Epson Stylus Pro 3800 Ink Cartridges

Epson 3800 Printer Review

The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 is an innovative color ink printer that brings some of the best features of a large-format printer to the home or small office. It can handle media at widths up to 17 inches, which makes it great for producing posters or other larger items, but buyers can still benefit from cost-effective printer ink, though the multiple colors of Epson 3800 ink may be overwhelming.

With media widths of only 17 inches, the 3800 certainly isn't a true wide-format printer, but this is not a bad thing, as it also doesn't have the bulky frame and hefty price tag of those larger models. Instead, buyers get the right amount of flexibility that allows them to produce larger photos and other projects at a very affordable price point.

As one might expect, the print speed suffers a bit, at around 4.1 pages per minute for a standard sheet, but this is largely due to the higher resolutions of 2880 x 1440. This improves the output quality over standard consumer models, and matches that of many of Epson's larger professional machines.

CNET gave the 3800 an Editor's Rating of "Excellent", and found it to be a great balance of professional print quality and affordability. They particularly liked its sharp black-and-white printing.

Printer ink is affordable for a professional inkjet, but home users might be put off by the number of Stylus Pro 3800 ink cartridges that need to be replaced. With three black Epson 3800 ink cartridges, and five for color, it can really add up. These extra colors for Stylus Pro 3800 ink are what make the quality so high, however.

Overall, the 3800 is a great choice for photographers and designers who want better output, but are not ready to step up to a larger, more expensive model. The Epson 3800 ink costs can be a bit high, however.