John-
Great questions. Let me try to tackle them and add some additional information.
OK. The iPF8100 is more of a production machine, and will appeal to those customers who have higher volume, as well as more tricky media. The iPF8100 does an excellent job at handling thick or heavy media, and really is great for canvas as it has a built in rotary cutter that works on canvas. The Z3200 does not. The 8100 is much much faster, and I would say it is probably 2 to 4 times faster. For most people on this forum that doesn't matter at all, but it is worth mentioning. And the 8100 is built like a tank.
From a print quality standpoint on matte papers I think the 8100 is slightly better. On glossy media the HP is slightly better, and even better if you are printing black and white. I cannot explain that difference, but it is what my eyes see. The challenge / opportunity is that the HP takes more work to arrive at the best possible ICC profile and related paper type settings. The 8100 has fewer choices and I have figured out how to get the best results by paying attention to this forum, friends and some testing on my own. The HP has required more iterations for me for some reason, and I am not sure why.
The Z3100 didn't fare too well for all papers, especially the heavier / thicker papers, however I haven't had any issues with the Z3200 at all. I also have a 9900 showing up in the next few days, so I will have the latest 44" printers from the big 3 manufacturers. Keep in mind I have these printers as a result of my work for Moab Paper and the relationships that I and Moab have, so not all printers I have paid for out of my own pocket. I do create profiles for these manufacturers and I also get the ability to test these products before they hit the market. I test the printers for tricky media, and I have to say that the current generation of printers is much better than just a couple of years ago. Paper handling keeps getting better and better, for sure.
In my own printing studio I tend to use my 8100 for matte papers and canvas, and I have the Z3200 loaded up with glossy media all of the time. It plays to the strengths of each of these printers, and also minimizes the constant switching of rolls.
