All about Epson printer 3800 setting
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Last updated: March 23, 2011
by Eric Chan
The Auto Sheet Feed and the Rear Feed print with 0.12 in (3 mm)
margins all around. The Front Feed prints with 0.12 in (3 mm) left and
right margins and 0.79 in (20 mm) top and bottom margins.
37.4 in (95 cm), but only if you use the Auto Sheet Feed or the Rear
Feed. If you are using the Front Feed, the maximum image length is
23.39 in (59.4 cm). See the next question for more details.
The 3800 only takes sheet paper (no roll paper support). The minimum
and maximum supported sheet sizes depend on which of the three paper
feeds you are using. The following sizes are reported by Version 5.51
of the Epson 3800 driver on Windows XP:
- Auto Sheet Feed:
Minimum: 3.5" x 5.0" (8.9 cm x 12.7
cm)
Maximum: 17.0" x 37.4" (43.18 cm x 95.0 cm)
- Rear Feed:
Minimum: 8.0" x 10.0" (20.32 cm x
25.4 cm)
Maximum: 17.0" x 37.4" (43.18 cm x 95.0
cm)
- Front Feed:
Minimum: 8.27" x 11.0" (21.0 cm x 27.94
cm)
Maximum: 16.54" x 23.39" (42.0 cm x 59.4 cm)
Not currently. QImage relies on the Epson driver, and it appears to be
the driver itself that is imposing the length limit of 37.4 inches.
Currently, a third-party RIP is needed.
ColorByte Software's ImagePrint RIP driver for the 3800 will print up
to 327 inches (25.25 feet,
8.3 meters) long. However, an ImagePrint
license for the 3800 is $895.00, so this should probably not be your
only reason to invest in ImagePrint!
ColorBurst RIP for the
3800 will also print longer than 37.4 inches (I'm not sure of the
exact maximum length, however).
In addition,
Quad Tone RIP
can print black-and-white images up to 128 inches (about
325 cm).
The Media Types that use Photo Black (PK) ink are:
- Premium Luster Photo Paper
- Premium Glossy Photo Paper
- Premium Semigloss Photo Paper
- Proofing Paper Semimatte
- Plain Paper - Photo Black
The Media Types that use Matte Black (MK) ink are:
- Enhanced Matte Paper
- Archival Matte Paper
- Velvet Fine Art Paper
- UltraSmooth Fine Art Paper
- Watercolor Paper - Radiant White
- Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper
- Singleweight Matte Paper
- Plain Paper - Matte Black
- Singleweight Matte Paper - line drawing
Note that there is no Media Type for Epson Premium Semimatte (only
Proofing Paper Semimatte).
Remember that the black ink type (PK or MK) is
chosen automatically based on your selected
Media Type.
Not officially, but many users have printed on canvas successfully.
The key is getting the canvas to feed reliably. The following post
comes from the
Epson Wide
Format Yahoo newsgroup:
I used 3M (Scotch) ATG700 tape to stick on 1'' strip of 28lb bond
paper on the back side of the canvas, then used the rear feed, and the
printer grabbed the piece of paper to pull the canvas into the
printer. I adjusted the canvas size in Photoshop and the paper size in
the Epson driver to allow for the extra paper length so that the image
prints in the proper place on the canvas. Worked great.
More details ...
I use Somerset Enhanced on an EX and experienced the same problems
with feeding. The paper thickness is beyond what the machine can
reliably pick up in the feed mechanism. After three hours of
experimentation I have been able to get consistent feeding of the
paper, but unfortunately one sheet at a time. The extra inconvenience
of feeding one at a time is well worth effort with this wonderful new
paper. I adjusted the canvas size in photoshop and the paper size in
the Epson driver to allow for the extra paper length so that the
image prints in the proper place on the canvas.
