Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: Muizen on May 09, 2015, 03:04:18 pm
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I just received my "new" Epson 3880.
After unpacking I find a CD with software to be installed on my iMac( which runs on OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks).
The CD is identified as being for "Mac OS X Lion", an OS that is many years old!
Most files on this CD are also dated October 2011 approx. 4 years old!
Is it correct to conclude from this outdated Epson 3880 software" that this is not really a new printer but one that has been sitting on shelves for approx. four years?
Should I accept this 4 year old printer or bring this printer back to the dealer?
Harry
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The key issue is whether the inks are older than their stated usability date limit on the packages. Driver updates are always available on the Epson website. You should also be able to register the printer as a new unit if it is indeed not pre owned.
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I just don't like the idea to pay a normal price for a printer that apparently is already approx. 4 years sitting on a shelve and can not be considered to be a new printer.
New doesn't necessarily mean not used before, but has to be of a recent date, in my view.
The ink carts are all dated until 2016, but this doesn't mean that this printer is new'. Slipping in a set of carts before selling the printer is easily done.
Harry
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I agree with Mark, all that matters is the ink. The printer is more than likely not 4 years old however. Epson only makes one rev. of media. I base this on my (2) 7600's, (1) 7800, (3) 9880's (only ran 1 but had 3 replacements shipped) and (1) 9900.
All of these units came with out of date media. The tech is the same. Epson keeps a very updated website and they expect the user to get the latest manual/drivers from it.
If you are concerned that the printer has been sitting around on a shelf, the fact that you have 2016 expire dated ink shows that it's not. it actually would cost a lot to open the box, and pull out everything, just to replace the ink carts, in both time and materials.
You can also call Epson with the serial number and they will tell you when the printer was made. They have to have this info for warranty records. I have had to do this with my 9880 problems.
If the printer works with no problems, I would not worry after you confirm you have a full 1 year warranty.
Paul
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The reality is that it costs a reasonable sum of money to constantly re-master a CD and these days, everyone just downloads the latest version anyway. I just got a new high-end monitor and it came w/ a 'quick setup guide' and you're supposed to download the manual from the mfgr.
I can't believe you're making this much of a deal over printer and its software (see ongoing dpreview thread). You're making this about 100x more complicated than it needs to be. Woe is the day when the printer or driver actually doesn't work right (and that will happen).
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There should be 2 small labels on the back (or there is on my 3880), the middle (smaller) one of which, should have the date of manufacture on it in very tiny numbers, and the other (larger) the serial number. Mine (in UK) was about 5 months old when I received it. Mine also had very old CDs but I downloaded the latest driver from Epson. Don't think I've ever had a new printer with the latest CD.
Don't let it worry you, just enjoy your great printer!
Happy printing, :)
Phil
www.colourphil.co.uk
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plus, many new computers don't even have optical drives. It is always best to DL the latest drivers on-line. I'd never install off a CD.
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The CD comes in the "doc pack" which isn't necessarily the same age as the printer it gets shipped with, just as is the case with the ink.
Basically, nothing to see, move along.
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Thank you all for your responses.
You are very considerate with Epson!
It seems to be totally acceptable for Epson to sell a rather expensive printer without taking the trouble of including the latest available software?
With user instructions referring to an old operating system,
And set up information that is almost impossible to read.
Then the top of this performance is the confusing and almost useless user manual of the Pro 3880 that can be downloaded!
It doesn't seem to have had an update since the first edition, many years ago?
It is a pity that Epson doesn't seem to care much about customer support.
However as I know from my former Pro 3800 this Pro 3880 is really top of the line!
And a perfect reason to try to deal with Epson, notwithstanding all the negatives!
Harry
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It seems to be totally acceptable for Epson to sell a rather expensive printer without taking the trouble of including the latest available software?
How can they ? would you want Epson to hold back from releasing driver updates until after all their current stock of printers had been sold ?
Sorry, but you've got unrealistic expectations for the way modern electronic items are retailed.
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Harry, I think you'll find that the people on this forum are more than willing to call a spade a spade. But there's a difference between real, material issues and... imagined ones. I might gently suggest that your enjoyment of printmaking will benefit from focusing more on the former, and less on the latter.
