Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Inkjet Printer (CA61201-VM)
Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Inkjet Printer (CA61201-VM)
- Industry-leading pigment ink technology
- Professional control
- Precision print head technology
- Optimal black density
- Advanced image quality architecture
List Price: $ 1,295.00
Price: $ 1,097.46
A product line that has truly improved and matured,
This printer was purchased to replace an Epson Stylus Pro 4000 that I have been using for about the past 3 years. When the 4000 came out, it was supposed to be technological breakthrough and had multiple rave reviews. Ultimately, I’ve been disappointed with it, both from a “quality of final print” and “ease of printing” standpoint. The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is two generations beyond the 4000, and corrects the major flaws of its predecessor.
I consider myself an advanced amateur photographer, having printed all of my own photographs (B&W and color) in the darkroom for more than 25 years. I’m really comparing the results of the Stylus Pro printers to the best results that I could achieve using traditional methods. Digital photography is going to replace 99% of traditional photo processing, so the standard seems fair.
From a print quality standpoint, the SP 4000 suffered from significant bronzing (metallic sheen when viewed at an angle), metamerism (color shifts dependent on lighting) and gloss differential (difference in sheen depending on thickness of ink sprayed in an area). The majority of these flaws have been addressed by the latest generation of ink (Ultrachrome K3 with Vivid Magenta) and the newest printhead. On B&W prints, where bronzing was the biggest issue, bronzing is now completely absent on prints using Epson Exhibition Fiber paper and Ultra Premium Luster. I also don’t appreciate any significant color shifts (metamerism) when viewing prints under different lighting conditions or different angles. Gloss differential has been significantly improved, but not completely eliminated. With the SP 4000, the ink would turn glossy surfaces semigloss, leaving a very distracting pattern. With the SP 3880, the only areas with subtle gloss differential are areas where there is no ink at all (washed out highlights). If there is any ink at all on the surface, the print looks even and smooth, even on glossy paper.
The quality of the prints are really quite amazing. For the first time in my life, I looked at a couple of prints that I made in the “Advanced B&W” mode and had to admit that they were as good as anything that I could have produced in the darkroom. The Epson Exhibition Fiber paper (F surface) has a look and feel very similar to the Ilford FB (fiber based) Glossy paper that I used to print on. The color prints are also stunning. Although the Ilfochrome prints I used to make had a level of color depth and saturation that was hard to beat, these SP 3880 prints are at least 98% as good with 20% of the effort and 100% better control (via Photoshop).
The machine itself appears reasonably well built and thoughtfully designed. It’s not quite the beast that the 4000 was, but that’s mostly a good thing. This machine can actually be lifted by one person and takes up a footprint that’s about 20% less than the 4000. The front door where the prints come out does seem a bit flimsy, but with care it should hold up. The only unanswered question for me regards ink jet clogging. The SP 4000 was very difficult to unclog if it sat unused for a week or two. I would estimate that at least half my ink went towards unclogging the print head. I understand that the newest generation is supposed to be better, but I’ll find out over the next few months. Right now, the printer is being used nearly daily, trying to reprint all of the pictures that I was 80% satisfied with in the past.
In summary, the Stylus Pro 3880 is a significant advancement from older machines. It might not be enough to justify upgrading from a 3800, but if you’re using a 4000/7600/9600 generation machine, you’ll never regret it.
Addendum: The one year follow-up!
After one year of printing fairly regularly, I have to say that I am still very pleased with the printer. The most amazing thing, by far, is the fact that the ink jets have never clogged even once. The old SP 4000 clogged even after 5 days of disuse. Although I’m generally printing small photos, I’m actually still on my first set of ink cartridges. I easily went through 5-10 times the amount of ink with the SP 4000. I didn’t realize how much ink I was actually wasting clearing the ink jets regularly (in spite of never running a “power” cleaning). My only minor complaint with the printer is still the mild gloss differential. For more critical prints, I’ve sprayed on PremierArt’s Print Shield with good results. No other issues so far and many outstanding prints in both color and B&W.
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|Excelent output for pros and perfectionist amateurs,
The 3880 is Epson’s entry-level professional printer. It was announced in September 2009 and as of the end of 2009 it’s still in short supply, but it’s worth waiting for. As a pro-level device, each one is supposedly aligned at the factory and the ink tanks hold 80 ml each vs. the 11 ml cartridges for the top end of the consumer line (Epson 2880). It prints 4″ wider than the 2880. It weighs about 45 pounds and it can be moved into place by one person.
