Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Printer: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is a 17-inch wide format professional inkjet printer designed for photographers and graphic artists. This printer combines Epson's latest inkjet technologies, including an all-new print head and UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta ink technology, to deliver exceptional print quality and performance.

The Stylus Pro 3880 is an excellent choice for photo enthusiasts and professionals looking to print gallery-quality prints at widths up to 17 inches. It produces highly detailed and vibrant images with smooth gradations, making it well-suited for fine art reproduction, photography, and graphic design applications. This printer offers an ideal balance of print speed, image quality, and affordability in a desktop-sized format.

Some key features of the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 include:

Print Quality

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is capable of producing gallery-quality prints with impressive resolution, color accuracy, and detail thanks to Epson's advanced printhead technology.

This printer has a maximum resolution of 2880 x 1440 dpi when using photo black ink. It utilizes Epson's MicroPiezo AMC printhead with PrecisionCore TFP inkjet technology to lay down ink with remarkable precision. The ink droplets can be as small as 3.5 picoliters for fantastic detail and clarity.

Color accuracy is also excellent with this printer. It uses nine individual UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta pigment-based inks for a wide color gamut. Reds in particular are vivid and true to life. The additional light black ink allows for smooth gradations, while the light light black further expands the tonal range. Print longevity is also enhanced with this ink technology.

Overall print quality rivals what you would expect from a professional photo lab. Fine art prints have excellent detail retention and pop off the page with accurate, vibrant colors. Even on plain paper, text is razor-sharp in draft mode. For the highest quality photo printing for galleries, portfolios or sellable prints, the Epson 3880 delivers impressive and reliable results.

Print Speed

With print speeds up to 2 minutes per 4”x6” glossy photo and up to 16 pages per minute for black text documents, the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 delivers fast printing without sacrificing quality.

The printer can produce a 4" x 6" photo lab quality print in as fast as 1 minute and 44 seconds thanks to Epson's MicroPiezo AMC print head technology and UltraChrome HDR ink. Complex gallery-quality photographic prints at larger sizes like 13" x 19" take about 2 minutes 30 seconds. For everyday color documents with mixed text and graphics, print speeds reach up to 16 ISO ppm.

Plain paper black text documents print even faster at up to 17 ISO ppm. While not the absolute fastest photo printer compared to large format dedicated photo printers, the 3880 provides an excellent balance of high print quality and reasonably fast print speeds for an inkjet printer intended for graphic design, fine art reproduction, and photographic printing.

Connectivity

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 offers versatile connectivity options for both wired and wireless printing. It has built-in Ethernet which allows for direct network printing without the need for a computer. This enables multiple users on the same network to print directly to the 3880.

For wireless connectivity, the printer is compatible with Wi-Fi standards 802.11 b/g/n and includes Wi-Fi Direct for connecting directly to mobile devices and laptops. Setting up a wireless connection is straightforward with the printer's control panel or using the Epson Connect service.

In addition to Ethernet and Wi-Fi, the 3880 supports printing from iOS and Android devices using apps such as Epson iPrint, Epson Print Enabler, and Apple AirPrint. This gives users the flexibility to print documents, emails, photos and more directly from a mobile device.

The USB 2.0 port allows high speed printing from a connected computer. Overall the Epson 3880 provides versatile wired and wireless connectivity options for home offices, workgroups, photography studios and other users that need to print from multiple computers, networks and mobile devices.

Paper Handling

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 handles both cut sheets and roll paper, giving you flexibility for different print jobs. It has auto sheet feeding that supports paper sizes up to 17 inches wide, enabling borderless printing on large sheets. The 3880 also includes a rear feed slot that can accommodate paper up to 1.5mm thick.

For rolls, the 3880 has a built-in adapter that supports 2 or 3 inch paper cores. The maximum roll diameter is up to 24 inches. You can load rolls up to 17 inches wide. There are adjustable rollers that keep the paper firmly in place during printing.

The main paper tray holds up to 120 sheets of plain paper or 30 sheets of photo paper. There's an additional 80 sheet rear feed paper tray for plain paper. In total, you can have up to 200 sheets loaded at once. This gives you good capacity for print jobs with various paper types or large batch printing without constantly reloading.

The 3880 handles a wide range of media. It supports plain, fine art, and photo papers with various textures and thicknesses. The printer also prints directly onto fine art canvas up to 1.5mm thick. For the best image quality, Epson recommends using Epson branded media designed specifically for their printers. But you can also use third-party paper within the supported types and thickness.

Overall, the 3880 gives you versatile paper handling whether printing single sheets or large format rolls with minimal fuss or intervention needed. The dual trays, auto feeding, and media flexibility make it a robust printer for professional photo printing.

