Considering Upgrading my Epson R2400 to R3000 or 3880

[fike]

I have had my epson r2400 for seven years now. It is an excellent printer, but I am considering upgrading for two basic issues I have with it:

1) Ink cartridge sizes are too small and I am constantly having to replace them with more expensive little cartridges.
2) Media handling has become an issue.  I use some heavy-weight papers like ilford gold fiber silk and some of the matte cards.  I have always had feeding problems with these in the standard feeder.  I know the recommendation to use the straight-through path, but that is an annoying process.

Will the R3000 ameliorate these issues?  Should I consider ponying the extra money to get the 3880 (cheaper to operate more expensive to buy). I don't really need the large size of the 3880 because I have a 7880 for large work on rolls.  This printer is really for small to medium portfolio work on art papers. 

Any suggestions (besides canon printers)?

[Czornyj]

Any suggestions (besides canon printers)?

What's wrong with Canon printers? I'd consider Canon PIXMA Pro-1. Larger cartridges, lower ink consumption, no problem with PK<>MK switching. Didn't play long with this printer, but it seemed not to have a problem with printing on heavy barytas.

[fike]

What's wrong with Canon printers? I'd consider Canon PIXMA Pro-1. Larger cartridges, lower ink consumption, no problem with PK<>MK switching. Didn't play long with this printer, but it seemed not to have a problem with printing on heavy barytas.

Because I don't want to run two different ink systems. I have a 7880 and I want something that will be generally compatible with media settings and color attributes. I know, I know, I know...good workflow and profiling should make it irrelevant...except when it isn't. I don't want two systems, and it isn't anything against canon.

[Alan Goldhammer]

I've been quite happy with my 3880.  It doesn't clog and takes any thickness of paper without any problems (actually Ilford GFS is a pretty easy paper to use because of it's RC properties).  I have printed cards on it using the top feeder and it works just fine. 

[I.T. Supplies]

The R3000 will have larger inks than the R2400 as well as being wireless and better print heads.  It won't have issues printing on most fine art papers.  If you print on many fine arts and do many prints, I would suggest going with the 3880.  They will be over double the size of the R3000 (25.9ml-R3000 vs 80ml-3880).  The 3880 has been a great model for the last few years and still going strong.

It also depends on what you print to give you the best suggestions of printers.  But, I would recommend between the R3000 or if doing more fine art papers and more prints, the 3880 might be the better option due to larger inks and will feed most media in 3 different feeders (front, back and top loader).

[Wayne Fox]

The R3000 will have larger inks than the R2400 as well as being wireless and better print heads. 

While the inks in the 3000 are larger, the actual cost of the ink per ml isn't much better than the 2400, unlike the 3880 where the inks are substantially larger and significantly less expensive per ml. 

For me the choice is pretty clear, the 3880 could arguably be the best printer Epson has ever made ... and the included ink means the printer isn't really that expensive (and I think there's a $250 rebate right now, at least in the U.S.)

[Robert-Peter Westphal]

Hello,

I think I compared the costs of the R2400 to the new R3000 and the difference in costs per ml was a little less than 25%.

But, I remember Jeff said during a video that the R3000 produces the sharpest images with the most details of all Epson printer at the moment.

Robert

[ihv]

As Photokina is so close I'd make any decisions after that. Rumors are what they are, but a month waiting is nothing for decisions made for years.

[MBlue72]

Hello:

For what it's worth, I went through the same thought process about nine months ago. I ended up buying the R3000 rather than the 3880. I print pretty low volumes of prints and when I did an analysis of ink cost savings vs. up-front costs of purchase, I found my breakeven didn't occur for 6 or 7 years. Also, I was a little concerned that the 3880 tanks might be too large, given my low print output. I have never had a problem with ink going bad but didn't feel the lower per-print ink costs were worth this risk.

I like the R3000 very much and found the paper handling and quality of prints to be superior to my R2400, although I need a loupe to clearly see the improved print quality. I had a problem with my R2400 printing Museo Silver Rag and happily the R3000 handles this paper without any difficulty at all.

So, right now I have the R3000 set up for photo black and still am using the R2400 for matte black.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[David Good]

Very happily printing through a R3880 for the past 1 1/2 years. Must admit I never even considered the R3000.

So, right now I have the R3000 set up for photo black and still am using the R2400 for matte black.

Dave, if keeping your costs down this is the wrong approach. I thought of doing that with my R2400 (could also use my ImagePrint dongle) but the difference in ink costs, for me, aren't worth it. The newer printers use little ink doing the swap and the R2400 drinks ink even when it doesn't clog

[fike]

I am having a hard time considering the 3880 for a few reasons. 

1) I have a 7880 for very large prints
2) initial investment is high (are the original ink carts full?)
3) desk space is at a premium

[aaronchan]

just by curiosity, you always print something smaller than 8x10 (letter size/A4) with your R2400?
otherwise, why can't you just use your 7880 for everything?

aaron

[dgberg]

Have wanted a 3880 for some time now.
Problem is I have a 3800 that keeps printing and printing and printing.
Broke the front tray off several years ago along with one of the fold down lids.
So it looks pretty crappy.
That being said it still has excellent output and the reliability we would die for in our larger printers.
Absolute perfect addition for someone with a 24"/44" printer.

