Suggestions on Printer to Replace Canon iPF 6300

[Mike Raub]

After some more work this weekend, I'm guessing it's going to take at least $600 in parts (new printhead and new power supply board) to get my printer going again. And that's assuming there's not more wrong with it and assuming I can make the repairs successfully myself, which is not a given by any means. I bought the 6300 for about $2000 when Canon was having some great rebates a few years ago shortly after the printer was introduced. There don't appear to be any rebates in effect for the 6400 right now. In any event, I'm beginning to think that given my extremely low usage of the printer, any professional level 24" or larger inkjet will probably be more of a headache than I want to put up with.

My informal standard print size is 20"X30", so I'm not even using the full 24" (minus mandatory margins) I have available. I can get an Epson 3880 for about $930 if I act before 1/31/14, when the $200 rebate expires. The 3880 would limit me to 17x22 prints, about 30% smaller than the 20x30's. I like the visual impact of the 20x30's, but they eat up wall space very quickly. The 17x22 is pretty close to a 4:3 format, which may be handy since I've moved from a DSLR to a M4/3 system to reduce the amount of gear I have to haul around. From what I read, the 3880 has a pretty good reputation for economy and reliability. Red River and others have a wide assortment of paper types available in that size. Photography is just a hobby for me, and I'm not looking to make money either from photography or prints.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[mkihne]

I have two 3880s, one with standard Epson inks and one converted to Cone B&W system. I am a casual printer like yourself, selling a few here and there, so do not print continuously. Both printers operate flawlessly and I am very happy with their output, basically trouble free. I am hoping to go in the other direction for larger prints, including panos but am conflicted. I have always been satisfied with Epson but leery regarding the 7900/9900 series and if nothing new on the horizon will likely switch to Canon for larger output.

So, if you can live with the smaller print size, I would not hesitate to buy a 3880(of course you are not limited to 17x22, as I have cut longer from rolls as I will occasionally print 17x25 or even longer panos).

Mike

[Some Guy]

I also print 17x25 and 17x25.5 inch off the 3880 using rolls I cut.  Once framed and with a 3" mat, they are quite large in wall space.  A 24" printer would be nice, but the floor space I have is limited to say nothing about wall space.

I also managed to print a 17x36 inch panorama out of it.  I think  the limit is 37".

I have had the magenta and matte black clog the 3880 heads a few times even though some say it wouldn't clog.  A cleaning cycle and a nice sitting idle for 2-3 hours usually fixes it.

SG

[Dan Vincent]

The 3880 has a ~37 inch (thereabouts, I forget exactly) length limit in its driver, and this can be exceeded using a RIP, so you can still print long panos if you want to cut roll paper manually (or buy specific pano paper).

[Mike Raub]

Thanks for the information. From reading the information on the Epson site, I got the impression that 17x22 was the maximum size period. I haven't done much pano work, but it is something I've always wanted to try. I'm stongly leaning toward the 3880. I have room for the 6300 in my computer room, but it seems clear these printers aren't really designed for the occasional user. I had a HP DesignJet 130 before the 6300. It too used to eat printheads from low usage, but new printheads for the HP were only about $65 each, so I could live with that.

[alain]

Thanks for the information. From reading the information on the Epson site, I got the impression that 17x22 was the maximum size period. I haven't done much pano work, but it is something I've always wanted to try. I'm stongly leaning toward the 3880. I have room for the 6300 in my computer room, but it seems clear these printers aren't really designed for the occasional user. I had a HP DesignJet 130 before the 6300. It too used to eat printheads from low usage, but new printheads for the HP were only about $65 each, so I could live with that.

What's low usage for you?

[Mike Raub]

What's low usage for you?

Maybe 50 prints a year. I gather some users of these printers do that many in a day. I did try to print a test image with all the colors in it once a week, but was not always as diligent as I should have been in that regard.

[Dan Vincent]

Thanks for the information. From reading the information on the Epson site, I got the impression that 17x22 was the maximum size period. I haven't done much pano work, but it is something I've always wanted to try. I'm stongly leaning toward the 3880. I have room for the 6300 in my computer room, but it seems clear these printers aren't really designed for the occasional user. I had a HP DesignJet 130 before the 6300. It too used to eat printheads from low usage, but new printheads for the HP were only about $65 each, so I could live with that.

That's because the longest Epson-branded paper is 22 inches, but you can input custom sizes up to 37.5 inches. There are paper companies that make 17x25 cut sheets (one example is Red River Paper) or you can buy a 17-inch wide roll of Epson (or other) paper and simply cut sheets to length. Just make sure those cuts are square, or you'll be in skew city...

I recently purchased a 3880 refurb from Epson because I had to procure a smaller printer (I'm used to using large roll-feds like the 7900, and the printer had to be one man portable, which the 4900 is not). Appeared to be a brand new printer, had the full set of ink, and the one year service warranty (and extended warranties were available if I wanted them). For $850 and free shipping, the printer was veritably a steal, considering the ink alone is worth around $450-$500. There's also rebate deals on new printers; I think you can get a brand new 3880 for $929 after rebate at B&H. Not sure how this competes with the current Canon deals but the 3880 has a reputation of not clogging.

[Mike Raub]

Thanks, Dan. I just snagged the same refurb deal at Epson. I've bought refurbs from them before with good results. The refurbs probably get a closer inspection than do new units from the factory. I'm looking forward to printing again, rather than battling with a printer.

[Bill Koenig]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Quad Tone Rip allow printing B&W longer than 37" on the 3880? 

[Scott Martin]

Mike, did you call the iPF 1-800 number to see if they'd replace the boards and heads (regardless of warranty) for you? Worth a call. Do it if you haven't. [Can't say more]

Low usage is a major problem for all high volume large format printers. They are made for volume production and aren't designed to maintain themselves during periods of inactivity. Consumer printers like the Epson 3880 and Canon Pro-1 are clearly better suited for low volume work and are your likely replacement printers to consider (the 3880 being the 17" choice and the Pro-1 as the 13" choice). I hope we'll see more competition in the 17" and larger consumer printer market in the future but I'm afraid we'll have to wait a little longer. Wouldn't a consumer oriented 24+" printer be great?

[Mike Raub]

No, I just gave up on it and bought a refurb Epson 3880. I printed an image on the 3880 that I had earlier printed on the 6300 and they look identical. I like using 17X22 cut paper, since once printing is done I can put the finished image in some 17x22 clip frames I bought and I'm done. The 17x22 size is also a good match for the micro 4/3 camera I'm now using. Though a bit smaller than I was printing with the 6300, the 17x22 prints are still big enough to have good impact.

I wonder if the 6300 has any value for recycleable parts or whether I should just haul it to the local electronics scrap collection point.

[Scott Martin]

Sad isn't it. Maybe you can give it to someone who has one nearby. The 3880 is an oldie but great - you'll love it.