Largest format "trouble free" printer

[lelouarn]

Hi,

I am currently printing with my antique Epson R1800. I am still pretty happy with it. Sure it clogs all the time, but I suspect this is because I print rarely (let's say every month or so). I've gotten used to doing a few cleaning cycles before any serious printing. Once that is done, the printer works well (although paper feeding is a bit frustrating at times).
At some point, I'd like to replace it (or perhaps I will have to, when it eventually breaks).
So, what are my options ? Here is what I'd like from my next printer:

- Larger format than A3+
- Panorama / paper roll capable (I like to print rolls, sometimes I do A3 panoramas, and they tend to be pretty long)
- Reliable (clogs are ok, as long as they clear after some ink waste).

I am convinced that quality will be excellent from all current printers, and certainly better than on my R1800 which is fine for my purposes.

As I said, I do not print very often (and when I do, then I print perhaps 30-50 prints, so it's very low volume). I understand that it would make much more economic sense to just send those few prints to a lab and be done with it. But I like the immediate feedback (= I usually print a picture 2-3 times before I'm happy with it, so I like doing it at home home). I also like to control the picture production "pipeline" until the end.

Reading all the horror stories with clogs on the big Epsons, head replacements after little use on the Canons I am a bit puzzled. What's the maximum printer size that fulfills the three points above ? The Epson 4900 already seems too clog-happy for casual users. Canon IPFs seem a bit too head-replacement happy. But perhaps those are just impressions ? Or perhaps I should stay in the consumer printer area - which basically restricts me to A3+.

Thanks for your ideas !

[KDLFOTO]

Hi.

I have an Epson 4900 and I have been very satisfied with this printer. I have vad for about 3 years now. I print occassionally, sometimes big volumes other time only a single print.

Sometimes one of the heads clogs, but this is always solved by running the cleaning programme.

Maybe I'm Lucky with my printer, but I would reccomend this printer!

 

[michael matlach]

It is widely reported the Epson 3880 is the most clog adverse printer in the Epson large format semi-pro group.

I print with a Epson 7900 and perform nozzel checks every three days as the Arizona climate where I live is quite dry.

Even when I have had a partial clog a "Normal Cleaning" has done the trick.

Cheers

[PeterAit]

I would not dismiss the Epson printers based on the unhappy experiences of a few users. I sympathize with those people, but they are a very small percentage of Epson users, who just had the bad luck to get a bum unit (or who didn't know how to do things properly). I had a 4880 for about 4 years with nary a single serious head clog despite the printer being left unused for weeks at a time. I now have a 7900 for about a year and a half with the same great track record. I do nozzle checks regularly and have to run a "regular" cleaning once in a while, but for both printers have never needed to run the "power" cleaning that eats so much ink.

[BobShaw]

If you print once a month then you are probably better off without a printer.  Work out the cost per print and it is probably cheaper to use a lab.

They cost money just sitting there if they are turned on and if they are turned off they will cost a lot more in clogs.

[acktdi]

I print once or twice a month with my Canon IPF8400.  It's not cost effective but I like the convenience.
I live on Las Vegas where the humidity 30% inside year round.  I don't think an Epson would survive that use case, but my Canon has been solid after almost 2 years of service.

[jferrari]

I don't think an Epson would survive that use case,

Please tell us why you feel qualified to make a blanket statement such as this.

[chez]

If you print once a month then you are probably better off without a printer.  Work out the cost per print and it is probably cheaper to use a lab.

They cost money just sitting there if they are turned on and if they are turned off they will cost a lot more in clogs.

Even with printing only a few large prints a month, it is still enjoyable to make your vision of the image appear right before your eyes as the print emerges out of the printer.

Sort of you could just purchase some fantastic landscape shots and put them up in your living room...but it just won't be the same as displaying your own images.

[chez]

Please tell us why you feel qualified to make a blanket statement such as this.

Just seems a lot of issues that people have with clog management for Epson printers have to do with low humidity environments. People even use special humidifiers to control the printer environment to reduce the clogging maintenance.

There has been enough noise from a bunch of people on the Internet to infer there are issues with clogging in Epson printers. Where there is smoke, usually there is a fire.

[Farmer]

By that logic, though, in this very thread you have only positive anecdotes from Epson users.

Where there's smoke on the internet, there's a pr0n version somewhere else - that's about the only "fact" of the internet you can know :-)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Rule%2034

[chez]

By that logic, though, in this very thread you have only positive anecdotes from Epson users.