[fike]

just by curiosity, you always print something smaller than 8x10 (letter size/A4) with your R2400?
otherwise, why can't you just use your 7880 for everything?

aaron

You can, but the sheet handling on the big roll printers is poor.  In order to hold onto the sheet, the printer needs to leave about an inch of unprinted space at one end of the sheet.  This is annoying.  If you do print a smaller sheets on the big printer, sometimes the paper curl is annoying. On Ilford GFS towards the end of the roll, the thick paper can curl annoyingly.

Also, it is easier to switch between many different media types, (within PK or MK) on the sheet fed 2400 (or 3000).  Changing rolls on the big printer is a bit of a pain.

I am considering printing some inkjet books, and sometimes I will use 11x17 sheets to fold and make an 8.5 x 11 book (or similar size).  These books have 30 or 50 pages.  Printing and then cutting on the 7880 would be annoying not to mention the curling is bad for bookmaking.

[I.T. Supplies]

You can, but the sheet handling on the big roll printers is poor.  In order to hold onto the sheet, the printer needs to leave about an inch of unprinted space at one end of the sheet.  This is annoying.  If you do print a smaller sheets on the big printer, sometimes the paper curl is annoying. On Ilford GFS towards the end of the roll, the thick paper can curl annoyingly.

Also, it is easier to switch between many different media types, (within PK or MK) on the sheet fed 2400 (or 3000).  Changing rolls on the big printer is a bit of a pain.

If you're referring to 24/44" printers with sheet feeding, this is pretty easy.  We have an Epson 9890 in our office and it's as simple as lining the paper up with the feeder section, hitting a button and it takes the paper.  We've done sheets from letter to 13x19 with minimal time used to start printing.  Even changing the rolls on the printer takes about a minute (or 2) and it's ready to print.  The older models may have had this issue, even with printing issues, but the newer models are easier to work with.

I haven't heard any of our customer with a curling issue with the GFS (as far as I'm aware of).  Not saying that it isn't true though.

@ Fike
Inks for the 3880 are full that come with the printer as well as the smaller printers.  When you hit the 4900 and up, that's where the "starter" set comes in.

I just mentioned that the inks between the R2400 and R3000 will be larger, but I know that they aren't 50% more.  It also helps when switching between MBK and PBK on the R3000 since it does it automatically and uses a small amount when changing.  The 3880 will have more than double the amount of ink from the R2400 with better handing and printing quality with the Vivid Magenta series.

[AFairley]

I am having a hard time considering the 3880 for a few reasons. 

1) I have a 7880 for very large prints
2) initial investment is high (are the original ink carts full?)
3) desk space is at a premium

Ink carts are the regular capacity carts, AFAIK.  Doing the math to calculate the cost of the actual printer net of the value of the ink that comes with it. Using B&H prices and factoring in the rebates, the hardware cost for the R3000 is $335 and for the 3880 $450.

[BarbaraArmstrong]

Just a little anecdotal comment here: after using two 2200's for six years without any problem (maybe 3 or 4 clogs in that time that cleared with a single cleaning), I got a 3880 that worked well until the past few months (not quite two years after purchase).  The printer doesn't recognize when the photo black cartridge is empty.  The ink status screen shows plenty of ink.  Then, all of a sudden, the photo black drops out of the print.  When I remove the cart, you can tell it's empty by the light weight, and I can confirm that with a grams scale, compared with what I know a new one weighs.  The biggest problem with this is that after installing a new photo black cart, it takes multiple, and I mean many cleanings -- both regular and heavy duty from the maintenance menu -- to get the photo black channel working again.  I still haven't been able to clear the last one (the fourth time this has happened -- in a row).  So I know that many on this forum have used the 3880 extensively without problem, and I don't know how many have experienced the type of problem I am now having.  In the meantime, I am using the R3000 I bought a few months ago (after recommending it to my daughter and realizing how appealing the specs were).  It is relatively new, though I've been through a number of ink cart changes on it, and  has been performing very nicely on Canson Platine.  I would be inclined to vote for the R3000 if you don't have a need for the wider printer.  The difference in desk space is that the R3000 is 24 1/4 inches wide, while the 3880 is a smidge less than 27". --Barbara

[fike]

I continue to lean towards the R3000, but I have been trying to get someone to justify to me the 3880.  It seems like there are some good arguments for the 3880 including the reduced cost of ink per ml.

I still lean towards the smaller R3000 to squeeze on my crowded desk.

[Jane]

Marc,

I just replaced my trusty R2400 with an R3000 (the $150 rebate ended 8/31/12, but probably will return within a few months) for the same reasons you enumerated - automatic blacks switching and the somewhat larger cartridges. The size of the printer fits tidily in my workspace and it's economical for my purposes - I think the cartridges for the 3880 might be more ink than I need at a given time. The variation of ink droplet size down to 2 picoliters sounds impressive, too. I haven't yet printed much - just got the printer up and running. I'll go on a printing spree in the weeks ahead. For the time being, I'll have to make do with the Epson profiles or those supplied by the paper manufacturers until ImagePrint support for the R3000 is in place (sometime toward end of year). To my eye, the ImagePrint profiles I used with the R2400 were leagues better than the others, probably the next best thing to custom. I also like the ImagePrint printing program.

Good luck with your choice and too bad if you missed the rebate this time around.

Jane