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How can they ? would you want Epson to hold back from releasing driver updates until after all their current stock of printers had been sold ?
Sorry, but you've got unrealistic expectations for the way modern electronic items are retailed
Why do you accept that Epson adds old documentation and poor user guides to its new products and is a perfect example of uninterested customer service?
Where do I talk about 'to hold back from releasing driver updates etc'?
I think it is totally unacceptable that new equipment is delivered by Epson with outdated documentation.
If your next new car comes with a 5 year old user manual of a former model, you will (normally) not accept that.
But if it is an Epson product "I have unrealistic expectations regarding its customer service".
But lets end this discussion that is getting close to useless
Epson should show more interest in its customers by offering efficient customer service and we should let them know!
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Why do you accept that Epson adds old documentation and poor user guides to its new products
Because it's not economic or practically possible.
In the internet age being able to download the most recent drivers and documentation is the most cost effective and practical way of keeping an electronic product current.
They arrive with enough printed documentation to get the product running, where's the problem ?
If your next new car comes with a 5 year old user manual of a former model
But you got the documentation for the 3880 you bought, correct ? where's the problem ?
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I think you'd be best served by re-packing the printer and returning it for a refund.
If the current situtation is knotting you
up, your head will explode the first time you see pizza wheel marks or there is a clog or the driver loses communication w/ the printer because
the printer is getting its address from the router's DHCP server.
User's Manual: OK, so it's dated 2011 (and lets face it, it's merely a minor update to the 3800 manual since they are effectively the same printer) and it includes an addendum sheet or two. Is it not 99.9% 'relevant' to the product you have in-hand? Is it a fantastic manual? No, I've seen better but the information is there. So they should re-print the manual every year so that you have a warm fuzzy that the date is 'recent' even if the content hasn't changed?
You started this thread with:
Is it correct to conclude from this outdated Epson 3880 software" that this is not really a new printer but one that has been sitting on shelves for approx. four years?
Should I accept this 4 year old printer or bring this printer back to the dealer?
The reality is that your assumption/analysis was wrong and now you've basically doubled-down on it and don't want to listen to those of us who've 'been there, done that'. It's a complicated, 'brittle' device w/ lots of motors, sensors, pumps and what-not. It has a probable lifetime measured in
single digit years if you're lucky.
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I think you'd be best served by re-packing the printer and returning it for a refund.
Harry, I'm with Howard on this one. Send it back. I think you have unrealistic expectations about printers. I can't even imagine how you'll feel when you discover that the 3880 doesn't output glazed, matted and framed prints! ;D - Jim
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Harry, I'm with Howard on this one. Send it back. I think you have unrealistic expectations about printers. I can't even imagine how you'll feel when you discover that the 3880 doesn't output glazed, matted and framed prints! ;D - Jim
I'm waiting for the 3D molecular manufacturing version that does! :o
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Epson should show more interest in its customers by offering efficient customer service and we should let them know!
My experience dealing with Epson for the past fifteen years is that this is complete nonsense. They honour their warranties, they continually provide downloadable updates of drivers and support information on their website, their Prographics division provides telephone support to registered owners of the Pro line of printers at no charge long after the warranty has expired - I don't know what more one should expect. The time you are wasting fretting over hypothetical problems you could be using to learn and test the printer. It is only then that you will understand what you have and whether you should keep it. The less time you waste before you do this, the better the chances of resolving the issues to your satisfaction.
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Thank you all for your contributions!
Harry
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You also fail to realise that the reseller could have had stock of the item for years...how can Epson control that?
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It is not pleasant to read how dumm I am expecting correct product documentation to come with Epson products.
All your talk didn't correct my conclusion that Epson could be much more interested in its customers.
In this time of easy downloads Epson doesn't even feel the need to update outdated manuals (I didn't write about reprints) and just leaves its customers with 5 year old manuals (poorly edited in the first place) and makes its printers available with 5 year old installment instructions and an useless programs CD.
They even don't seem to care much about the content of the Epson program downloads pages that are confusing because they are different in the US from the ones for Europe, for exactly the same printers!
If most of you consider this to be fine Epson customer service....?
