In terms of connectivity, the Epson Pro 3800 features both USB 2.0 and 10/100 BaseT Ethernet connectivity.
Times obviously vary depending on the print settings, but at 1440 dpi SuperFine - what Epson describes as "normal" - print times are just over four minutes for an 8"x10" print, a little under seven minutes for an 11" x 14" print, and just about 11 minutes for a full 16" x 20" print. Print speeds in the Epson Stylus 3800 are fairly swift. It also features Active Meniscus Control, which Epson says "controls the curvature of every ink droplet within each nozzle", and a new algorithm for determining dot placement and screening which is said to produce smoother tonal transitions and yield greater highlights / shadow detail. Minimum droplet size is 3.5 picoliters, and the 3800 includes Epson's variable droplet technology which allows three different droplet sizes per print line. Given current pricing on Epson's website of $60 per cartridge, that means a change from Photo to Matte ink and back will cost about $4.50. Each color has its own separate cartridge, with each cartridge using a new pressurised design and containing 80ml each. The conversion process takes about two minutes to change to the Matte ink, and approximately three minutes to change back to the Photo ink.
The eighth ink can be automatically swapped out between Photo Black or Matte Black types, although somewhere from 1.52 to 4.5ml of ink will be lost in the process (depending on the cartridge you're switching to). There are nine ink colors using Epson's UltraChrome K3 pigment ink technology, with eight inks useable at any one time. Maximum resolution is 2880 x 1440 dpi, from an Advanced MicroPiezo AMC Print Head that is designed to last for the service life of the printer. Cut-sheet media handling ranges from 4" x 6" to 17" x 22", with border-free printing from the smallest size up to 16" x 20". Inside its trim (by 17" wide format standards) body, the Stylus Pro 3800 crams in a pretty high specification.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and the animation below doubly so, showing the two printers to scale. It doesn't hurt that - to our eye, anyway - the 3800 is rather more attractively styled as well.
Obviously with the trays extended, it will take up more room, but the savings is impressive nonetheless - particularly given that the 4800 was also a full four inches taller than the new Epson 3800. With the paper trays folded away, the 3800 has a footprint of only 27" x 15" - two thirds less than its predecessor. Whereas the Stylus Pro 4800 pretty much necessitated a desk to itself at a whopping 83.7 lbs with a footprint of 34" x 30", the Stylus Pro 3800 is much more svelte at just 43.2 pounds - essentially half the weight. The most immediately noticeable difference between the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 and Epson's other 17" printer (the Stylus Pro 4800) is the dramatic decrease in size and weight. (Wednesday, Septem21:06 EDT) Epson has announced a new wide-format inkjet photo printer at the Photokina show that looks to offer a pretty impressive feature set.