The method I finally decided on was to add a 1" leader projecting
from the edge of the sheet of Somerset. I cut strips of 20lb. bond
copy paper 1 1/2" wide and attach them to the back of the Somerset
with small patches of double back tape. The 20 lb. overlaps the
Somerset by 1/2" leaving a 1" leader which the printer grabs without
any problem and pulls the rest of the sheet into the printer. Once
into the feed mechanism the printer prints just fine, even on the
thin paper setting. You have to adjust your canvas size in Photoshop
and the paper size in the Epson driver to allow for the extra paper
length so that your image prints in the proper place on the Somerset.
I use a 3M (Scotch) ATG700 tape application gun to apply three 1/4"
spots of tape to the back of the somerset. This gun is used in the
picture framing industry and is relatively inexpensive (maybe
$20.00). The tape is 3M product #924 and is 1/2" wide. Perfect to
create a 1/2" overlap with the bond paper. The tape can be applied by
hand if you don't want to invest in the applicator. It would simply
take a few seconds longer.
The entire operation takes me no more than 20 - 30 seconds. You will
need to use a sheet of paper behind the somerset in the feed tray to
help keep the Somerset in the proper alignment for feeding.
This method works almost 100% on my printer. I have printed about 30
sheets this way with only one misfeed.
2880 x 1440 dots per square inch (2880 dpi horizontal, 1440 dpi
vertical). These numbers are not to be confused with the
native input resolution to the printer driver.
Photo Black is designed for printing on glossy, luster, or semigloss
papers. It is also used for printing on the relatively new fiber-based
papers such as Crane Museo Silver Rag and Innova F-Type White Gloss.
In contrast, Matte Black is designed for printing on non-reflective
matte papers. Using Photo Black on matte papers will result in
significantly weaker blacks and prints with lower contrast.
Technically, yes you can, but I strongly recommend against
doing so. Using PK on matte papers will result in significantly weaker
blacks, lower contrast, and lower color saturation. Using MK on
glossy, luster, or semigloss papers will usually lead to severe
scuffing problems (i.e., the ink does not adhere to the paper surface
and easily comes off with rubbing) unless the print is carefully
sprayed afterwards.
This question is commonly asked by users who wish to avoid the cost
and time of switching between the PK and MK inks. Keep in mind,
however, that (1) the 3800
handles the
black ink swap automatically, (2) the 3800
uses relatively little ink to perform this
swap, and (3) this swap takes only 2 to 3 minutes. You can
minimize ink swaps by batching your MK prints together and
similarly batching your PK prints together.
Yes. This is different from the Epson 4800, 7800, and 9800 printers.
However, the black ink print head on the 3800 is shared between the PK
and MK inks, so whenever you switch between using the PK and MK inks,
the 3800 will need to flush some ink.
See here
for details.
You can swap the two inks directly by using the printer panel. The
option to switch the black inks is available from the menus under the
Maintenance section. The printer then does the rest; since the 3800
holds both PK and MK inks at the same time, you do not need to take
one out to insert the other.
You can also let the printer driver software handle the change
automatically based on the selected Media Type. The Media Type list is
divided into two categories, Photo Black (the top half) and Matte
Black (the bottom half).
See here for a list of
available Media Types. If you select a Media Type from the PK
section (e.g., Premium Luster), then the 3800 will print with PK.
Similarly, if you select a Media Type from the MK section (e.g.,
Velvet Fine Art), then the 3800 will print with MK.
Note that switching PK and MK inks does take some time (2 to 3
minutes) and wastes some ink (1.5 to 4 mL).
See
here for more details.
For this reason, it is generally better to group your prints by black
ink type. For example, if you want to print a set of 10 images on
Premium Luster (which uses PK) and a set of 10 images on Velvet Fine
Art (which uses MK), then you're better off printing all of the
Premium Luster images first followed by all of the Velvet Fine Art
images (or the other way around) instead of alternating between the
two types of paper. The first way means that you only need to swap the
black inks once.
