Epson R2880 or the 1400?

[Morris Taub]

(I wasn't sure where to post this. I posted in the 'beginner' forum too. Kinda new to printing digital photos. Need a printer. Not sure where to jump in. And it seems like down the road I may need two printers to satisfy my b&w and color needs.)


I want to buy a printer. I love b&w and color printing.

I'm thinking R2880 because I don't do much printing now, can't justify expense of the 3880. But I've read about how it mixes color into the b&w prints it does and that the color fades at different rates than the black inks over time. I'm not sure if this is true in the ABW mode of printing.

I also like the idea of buying an epson 1400 and then using a carbon based b&w pigment solution from places like MIS or Jon Cone.

So, I can't afford both now. I'm thinking maybe the R2880 now to satisfy both color and b&w printing and maybe down the road, when budget allows, set up a b&w only solution. But I just want to be sure I won't be too disappointed now with the b&w print quality. I've read about how good the color printing is, though maybe more expensive because of the small ink cartridges. I just don't do enough printing right now to justify the 3880. I wonder why epson won't provide a 2880 with slightly larger cartridges? Only 11ml from what I understand compared to 80 in the 3880.

also, I think my max print size would be 12x12 inches...in that area...

I'd like to print on a semi-gloss type of paper. Kind of looking for detail in the prints without going full gloss. I've also been playing with an old epson 1270 and matte papers and the MIS b&w inks (black and grays) and like that a lot too but this old printer is just not giving good quality prints. I can see patterns off the printer, (lines,etc.)

Ok, that's my story. Thanks for any experience you can share. I guess I need some knowledge to help me make a jump one way or the other at this point. R2880 for color and maybe a compromise in b&w prints, or the 1400 for black and gray pigments and some suffering on my part, because I also love to work with color...

thanks...

[Alan Goldhammer]

Morris,

I had a 2880 for 18 months before upgrading to the 3880.  About a third of my printing is B&W and the results you get from the ABW print driver are excellent.  Yes, there is a small amount of colored pigment being used but according to most stability tests underway it doesn't effect the print permanence.  Epson has put a lot of effort into getting this right.  If you are going to be printing both B&W and color you can't go wrong with this printer.  Additionally, if you are only printing on gloss type papers you don't have to worry about swapping the photo and matte black cartridges which is a bit of a pain.

Alan

[Morris Taub]

Morris,

I had a 2880 for 18 months before upgrading to the 3880.  About a third of my printing is B&W and the results you get from the ABW print driver are excellent.  Yes, there is a small amount of colored pigment being used but according to most stability tests underway it doesn't effect the print permanence.  Epson has put a lot of effort into getting this right.  If you are going to be printing both B&W and color you can't go wrong with this printer.  Additionally, if you are only printing on gloss type papers you don't have to worry about swapping the photo and matte black cartridges which is a bit of a pain.

Alan

ok Alan, thanks for sharing your experience...I think I'm headed down this road first...try for a specialized b&w solution if I'm not happy later on...

[LucDelorme]

Considering the amount of ink that you get with the 3880 (720ml vs 100ml), the cost of a 3880 is virtually the same as a 2880.  (I'm basing this on the canadian rices of 829$ for a 2880 and 1249$ for a 3880)  By the time the first set of ink runs out on a 2880, you'll have bought enough cartridges for the 2880 to make up for the initial price difference.  I was comparing both 2880 and 3880 when I decided to buy, and the 3880 was the clear choice for me.

[Morris Taub]

Considering the amount of ink that you get with the 3880 (720ml vs 100ml), the cost of a 3880 is virtually the same as a 2880.  (I'm basing this on the canadian rices of 829$ for a 2880 and 1249$ for a 3880)  By the time the first set of ink runs out on a 2880, you'll have bought enough cartridges for the 2880 to make up for the initial price difference.  I was comparing both 2880 and 3880 when I decided to buy, and the 3880 was the clear choice for me.

I've seen examples of how much printing needs to be done in order to justify the cost and I just won't do enough printing...not for at least a year or two and by then who knows what kinds of printing marvels might be available from epson or others...

also, Inksupply and Jon Cone have released systems for the 2880, color and b&w with much larger ink bottles that cost a lot less than the epson cartridges...sure, I have no idea how good these inks are...I wonder if there's anyone doing longevity comparisons using them compared to the espon pigments which are supposed to be excellent...and also, how they stack up colorwise to epson inks...

thanks for your help lucdelorme...

[Bill Koenig]

(I wasn't sure where to post this. I posted in the 'beginner' forum too. Kinda new to printing digital photos. Need a printer. Not sure where to jump in. And it seems like down the road I may need two printers to satisfy my b&w and color needs.)


I want to buy a printer. I love b&w and color printing.

I'm thinking R2880 because I don't do much printing now, can't justify expense of the 3880. But I've read about how it mixes color into the b&w prints it does and that the color fades at different rates than the black inks over time. I'm not sure if this is true in the ABW mode of printing.

I also like the idea of buying an epson 1400 and then using a carbon based b&w pigment solution from places like MIS or Jon Cone.

So, I can't afford both now. I'm thinking maybe the R2880 now to satisfy both color and b&w printing and maybe down the road, when budget allows, set up a b&w only solution. But I just want to be sure I won't be too disappointed now with the b&w print quality. I've read about how good the color printing is, though maybe more expensive because of the small ink cartridges. I just don't do enough printing right now to justify the 3880. I wonder why epson won't provide a 2880 with slightly larger cartridges? Only 11ml from what I understand compared to 80 in the 3880.

also, I think my max print size would be 12x12 inches...in that area...

I'd like to print on a semi-gloss type of paper. Kind of looking for detail in the prints without going full gloss. I've also been playing with an old epson 1270 and matte papers and the MIS b&w inks (black and grays) and like that a lot too but this old printer is just not giving good quality prints. I can see patterns off the printer, (lines,etc.)

Ok, that's my story. Thanks for any experience you can share. I guess I need some knowledge to help me make a jump one way or the other at this point. R2880 for color and maybe a compromise in b&w prints, or the 1400 for black and gray pigments and some suffering on my part, because I also love to work with color...

thanks...

I have the 3800, I didn't think I would print 17 wide in the beginning, now I want to print even larger. Do you self a favor and get the 3880 and never look back.