EPSON
STYLUS PRO 3880
BIG AND
BETTER
The desktop-sized A2 format
3800 was a huge success with
photographers who have lowish
printing volume requirements so its
replacement has a lot to live up to.
Report by Trevern Dawes.
The Epson Stylus Pro 3880
in closed down mode.
pson’s Stylus Pro 3800 has enjoyed the
status of being the most popular A2 printer,
reduce clogging and minimise maintenance. For
those keen to fully exploit their printing the Stylus
Pro 3880 will accommodate 16-bit files. The front
control panel with its seven buttons, three lights
and a LCD info screen provide access to all func-
tions and monitors precise ink levels and the print
status. Three paper feed systems cover all sheet
handling requirements.
Apart from the two new ‘Vivid’ inks, the
remainder are the same as for the Pro 3800,
however the vivid colours can’t be used in the
earlier model.
E
but after three years it’s been replaced by the Pro
3880 model which has to meet the challenge of
being equally – or even more – successful.
Like its predecessor, the Stylus Pro 3880 is
an ideal printer for both the professional’s studio
and the enthusiast’s study because it presents
well as a relatively compact and elegant ‘box’, is
easy to set up and equally easy to operate. Prints
made with it in both colour and black and white
leave little to be desired. The lack of a roll paper
capability is reflected in the appealing price, but
isn’t a feature many will miss when using single
sheet feed is the prime intention (even if these
sheets are cut down from paper rolls to the maxi-
mum paper handling of 950x432 mm).
This sleek black-and-silver printer has a pull-
out rear automatic sheet feeder and a drop-down
receiving tray at front. These fold neatly away
when the printer isn’t in use. The rear manual
paper feed is a separate item that’s attached
when required.
Apart from the badging, there are no changes
to the outer appearance compared to the 3800,
but several significant changes lie within. ‘Vivid
Magenta’ and ‘Vivid Light Magenta’ inks have
been added to the UltraChromeK3 pigmented
inkset to enhance the colour gamut, especially in
the blues and purples. AccuPhoto HD2 screen-
ing improves the ink placement accuracy for
smoother colour and better tonal gradations. A
new print head provides better colour placement
and there is now an ink repellant coating to help
Setting Up
Straight out of the box, the printer’s moving parts
are so well secured with blue tape, it takes sev-
eral minutes to free everything up. Thereafter it’s
a case of plugging in the power cable, switching
on, shaking each ink cartridge before insertion,
closing the ink bay lid and waiting about seven
minutes for the print head to be automatically
charged. When the ‘Ready’ indicator appears
in the LCD panel, connect an USB or Ethernet
cable (not supplied) and install the CD with the
printer driver, user guide and software download.
Altogether, set-up takes about 30 to 45 minutes,
but is very simple and straightforward, aided by
the “Start Here” instruction sheet.
After set-up, if you wonder why the ink
levels do not register as full, it’s because about
20 percent of each cartridge (which have an 80
millilitre capacity) is used to charge the print
head. Of course, all new ink cartridges thereafter
will have 100 percent capacity.
32
The set of nine UltraChromeK3 pigmented inks. The Photo Black and Matte Black cartridges have
their own individual slots.
Clockwise from top left:
• The maximum user-defined paper size is
431.8x950 mm, but paper must be inserted
from the rear manual feed.
• Final print preview ensures all is well.
• The ‘Quality Options’ page allows for the selection
of one of five print quality levels plus a high speed
printing mode.
• The print progress display includes a graphic rep-
resentation and also shows both the printing time
remaining and the ink levels in each cartridge.
• Manual adjustments can be made via the Color
Controls panel.
critical to have the paper loaded into the rear,
manual feed and not the auto sheet feeder as
the latter approach will truncate the image, even
though it looks OK in the print preview. This isn’t
mentioned in the user guide.
Print time at Level 5 (with high speed print-
ing switched off0 for an 832x360 mm image on
950 x 431 mm paper was 29:40 minutes. The 6.0
millilitres of ink used was calculated to cost $7.44
in return for a rather sizeable print. At the end of
printing the paper will remain on the fully extend-
ed receiving tray so it’s safe to attend to other
matters during the printing. The two prerequisites
for rear-feed printing are adequate space and
having the paper well flattened out after cutting
down from a roll. Curled paper can be loaded, but
it can lead to head strikes.
