Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Pro Reviews

The Stylus Pro 3880 stretches the definition of “prosumer.” Not so much in price, but in capability. For the most part, the only features that separate the 3880 from professional graphics printers in the $2,000 plus range are the 17-inch wide media width limit (more expensive professional printers usually have at least a 24-inch media width capability), and the lack of a roll-paper support. Even without knowledge of color management, you should be able to produce gallery-quality prints right out of the box. But if you are looking to produce the highest quality prints the 3880 is capable of, especially using one of Epson’s fine art papers (or those from another paper vendor), you really should study up on ICC profiles – what they are, and how they are used. A printer this good really should be used to its fullest capability.

Compared with the R2880 and R3000, resolution drops from 5,760x1,440dpi to 2,880x1,440dpi, but image quality is still excellent. With a lower resolution, print speeds are noticeably faster in maximum quality mode, with an A3+ print taking 8m 53s to produce, compared with 11m 9s on the Epson R2880. A2 prints take 7m 9s and 12m 38s in high quality and maximum quality settings respectively.

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 professional photo printer is a great choice both for professional photographers and for amateurs thinking of taking the leap into a career in photography.

The Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is a solid upgrade to the very popular 3800, bringing this printer up to the same standard inks used in all the other Epson's like the 4880, 7880, and 9880 models. While it might seem surprising that Epson would bring out another printer in the UltraChrome K3 inks rather than the newest UltraChrome HDR inks used in the 7900 and 9900, my understanding is that the print head technology used in those printers is too cost prohibitive to bring down to this level.

The Stylus Pro 3880 is an exceptional wide-format desktop photo printer for pros or advanced amateurs with limited space and modest budgets.

The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 is that most remarkable of things – a desktop A2+ printer that's quiet, easy to use and which produces great-looking prints. Ideal for use in a small offices, photo studios and for printer proofs, we simply can’t recommend it highly enough.