Epson shot themselves in the foot with these mild upgrades since you are still required to dump about $75 worth of ink each time you switch from matte to photo black ink - both Canon and HP have had this problem licked for more than a year now - how come Epson remains so far behind? A big disappointment for many of us who were ready to buy a new printer.
On a somewhat related note, Bill Atkinson called me Sunday morning (to talk about another issue) and we discussed the new Epson's at great length. He has been using an 11880 for a while now and really loves it - that is the only printer in Epson's current lineup that makes the grade. No doubt the rest of the line will get the much-needed upgrades next year, but until then HP and Canon will continue to eat into Epson's part of the market share (I'm getting a new 44" HP). The 11880 uses 700ml ink carts - that would last us normal folks a very long time! (only lasts Bill a week or two) For those of you who use Epson printers and know what this means, Bill told me that he does a head cleaning EACH morning. Ouch....
Posted by Tim Buchanan on July 27, 2007 at 10:50 AM
This may be the printer I'm waiting for - that is, the printer that we hope Epson is going to produce - a smaller version of the 11880. The black ink cartridge switch issue is such a problem for me.
I did buy Bill's "Within the Stone" just to see it - the colors really are superb.
Save up your pennies David as I suspect by the fall of 2008 Epson will indeed produce a good series of printers with both blacks. Of course, there are several terrific printers on the market right now that are every bit as good as Epson's, and in fact better. Of course #2, if you only print on either gloss/luster or matte papers it doesn't make much difference since you would not need to swap inks anyway. Epson's 17" 3800 printer has both blacks, but it still dumps a few ML of ink each time you switch. The best 17" printer on the market right now is the one that Bill Dark has (Canon ipf5000, just updated to 5100), and the best 24"/44" printer is the HP z3100 (I have the 24" model and am getting the 44" model - that means my 24" model will be up for sale if anyone is interested - an incredible printer that has the calibration hardware and software built right in - it only takes three mouse clicks and you can build a custom profile for any paper and have it automatically installed! PLUS it has the gloss ink so you can do the best gloss prints available. - Hey Tim, you should have a look at this one - I'll make ya a great deal on it).
One issue that will still dog Epson are the ink clogs - not a problem at all with the HP z series of printers - saves a TON of ink...
Posted by Tim Buchanan on July 27, 2007 at 1:18 PM
Well - I have to say that the HP would be my printer of choice. I don't have print profiling software, and the built in spectrophotometer would be a real asset. So yeah, I'm definitely interested!
Posted by Larry Daniel on July 27, 2007 at 1:37 PM
Tim B, I might be available to drive or ride down when you go to pick it up.
Discussion
6 repliesEpson Printers
Check the size of the 64'' 11880 printer with a very hefty price tag, way out of my reach.
On a somewhat related note, Bill Atkinson called me Sunday morning (to talk about another issue) and we discussed the new Epson's at great length. He has been using an 11880 for a while now and really loves it - that is the only printer in Epson's current lineup that makes the grade. No doubt the rest of the line will get the much-needed upgrades next year, but until then HP and Canon will continue to eat into Epson's part of the market share (I'm getting a new 44" HP). The 11880 uses 700ml ink carts - that would last us normal folks a very long time! (only lasts Bill a week or two) For those of you who use Epson printers and know what this means, Bill told me that he does a head cleaning EACH morning. Ouch....
I did buy Bill's "Within the Stone" just to see it - the colors really are superb.
One issue that will still dog Epson are the ink clogs - not a problem at all with the HP z series of printers - saves a TON of ink...