Posted by Lindy Martin on December 2, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Just tried out an Epson 3880 and am trying to compare it to prints from the old R1800. I was thinking that I should be seeing a huge difference in the print quality, detail and colour spectrum. Honestly, I don't see a huge difference. What should I be looking at and why should the 3880 give me a better print. Calibrated, ICC profiles in and the correct paper is being used. ($1200 is a lot of money to spend when I am not seeing big benefits) Thanks for all your help!!
Hi Lindy, i doubt if you will see a great deal of difference with the naked eye, the biggest bonus i have found with my 3880 over my old 2880 is the cost of ink is about half the price per ml here in the UK.
Ian
Posted by David Bostedo on December 2, 2012 at 7:18 PM
Lindy - If you're talking about various levels of pro style printers (i.e. just about anything that can print 13x19 or larger) you're not likely to see much difference at all, as they are all very good. The places you might see a difference are at the extremes - when you're pushing the bounds of their gradient or gamut capability. In those cases you might see a little bigger gamut, a little more accurate color, or a little smoother gradient.
Most of what you get when you go to larger printers is increased size capability, increased customer support, increased ink cart size (lower ink prices), and better printing at the extremes.
I'll throw out another thought. The 3880 is a much bigger and heavier printer than the R1800. You will need a larger and very solid table upon which to set it up.
Honestly, I would love to be able to make 16x20's at home and the 3880 would fill the bill, but as it is I have to farm out anything bigger than Super B sized paper. However, I simply don't have the physical space for such a big printer. Someday, perhaps.
I am currently living outside the US. For the first time I'm considering getting a printer. The cost of printing here, TCI, is outrageous. I was considering this model. I have no idea what you are talking about, ICC profiles, calibrated, etc. Wonder if this would be too much for me. If I can print up my work, I could sell and show in the shops here.
There must be a go to place to get the facts on printers. I figured I'd need a table and where to buy supplies. Everything must be shipped in, let's not talk about duty,
Posted by David Bostedo on December 4, 2012 at 9:23 PM
Elizabeth... I'd suggest you start a new topic with your questions rather than tack it on here. It will get better visibility and more answers and possibly help more people if it's on its own. If you need any help with that, feel free to ask.
The first thing to decide is whether or not you want to print your own, or have a lab do it and ship it to you (or your customers). If the labs where you're living are expensive, you could always use an online lab - there are lots of good ones. For many people, labs are easier and cheaper; But they lack the amount of control and variety and experimentation you can do if you print your own. Unless you're printing a LOT, printing at home will probably not be cheaper.
Given your situation and what you mentioned, perhaps the costs of labs shipping prints to you makes it a bad choice. If that's the case, then a few things to look at and maybe get you started :
1) This article from NatureScapes on Getting Started with Inkjet Printing is a great overview. Though it's a little dated, the information is still valid, although some of the fine details may not be. I.e. there are newer better printers and software now, and some of the hassle is gone.
I agree that often we expect more out of new & improved products, only to be disappointed in their performance. I have a 10 year old Epson 7600 (24" printer). A couple of years ago, it was beginning to (for want of a better word) die. Time for a new printer, I thought. I had a friend who owned a brand new 7900, which was 3-4 generations after my 7600. Better head, more ink cartridges, etc. He made me a sample print of one of my files, and I could not see any real difference. As a result, rather than spend over $4000 on a new 7900, I had my 7600 rebuilt with a new printing head for about $1300. It runs smooth & clean now, and the prints are just fine.
In short, I would not expect or buy based on a significant improvement in image quality, but rather on features and/or size that you may currently lack, need, or want.
PS - I also remember back in 1971 when I bought my first 35mm camera - a Yashica rangefinder with fixed 50/1.7 lens. After a year or so, I was convinced by all my photo friends to invest in a new Nikon Nikkormat, telling me what a much better camera it was, and that it would be a vast improvement over my "amateur" Yashica. As it turned out, the Nikon did have more desirable features - interchangeable lenses, manual shutter speeds, etc, BUT...I saw absolutely NO difference in the quality of my prints.
Posted by David Bostedo on December 18, 2012 at 8:57 PM
That's a good example Michael. I am willing to bet there are some images that push the limits of the 7600 ink set or nozzle technology that would show that there is a difference. I'm also willing to bet that most people are unlikely to run across those images.
Discussion
7 repliesIan
Most of what you get when you go to larger printers is increased size capability, increased customer support, increased ink cart size (lower ink prices), and better printing at the extremes.
Honestly, I would love to be able to make 16x20's at home and the 3880 would fill the bill, but as it is I have to farm out anything bigger than Super B sized paper. However, I simply don't have the physical space for such a big printer. Someday, perhaps.
--P
There must be a go to place to get the facts on printers. I figured I'd need a table and where to buy supplies. Everything must be shipped in, let's not talk about duty,
That being said, here's some info...
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The first thing to decide is whether or not you want to print your own, or have a lab do it and ship it to you (or your customers). If the labs where you're living are expensive, you could always use an online lab - there are lots of good ones. For many people, labs are easier and cheaper; But they lack the amount of control and variety and experimentation you can do if you print your own. Unless you're printing a LOT, printing at home will probably not be cheaper.
Given your situation and what you mentioned, perhaps the costs of labs shipping prints to you makes it a bad choice. If that's the case, then a few things to look at and maybe get you started :
1) This article from NatureScapes on Getting Started with Inkjet Printing is a great overview. Though it's a little dated, the information is still valid, although some of the fine details may not be. I.e. there are newer better printers and software now, and some of the hassle is gone.
2) These Cambridge in Colour tutorials on color management and printing are really good too.
3) As for printers, This DPReview article is a good overview. Imaging Resource has some pretty good reviews of various printers, as does Photo-i's printer page, although it's a bit long in the tooth now.
That should get you started, but like I said, if you have further questions, or want more response to your first one, please start a new topic.
In short, I would not expect or buy based on a significant improvement in image quality, but rather on features and/or size that you may currently lack, need, or want.
PS - I also remember back in 1971 when I bought my first 35mm camera - a Yashica rangefinder with fixed 50/1.7 lens. After a year or so, I was convinced by all my photo friends to invest in a new Nikon Nikkormat, telling me what a much better camera it was, and that it would be a vast improvement over my "amateur" Yashica. As it turned out, the Nikon did have more desirable features - interchangeable lenses, manual shutter speeds, etc, BUT...I saw absolutely NO difference in the quality of my prints.