I’m an amateur who likes to be in control of the print, so I don’t use photo printing services. I upgraded to a 3880 from an Epson 2200 (bought in 2003) for three reasons. (1) I wanted to print black & white and while the 2200 was a groundbreaking color printer, its B&W output is not very good. (2) The 3880 print head is coated with an ink repellent substance that is supposed to reduce clogging, which is a constant problem with the 2200. (3) The 3880 prints up to 17″ wide so it can produce 16 x 20 or even 16 x 24 prints. Despite its ability to print 4″ wider, it’s only a couple of inches wider than the 2200. Although the 3880 is double the price of the latest 13″ wide Epson (the 2880), you get a full set of 80 ml ink tanks, so you get enough ink to make up for the price difference as part of the 3880 package. You just have to use it up before it turns to sludge, but it has a 2 year shelf life.
The 3880 is easy to set up once you get past the 46 pieces of blue tape holding the various parts in place. There’s a well-designed quick installation poster and a very good printed manual. The printer driver installed flawlessly from the CD onto a Windows 7 computer. it can be linked to a computer as a local printer via its standard USB port, but I set it up as a network printer using an Ethernet cable from the printer to a router. If you set it up as a network printer, be sure follow the clearly written network installation guide for each of the computers on the network. The guts of the printer appear to be quite solid. There’s a lot of plastic on the outside and the large outfeed feels light duty. The previous model 3800 was criticized for its flimsy outfeed tray, but the 3880 has a magnetic catch so you can push the tray back into the front and close it up securely when it’s not in use. That will reduce the risk that a casual bump will damage the tray.
Of course excellent output is what we’re looking for in a relatively high end printer. Before decommissioning my 2200 I ran a standard test image that includes gradations of white and black in increments of 2, from 2 to 254 on the standard 0-256 RGB scale. Then I printed the same file on the newly installed 3880. The test print also had bars with smooth gradations of RGB colors and a number of “real” pictures – strawberries; a black & white image, a face, etc. For the 3880, I could distinguish a black point at about 4 and a white point at about 254 (on Epson Premium Glossy paper). The 2200′s black point was about 12 and the white point was about 244. That means (at least to me) that the 3880 is capable of printing a very wide range of densities in a black & white image, which is exactly what I was looking for. And the color from the 3880 was truer to the image on my calibrated monitor than the print from the 2200, which is what one would expect given that the inks have improved considerably since the 2200 was designed.
Broadly speaking, my experience with the output is that it matches the monitor reasonably well, and if you use the soft proof feature of Photoshop (see below) it’s possible to get a very good match. Note that you should calibrate your monitor using a colorimeter (Spyder or similar device). This is a critical first step, as most monitors have default settings that are far too bright. (If you don’t calibrate your monitor, at least turn the brightness down to about 20%.)
When you print, you also need to tell the printer’s software what paper you’re using so it will use the right paper profile. (A profile is a set of directions that helps the printer match its output to the characteristics of the paper). Epson provides a full set of profiles for its own papers as part of the installations software. Manufacturers of other brands of papers (Ilford, Hahnemuele, etc.) are beginning to post profiles on their web sites for the 3880 (as of December 2009).
The 3880 and its predecessor 3800 use a special black ink for paper with a matte finish (whether you’re printing color or B&W). The printer’s software knows which type of black to use based on the type of paper you select when you set teh image up for printing. The matte black cartridge is installed in the printer alongside the “photo black” cartridge, so they don’t have to be swapped back and forth, a tedious process that uses ink on the 2200 and its successors. But the 3880 does have to purge the lines of the photo black before it can print…
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|Blown away!,
I have been working with the Epson 3880 now for the last 2 weeks since it arrived. After much research I have eagerly awaited the release of Epson’s newest printer. Set up with my PC was a snap – no brainer here. Before my first print, I calibrated my monitor with the Spyder system which I also highly recommend. I’ve printed with both Photoshop and Lightroom. From the very first print…..my colors have been right on the money. In fact, as good as any professional online service I’ve used. The images are simply astonishing.
I’m using currently Epson paper only, mostly their Velvet Fine Art paper. I have not yet found a need to run a calibration profile on Epson paper. The download paper profiles from Epson appear to be working well. Although I will probably do a test run to see if there is a significant difference. I’m looking forward to trying Red River Paper as well.
I’ve never done any high-end printing before. I always used on an online print service, but was frustrated with my lack of control over the process. Using a printer of this caliber can be a little overwhelming with Photoshop/Lightroom. It is critical to get your color management issues squared away before hand. It was very helpful to read: The Art of Printing Photos on Your Epson Printer – by Michael Freeman and John Beardsworth which was published earlier this year. This book was enlightening and it made my software/hardware choices much easier.
If you are tired of letting others have the final control over your very best images, are comfortable in PS or LR, utilize monitor calibration, can justify the expense, use higher end camera gear and enjoy the entire creative process that photography entails…..this is the printer you have been waiting for.
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