New epson 2880

[Colin Graham]

While researching my printer woes I stumbled on this- anyone using one yet?

Apparently it has alarmingly small carts- only 11ml. And I guess black switching is still as issue. But it's supposed to have an expanded gamut, so it might be worth trying for digital negatives. I certainly like the size- I don't really need anything over 13x19. Anyway, here's a review.

 

[Marco B]

Hi Colin,

I own the predecessor R2400. Yes, it prints great, especially in BW, but, as you state about the "new" :rolleyes: R2880, Epson has done absolutely NOTHING about everything I (and many others) hate about the machine : The silly and ridiculously small cartridges that are finished with just a few sheets of A3+, the need to swap matt black and photo black and hear the printer gulp up another 1 ml of each-and-all(!) color just for "flushing" the lines... I hate it! Especially considering the ink price and environmental concerns.

It's a rip-of, and Epson seems deliberately deaf and blind... making huge money on ink...

The only reason I bought it a few years back, is that at that time, all reviews pointed out this printer way ahead of the competition in terms of BW printing and print durability (pigment ink). It hasn't disappointed me in that respect, but after reading recent reviews of A3+ printers of Canon and HP, that clearly show that the gap between Epson and his competitors in terms of BW printing and ink durability has been bridged, if I had to buy a new A3+ printer, I would seriously think of a Canon or HP.

 

[Colin Graham]

Hi Marco

Thanks for the input. It really does seem like a scam, and a thinly veiled one at that. I thought about it for about five seconds- I do like the size, and the price. But those carts are ridiculous. The review linked said many of the carts were fully depleted after 7 A3 prints. @ $14-17 each, ouch. And that ancient PK-MK swapping method seems like just an insult.

 

[Marco B]

The review linked said many of the carts were fully depleted after 7 A3 prints. @ $14-17 each, ouch. And that ancient PK-MK swapping method seems like just an insult.

Yes, ouch indeed!

I recommend you to read some of the latest reviews and photo magazines on Canon and HP as well, just like with Epson, the more expensive A3+ photo printers now also use durable (pigment) ink, and are finally equally capable of producing great looking BW prints.

It has taken a few years to catch up for them with Epson, but I believe they have done it...

 

[Colin Graham]

I'm very interested in the canon iPF5000- it seems like someone here was having success with it, I'll have to dig around the archives again. Problem with many of the reviews available like Luminous Landscape is that, while they rave about the Canon for normal printing, they aren't using it for digital negatives... I wish HP had something between the 9180 and the Z series. My 9180 is sooo close! Seems like it's only a driver update from being perfect. Anyway, the archives here seem to best place to start. And whatever I decide to try, a good return policy will be paramount!