Large Format Printers

Hi,

I'm looking into purchasiing a new ink jet printer. I would like to be able to print at least up to a 16X10. I have been looking at the Epson 3800, 4800 and Canon IPF 5000. Is there anybody using one of these that can give me pros and cons from a user's standpoint?

Thanks, Fred

I have the 4800. I am very happy with it. The cons to me are - It doesn't print on small paper like 5x7, it is a little noisy, you have to change the black ink if you change between matte and glossy. Pros - everything else ;) The print quality is fantastic. It accepts 100' rolls, I have never had any issues with it.

The Epsons are great, I bought a 7800 last year. Ink is about $1 sqft. I was in Pro Photo (Portland) just tonight looking at the IFP 5000. They say ink about $.17 sqft and supports 16bit printing. I have heard good things from others, lots of pro shops buying, it sounds like Cannon has the lead right now. ColorBurst to have a RIP soon.

MHO think about the Cannon.

We too have an Epson 4800 in our studio and it is a wonderful workhorse of a printer. Inge covers the pros n cons quite well. I would only add that keeping it shut off when not in use is a GOOD idea. That way the print heads are parked in a sealed tank and not as prone to clogging.

I've had an Epson 7800 for almost a year now and really like it. I leave it on all the time and haven't had any clogging problems and I only print on mat paper so I don't have to deal with the black ink switch issue.

I have found that the inks cost a bit less that one cent per square inch so $1.44 a square foot. I'd really question Doyle's number of .17 a sguare foot. That seems pretty out of whack.

$.17 is the number i got from the sales rep at Pro-Photo for the Cannon printer. Also from CAES (Cascade Architectural & Engineering Supplys). No personal expeirence.

Still, I'll believe it when I see it.

Rick - my 2200 seems to clog heads less when I keep it on.. is it my imagination?

I have the IPF5000 and love it. I've been running moab entrada through it and use about 1.3ml/sq foot (online I see usage between .8-1.1). At 57 cents per ml it's about 75 cents per square foot for me.

The pros are that you didn't waste ink switching blacks, very high quality, and it is pretty frugal with the ink. I haven't done any testing to see if the 16-bit printing really makes much difference, but others report an increase in quality (I just take their word for it and use the 16 bit plug-in).

The cons are that the documentation stinks (but good info on the web), and that the documentation REALLY stinks!!

I have the 3800 and love it. It's quiet, fast and auto switches matt and photo black based on paper choice. It prints wonderful black and white in addition to color. I have made some 16x24, 16x20 and 12x36 with it and just love the results. You have to hand cut and sheet feed roll paper, but I use cut sheets 90% of the time, so that never bothered me.

Ditto what Ryan said. I moved from a Epson 1280 to the 3800. If you use rolls, probably not the printer for you, but as a cut sheet, it is fantastic.

Thanks for all the input. I am leaning more towards the Epson line. as they have been at this longer. I also think that they may have better support for Mac users of which I am one. Also, on the canonipf5000 wiki site there are warnings of defective ink cartridges and that Canon has a firm policy that they will not replace them after 30 days.

Thanks again