Where there's smoke on the internet, there's a pr0n version somewhere else - that's about the only "fact" of the internet you can know :-)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Rule%2034

Well, if enough people have problems with a product, it usually bubbles up to the top. The Epson problems that have been experienced and documented here and many other forums tells me there are real world problems out there. I can see not making decisions based on one thread, but come on...I can go out there and find thousands of threads on the problems with Epson clogging and the hoops people need to jump through just to keep it from clogging. You may neglect this data, bury your head...but that does not make the problems go away...they are real, people are not just making them up.

[enduser]

So many Epson threads begin with a comment like, " First thing I do is run a nozzle check"  My Canon just starts and prints, every time.  In five years use I've never done a nozzle check.  A calibration once every six months seems to be the only operation needed apart from actually printing.  You can replace a print head in ten minutes.

Mat black and gloss are just two inks in the complement of 12 - which is used is usually dictated by the media choice.  You can print gloss, then change to mat and only tell the printer what paper you're using - it just uses the appropriate ink.  If you leave it in power saving mode it wakes up several times a week and checks temperature, checks humidity and agitates the ink, all by itself.

Yes,print heads are a bit pricey at $350US but they seem to go for about 2.5 years on average in our business environment.  Their cost as a proportion of the cost of making a print is negligible.

[JohnBrew]

Another vote for the 3880. I can leave mine off for as long as a month (never tried any longer) and it fires up and prints with no problems. My Canon 6400 is also just as reliable but needs to stay on for the periodic maintenance it needs.

[lelouarn]

Hi,
Thanks for the info so far !

Do you think there are significant differences between "consumer" printers (i.e. up to A3+) and the larger format ones in terms of resilience to clogging, and general resistance to not being used very often ?
Or are the problems of casual users a problem for all printers regardless of format / target audience ? I am just wondering if printer manufacturers build the consumer-type printers to be more forgiving to casual use as the large ones.
Perhaps clogging is just a fact of life, and there are no major differences between consumer machines and the professional ones ?

[lelouarn]

The more I think about it, the more I think the question really is: do professional (large format) printers really clog more than consumer printers ? Is the technology in them so different ? (at the print head level, where the clogs happen) ?

[Some Guy]

I don't know if any are truly trouble free.  They all seem to have their idiosyncrasies at times.

At least Canon gives you the issue to toss in a new print head yourself.  Epson is "Call a serviceman and pay through the nose."  Local printhouse left theirs over a weekend and on Monday it was plugged in three colors and refused to unplug.  They had to haul it to Epson service center 300 miles away and pay $2,200 both.  They bought a 9900 to replace it, but its still crated and not up and running as of yet and they hope to have better luck with it (And no sledgehammer 9900 video either!).

I have both brands: A couple of Canons and a couple of Epsons.  Even the 3880 will plug up with me using dye inks as will its smaller brother too.  Not bad, but it still will do an odd plug with the opposite black if I do not switch enough between the Matte Black and Photo Black (Which uses a lot of ink and fills the maintenance tank both.).  When a black plugs, it seems to spit a lot of cyan out where the black should be.  It also is extremely finicky with canvas (Just fought it this AM with one too.) and other papers that are flimsy in its feed mechanism (Which needs to be addressed Mr. Epson!).

Epson does seem to have the market for the 17 printer though.  Over 24" I'd go to Canon without a doubt.

SG

[Scott Martin]

The most trouble free large format printer is the one that's used regularly and often.

The 3880 really has been a champ, as have some consumer printers like it. When someone makes a 17" or 24" version of a consumer printer, I think low volume, fine art prosumers will have a winner on their hands.

[HSakols]

My Epson 4800 is over 10 years old.  I'm still working on unclogging it so that I can use it in my classroom with aftermarket inks.  I recently ordered a 3880 to replace it and to start printing again.  I'd like to fix the 4800, but 10 years isn't too bad. The 3880 I think will be the way to go.  I'm not worried about the first couple of years. I'm just hoping the 3880 will work say 4 years later.  The first two years are always just fine.   

[gigdagefg]

I have had an Epson 7880 for five years. I just use it six months of the year, and I marvel each Fall when I power it up and run a cleaning cycle and am able to print clog free immediately.
This year I have been using expired Epson ink cartridges that I Bought on EBay without clogs all year
Stanley

[Shutterbug2006]

I have had an HP 44" Z3100 since April 2007, and in the first month I replaced a print head that got damaged when I replaced a roll of paper. I've cleaned the power supply fan twice in all that time. And I've replaced a formatter board once.

Other than that, I've nary had a problem.

I don't print a lot, perhaps a few prints each month. But it has been the most reliable printer I've ever owned.