Digital BW, The Print

Rob,

Sorry, I was responding to David. If I was you I'd get a refurbished 3880, especially if you'll be running 3rd party inks. I have 2 3880s, one with Cone K7 inks, the other with OEM Color inks. Both rarely even need a simple cleaning cycle. 

https://epson.com/Clearance-Center/Wide-Format-Printers/Epson-Stylus-Pro-3880---Refurbished/p/CA61201-VM-N

$700, includes a full set of inks that would cost around $500 alone if I remember right.

I'm confident the P series refillable cartridge issue will be cracked eventually, since they are already unlocked in Europe and Asia. InkjetMall says:


The Epson SC P-800 printer can not be used with 3rd party cartridges in the USA. 3rd party carts can be installed and used temporarily until the first auto-reset occurs. At that instance, the USA version Epson SC P-800 will permanently lock out its owner from any further 3rd party cart use. It is not reversible.

SC P-800 printers in Europe and Asia are unlocked. We recommend that if you wish to use your own choice of consumables with this printer model that you import an EU or Asia version model and use a power transformer to convert from 115v to 240v.

But the only advantage I see for the P800 over the 3880 for use with 3rd party inks is the optional roll media feeder if that is something that is of value to you. It's not to me. I'm very happy with my 3880s.

Cheers,
Keith

Keith Schreiber
jkschreiber.com




> On Jun 12, 2017, at 8:27 PM, rdeloe1@... [DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint] <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> 
> I understand that Epson can do whatever it wants. If it wants to prevent people from using any ink but its inks, that's fine, and I'll vote with my wallet (i.e., not buy Epson!) 
> 
> But... the question I posed originally remains: what are people actually doing? What are some options for those of us who want to print 17" wide using a monochrome inkset (Paul's or Jon's)?
> 
> This question is actually not academic for me. I have been offered a used 3880 that I could buy, clean, and store for the future (parts, or a replacement to my current working printer). The catch is the seller has indicated that it throws up the dreaded 150C error. That's a hardware error. Some people on the Internet describe it as a fatal flaw (so buying the printer would be silly, except for parts). Other people say it's a glitch you can work around because it's not actually a hardware fault (in which case I should buy the thing for sure!)
> 
> All advice welcome!
> Rob de Loe
> www.robdeloephotography.com <http://www.robdeloephotography.com/>
>