Can you replace an Epson 3880 ink channel with another color to change or extend the printer’s gamut?

Question

I use an Epson 3880 with third-party refillable cartridges and a ColorMunki Photo. I mostly print landscapes and rarely print black-and-white, so I wondered whether I could replace one or more of the black channels (such as LK or LLK) with a different ink like green or orange to shift the printer’s gamut toward the colors I use most.

I understand this would require new profiling. My main question is whether the printer firmware/driver assumes a specific ink chemistry and channel role, and whether simply swapping inks is practical. If it is theoretically possible, how would you decide which channels to sacrifice?

user4262 · Answer

The Epson 3880 uses a set of 9 cartridges. It's still a CMYK sort of system, but more like CCMMYKKKK. With four different varieties of black, it's understandable that you might be thinking that replacing "light light black" with "dark cyan" might give deeper blue evening skies, or adding "dark magenta" might allow for prettier roses. And yes, perhaps adding "true green" or "vivid orange" might let you shift the printer's gamut in other ways.

But there's obviously more to it than just swapping in a new tank. First of all, you'd have to find a tank with the color you want, and it's not like Epson probably makes non-standard colors. Next, you'd have to tell the printer about the new color, and it'd need to know how to use it. I don't have any particular experience with this printer, but the ones I've used expect a specific color in each position -- there's no provision for changing colors.

So I think you've got a great idea, but I don't think it's feasible without some serious firmware hacking.

Can you replace an Epson 3880 ink channel with another color to change or extend the printer’s gamut?

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