Mid Range Printer Choice

[Eric in NYC]

I had an Epson 1800 some years back which I never quite got to work correctly.  I was speaking with a rep from HP who did a good job selling me on the HP9180 because of its self-cleaning feature.  I will not use the printer that often but want to have something available that I can turn on and not hassle with.  I am curious about comparisons between this printer and the HP8850 which uses the same ink set up lacks an LCD screen and ethernet connectivity.  I am also interested in the Epson 3800.  I know it prints 17 wide and, from comments seen here, has a lower cost per print than their R2880 (and I'm assuming the HP, which it competes with).  I am quite concerned however with this ink clogging issue.  Tat said, if ink de-clogging works (it didn't with the 1800) then that's a different story.

Any advice? BTW... I am aware that the 3800 is a different 'class' of printer than the 9180 and R2880. I'm also aware of that the 3800 makes larger prints.  Mainly I'm interested in feedback about this clogging issue and overall usability.

Thanks.

Eric

[John Hollenberg]

I will not use the printer that often but want to have something available that I can turn on and not hassle with.

Epson 3800 is probably a good choice, few reports of clogging problems, small footprint.  You might also consider the Canon iPF5100, which has zero reports of clogging problems, and has the advantage of supporting rolls, although a much larger footprint.  The 3800 doesn't support roll feed.  Just depends what your needs are.

See Eric Chan's Epson 3800 FAQ:  http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/faq.html

and the Canon Wiki: http://canonipf.wikispaces.com

--John

[Dale_Cotton2]

I have zero personal experience with the HP9180; but it has been highly regarded on photo forums for many years. As a general observation, self-cleaning can be a two-edged sword. Bought an HP all-in-one a few years back for my son with an automatic self-cleaning cycle that kicked in every few days. No clogs, but the self-cleaning drained ink cartridges at a fearsome rate. Presumably the HP9180 is much more sophisticated than that.

What I do have is the 3800. Like everyone else, I'm finding it a dream machine. Clogging simply isn't a problem due to its pressurized ink feed system. It's extremely Scrooge-like with ink and makes really excellent prints with minimal colour management hassle. As John Hollenberg has stated, probably the only reason it's not even more popular than it already is is the lack of roll paper support, which is an issue for those doing high volume throughput. (You can of course use roll paper - you just have to cut it yourself.) There's also a few dollar hit in ink drain each time you switch from matte to photo paper, but that's something many photographers rarely or never do.

Those I know with the Epson 2400 are equally happy with it. This might be considered the baby brother of the 3800; like your 1800 and many other models, the 2400 carries its collection of cartridges piggy-back atop the nozzle assembly. The upside is less complexity due to eliminating ink lines; the downside is that there's only a very small amount of ink per cartridge (~15ml for the 2400 vs. ~60 ml for the 3800). If you print at very low volumes and/or small paper sizes, this may not be an issue; otherwise you're forever swapping in new cartridges and paying quite a bit more per millilitre.

[Randy Carone]

The Epson 3800 has 80ml cartridges.

[chilehead]

All printers have pros and cons.  The pros of the B9180 are great-looking, consistent prints (when it works, see below).

There are two major cons that could be considered design flaws:

- The NEDD sensor, which uses a charged-metal plate to detect ink clogs, often becomes clogged with ink itself, thereby defeating the purpose of the thing.  As is becomes covered with ink, your printer will bleed itself and your wallet dry trying to clean its heads.

- Related to the above, this and most other printers in this price range have no “maintenance tank” which serves as a reservoir for the ink used in automatic head cleanings.  In time, ink overflows the take-up sponges and begins to ooze out all over the place, resulting in a vicious circle of cleaning and re-clogging.

Other than that, it’s a great printer.

Mark

[Eric in NYC]

It's a BIG step for me as I haven't really done any serious photography for years, since giving up my darkroom.  I'm pretty convinced about the 3800, gulp.  I hope to use it to print documents as well as photographs, though of course I have other printers for that as well.

Eric

[JBerardi]

I have a 3800; I got it refurbished and it needed a couple power cleanings to get everything flowing initially, but since then I haven't had a single clog (I've had it about four and a half months now). I haven't let it sit for more than a couple weeks at a time though, and usually not for more than a few days. I don't know how it compares to your 1800 in this regard, but I can tell you it's a LOT better than my 2200 was. It's also worth remembering that the 3800 really doesn't cost much if any more than the 2880 does once you consider that the 3800 comes with so much more ink than the 2880 does. It's more a question of if you'd rather have 17" sheets or 13" rolls.

 I have no experience with the HP so I won't comment on that.

[tomm101]

I have 2 HP B9180s at work, I'm printing medical photos on glossy HP paper. So I never use the matte black ink, I still have to change the cart every 4 month or so, runs out due to cleaning cycles, the printer has been doing 20 prints a day for 2+ years. Made an awful mess cleaning the NEDD once during this time. This printer doesn't seem bad on inks at all. Then there is my Canon iPF5000 (home printer), sips ink when printing every once in a while it does a huge clean, but still uses less ink than the HP, like the prints better too. If you have room for this printer I'd go for it.

Tom

[mikev1]

The B9180 produces great prints but I suspect it does have some reliability issues.  I've had three of them (replaced under warranty).  And the latest is starting to have issues as well ( I opened the paper tray and there was a couple of cogs and a spring lying there).

To be honest, the print quality of all printers within the same class these days is more or less exceptional.  Don't spend too much time looking for the best picture quality as it is most likely a matter of taste as opposed to true qualitative differences.  Instead take a look at reliability issues as this is what will cause the most headaches.