Ink System

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 uses nine individual ink cartridges consisting of eight dye-based Claria ink cartridges (Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Matte Black, and Photo Black) plus a Gloss Optimizer cartridge.

The printer comes with startup cartridges that have lower ink capacity than standard cartridges. The standard cartridges have excellent ink capacity with 50 ml for Matte Black, 80 ml for Photo Black and the color inks, and 98 ml for the Gloss Optimizer.

Epson estimates very competitive ink costs at approximately 1.8 cents per mono ISO page and 7.7 cents per color ISO page. Actual costs will vary depending on print coverage. The Gloss Optimizer ink helps achieve vivid glossy prints but does add to the overall ink cost.

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 uses a pressurized ink system for reliable performance. The ink cartridges slot neatly into position and are easy to replace. The printer will automatically switch between Matte and Photo Black ink modes depending on the paper type set in the driver.

Design

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 has an attractive and compact design with dimensions of 24.2 x 15.4 x 8.3 inches and a weight of 24.5 lbs. It has a relatively small footprint for a large format printer, making it suitable for home offices where space may be limited.

Despite its size, the 3880 incorporates some high-end design features found on more expensive Epson large format printers. It has an integrated front media and control panel, giving it a streamlined look. The printer also features rounded corners and a slanted front design.

One of the benefits of the 3880's design is its quiet operation. It utilizes Epson's micro piezo AMC print head technology and minimal moving parts to keep noise to a minimum. Users mention the 3880 operates relatively quietly for a wide format printer. While not completely silent, the noise level is low enough for home or office use without being overly disruptive.

Overall, the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 offers a refined design with pro-level features and noise control, making it well-suited for both professional and home office environments where space and low noise are desirable. Its compact size belies its ability to handle large format fine art printing up to 17 inches wide.

Features

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is packed with useful features for professional printing. Some of the standout features include:

LCD Screen

The printer has a 2.5 inch color LCD screen that provides you with at-a-glance printer status. You can easily check ink levels, get print job status updates, see paper settings, and more. The screen tilts up for better visibility.

Media Slots

There are two separate media slots - one for plain paper and one for fine art and photo paper. This allows you to keep both types of media loaded so you can quickly switch between printing documents and photos without having to swap paper.

Rear Paper Feed

In addition to the standard front paper tray, there is a rear feed that allows you to load thick boards and fine art papers up to 1.5mm thick. The rear feed is helpful when printing onto heavyweight matte papers or boards.

Print Drivers

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 ships with print drivers for both Windows and Mac operating systems. This allows you to print from any Windows PC running Windows 7 or later as well as any Mac running Mac OS X 10.6.8 or higher.

The included print drivers offer full functionality and easy setup. On Windows, the printer software installs automatically from the included CD and provides access to all printer settings and maintenance tools. For Mac users, Epson provides a simple downloader utility that will install the latest printer driver directly from Epson's website.

Once installed, the Epson print drivers allow you to access all the standard settings you would expect such as print quality, paper type, color management, and print layout options. The drivers also include some additional professional printing features such as the ability to print crop marks, custom color profiles, and more.

Overall, the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 provides a seamless printing experience across both major desktop operating systems. The included print drivers offer robust functionality without compromising on ease-of-use. This makes the printer accessible for both professional and amateur users alike.

Pros and Cons

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is an excellent large-format inkjet photo printer that produces impressive photo prints, offers a wide range of connectivity options, and has robust paper handling capabilities. However, it does come with some drawbacks.

Pros

• Produces gallery-quality photographic prints with an incredibly wide color gamut and high Dmax
• Fast print speeds for its class
• Supports roll paper up to 17 inches wide
• Built-in Ethernet, USB 2.0, and Wi-Fi connectivity
• Accommodates thick fine art papers up to 1.5 mm
• Uses UltraChrome K3 ink with excellent longevity
• Automatic ink switching between Matte and Photo Black ink
• Professional print driver software with abundant options
• Compact and elegant design

Cons

• High upfront cost for printer and ink
• Ink, paper, and maintenance are expensive over time
• No borderless printing option
• Small 2.5-inch LCD screen
• No scanning or copying capabilities
• Ink cartridges are compartmentalized by color
• Lacks a built-in spectrophotometer

The Epson 3880 delivers exceptional large-format photo output but requires an investment in high-quality ink and paper to realize its full potential. The lack of an integrated scanner and spectrophotometer may limit the workflow for some users. Overall, it remains one of the top choices for photography enthusiasts and professionals seeking a powerful 17-inch printer.