Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition: Review

Rating:

3.8 out of 5

Features

The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition offers an upgraded ink handling option from previous models. The printer offers the auto share photo and matte black ink option. This feature allows the printer to automatically select the black that is needed for the printing job, whether it be photo black or matte black. This results in quality photos every time, regardless of the photo type.

The printer provides users with the option to print on a wide range of paper types. The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition can accept cut media that ranges from 4" x 6" to 17" x 22". It also offers users a choice of three feeding options. Paper can be loaded from the top, and this feeder can handle up to 120 sheets of plain 8.5" x 11" paper, or up to 50 sheets of photo paper. The top feed can also take thick fine art paper measuring up to 17" wide. The front feeder can accept manually fed paper up to 16" wide and up to 1.5mm thick.

The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition also offers users automatic print head alignment and nozzle check technology. A sensor in the printer reads the printed data and will precisely align all colors in both bi and uni-directional modes. The printer is also consistent in delivering high quality results print after print. A built in sensor checks the condition of the print head and will automatically clean the head if needed.

Performance

The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition has improved the ink cartridge handling that was somewhat of a negative aspect of previous models. The Printer offers users a total of 9 80 ml capacity Epson UltraChrome K3 inks in Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow, Light Black, Light Light Black, and Matte or Photo Black, but only 8 of the cartridges are utilized for printing at any time. Unlike previous models that required the user to swap between Matte and Photo black when the user changed printing types, all 9 cartridges reside in the printer at any given time. The printer automatically selects the correct cartridge, and will still require the ink lines to be purged when changes need to be made. It is estimated that there is a loss of about 4.5 ml when changing between Matte and Photo black and another 1.5 ml when changing between Photo and Matte black. This may not be an issue for those who print mostly using Matte or Photo black, but can be quite costly for those who spend much of their time swapping between printing types.

Print speed stands up quite well when compared to other printers on the market. The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition can print 8" x 10" photos in 7 minutes 47 seconds for Super Photo mode and 2 minute 3 seconds for super fine mode. 16" x 20" photos print in 18 minutes 40 seconds for super photo mode and 5 min 32 sec for super fine mode. Print quality is great regardless of the type of paper that is used.

The one flaw with this printer is that it only accepts cut paper and does not provide a roll feed option like some other printers do. This may not be an issue for those who do a lot of printing on paper larger than 22" in length; otherwise it may not even be a noticeable issue to the average user.

Summary

In conclusion, the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Professional Edition provides quality photo printing capabilities on a wide range of paper options that are sure to meet the needs of the aspiring artists and casual user alike. Although it does not offer users the option to print from rolls of paper, it still offers great printing quality that is sure to meet the needs of the aspiring artist in the family.

Pros

• Accepts up to 17" x 22" media
• 16" x 20" photo in 18 minutes 40 seconds
• 9 Epson UltraChrome K3 ink cartridges

Cons

• Ink wasted each time black photo/matte cartridge usage changes
• Doesn't accept rolled media

Related Links

Epson Stylus Photo R2880 Photo Printer:
8" x 10" photo 1 min 36 sec (SuperFine Mode)