Which 17" Printer would you recommend for printing exclusively on Roll Paper?

[uintaangler]

I have downsized my printer aspirations and have come to believe my best bet is to find the best 17" wide printer I can
I am an enthusiastic hobbyist, not a professional
I would be using Roll paper media almost exclusively.
Would prefer a machine that can handle sitting idle for a couple of weeks between printing sessions without having to worry about clogged printheads
Thanks,
Bob

[howardm]

get a 24" Canon and use 17" paper.  Or maybe the HP Z3200

Really.  The choices in 17" roll printers are slim, bad and none.  The Epson 4900, the obvious choice seems to be a clog queen and the Canon 5100 is very long
in the tooth.  Maybe they will update it, maybe not but that is what is available now.

[Mark D Segal]

I agree with Howard except for the HP recommendation. HP is, to put it mildly, in a "transitional phase", its future support to that line at best unclear, and that printer is also long in the tooth though many like it. The Canon you recommend is probably the best bet for someone not printing every several days, but the OP should be aware it doesn't "not clog", rather it works around clogs till the heads need to be replaced and they are costly. So not to say there is a perfect solution. I would also question the wisdom of a roll-only policy for someone doing casual printing. It isn't necessarily any cheaper and reduces options. In the sheet-printing field, an Epson 3880 for this user would be IDEAL.

[Scott Martin]

I'd wait. :-p

[uintaangler]

Howard, Mark, Scott…. thanks for the responses
Mark, I already own a 3880 and love it.
I would like to have the ability to make prints larger than 17 x 22 using roll paper

Bob

[Mark D Segal]

Understood Bob.

OK Scott - something going to be announced but you are under NDA?  :-)

[shadowblade]

I agree with Howard except for the HP recommendation. HP is, to put it mildly, in a "transitional phase", its future support to that line at best unclear, and that printer is also long in the tooth though many like it. The Canon you recommend is probably the best bet for someone not printing every several days, but the OP should be aware it doesn't "not clog", rather it works around clogs till the heads need to be replaced and they are costly. So not to say there is a perfect solution. I would also question the wisdom of a roll-only policy for someone doing casual printing. It isn't necessarily any cheaper and reduces options. In the sheet-printing field, an Epson 3880 for this user would be IDEAL.

If you shoot panoramas, roll printing is often the only choice, since no-one makes a 17x33" or 17x49" sheet for printing a 16x32" or 16x48" panorama.

A pity about the HP printers. Not so much for the printers themselves (which are so-so, with poor media handling and maximum thickness, although the easily-replaceable and relatively inexpensive heads are nice), but for the inks, which are the most lightfast ones tested so far (and which, incidentally, seem to clog far less on Epson printers than Ultrachrome inks do!), although Epson can come close with a custom RIP that minimises the use of light inks and replaces the yellow ink with a different one. I can only hope that the full set of Vivera pigment inks remains available, even if HP decides to concentrate on commercial/technical printers rather than fine art models, so that I can use those inks in Epson printers for their longevity.

[shadowblade]

Understood Bob.

OK Scott - something going to be announced but you are under NDA?  :-)

An Epson 4950 with an updated printhead that doesn't clog?

[hjulenissen]

Mark, I already own a 3880 and love it.
I would like to have the ability to make prints larger than 17 x 22 using roll paper

I recently got the 3880, and I believe that it can print 17"x37.x" using standard drivers, and 17"x "a lot" using the Mirage software that was included in my box.

Of course, you'd have to cut the roll paper.

-h

[howardm]

That's true.  The Epson driver limits you to 37.x" long but some form of RIP (or maybe even Qimage in 'tile' mode) can get past the limit.
Of course, then you may have to deal w/ roll paper on a broom stick between 2 chairs

My 3800 died this weekend and I ordered a 3880 which OF COURSE means it will be replaced very soon.  You can all thank me later

I recently got the 3880, and I believe that it can print 17"x37.x" using standard drivers, and 17"x "a lot" using the Mirage software that was included in my box.

Of course, you'd have to cut the roll paper.

-h