Epson Stylus PRO 3880 Designer Edition Review

Epson Stylus PRO 3880 Designer Edition Review

Epson Stylus PRO 3880 Designer Edition Review - Economical, versatile inkjets just can not produce photos showing anywhere near the exact same depth, information, vibrant variety, and color precision of those created by devoted photo printers. Like electronic cameras, there are substantial qualitative distinctions amongst photo printers, so, all else being equivalent, a $129 photo inkjet's output will not look as great as that of an expert photo printer costing 10 times as much.

epson pro 3880 review
epson pro 3880 review

At $1,295 for the Standard Edition Epson's Stylus Pro 3880 is capable of producing stunning museum-quality archival photos every bit as great as, or much better than, bigger, higher-end expert photo printers costing 2 to 5 times as much. Unless you're frequently cranking out loads of prints or require oversize or banner-type photos, the Stylus Pro 3880 ought to please the most-demanding professional photographer's desire for ultra-quality prints.

The most striking-- and substantial-- distinction in between the Stylus Pro 3880 and its significant rivals (Epson's $1,995-to-$2,495 Stylus Pro 4880, Canon's $1,995 ImagePROGRAF iPF5100, and HP's $2,895 DesignJet Z2100) is size and weight. Of those printers, just the Stylus Pro 3880 is compact enough to rest on a desktop, not a floor stand. And at simply over 43 pounds, it's a 3rd to half the weight of the iPF5100.

Epson Stylus PRO 3880
Epson Stylus PRO 3880 

While the Stylus Pro 3880 has a little footprint relative to other pro-level photo printers, it's still substantial. You can take back extra desktop area by putting the printer on the edge of your (though you have to be mindful not to bump it).

Epson Stylus Pro 3880

The paper-receiving tray encompasses 5, 12, or 18 inches.



While Epson does not openly note the month-to-month task cycle or Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) score of the Stylus Pro 3880 driver, it is considerably lower than the abovementioned photo printers. The Stylus Pro 3880 will certainly outprint and last longer than a lot of desktop photo printers, however it's a metaphorical and actual light-weight when compared with floor-stand professional photo printers.

Functions & Paper Handling

Epson Stylus PRO 3880 Designer Edition Review
Epson Stylus PRO 3880 Designer Edition Review

At the heart of Epson's expert photo printers driver lie its inks and printhead. The Stylus Pro 3880 makes use of the exact same Advanced MicroPiezo AMC print head as the Stylus Pro 4800. While the 2 printers' UltraChrome inks are similar the Stylus Pro 4800's 2 sizes of ink cartridges consist of either 110 or 220 milliliters of ink, while the Stylus Pro 3880's single-size ink cartridges consist of just 80 milliliters.

Epson Stylus Pro 3880

The 9 ink cartridges are simple and well-labeled to load and modification.



One significant distinction in between the 2 Epson printers is that the Stylus Pro 4800 can accommodate just 8 cartridges at a time. If you want to print on shiny rather than matte media, you need to physically switch out the Matte Black for the Photo Black cartridge. The Stylus Pro 3880 has actually devoted slots for all 9 colors, so it easily and immediately changes in between Photo Black and Matte Black when you pick the matching paper profile.

epson stylus pro 3880 signature worthy edition review
epson stylus pro 3880 signature worthy edition review

Stochastic printing produces a visual impact that "techniques" the eye into seeing sharper, much better constant tones than photos printed with smaller sized, however uninterrupted, dot sizes. By utilizing instant-drying, solid-particle pigment inks instead of color droplets, like the iPF5100 does, there's no dot gain (the tendency for droplets of ink to broaden and mush when they struck the paper).

Aside from its size and weight, the all-plastic, black-and-gray exterior of the Stylus Pro 3880 looks practical and remarkably confidential. While not brightened, there are 3 small condition lights: power, printing, and low ink.

To the left of the control panel is the ink cover. To open it, you need to hold the leading arrow button down for 3 seconds, after which you should by hand raise the flap, exposing the 9 devoted ink cartridges.



Depending upon the size of paper you're printing on, it pulls and click-stops at 5 inches, 12 inches, or 18 inches. On the back of the printer is an adjustable feeder backstop with click stops that pull up to accommodate different-size documents from 4x6 inches to 17x22 inches.

You require to choose Paper Size Check on the control panel. Considering that the media sheet immediately feeds through the printer prior to it ejects and prints out the very same slot, you need to make sure that you have enough complimentary area behind the printer that it will not buckle distinction in between the Stylus Pro 3880 and floor-model professional photo printers is that the 3880 can not accommodate rolls of paper; it is developed to print on single sheets just.

epson stylus pro 3880 standard edition review
epson stylus pro 3880 standard edition review

Affordable, versatile inkjets just can not produce photos showing anywhere near the exact same depth, information, vibrant variety, and color precision of those created by devoted photo printers. Like electronic cameras, there are considerable qualitative distinctions amongst the photo inkjet's output will not look as better as that of an expert photo printer costing 10 times as much.

The Stylus Pro 3880 will certainly outprint and last longer than a lot of desktop photo printers, however it's a metaphorical and actual light-weight when compared with floor-stand professional photo printers.

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