Epson printers - 2400 vs. 4800 ??
in [Digital Cameras]
|
From: rafe b on 8 Jan 2006 14:35 On Thu, 5 Jan 2006 07:43:42 -0800, "Mark?" <mjmorgan(lowest even number here)@cox..net> wrote: >Arthur Entlich wrote: >> There is a certain irony that this business model is so well >> "designed" that by Epson offering perhaps $10-$20 actual cost worth >> of ink, they can make a person justify spending an additional $1000 or >> more on a >> printer. > >It is worth every bit of that extra $1000 if you want ultra chrome, larger >prints, serious longevity, and industrial-strength product build. What it's "worth" has to be considered on an individual basis. Though the 4800 is "industrial strength," when it's broken and out of warranty, you'll need an industrial-strength wallet to get it fixed by Epson, or you'll need to be very handy and resourceful. Will you be ready to change out dampers, heads, waste-ink pads or main- boards when the time comes? On the other hand, when my R1800 is busted and out-of warranty (I give it 18-24 months, at the outside) I have the option of just chucking it in favor of whatever's the latest and greatest at the moment. From Epson or anyone else. So buying a 4800 is like getting married. Buying the 2400 or 1800 is a bit more like "living together".... a more tentative relationship, you might say. rafe b www.terrapinphoto.com
From: Mark? on 8 Jan 2006 15:55 rafe b wrote: > On Thu, 5 Jan 2006 07:43:42 -0800, "Mark?" <mjmorgan(lowest even > number here)@cox..net> wrote: > >> Arthur Entlich wrote: >>> There is a certain irony that this business model is so well >>> "designed" that by Epson offering perhaps $10-$20 actual cost worth >>> of ink, they can make a person justify spending an additional $1000 >>> or more on a >>> printer. >> >> It is worth every bit of that extra $1000 if you want ultra chrome, >> larger prints, serious longevity, and industrial-strength product >> build. > > > What it's "worth" has to be considered on > an individual basis. Of course...which is why I included the "if" on three items above. :) > Though the 4800 is "industrial strength," when > it's broken and out of warranty, you'll need > an industrial-strength wallet to get it fixed by > Epson, or you'll need to be very handy and > resourceful. Will you be ready to change out > dampers, heads, waste-ink pads or main- > boards when the time comes? I will be very surprised if any of that occurs during the years I'll use it...though of course...it does and could happen... BTW--The waste-ink "pad" on the 4000/4800 is a relatively HUGE "drawer" that pulls out easily (in about .5 seconds), and is designed to be replaced by the user. It is amazing how massive the thing is compared with the tiny little band-aid sized "pad" (as you appropriately called it) found in Epson's lesser printers. On the other hand... The little pad in my old 1270 has done the job for 6 years...even though it appears to be quite saturated. On the 4000/4800, the drawer is 9 inches long...4 inches wide...and 3 inches tall...and the drawer is entirely filled with felt-like absorbsion material. The menu system actually keeps track of how full the drawer is, and will warn you when you need to have another one handy. I've not filled one, but I've got a spare for when that need eventually comes. The 4000/4800 also has other user-serviceable parts...such as rollers, automatic paper cutting unit replacements, and other odds and ends. There is also extensive cleaning/priming functions built in in the case that a clog does occur. It is a very robust machine, built with the assumption that it will see heavy, prolonged, day-to-day use by people who sell it's prints. > On the other hand, when my R1800 is busted > and out-of warranty (I give it 18-24 months, at > the outside) I have the option of just chucking > it in favor of whatever's the latest and greatest > at the moment. From Epson or anyone else. If it's like my 1270...and you take proper care of it...it will be working just fine for the next 6 years and beyond. > So buying a 4800 is like getting married. > Buying the 2400 or 1800 is a bit more like > "living together".... a more tentative > relationship, you might say. I can see how you could view it that way. To me, though, I've already got my money out of my 4000. I've made a great number of very large prints, especially panoramas. These would not only have been very expensive to have printed by others, but I would have lost control over my image. Ink costs compared with using teh relatively miniscule cartridges of smaller untra chrome printers has helped off-set the initial investment. My $1000 gets me the prints I simply can't produce with an 1800 or other smaller machines...so for me, it just made sense. And as you say...each must weigh their own needs/priorities. -Mark
From: Nicholas O. Lindan on 8 Jan 2006 15:57 "Kennedy McEwen" <rkm(a)nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote > Not quite - and that is the entire principle of stochastic dither > algorithms. The number of shades that can be produced in a pixel can be > surprisingly low, even on a high quality image. However, providing the > error in the shade of each pixel averages out >>> over a group of pixels <<< to > a sufficiently low level then the percieved image will appear > continuous. Quite: All that has happened is the creation of an Uber-Pixel and the true number of pix/inch goes down ... So many dots == so much data: you can have it as # shades or as resolution and one can only trade the one for the other. Anybody want to buy a carburetor that lets a car run on water? -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm
From: Nicholas O. Lindan on 8 Jan 2006 16:09 "rafe b" <rafebATspeakeasy.net> wrote > "Mark?" <mjmorgan(lowest even number here)@cox..net> wrote: > >Arthur Entlich wrote: > > > There is a certain irony that this business model is so well > > > "designed" that by Epson offering perhaps $10-$20 actual cost worth > > > of ink, they can make a person justify spending an additional $1000 or > > > more on a printer. > > It is worth every bit of that extra $1000 > Though the 4800 is "industrial strength," when > it's broken and out of warranty, you'll need > an industrial-strength wallet to get it fixed... > On the other hand, when my R1800 is busted > and out-of warranty (I give it 18-24 months, at > the outside) I have the option of just chucking it And when the R1800 hits the dust it's replacement will be running rings around a "three year old clunker 4800". Odds are though, that by the time the 1800 wears out the 4800 will have been long gone. A low end computer product is made in high volume with mature technology, proper tooling and a hefty respect for warranty repair costs. IMHO, high end computer gear is not worth the money, it never was and it never will be. Not called 'Bleeding Edge Technology' for nothing. -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm
From: Nicholas O. Lindan on 8 Jan 2006 16:15
"Mark?" <mjmorgan(lowest even number here)@cox..net> wrote > BTW--The waste-ink "pad" on the 4000/4800 is a relatively HUGE "drawer" that > pulls out easily (in about .5 seconds), and is designed to be replaced by > the user. It is amazing how massive the thing is compared with the tiny > little band-aid sized "pad" (as you appropriately called it) found in > Epson's lesser printer [the 1270]. Oooops, that may be because it spits a lot of waste ink and a 1270 doesn't. Even with a very expensive razor it is still a blade business. Sorry Mark, I don't want to disparage your printer, I am sure if I played with it I would be filled with lust for the product. I have a whole storage room filled to the brim with old high-tech products. Anybody have a use for a dozen IBM Professional Graphics Systems? -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm |