kind enough to answer directly.




Quote from: MarkDS
But the real question for you - and only you can answer this - is what do you need a printer for? Do you need the specs of a 7900? Are the specs of a 3800 suitable for your needs? Can you go to a dealer with several good test images and give the 3800 a test drive to see whether its outputs meets your quality expectations, or do you know people who own them and can be of assistance likewise? I suggest these would be more important decision variables than what you read about service and ink consumption issues.

Thanks for the information. After some consideration, I realize I am not really at a point where buying the 7900 makes sense. I have never sold a single print nor tried to at this point. I am just starting to get some photos together that I think are worth the effort to have printed, but it is mostly for friends and family. If I spend $5-6K on a printer I don't want to have servicemen running in and out of my house on a weekly basis to fix "quirks" in my machine after this. Yet, even in a perfect world, I also really don't feel I am at the point where such a printer would "pay me back." Maybe someday I will get there, but right now the kind of expense comparisons Dan listed are overkill for my purposes.

I appreciate the useful feedback. It's true that "only I" can answer such questions, but I think the whole value of these forums is bouncing ideas off of people who have "been there, done that" and who are willing to provide their real-world helpful experiences and comparisons, which in turn can help you reach your own decision.

Jack


.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2009, 10:01:58 am by JohnKoerner »
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2009, 10:12:51 am »

Quote from: JohnKoerner
Thanks for the information. After some consideration, I realize I am not really at a point where buying the 7900 makes sense. I have never sold a single print nor tried to at this point. I am just starting to get some photos together that I think are worth the effort to have printed, but it is mostly for friends and family. If I spend $5-6K on a printer I don't want to have servicemen running in and out of my house on a weekly basis to fix "quirks" in my machine after this. Yet, even in a perfect world, I also really don't feel I am at the point where such a printer would "pay me back." Maybe someday I will get there, but right now the kind of expense comparisons Dan listed are overkill for my purposes.

I appreciate the useful feedback. It's true that "only I" can answer such questions, but I think the whole value of these forums is bouncing ideas off of people who have "been there, done that" and who are willing to provide their real-world helpful experiences and comparisons, which in turn can help you reach your own decision.

Jack


.

Jack, based on what you're saying about your needs, it makes perfectly good sense to focus on a 3800. Of course any machine can develop issues, but my experience with my 3800 (true - just a sample of one) tells me it is the most reliable performer I've bought yet from Epson, after owning a P2000, an SP4000 and an SP4800.
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

wheatcraft

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 21
    • http://www.stephenwheatcraft.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2009, 10:19:47 am »

I am in the fortunate position of having both a 3800 and a 9900. I've only had the 9900 for about a month, but I haven't experienced any of the problems that have been reported (e.g. excessive cleaning cycles, etc.). It may have been early (first off the assembly line) models and/or the early drivers. My 9900 has been working perfectly.

As for comparisons, first, if you want/need larger prints (i.e. larger than 17"), then there is no comparison, since 17" is the largest that the 3800 can do. Beyond that, yes, you can very much see the difference between the two, and the 9900 definitely produces visibly better prints. The differences are pretty much along the lines that you would expect based on the new technologies in the 9900 - wider color gamut due to the additional colors and the HDR inks, and much better definition in shadows due to the better dithering algorithms.

I should also add that the 9900 is surprisingly quiet!

Steve Wheatcraft
www.stephenwheatcraft.com
Logged

michael

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5084
Epson 3800
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2009, 10:40:36 am »

I'll add to Stephen's comment pretty much the same findings. The 3800 is excellent in terms of image quality, but the 7900 is superb. Both have been dead-nuts reliable. Over the past two years my 3800 has produced literally thousands of prints without issue. I bought a second one recently for use at home. I don't believe that there;'s anyhting on the market that can touch it.

I've also been working with a 7900 almost daily for the past six months with zero problems. It's been the most trouble-free printer I've ever used, and also the best. My review will be online next week.

Michael

Logged

Schewe

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6229
    • http:www.schewephoto.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2009, 12:40:49 pm »

Quote from: JohnKoerner
The truth is, if everyone would refrain from making snide comments, and would keep their unsolicited BS comments to themselves ... and instead only offer helpful answers to the questions that get posted (or keep their mouths shut), this is what would truly enhance forum experiences and keep things on track.

Well, let's see now...you STARTED the whole thing by stating "I was seriously considering getting the 7900/9900, but it seems like almost everyone who owns these machines encounters problems. Even at best, these machines seem to suck ink much faster than desired."

Which on the face of it is based on faulty thinking....a few people have had a few problems which seem magnified by the lens of forum postings...

Then you say "I am curious if owners of both machines would agree that the quality of the 3800-produced images is equal to the quality of the other two printers (7900/9900)" which is also pretty silly...what did you expect? Were you HOPING that somebody would tell you that it's ok to buy the 3800 cause it can't print any better than than a 7900?

Quote
Someone's "experience" doesn't matter if they come off in a rude or condescending tone in their response. There was no need for it. I didn't ask for a person to read his résumé to me, or to look down his nose at me, nor for that matter did I ask for anyone to provide their opinion as to "the parameters under which people should post" to me.

