Z3200ps is dead. Long live the king!

[Mark Lindquist]

So with as little fanfare as the roll out of the new Z6 and Z9 printers, the HP Z3200ps 44" printer is finally dead.

The Z3200PS 44" Printer was first manufactured September 15, 2008 and reached End of Life July 1, 2018.  Long Live the King. Long may they run.



I've been waiting to officially make this announcement on Z3200.com knowing that long ago HP was dumping all the rest of their stock making way for the new Z6 and Z9 printers which seem to be gradually making their way to market.

We've known this for a long time, and I've warned it was coming, and now with the exception of a few printers left for sale by Adorama, they're all but gone.



Several of us bought the last ones from ProImagingSupplies in Phoenix at great prices, and now the very last are available from Adorama.

Time will tell how the new printers will do.  There's a lot of skepticism about whether the new Vivid inks will outshine the original Vivera inks, and many of us have hedged our bets by getting the last of the old Z3200ps printers.

I believe the new printer will work beautifully, believing HP will pull another rabbit out of its hat just as they did with the earlier Z's. But I'm not taking any chances, particulalry as I have so many prints in groups that must remain the same. So unlike when I was an early adopter with the Z3100 when it first came out, I'm taking a wait and see attitude, and will wait and see if it does in fact outperform the Z.

So eventually, as time goes by, we'll know the pros and cons of the new Z's and we'll see if they measure up. Or better yet, surpass.

Until then, I'm happy with my fleet of Z's, which may eventually become replaced by other Z series printers.

Whatever the outcome, thanks HP, even though your website and software mostly suck, for making what is arguably the best printer for fine art studio photographers who print sporadically, without worry about head clogs, and who wish to make in-house ICC profiles. Nothing compares or ever has.

Gone, but not forgotten.

Mark

(Screen grabs are from HP.com and hpplotter.co.uk and are used educationally under fair use)
 

[felix5616]

For the individual photographer looking for absolutely the best output, longevity, the  ability to go forever without a single clog and low cost of use the Z3200 will be hard to beat, I personally do not think the Z9 will live up to the standard set by the Z3200, time will tell

[deanwork]

Well said Mark,

That group of engineers who put together this first Z series deserve a standing ovation for doing everything they could to put together a system that did so many things right within one printer that we could all afford. I hope it’s not the end of an era. I’m going to try to keep mine going as long as possible.

John

For the individual photographer looking for absolutely the best output, longevity, the  ability to go forever without a single clog and low cost of use the Z3200 will be hard to beat, I personally do not think the Z9 will live up to the standard set by the Z3200, time will tell

[Peter McLennan]

Glad I got mine!   
Thanks to Mark.

[mfrohman]

Sad to see this. It's a great printer. Been tossing around the idea of picking up another one since they went on sale. So does this mean Vivera inks will be available for atleast another 5 years?