[Paul Shields]

I've not been an Epson user in the past, but the 3800 looks like it may be the best compromise regarding big prints and relatively low cost.

Just to throw a fast ball into the mix - my research this week finds that the Canon ipf5000 (a huge heavy duty A2 printer) can now be had for around the same cost as the 3800, and well below the 4800. I certainly have the space for such a beast (my printers and scanners are in their own room away from my photo editing Mac). It seems like there are many plusses and minuses for this as there are for the Epson A2 printers - e.g. expensive print head replacement costs (Canon suggest you replace them once a year at $1200 a pop...). They do seem to last a long time though based on the lack of feedback about head issues.

I do like the idea of a more robust printer, particularly with the benefit of using roll feed paper, but it seems that unless you're making large prints every day (which I will not be doing) then the costs can hit you based on general ink usage and the expense of particular consumable items (i.e. the print heads). I'm now starting to think that a sensible A3 printer may be a better option, and outsource the larger prints.