Love my 2400 - But how Long Will it Last?

[John R Smith]

I have used my Epson R2400 printer for the past three and a half years. Now I am starting to worry a bit over how long it will last, because I really, really like this printer and don’t see much around that I would want to replace it with. I print mostly 10x8 (A4) finished prints and little 6x4 workprints, and (not very often) A3 or A3+ for framing. All these are B/W using the Epson ABW driver. I suppose I probably do 5 or 6 A4 prints a week, but even so I seem to get through 2 or 3 ink cartridges every month.

The only obvious replacement is the R2880, but I am not terribly keen on it as the ink carts are even smaller than the R2400, and I don’t need the extra gamut or whatever of the new vivid magenta inkset. The other option would be the R3880, which would be cheaper to run with its bigger carts, but really I don’t need the size of the thing. I certainly don’t need 17 inch capability. And the dot size is not so fine on the 3880. Now I am beginning to wish that I had bought two 2400s and stashed one of them away, unopened.

So how long do you think my good old 2400 is likely to last, and if it does go wrong, will it be possible to get it repaired?

John

[dgberg]

I have used my Epson R2400 printer for the past three and a half years. Now I am starting to worry a bit over how long it will last, because I really, really like this printer and don’t see much around that I would want to replace it with. I print mostly 10x8 (A4) finished prints and little 6x4 workprints, and (not very often) A3 or A3+ for framing. All these are B/W using the Epson ABW driver. I suppose I probably do 5 or 6 A4 prints a week, but even so I seem to get through 2 or 3 ink cartridges every month.

The only obvious replacement is the R2880, but I am not terribly keen on it as the ink carts are even smaller than the R2400, and I don’t need the extra gamut or whatever of the new vivid magenta inkset. The other option would be the R3880, which would be cheaper to run with its bigger carts, but really I don’t need the size of the thing. I certainly don’t need 17 inch capability. And the dot size is not so fine on the 3880. Now I am beginning to wish that I had bought two 2400s and stashed one of them away, unopened.

So how long do you think my good old 2400 is likely to last, and if it does go wrong, will it be possible to get it repaired?

John


John,
Have no inside knowledge but would expect you could go 5+ years. Who knows maybe 10. Not sure if it's bad news or not but just about everything in this level of printer (Under a $1000) are probably built as throw aways. At $100 to $150 an hour for labor plus parts for repair its just cheaper to throw away and start over. I have even read about guys with the 7900 size printers that have a quote to repair a broken machine that exceeds the value of the printer.
If you are going through 2 or 3 ink carts a month you may want to start looking at newer technology. At $30.00 apiece you are spending almost a $100 a month on ink alone. Still use my 3800 on all my small 8 1/2 x 11 prints and it just sips ink. Can you explain what you mean by "the dot size is not so fine on the 3880" In my opinion its one of the best 17" printer on the market.
Now if you can still get parts for a 5 to 10 year old printer and are interested in fixing yourself thats another story.

[John R Smith]

Dan

The print quality on the R2400 and the R3800 is comparable in all respects except that the dot size on the 2400 is 3 picoliters and on the 3800 and 3880 it is 3.5 picoliters (according to the Epson specifications).

I get my ink for 11 GBP per cart delivered, so not quite as bad as $100 a month. More like $52.80 at current exchange rates.

John

[Doombrain]

Nope, it's the same head (F8) (apart from very small facing parts), both at 3.5pl.

[John R Smith]

Nope, it's the same head (F8) (apart from very small facing parts), both at 3.5pl.

Ooops. My mistake, then. Apologies to all 3800 owners. Er, hold on a minute, it says here -

http://www.epson.co.uk/Printers-and-All-In-Ones/Inkjet/Epson-Stylus-Photo-R2400/Tech-Specs

3 pl? i knew I'd seen it somewhere . . . Not that it matters that much, I'm sure.

John

[Doombrain]

Epson UK have the spec wrong.

i'm sure your 2400 will give you many more years of service and gamut imporments on K3VM were really aimed at proofers, there's not much in it for the photo guys. basicly it went from 79% pantone to 85% pantone coverage to hit back at HPs 3100 printer.

[Paul Sumi]

So how long do you think my good old 2400 is likely to last, and if it does go wrong, will it be possible to get it repaired?

John

John,

I owned a 2400 for about 5 years before selling it and buying a 3880.  AFAIK it's still going strong with its new owner.  Overall, I'd call my 2400 usage somewhat higher than yours.  

I don't know about repairs, but I think that one factor in the future will be the ready availability of ink cartridges.  At some point, you just won't be able to buy them for the 2400.

If you are happy with the 2400, I say run it as long as you can.  At that point, take a look at the current printer state of the art and see what best fits your needs.

Paul

[JohnHeerema]

My own experience with Epson's small printers, is that the sheet paper feed has eventually broken on a few of mine, with the result that paper won't feed straight anymore. So for example, I have a 2200 which prints fine, but can only print on roll paper, because it won't feed sheet paper right. Same for a couple more Epson printers of similar vintage. Others in this thread seem to have had better luck though, and my 3800 is still going strong...

[langier]

If it's like my old Epson 2200, it keeps going and going...

When all the lights started blinking and it wouldn't print any more, it went to the Epson printer god in Sacramento, CA, who replaced the waste ink pads, cleaned, and reset the counter, I think it stops about 4,000 or 5,000 prints.

A year or so ago, it went in to the same place for the transport rollers and cleaning. Bought it when it came out in 2002 and it still works.

[BobShram]

You can download the service manual from the net. It will give you, specs and all the part numbers which you can order online, you will be given a disclaimer if you purchase an item. I used a 2400 for about 4 years, still have it but its not seen daylight for a year or so. Never had a bit of trouble with it and am sure it will run again if needed with a little bit of attention.

[stever]

i did the math a couple years ago and and bought a 3800 during rebate season.  at a moderate level of printing, the 3800 has paid for itself in reduced ink costs in about a year and a half compared to my old 2200

[John R Smith]

Thanks for all your advice, folks. You can still get print carts for the 2200 all right, so I think 2400 ones will be around for a while. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to purchase a piece of hi-tech gear which -

* Was not instantly replaced by a newer flashier version, and became obsolescent before the warranty expired?

* Had a sensible product lifetime, with careful use and maintenance?

* Could be repaired and refurbished well into the future?

John

[Gemmtech]

My Epson 1280 is still going strong after 9+ years.  The 1280 has some interesting features by today's standards, it'll handle both cut sheet and roll paper, it'll do a 44" panoramic, it has blacker blacks than any new pigment printer, has no GD or bronzing issues.  I actually still use the thing, especially for 4x6 and 5x7 prints or for certain images that I want a black black.  It is slower than molasses, can't do skin tones as well as the 3880 and black and white isn't very good either.