Is the Epson 3800 supported under Windows Vista?
Yes, Epson does have Vista drivers available for the 3800 (see the Epson Support web site) but some users are running into significant issues. One problem is that when the print progress gets to about 96%, the printer ejects the unfinished print -- not good! Even Epson Support acknowledges that Epson is having difficulties with the Vista drivers at the moment. Consequently, it's probably wise to wait for a driver update before trying your 3800 on Vista.
If you're trying to use your 3800 on the network under Vista, some users recommend setting up the 3800 using the updated 1.6a version of the EpsonNet Config Utility (downloadable from the Epson Support site) instead of the older 1.4 version that ships with the printer. This advice is coming from users who have used version 1.6a to set up their 3800 successfully on the network under Vista -- with bidirectional communication working, complete prints, and no known issues.
(Note: other users report no problems at all with their 3800 under Vista. I still recommend waiting for a driver update.) |
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Is the Epson 3800 a "serious" printer? Can it be used for professional work?
The 3800 is certainly capable of producing exhibition-quality prints. In fact, Pete Turner recently had a retrospective exhibit at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film; all of the images in this exhibit were printed with a 3800 on Premium Luster.
However, the 3800 may not be the ideal printer for volume work, for three reasons. First, large print jobs and unattended print jobs are much easier to handle using roll paper, but the 3800 lacks roll paper support. Second, even though the 3800's 80 mL cartridge size is respectable, for large print jobs it is better to use larger cartridges. The Epson 4800, for example, can take either 110 mL or 220 mL cartridges, and the Canon iPF5000 takes 130 mL cartridges (both also have roll paper support). Third, the 3800 takes time to swap between PK and MK inks (2 to 3 minutes), even though the swap is handled automatically. If you need to print in a busy environment using lots of different papers (including both PK and MK papers), then it may better to choose a printer that doesn't require an extra swapping step. |
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When will the Epson 3800 be upgraded? Will there be an Epson 3880?
As of October 2007, Epson has not announced a successor to the 3800 (i.e., the 3800 is still the current model in its class). As I have no inside information about Epson's plans, I have no idea when the 3800 will be replaced.
It's always fun to guess, though. Epson replaced the 4800, 7800, and 9800 (with the 4880, 7880, and 9880) about 2 years after they were announced. So it's reasonable to guess that the 3800 will follow a similar pattern.Since the 3800 was introduced in September 2006, my guess is that Epson will replace it in the second half of 2008.
It's also fun to speculate about what the 3800's successor will offer. Again, I have no idea, but here is my personal wish list:
- PK and MK available simultaneously (no swapping needed)
- elimination of clogs
- elimination of pizza wheel marks
- reduced gloss differential on PK papers
- improved d-max and gamut on MK papers
- split-toning in the ABW driver
- orhogonality between Media Type driver options and paper feed options
- roll paper support
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