A lot of questions/comments, Michael.
To begin with, the Z3200 is the lightest of all the available printers, so just swinging one side forward away from the wall for loading is easy. Not so much with other printers capable of 44” wide.
You’ve got about 5 years (perhaps more) after EOL of the printer for ink availability. Who knows when the do the end of life - could be soon.
HP has a gloss enhancer cartridge built in - the GE cartridge is 1 of the 12 ink cartridges and it works beautifully.
Re: archival qualities, it’s the fade curve that matters in your (and everyone’s) case - how gracefully will your print age.
In this regard, Vivera is king.
Gamut is as gamut does, hence soft proofing with any file, any ink, any paper.
If you like what you are getting with Epson, maybe you should stick with it.
You could order prints made with the Z3200 and the Hyper-Profile (6000 patch target profile) from John Dean (Dean Imaging) and see what the Z is capable of in the hands of a master printer. There is a steep learning curve to running the z on nitrous, (Hyper-Profiles) and I can’t even imagine what any profile making service would charge for an ICC profile of that enormity for papers for other printers. You could, however, make your own if you’ve got the temperment to get through the learning curve. And, you can even make your own profiles for other printers, as the Z is capable of generating a tif file to be printed on any other printer then that printed target can be fed back into the Z, scanned, then a custom profile can be had for any paper for any Canon or Epson printer.
What you may hear about the ESP from others, is probably from those who have never had a Z, and/or didn’t understand it. The ability of the Z to recalibrate according to climate variations and new rolls of paper is its strength, and no, you don’t have to remake your profiles, as recalibrating puts everything back to square 1 based on the point the paper was defined and profiled. The slippage you are thinking about occurs with other printers that don’t have the capabilities the Z has with its ESP.
The Z is an extraordinary printer. Many users run it like a go-cart- they get in and run it around the track for a while, then come back in a few weeks and run it around again. Then there are users who find they have a formula 1 racer and they run the crap out of the printer striving to set new track records.
In comparison, the big Epsons and the big Canons are like stock car racers. They go round and round the track at high speeds and they compete with each other. They jockey with one another for position and they use special brands of tires and fuel (papers and inks). Not run hard and fast enough, they clog.
You asked what is the best printer for fine art, not what is the best printer for fine art for you.
After looking at your questions, comments and concerns, I’d say you’re better suited to the Epsons and the Canons - probably best to steer clear of the Z3200 series printers. You could jump out there and get the new Z9+ at $8-9K, but at this point that’s a pig in a poke - no one knows how it will perform yet. Currently the 44” Z3200ps is like $2700 delivered. Probably clearing out stock to make way for the Z6/Z9. It would pay for itself in a very few runs of prints, but that’s just one way of looking at it.
If you like what you get with Epson, stay with it - save yourself the pain of the learning curve of the Z. And to work with Hyper Profiles, that curve is indeed steep. Particularly if the subtlties of quality aren’t that important to you. And then there is the fact that the Z3200ps for all its grace and flaws, is one quirky printer. Amen to that.
Best,
Mark