Looking at buying a Epson 11880, help me out

[KDM]

Hey a friend and I are looking at buying a wide format printer and I have some questions i hope you kids can answer.

We are looking for a printer to print out our original canvas art work mainly back into canvas. We like the idea of a 60inch printer for some huge artwork we have.

After alot of looking around, tests etc we have been offered a second hand Epson 11880. I had a brief look on this site and people seem to rate them pretty high.

Its from a copy shop and we have yet to see it print but we will before we buy. How good are they this many years on reliabiltiy wise? The one thing that worries me the most is print head failure as we dont have much money to play around with.

How long does it take for the ink to fade? say the picture hanging in a room out of direct sunlight.

Can i print a large 60inch image using Phtoshop and the epson drivers without RIP software?

Can you guys recommend anything else? we looked at some new hp models but at only 44inch wide. Even an old Kodak Encad 1000i at 60inch but with dye inks. I live in New Zealand and the second hand market is small and horribly costly.


Thanks very much for your time.




 

[stefohl]

We've used the 11880 since they were introduced on the market and are very happy with the results we're getting. We do quite a lot of canvas prints, mostly art reproductions. Our customers are very demanding regarding color and we are able to get results that are very close to the original. It is only when we have art with very vivid red colors that our 9900 is better.

Regarding longevity, your best bet is Wilhelm Research. They have published years before noticeable fading for some canvas materials. You should check how much the printer has been used. You can do this if you print a nozzle check. There you will see if all the nozzles are OK, but also how many meters that the printer has printed.

Stefan

[Sven W]

This is my territory.
/S