Some responses could almost have come from Epson employees, not from critical users!
Your advise to me to try to learn how to use the printer in the first place is unnecessary, I had a 3800 for over 6 years!
But again, thank you for your efforts!
Harry
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Some responses could almost have come from Epson employees, not from critical users!
You asked a question and you've had a range of replies disagreeing with your point of view. The responses don't come from Epson employees, but from people with a pragmatic understanding of how these products are sold. There's nothing to be gained from being unnecessarily critical of companies.
If most of you consider this to be fine Epson customer service....?
People here have given you examples of excellent customer service from Epson on the things that really matter, continuing software updates, repairing warranty issues etc. I even had a free half day printing course when I bought my 3800.
Expecting that every product has to have it's documentation rewritten and replaced when other companies change their products is an unrealistic expectation.
(poorly edited in the first place)
An ironic comment, given that all but one of your comments have grammatical or spelling errors.
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It takes a special kind of chutzpah to come here, ask for help from highly skilled & experienced people who give their time w/o compensation in the name of 'community' and then bad-mouth everyone who doesn't agree w/ your 'position'.
Here is some solid reading for you since the manual isn't satisfying.
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.An ironic comment, given that all but one of your comments have grammatical or spelling errors.
Isn't it somewhat childish that Rhossydd now starts talking about grammatical errors in my English!
I could write in perfect Dutch and German, in good French and reasonable Spanish.
But I wonder whether this gentleman could read any of these other languages?
I can't see what my "grammatical errors" have to do with this poorly edited "Epson Pro 3880 User Manual"?
Harry
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But I wonder whether this gentleman could read any of these other languages?
No, but I wouldn't be so impudent as to criticise documents written in languages I don't understand.
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Harry - thanks for finally telling us you've been using a 3800 for six years. It's virtually the same printer as a 3880, so it puts you in a yet better position to simply stop complaining and follow my advice: use it, and if it fails you, return it. Let us not waste more time on this. At least no more of mine will be so wasted.
Syd and Harry: Basta! Time to depersonalize the discussion and get back to business.
The manual is what it is. Epson printer manuals are generally quite helpful - whether masterpieces of perfection or not doesn't really matter; they generally provide the essential instructions one needs to use the printers, and there are plenty of other resources on the internet in case they fail to meet your specific needs. There are things in this life worth obsessing about and others not, and IMHO this is not one of them.
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I'm with Mark. Personal comments, re language or other irrelevant issues are just cheap shots.
The OP seems not to "get it."
Further discussion seems to be starting to resemble bashing one's head against the wall, it feels good to stop.
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Only critical updates make it to CD, as for the paper guides they do what they were designed for.
Software updates for minor bugs and trying to keep up with Mac software are served via the web as are updated manuals, it's 2015.
What's important is the ink as referenced by almost everyone above. The hardware you've paid for will still do the job you wish it to hence why you paid your money.
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I just received my "new" Epson 3880.
After unpacking I find a CD with software to be installed on my iMac( which runs on OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks).
The CD is identified as being for "Mac OS X Lion", an OS that is many years old!
Most files on this CD are also dated October 2011 approx. 4 years old!
Is it correct to conclude from this outdated Epson 3880 software" that this is not really a new printer but one that has been sitting on shelves for approx. four years?
Should I accept this 4 year old printer or bring this printer back to the dealer?
Harry
Now that you have an excuse to return the printer, you might consider doing so since the 3880 has just been discontinued and replaced by the P800 (see here (http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55647222)). I have been using the 3880 for several years and have been pleased with its output quality and trouble free operation until recently when the photo black channel went out completely. I took it to the local Epson approved repair facility where they replaced the ink assembly for US $380.
I considered junking it and buying the P800 but it won't be out until June and I had a considerable supply of ink (both unused cartridges and cartridges in the printer with a considerable amount of ink) so I decided to have the printer repaired. The technician told me this is a very common occurrence with the 3880 and 90% of the repairs that they perform on the 3880 are for this problem. He predicted that the printer would be good for another 3 years until the ink assembly fails again.
I don't know if Epson has addressed this problematic ink assembly when they designed the P800.
Bill
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90% of failures could be related to 1% of all machines...