Just finished installing my 3800!

[BillK]

.  I wish they included how much ink is used in the cleaning cycles.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=89698\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

You can figure that out by printing the status and job history after the cleaning
cycle. It adds the ink used to clean to the last print you made.  I've had mine
for about 5 days, been turning it off every night, when I turned it on yesterday
it did a long cleaning cycle on its own at start up. Checked the job history, it used
almost 16ml of ink for the cleaning cycle.   Sure hope that doesn't happen often
as it will make it an expense printer to operate for the kind of volume I expect
to be printing.

Bill

[K.C.]

... been turning it off every night, when I turned it on yesterday
it did a long cleaning cycle on its own at start up. [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=89707\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Then leave it turned on. It won't clean as often and power consumption while it's idle is insignificant.

[jeffok]

You can figure that out by printing the status and job history after the cleaning
cycle. It adds the ink used to clean to the last print you made.  I've had mine
for about 5 days, been turning it off every night, when I turned it on yesterday
it did a long cleaning cycle on its own at start up. Checked the job history, it used
almost 16ml of ink for the cleaning cycle.   Sure hope that doesn't happen often
as it will make it an expense printer to operate for the kind of volume I expect
to be printing.

Bill
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=89707\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I'm with you on that- we'll see what kind of ink it goes through compared to other printers but so far- still early days-  it's not looking so good cost wise.
As for clogged nozzles,  I'm not sure about leaving this printer on all the time however. I think I read somwhere that the head parks itself when the printer is turned off so as to prevent clogging. It may that leaving the printer turned on when not using it may in fact cause more clogging than otherwise.

I turned mine off again last night and on again late this afternoon and it didn't do a cleaning cycle so maybe there is some fuzzy logic built in to this printer that determines when to auto-clean. Not sure if anyone knows more....

Jeff

[NikosR]

I believe that one should turn Epson printers off when not in use. It will reduce occurences of clogging.

The Epson rep interviewed by Michael in a recent video interview said the same.

Canon recommend their printers to be left on all the time.

Epson and Canon use different ink head technology (piezzo vs. thermal).

[jjlphoto]

There was special mention of turning off the 3800 as the head cap is redesigned for a better seal. Now whether or not this is a lotta bunk just so Epson can sell more ink, we do not know until some of the printing gurus get under the hood of this baby.

[jjlphoto]

Just finished some basic testing, ran my favorite architectural shot with a dusky sky with subtle gradients. That files brings all but the most perfectly set up printers to their knees. My 3800 printed that file on PGPP fine, the sky looked fine with no profile banding, no microbanding, no feeder banding, etc. My initial observations are that compared to my trusty 1280, it has a slightly reduced gamut (So far, I have only run PLPP and PGPP, no art stocks yet), but it sure is a speed demon. A 13x19 @ 1440 is out in less than 5 minutes! I haven't even done any alignment, messed with feed rates, or platten stuff, just turned it on and printed. As I get into the third party papers, I will report back.

[Pete Kossaras]

This is what Epson told me when I emailed them last week onwhether I should leave on or turn off.
 
From a mechanical standpoint the positon of the Printhead whether the
printers at rest or powered off, as it pertains to the potential for
nozzles drying out makes no difference. I always recommend powering the
printer off to avoid potential issues with power surges.  As with any
inkjet printer the longer you go without using the printer the more likely
you are to need head cleaning to achieve a high quality print. The only
real option you have to mitigate this issue is to print/clean the printer
on a regular basis like once a week.

                                           Pete

[CliffSamys]

I've got some more 3800s in stock now, if anyone is still looking for one.

Thanks.

[danamc]

As someone who has always used the Epson profiles with my 2400, and plan also to use with a 3800 making its way across country to my door, I'm interested in the custom profile you get from Inkjetart.com.

Tell me, once you get the profiles back from them, how do you make changes in how your printer is set up? Thanx!

i used to only print with imageprint RIP....but with the new inks most of the BW printing issues are gone, the new canned profiles are much much better and i now use www.inkjetart.com for custom profiles for the papers i use....download the target, print it, mail it in, get the profile via email, costs 25$ absolutely worth it...they told me about it when i wanted to get a calibration device (for 1500$)...now i have had 4 profiles done, spent a lot less and all my future profiles will all be made with the latest and greatest devices....highly recommended....
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=88637\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[BillK]

This is what Epson told me when I emailed them last week onwhether I should leave on or turn off.
 