The 360/720 numbers and their relationship to the "Finest Detail"
driver setting have been verified by Mike Chaney, author of
QImage, by querying the
3800 printer driver. Thanks Mike.
The natural question here is: which should you use? 360 ppi with "Finest
Detail" off or 720 dpi with "Finest Detail" on?
According to the Epson manual, the "Finest Detail" setting is "for
sharper edges on vector-based data including text, graphics, and line
art." This makes sense, since text and illustrations usually have
sharp clean edges (e.g., black text on white paper) which will look
jagged at lower resolutions such as 360 ppi. This is one reason why
www.ddisoftware.com/qimage-u/features.htm
Either is fine. Many users have found that they can print black and
white images through the standard ICC color-managed workflow using RGB
printer profiles and get excellent results. One of the primary reasons
they often cite for using this method is to be able to soft proof the
image (e.g., in Photoshop).
However, in most cases I recommended using the ABW mode. Here's why.
- Blacks are deeper when printing with ABW, so the prints have
greater dynamic range. For example, on Moab Kokopelli Studio
Semi-Gloss (a PK paper), I can achieve a minimum L* = 4.4 (d-max =
2.3) in Color mode and a minimum L* = 3.2 (d-max = 2.45) in ABW mode.
On Epson Velvet Fine Art (a MK paper), I can achieve a minimum L* =
15.5 (d-max = 1.68) in Color mode and a minimum L* = 13.8 (d-max =
1.77) in ABW mode. In both cases -- especially the latter case -- the
differences are not just measurable but the results look visibly
better with ABW.
- The ABW driver produces a more perceptually linear response than
the Color driver. A good custom color profile will correct for this,
but it is preferable to start with a driver that is close to linear.
- Print longevity is higher in ABW mode, partly because the yellow
ink (which is the most suspectible to fading) is used significantly
less.
The disadvantages of the ABW mode are that it doesn't support
split-toning (
see here) and there isn't
a built-in way to soft proof the results. If you have a
spectrophotometer, however, you can build your own black and white
profiles (or
gray curves as described
here) to use with the ABW driver.
See
here for details.
I would first
check this page
to see if I've already built an ABW profile for the paper you wish to
use. If there's no profile available, I would recommend
following these steps.
...
Bronzing is a phenomenon where certain colors in the print appear to
undergo a color shift, depending on the viewing angle and the lighting
angle (i.e., the angle at which the light strikes the surfaces of the
paper). The exact nature of the phenomenon depends both on the ink
formulation as well as on the reflective properties of the paper
surface. Bronzing occurs only in PK papers (e.g., glossy, luster,
semigloss surfaces). Matte papers, which are almost perfectly diffuse,
are not affected. On the 3800 with the K3 inks, bronzing is very well
controlled. It is not totally eliminated, but it does not appear to be
objectionable.
Gloss differential is a phenomenon where the amount of light reflected
off of the surface of the print seems to vary across the image. This
gives the impression that some parts of the image are "shinier" or
"glossier" than others. It is noticeable mostly in highlight regions
which receive little or no ink. When the print is viewed at certain
angles, it becomes clear that the parts of the paper that receive
little or no ink seem to reflect light differently than the parts of
the paper that receive heavier ink coverage. It occurs only with PK
papers (e.g., glossy, luster, semigloss surfaces). This issue does
exist on the 3800 with the K3 inks, but only to a limited degree. It
can be treated partially by toning down the highlights (e.g., setting
the brightest parts of the image to values of 252 to 253 instead of
255) at the cost of a slight reduction in the dynamic range of the
print.
Metamerism is a phenomenon in which two colors that appear to be the
same under one light source (e.g., daylight) may appear different
under another (e.g., office fluorescent bulbs). This is problematic
because, for example, a print whose colors look fine under daylight
may assume a noticeable purple cast when hung on the wall in an office
that uses fluorescent lighting. Metamerism is particularly undesirable
for black and white prints, because it can spoil the neutrality (or
subtle toning) of the image. Prints on both PK and MK papers can be
affected. Fortunately, problems involving metamerism appear very well
controlled on the 3800 with the K3 inks, for both color and black and
white images. There haven't been any reports of nasty color shifts
when viewing the same prints under different types of illumination,
and I haven't noticed any myself.