Job information is accessed by the printer’s
LCD read-out panel. By working through ‘Printer
Status’ and ‘Job History’, data for the last ten
prints can be accessed, including the amount
of ink consumed to 0.1 millilitre accuracy. If
the graphic representation of ink levels isn’t to
your liking, the menu will show the percentage
remaining for each cartridge.
Epson’s UltraChromeK3 inks may not enjoy
quite the same longevity ratings as the HP
pigments, but they are extensive enough. The
Wilhelm Research rating (for a print under glass
with no UV filtration) for the Premium Glossy
paper is 85 years, for the Ultrasmooth it’s 108,
the Velvet is 166 and the Premium semi-matte is
rated at 67 years. In album or book storage the
ratings are between 200 to 300 years.
Printing a series of favourite prints and comparing
the results from other printers is my preferred
way of making assessments. Provided the appro-
priate media is selected and all printing settings
are correct, the Stylus Pro 3880 certainly turns
out great results with minimum fuss.
• Page layout is the second print panel.
• Print panel.
Controls>Off and let ‘Photoshop Manage Colour’
with the profile locked in.
The Epson Velvet Fine Art paper is 100
Priced at $2195 the 3880 is tantalising enough
for those contemplating a new or replacement
A3+ printer. Although the 3880 is more cost-
efficient with inks compared to an A3+ printer it’s
important to appreciate this advantage doesn’t
come into play until a large volume of prints is
produced. Anyone requiring just A3 or A3+ size
prints would need to carry out some calculations
with regard to the initial outlay and the on-going
ink cartridge costs.
In many respects the Epson Stylus Pro 3800
could be regarded as ‘entry-level’ to the A2 for-
mat because it lacks some of the features
of bigger and higher-end models such as a roll
paper feed, larger ink cartridges and a built-in
colour calibration device. But being relatively
affordable and far more compact, this printer
allows many more photographers to move into
the A2 format. Significantly, there are no compro-
mises in print quality.
percent cotton rag, has an acid-free base and
a bright white surface. Expensive as it may be,
this paper is something special and would be my
first choice for fine-art printing in both colour and
black and white when using the 3880. The Epson
UltraSmooth Fine Art paper is also a favourite,
but its base colour may be a little too yellow
for some tastes.
The Verdict
The beauty of the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 lies
just not in its elegant appearance, but in its ease
of set-up and its printing capacity. The major-
ity of users will probably opt for Epson’s own
media and can confidently adopt the included
profiles and follow the let ‘printer manages
colour’ method. Those who prefer other media
merely install the appropriate ICC profile, turn off
colour management via Mode>Custom>Colour
EPSON STYLUS PRO 3880 $2195
PrinterType: A2+ format (17 inches wide) for
photo-quality prints via a nine-colour pigmented
inkset (but eight cartridges in use at any one time
with auto switching between matte black and
photo black).
and one Ethernet connection.
Acoustic Noise: 39 dB (A).
Main Features: Micro Piezo print head with
180 nozzles per colour, variable droplet sizing,
AccuPhoto HD2 screening, LUT Technology, five
print quality levels and two speed modes, Advanced
B&W mode, auto matte/photo black ink switch-
ing (according to media type), head alignment and
maintenance sensors.
Maximum Resolution: 2880x1440 dpi.
Flying Colours
Ink Cartridges: Individual per colour, 80 millilitre
capacity. Epson UltraChromeK3 VM/VLM pigments.
Colours are photo black, matte black, cyan, light
cyan, vivid magenta, vivid light magenta, yellow,
light black and light light black. Smallest droplet size
is 3.5 picolitres.
All the usual tests we conduct were passed with
honours – and include using various paper types
including dual-sided with back-to-back registration
marks for book work, large prints and border-
less prints. The ‘canned’ profiles were accurate
and didn’t require any test strips. I’m not one for
printing test charts because there are so many
variables involved and a truly helpful evaluation
is hard to achieve. There is an improvement in
colour gamut compared to the 3800, but it would
take special instruments to find the differences.
Dimensions (WxHxD): 684x257x376 mm (closed).
Weight: 19.8 kilograms (without ink cartridges
or media).
Paper Sizes: Borderless printing on cut sheets from
150x100 mm up to A2. Printer cannot accept paper
rolls. Maximum custom print size is 432x950 mm.
Interfaces: One USB 2.0 high-speed connection
Price: $2195 (inc. GST). Ink cartridges are $99 each.
Distributor: Epson Australia, telephone
1300 131 928 or visit www.epson.com.au
34
|