From a mechanical standpoint the positon of the Printhead whether the
printers at rest or powered off, as it pertains to the potential for
nozzles drying out makes no difference. I always recommend powering the
printer off to avoid potential issues with power surges.  As with any
inkjet printer the longer you go without using the printer the more likely
you are to need head cleaning to achieve a high quality print. The only
real option you have to mitigate this issue is to print/clean the printer
on a regular basis like once a week.

                                           Pete
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=89917\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Since I have heard so many different opinions on the leave it on turn it off thing
thought I would also email Epson and see if they were consistent with their recommendations
on this. I also asked if the auto cleaning cycle I mentioned earlier was normal.
Here is their reply:

"Mechanically speaking there is no difference how the print head rests
whether the machine is off or on the biggest factor in reducing required
cleanings is consistent use of the printer. The process is usually referred
to as a Priming cycle and is used to ensure ink is available in all
nozzles. The printer does not have a sensor in each nozzle to determine if
ink is there so as a preventative measure the engineers have designed the
printer to occasionally prime before prints, when powering on/off, and
occasionally during printing to cool the print head.  These cycles are all
necessary to keep the printer running in optimal condition and cannot be
disabled. The alternative would be to always leave the printer on but over
time the printer would perform the same sort of cleaning as it does when
you turn the printer off. So in the end the same amount of ink is likely to
be expended in operation of the printer. The wide format printers are
designed for high volume printing and as such are at their most efficient
when used consistently."

Sounds like the same guy answered. So it doesn't matter if you leave it on or
off. Expect it to do and occasional auto cleaning cycle to the tune of about 16ml
of ink.  

Occasional for me was after 5 days 20 8x10's and 30 4x6's . These cleaning cycles
will need to be factored in to your cost per print.

Bill

[picnic]

Sounds like the same guy answered. So it doesn't matter if you leave it on or
off. Expect it to do and occasional auto cleaning cycle to the tune of about 16ml
of ink. :(

Occasional for me was after 5 days 20 8x10's and 30 4x6's . These cleaning cycles
will need to be factored in to your cost per print.

Bill
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=90115\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Bill, the other place a number of us heard to 'park' the printer (shut it down) was on the podcast that Michael had with one of the execs from Epson Canada--and he was pretty explicit about shutting it down as I recall--to 'seal' the nozzles.  Interesting that EC and EUS have differing recommendations about this.

Diane

[BillK]

Bill, the other place a number of us heard to 'park' the printer (shut it down) was on the podcast that Michael had with one of the execs from Epson Canada--and he was pretty explicit about shutting it down as I recall--to 'seal' the nozzles.  Interesting that EC and EUS have differing recommendations about this.

Diane
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=90117\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

 Yes Diane I saw that, its one of the reasons i decided to contact epson myself.
I haven't decided which way I'll go yet, will probably try both ways for a while
and see if I can see any difference. Time will tell I guess.  While I love the output
of this printer, it doesn't look like it is going to be very economical  for my limited
volume of printing.

Bill

[picnic]

Your wish is answered

That is how I have printing B&W since I got my first K3 printer!  I use my regular color paper profile and print it just like any other color image.  If I use no toning, I get an excellent neutral continuous tone grayscale -- lovely!  Alternatively I have built some toning actions and can easily warm/sepia  or cool/selenium tone the B&W to taste, or even split tone them.  And for the kicker, this works just as well on coated photo papers as it does on fine art papers. 

In other words, we are essentially getting WYSIWYG B&W printing...  Yes, life is good  with K3 inks
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=88662\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I had to come back to this thread and add my first impressions.  I received the 3800 yesterday, set it up (easily), printed my first toned mono using RGB (WYSIWYG as Jack says) and I'm absolutely thrilled.   No more RIP, no ABW either.  I went on to print others plus color---and its spot on with just the Epson profiles.  I used mostly Epson papers, but also IJA microceramic (as that's what I have coming in 17" roll) and the Premium luster profile was very good on it also.  While the Epson luster paper is a bit warm, the IJA is white, but otherwise very very similar.  

