Raw & Post Processing, Printing > Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks
Using cut roll paper in Epson 3880
JayWPage:
I have regularly bought rolls of paper to use with my Epson 3880 and the method I use is to cut the paper to size and press it between large sheets of foam board for a period of months. The length of time will depend on the paper, the heavy-weight Hahnemuhle alpha cellulose papers are the most difficult papers I have ever flattened, they take 6 months or more. But, if you press them for a year, they will behave just like they were cut sheets from of a flat box. I used to cut everything a few inches longer but don't bother anymore since it's not necessary if you wait until the paper is flat before trying to print on it.
Unrolling heavy-weight papers is difficult to do without buckling the paper and an extra set of hands is really useful. I have tried reverse rolling papers around mailing tubes, etc but found it often introduced waves in the paper, which sometimes weren't noticeable until the paper was printed on, and sometimes framed. As others have mentioned, having space, a large working surface and a good cutter can make life a lot easier.
BobShaw:
Similar to David Sutton, I use cut roll paper all the time on 3880. Ilford Gold Fibre is one of the papers I use. Cutting rolls is the only way to make large panos and you do it up to 17" x 2 metres. Use a D roller (mine is home made) and allow extra each end. I just cut them with my mat board cutter.
Dale_Cotton:
Thanks so much, everyone! This is exactly the sort of input I was looking for. Didn’t expect it to be an easy decision, and clearly it’s not going to be. Upshot seems to be that it’s doable, but fraught with headaches. I do have access to the Ilford GFS and Epson Proofing Semimatte rolls. I would be using an exacto-type knife and straight edge to cut, something I’ve been doing for years to chop cut-sheet paper down to custom sizes. Boy, am I tempted to use this as an excuse to buy a Rotatrim, not to mention a D-Roller, but just don’t see me getting my money’s worth out of either long term.
One thing I forgot to ask is which paper feed path to use, assuming paper no thicker/stiffer than GFS? I’ve always been able to get away with the top feed to date. My memories of using the front and back feeds from previous Epsons are not happy ones. I would expect the top feed to work regardless of paper length. Certainly don't have two or three feet of clear space behind the printer to work with.
donbga:
--- Quote from: Dale_Cotton on May 28, 2017, 10:06:53 am ---Thanks so much, everyone! This is exactly the sort of input I was looking for. Didn’t expect it to be an easy decision, and clearly it’s not going to be. Upshot seems to be that it’s doable, but fraught with headaches. I do have access to the Ilford GFS and Epson Proofing Semimatte rolls. I would be using an exacto-type knife and straight edge to cut, something I’ve been doing for years to chop cut-sheet paper down to custom sizes. Boy, am I tempted to use this as an excuse to buy a Rotatrim, not to mention a D-Roller, but just don’t see me getting my money’s worth out of either long term.
One thing I forgot to ask is which paper feed path to use, assuming paper no thicker/stiffer than GFS? I’ve always been able to get away with the top feed to date. My memories of using the front and back feeds from previous Epsons are not happy ones. I would expect the top feed to work regardless of paper length. Certainly don't have two or three feet of clear space behind the printer to work with.
--- End quote ---
If you want to cut from rolls DO use this as an excuse to purchase a Rotatrim cutter. Any other (ALL OTHER) brand is inferior for long term use. Actually I use a cheap little Fiskar cutter for other types of paper cutting.
If you use a RIP you can print panos much longer than the 38+ (like about 38.75 in.) inches. Qimage unfortunately WILL NOT print long images on the 38xx printers since the printers do not support roll cutters.
I feed through the rear feeder with the rear paper guide mounted and it works extremely well but is not recommended for volume work.
elolaugesen:
Or to get it 100% square.... ask your framer to use his mat cutter to get a proper cut? ( I assume he knows what he is doing)
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