Wow...you need to change your meds or get off caffeine doode...I was being neither rude nor condescending in the beginning but I sure can if you want me to. If you don't think you could see the difference between a printer with 10 colors and new dither math and a printer that's been on the market for nearly 3 years without an update, I doubt you need to worry about spending the money for the 7900.

Logged

dgberg

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2753
    • http://bergsprintstudio.com http://bergscustomfurniture.com
Epson 3800
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2009, 12:46:37 pm »

Your quite welcome.
Dan Berg

Gemmtech

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 526
Epson 3800
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2009, 01:24:27 pm »

I think what Jeff was trying to say is that if you are considering purchasing a Mercedes Sl65 Black Series then there's no point in looking at the Mercedes SLK55.  The SLK65 BS will be quicker, handle better, brake better, have a much higher top speed, built like a tank and cost a helluva lot more money.

Maybe a bad analogy above, but it makes the point.  I don't believe the final quality difference will be so significant, but who knows, it's also possible that people with different levels of talent can make it do much better.  I'm sure the Epson 7900 will do a lot more in the hands of Jeff and Michael than it will for most other people.  I would like to see the identical images printed from the 3800 and 7900; are the differences really that great?  Or is it very slight, whereas one need look at the prints under a loupe for 30 minutes to determine which is better?  

Don't take everything that is said so personal, everybody has their approach and I think you read more into Jeff's comments than what was actually there.

With all that being said, I think it will be very nice to read Michael's review, I'm sure it will be the best like the rest of his reviews.

« Last Edit: April 30, 2009, 01:25:42 pm by Gemmtech »
Logged

Farmer

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2848
Epson 3800
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2009, 06:55:25 am »

There are definitely differences in the output - ask Eric Chan about dark yellows between a 3800 and a 7900, for example.

Schewe's comments were pretty spot on, John, even if you took offence.  It's a good rule of thumb in forums to always assume good intent from people posting unless they make it very clear otherwise.

You *do* have to take the level of complaints with a grain of salt.  Without knowing the number of sales (perhaps they're so high that a tiny fraction of failures equals a lot of people?), or the type and experience of users and such, you can't really use forums as an indication of good or bad.  You can take indvidual opinion for what it's worth (if the person is known, it helps - I'm a nobody, so I don't expect people to put as much weight on my opinion as, say, Michael's or Jeff's or Eric's or Wayne's etc etc).

If you start a thread with assumptions you can't complain when people respond :-)

The 3800 will be a brilliant printer for you.  If you're really not sure, maybe hold off a little longer and wait until you get that 100% feeling.  Remember, Murphy's Law says the moment you buy, something else will come out, but it's true with all technology, you have to take the plunge at some point and the sooner you do, the sooner you can enjoy it :-)
Logged
Phil Brown

JohnKoerner

  • Guest
Epson 3800
« Reply #18 on: May 01, 2009, 01:44:08 pm »

Quote from: michael
I'll add to Stephen's comment pretty much the same findings. The 3800 is excellent in terms of image quality, but the 7900 is superb. Both have been dead-nuts reliable. Over the past two years my 3800 has produced literally thousands of prints without issue. I bought a second one recently for use at home. I don't believe that there;'s anyhting on the market that can touch it.
I've also been working with a 7900 almost daily for the past six months with zero problems. It's been the most trouble-free printer I've ever used, and also the best. My review will be online next week.
Michael


Thank you for taking the time.

I am comfortable with "excellent" at this stage of my efforts and feel the 3800 will best fit my level and needs for the time being. I look forward to your review on the 7900, and maybe if things work out that way, I might grow into it.

Thanks again,

Jack

Logged

JohnB304

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6
Epson 3800
« Reply #19 on: May 12, 2009, 06:27:24 pm »

Quote from: Gemmtech
I think what Jeff was trying to say is that if you are considering purchasing a Mercedes Sl65 Black Series then there's no point in looking at the Mercedes SLK55.  The SLK65 BS will be quicker, handle better, brake better, have a much higher top speed, built like a tank and cost a helluva lot more money.

Maybe a bad analogy above, but it makes the point.  I don't believe the final quality difference will be so significant, but who knows, it's also possible that people with different levels of talent can make it do much better.  I'm sure the Epson 7900 will do a lot more in the hands of Jeff and Michael than it will for most other people.  I would like to see the identical images printed from the 3800 and 7900; are the differences really that great?  Or is it very slight, whereas one need look at the prints under a loupe for 30 minutes to determine which is better?  

Don't take everything that is said so personal, everybody has their approach and I think you read more into Jeff's comments than what was actually there.

With all that being said, I think it will be very nice to read Michael's review, I'm sure it will be the best like the rest of his reviews.


Hello folks ... first post since joining.

My first serious inkjet printer was an Epson r2880 that I bought about a month ago, yesterday my 7900 arrived. I like this car analogy because the r2880 is all the printer I need for  99% of my work just like the SLK55 provides more than enough performance for daily driving. But, if the fuel station gave SL65 BS owners a 50%+ discount just for owning the Black then suddenly a lot of people such as myself could justify trading up ... considering fuel for these things cost about $3500 a gallon. Initially I regretted not jumping on the 4880 when it had a discount bringing the price down to $1250 but now maybe I'm better off for having waited and I couldn't pass on the 7900's $500 rebate.

FWIW, if someone needs a box to ship a baby elephant or adolescent Rhino, I can hook a brotha up.

John
Logged
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up