So--I just wanted to add---WYSIWYG is just about it as far as I'm concerned.  I've tried matte papers (just printed a 13 x 19 with borders on Watercolor)--matte papers, at least the ones I've tried so far, are equally as good.  I may end up getting some custom profiles done---but these are awfully good in a color managed system.  Oh, and the printer is fast (esp. compared to the 2200), the 3 paper paths are easy to use----all's good in my world today  *smile*.


Diane

[henk]

Your wish is answered

That is how I have printing B&W since I got my first K3 printer!  I use my regular color paper profile and print it just like any other color image.  If I use no toning, I get an excellent neutral continuous tone grayscale -- lovely!  Alternatively I have built some toning actions and can easily warm/sepia  or cool/selenium tone the B&W to taste, or even split tone them.  And for the kicker, this works just as well on coated photo papers as it does on fine art papers. 

In other words, we are essentially getting WYSIWYG B&W printing...  Yes, life is good  with K3 inks
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=88662\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Jack, thats good news. I was looking for the  RIP QTR from Roy Harrington but it seems that this is not needed any more. I wil do some testing myself after Christmas.
Are you willing to share your actions with us?

Henk

[jjlphoto]

I just primted some B&W portraits (straight grayscale, but as AdobeRGB files, with no PS toning) on Innove FibaPrint F-Type Brilliant white. Amazing! Dead-on neutral gray, great d-max. I also showed it to an old B&W darkroom guy. He was amazed as well!

[Jack Flesher]

Hehe...  told you guys you finally get WYSIWYG B&W!

Henk: My toning actions are nothing special -- I just call up the photo filter on an adjustment layer over the base B&W image.  I've tweaked color and opacity to my personal liking so I get a repeatable selenium and sepia toning layer, that's all they do, so these are easy to make custom for yourself to suit your style.  I split tone using masks on each toning layer.  

Cheers,

Jack

[BVF]

I don't know if it helps, Diane, but Pictureline (www.pictureline.com) shows them in stock for about $1,295. I bought my iPF5000 from them and was very happy with the service. I worked with Ken who was quite helpful.

Good luck,

Dale
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=88199\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Dale ,
 I am new to everything. I want to print uo 60 B+W 10x15inch rag/watercolour  prints scanned from 1960's era 35mm street scenes of grim Liverpool UK. Not sure what printer to buy  Epson 4800 or 3800 or Canon 5000?

Any Thoughts?

[NikosR]

Dale ,
 I am new to everything. I want to print uo 60 B+W 10x15inch rag/watercolour  prints scanned from 1960's era 35mm street scenes of grim Liverpool UK. Not sure what printer to buy  Epson 4800 or 3800 or Canon 5000?

Any Thoughts?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=90577\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

It depends what you'll want to print after you print your 60 10x15s. If you don't want to print large and you'll print rarely, may be you should consider a smaller printer like the 2400. Or none at all, and have your 60 prints printed professionally.

[picnic]

It depends what you'll want to print after you print your 60 10x15s. If you don't want to print large and you'll print rarely, may be you should consider a smaller printer like the 2400. Or none at all, and have your 60 prints printed professionally.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=90683\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Yes, if you aren't going to print anything larger than the 10 x 15's, the 13" printers do that easily on 13 x 19 paper--or even roll paper.   There are 2 pigment 13" printers available now (the 2400 and HP 9180) and the Canon version is to be out in 2007 sometime.  I would consider other things---like space, how often you will print, what sizes, if you want to use roll paper or sheet--and if you aren't going to print a good bit, if you are better off to outsource your printing.  The larger printers will be more economical as far as ink usage, but--after the 60 prints, how often will you print--and what.

Saying all that, I am loving the ouput of the 3800---and I'm sure I would the Feel the same about the Canon iPf5000--and of course, the 4800---if you feel you 'need' the larger printer for whatever reason.  

Diane

[howie]

Sounds like the same guy answered. So it doesn't matter if you leave it on or
off. Expect it to do and occasional auto cleaning cycle to the tune of about 16ml
of ink.  

Occasional for me was after 5 days 20 8x10's and 30 4x6's . These cleaning cycles
will need to be factored in to your cost per print.

Bill
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=90115\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

For me it was also after five days, and only about 12 8x10s and maybe the same number of 4x6s.  Also 16ml :-( Hopefully it's not a five day timer.  My printer was left on for most of that time... I'm wondering if there's an "on-time" relationship to when the cleaning cycle runs.  Time will tell.

Howie