epson 3880 ink

Hello guys,

A bit of a noob question for printing here. I am thinking about buying this printer, but i am wondering how expensive its going to be to use it! a complete refill of all the ink runs around 500-600 dollars (9 cartridges i think). My question is, how many full size prints would i be able to print with that? a rough estimate obviously..

i would like to be able to print my own pictures in quite big sizes but i dont know if it will be worth it. Also if anyone has any other printer suggestions they are welcome

thanks,
Vic

I gave up printing at home a long time ago. The printers they have at places like Costco or Sam's are far superior to anything i could buy and for .13 cents a print, way cheaper in the long run.

But are refills really that expensive? That's like double or triple the cost of a new printer. In any case, this is interesting reading.
http://www.redrivercat​alog.com …r2880-cost-per-print.html

no the printer actually costs about 1300 bucks. And the thing is i dont live in usa, i live in spain. Print shops arent really cheap around here.. Also i just like the idea of being able to print whatever i want whenever i want.

im gonna read ur link now.

I converted mine to refillable cartridges and Cone Inks, not sure what is available in your part of the world? Google and check that option out.

ralff wrote in post #13799370
I converted mine to refillable cartridges and Cone Inks, not sure what is available in your part of the world? Google and check that option out.

will do, thanks

On the plus side, the printer comes with $500-$600 worth of ink! Yes the cartridges are more expensive because they are larger, but cost per ml. of ink is less. If you print a lot you'll save money on ink buying the larger quantities, plus this printer is awesome.

Just check places on line man, here you go

Canoga Camera.
https://www.canogacame​ra.com …lts.asp?Search=​epson+3880

B&Bphotovideo.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …880&N=0&Initial​Search=yes

It's not rocket science my friend. Don't know what their overseas shipping policies are though. If you know anyone n the states have them order it for you then ship it to you if there is any issues.

As for the refillable and Continuous Ink System (C.I.S.) You get what you pay for, you my not be able to get the exact colors and clarity as with the manufacturers ink. I have been down that road and it was short lived, let me tell you.

Here you go.
https://photography-on-the.net …?t=458729&highl​ight=c.i.s.

Printing at home is always much more then having a lab or online printer do it for you. On my R1800 I can print a good amount of prints on the full set of inks, but you will see you use some color more then others, like Cyan, Yellow and Magenta, blues, red not as much and the black go pretty fast as well.

Sevan

S.E.V. wrote in post #13811270
Just check places on line man, here you go

Canoga Camera.
https://www.canogacame​ra.com …lts.asp?Search=​epson+3880

B&Bphotovideo.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …880&N=0&Initial​Search=yes

It's not rocket science my friend. Don't know what their overseas shipping policies are though. If you know anyone n the states have them order it for you then ship it to you if there is any issues.

As for the refillable and Continuous Ink System (C.I.S.) You get what you pay for, you my not be able to get the exact colors and clarity as with the manufacturers ink. I have been down that road and it was short lived, let me tell you.

Here you go.
https://photography-on-the.net …?t=458729&highl​ight=c.i.s.

Printing at home is always much more then having a lab or online printer do it for you. On my R1800 I can print a good amount of prints on the full set of inks, but you will see you use some color more then others, like Cyan, Yellow and Magenta, blues, red not as much and the black go pretty fast as well.

Sevan

Thanks for the input but i think you missed my question i know what the prices are for cartridges, but i was wondering how much a full set would last me for, if it would be worth it at all to get my own printer or just get my prints printed elsewhere.. also if you guys ahve any suggestion for other printers that are good.

Oh and thats a big post about the CIS systems.. does look like a lot of hassle and the results (at least from what it looks like from your scans-i could be wrong) dont look too great.

vgrab wrote in post #13811438
Oh and thats a big post about the CIS systems.. does look like a lot of hassle and the results (at least from what it looks like from your scans-i could be wrong) dont look too great.

Read the history behind Cone Inks because not all CIS systems are made in China.

Vic,

Our vague or evasive answers probably answer your question. In truth none of us really know. I run an R2880 which uses 11.4 ml cartridges at a price to me of £10.45 each. I am wondering how to price up framed and mounted prints for sale, but like you I cannot get a feel for the actual square footage of print per cart to save my life. Everything else can be quantified, but not the ink usage.

vgrab wrote in post #13799199
Hello guys,

|
My question is, how many full size prints would i be able to print with that? a rough estimate obviously..
|
Also if anyone has any other printer suggestions they are welcome

thanks,
Vic

Average pigment ink usage as gleaned from Web searching:

Epson - 1.5 ml per square foot

Canon - 1.2 ml per square foot

My ink consumption with an iPF5100 is bit less. A typical 12X18 print on semi-gloss paper that I printed last evening used 1.5 ml of ink.

Also, be aware that a new printer must charge the ink lines and this might use a considerable amount of ink from the first set on ink cartriges. My iPF5100 used about 36 ml per cartridge to charge the lines. At $0.75/ml X 12 cartridges, this is expensive!

Epson printers use some ink when changing from glossy to/from matte papers. Canon printers do not,

Canon iPF printers have user replaceable print heads. I do not believe that Epson print heads are user replaceable,

Epson 3880 uses 80 ml cartridges vs Canon 90 ml starter cartridge and 130 ml replacements.

Well, it does vary by the print of course, but on my 3880 this is where I am netting out on average:

I like to make 13x19 borderless prints and it looks like a full set of inks will make about 228 of these based on my average ink use.

When I make 17x22 borderless prints it looks like I am averaging about 150 of them.

With that said, it seems my paper cost is always higher than my ink cost on these prints.

Also, depending on how often you use the printer, you may have to do nozzle cleaning cycles which does use a lot of ink. And of course if you are frequently switching between matte and glossy printing this will use significant amounts of ink as well.

I love printing at home on my 3880 and will never go back to sending out prints. But I would hardly argue that it is saving me money this way. I just reprinted a few canvas's because I wasn't happy with how I processed them first time around and knew I could redo it quickly. Probably would have just left them if I sent them out but I like tweaking to get things perfect and the 3880 is great for me in this respect.

Consider this place, I use their units with my little printer, for documents rather than photos. They have a good reputation.

http://www.rihac.com.a​u …s-3880-c-106_109_115.html
http://www.rihac.com.a​u …00-c-106_108_175_177.html

In addition to what has been said, you might find the ink is used up at different rates, so while to replace all the cartridges in your area may be $500-$600, more than likely you will be replacing 1-3 at a time. That has been my experience at work where we have the same printer. For my personal work however, I use a pro lab which I find less costly and less headaches overall than maintaining and operating my own printer.

vgrab wrote in post #13811438
Thanks for the input but i think you missed my question i know what the prices are for cartridges, but i was wondering how much a full set would last me for, if it would be worth it at all to get my own printer or just get my prints printed elsewhere.. also if you guys ahve any suggestion for other printers that are good.

Oh and thats a big post about the CIS systems.. does look like a lot of hassle and the results (at least from what it looks like from your scans-i could be wrong) dont look too great.

OOPs my bad Yeah the CIS was a waste of time and money. I did get my money back and got to keep the hit, I eventually got rid of it.