In Color mode, I have measured L* = 4.0 (d-max = 2.35) on Ilford Smooth
Pearl. In ABW mode, I have measured L* = 2.9 (d-max = 2.49) on the same
paper. This is getting close to the performance of dye-based inks --
impressive! It may be possible to get deeper blacks on other papers or
with different driver settings.
In Color mode, I have measured L* = 16.0 (d-max = 1.68) on Epson Velvet
Fine Art paper. In ABW mode, I have measured L* = 13.8 (d-max = 1.77)
on the same paper. It may be possible to get deeper blacks on other
papers or with different driver settings.
...
Papers, Profiles, and Calibration
The UltraChrome K3 inks work well across a wide range of media. For
third party papers, you should check the product description to see if
it's compatible with pigment inks.
Paper selection boils down to personal preference. Qualities to
consider include contrast (miaxmum black), color range (gamut), paper
color (warm vs. cool), surface type (reflective vs. matte), surface
texture (smooth vs. textured), single-sided vs. double-sided, paper
weight and paper thickness, surface delicacy (tendencies to flake and
scuff), longevity, outgassing characteristics, sheet size and roll
offerings, and cost.
Pick the qualities that matter to you and then look for papers that
have them. If you're just starting out, I suggest trying a sampler
pack. Many places sell sampler packs that include a couple of sheets
each of several different papers. It's a good way to figure out what
suits your tastes.
Many Epson 3800 users have expressed interest in obtaining cut sheet
sizes of 17" x 25". The common sheet size of 17" x 22" allows printing
a 16" x 20" with a half-inch border on two edges and a one-inch border
on the other two edges. A 16" x 20" is a 4:5 aspect ratio. Many
popular digital SLR cameras today have an aspect ratio of 2:3. A 17" x
25" sheet allows printing a 16" x 24" with a half-inch border all
around.
Some inkjet paper manufacturers are starting to respond to this demand
by offering their most popular papers in the 17" x 25" cut sheet size.
These are:
InkJetArt:
Hawk Mountain Papers:
Red River Paper is beginning to offer
17"
x 25" sheets of four of their popular papers. They will also
custom cut
any of their papers for a reasonable fee.
Harman
Gloss FB Al is also available in 17" x 25" cut sheets.
If you come across others not listed here, please let me know.
The driver installation for the 3800 installs the 3800 profiles for
the Epson papers. For third-party papers, you can usually download
canned profiles from the manufacturer's web page for free. If you are
using ImagePrint, go to
ColorByte
Software's FTP site to download their profiles (these profiles
will only work properly with ImagePrint, not the Epson driver). You
can also purchase custom profiles from a variety of profiling services
(
see here for details).
...
If you are printing your black and white images in Color mode using
the standard ICC color-managed workflow, then you can build a custom
profile the same way you would for a color profile. Many users report
that they get excellent results when printing black and white images
using their custom RGB color profiles.
If you are printing in ABW mode, and you have a spectrophotometer like
an Eye-One Pro, you can use
QuadToneRIP to build a
grayscale ICC profile by printing a target in ABW mode and then
measuring it. You can use this profile for both soft proofing as well
as printing.
Giorgio
Trucco describes the steps here in more detail.
A more flexible way to build black and white profiles for the ABW
driver is to measure a grayscale stepwedge target and then use the
measurements to build output curves in Photoshop (instead of using an
ICC profile). This method also allows you to soft proof the image
(including color toning). One advantage of this approach is that it's
easy to make small tweaks to the curves to fine-tune the results
(e.g., open up or compress shadow detail). It's like having a
simplified profile editor right in Photoshop.
