Pigment printers

[DanK]

I'm once again thinking about taking the plunge and replacing my dye-ink printer with a pigment-ink printer. The dye printer I have (Canon Pro 100) produces gorgeous prints and is completely trouble-free, but for some purposes, I would rather have the durability of pigment. For example, a local gallery will not let you compete in their competitions unless your images are for sale, and I am hesitant to sell dye prints because they are not as durable. (I have never had to replace one of my own, but buyers might not be as careful in hanging them.)

So, I looked again today. Most people I know with pigment printers use Epsons, and someone posted here that Red River's tests show them to be quite a bit cheaper per print in terms of ink consumption than the competing Canons. I checked, and that is still true of the models posted, but of course if you factor in paper costs, the differential is much smaller. My problem was that Epson has replaced most of its printers recently. The 3880, which seems to have been a standard among people I know, and many of the other old models are now no longer produced. I know nada about the new models.

It seems that there are two lines of relevant printers. The less expensive "Surecolor P" line (P600 for 13" and P800 for 17") use 9 "HD" inks. The more expensive Stylus Pro 4900 uses 11 "HDR" inks and has some additional features. I'm guessing that this is the replacement for the 3880. Anyone know about the differences between these inks or these two lines of printers?

BTW, the two 13" Canon pigment printers are cheaper than the P series and use 10 and 12 inks, respectively.

[Manfred M]

It looks to me like the P800 is the 3880 replacement, based on price and features.

I love my 3880.

[DanK]

It looks to me like the P800 is the 3880 replacement, based on price and features.

I love my 3880.

Thanks. That's very helpful.

Adding in my default paper, the cost of printing on the Canon Pro-1 (the closest to the P800 in cost) is only about 15% higher than on the P800. The difference would be less for most people, because I get the paper at a discount via my university's contract with a vendor. The biggest difference may be that the Pro-1 prints only to 13" wide, while the p800 prints up to 17" wide. I don't know how often I would go bigger than 13 x 19, but it's a consideration, given the price of the machine.

[george013]

Maybe this link can give you some more info. http://www.epson.eu/ix/en/viewcon/co...ms/index/11529
Scroll down half way. You must judge yourself.

Though ink is an important part of the printer and the photo, it's hardly mentioned. I had a discussion with Manfred before.

George