I've written a custom software program to generate Photoshop curves
automatically from a set of LAB measurements and am considering
releasing it to the public.
I am starting to put together a
list of
recommended driver settings for papers I use. Please contribute if
you have experience building profiles for papers not listed!
There's no general single best choice. For most photographs, at least
one of the Perceptual or Relative Colorimetric intents will do a fine
job. You can
use the soft proof
to help you decide which rendering intent to use on a per-image basis.
Not automatically. To calibrate your 3800, you will need
to use Epson ColorBase software as described on
this page. You will also need a supported spectrophotometer (or
know someone who does and is willing to measure the calibration
targets for you).
See this page.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Should I turn off my Epson 3800 when not using it or leave it on?
Executive summary: If you print daily (i.e., the longest time elapsed
between two successive prints is at most a day), then leave your 3800
on. Otherwise, turn it off.
The following more detailed explanation is summarized and paraphrased
from
a
thread on the Epson Wide Format Yahoo newsgroup, where the
original poster spoke on the phone with an Epson engineer in the wide
format printer product group.
According to the engineer, assuming a properly functioning printer,
there is no difference in the parked position of the print head,
whether the printer is on and the head is parked or if the printer is
shut off. The engineer recommends that if printers are used very
frequently (hourly to daily at the longest) then it is fine to let the
printer stay on because there isn't enough time between prints to let
the print head dry out.
To avoid problems with print quality, you want to avoid the situation
where ink dries in the print head. In other words, dried ink is the
enemy: it can cause clogs, and because it doesn't seal nozzles as well
as liquid ink does, dry ink can contribute to air bubbles. If the
printer is not used at least daily, then it should be shut off between
print runs. The reason is that when the printer is turned back on, it
goes through a special type of head cleaning (using a supposedly
"minimal" amount of ink) to clear off the dried particles, get rid of
air bubbles, and get the liquid ink going again.
The frequency of this special cleaning mode is controlled by the
printer itself. It will be done occasionally even if the printer is
left on; however, it is
not done frequently enough if the
printer is simply left idling while powered on and not being used.
Hence, the Epson engineer's recommendation is to turn the printer off
when the time between two successive print runs is longer than a day.
There are two common issues when using the Rear Feed. One is that the
printer refuses to pick up the paper at all. The other is that the
printer picks up the paper and pulls it in, but then gives an error
(e.g., Paper Skew).
If you are having trouble with the former issue, make sure that (1)
you have placed the sheet flush against the right edge of the Rear
Feed guide ...
There doesn't appear to be a silver bullet for preventing clogs
altogether, but there are some simple steps you can take to help avoid
clogs on the 3800. Some of these steps may help with other Epson
printers as well.
- According to user reports, clogs seem to happen more often in
very dry climates than in more humid climates. In other words,
moderate humidity appears to help prevent clogs. If you live in a very
dry climate, consider putting a humidifier in the room with the
printer. Some users suggest leaving a cup of water near the print
head. (Don't spill the water!!)
- Try to keep the printer away from dust, debris, and other
gremlins. I personally keep my 3800 covered with a thick sheet and old
towel when turned off and not in use. (Otherwise, the printer would be
infested with hair from my two cats, who seem to think the 3800 is another
piece of furniture.)
- There is some debate as to whether it's best to leave the 3800 on
all of the time or to turn it off when not in use. Epson's
recommendation is to turn if off if the time between two prints will
be more than a day (see this question for
details).
Some Windows users have found that the Epson Printer Watcher
software seems to cause nozzle clogs, so they recommend disabling this
software. The Printer Watcher is part of the LFP Remote Panel software
which is usually installed during initial printer setup (along with
the driver, profiles, etc.). Update: this issue is fixed with
firmware revision o00573.
| Narrow | 0.9 mm |
| Standard | 1.2 mm |
| Wide | 1.5 mm |
| Wider | 2.1 mm |
| Widest | 3.5 mm |
