Best photo printers out there ?

[Shewie]

Swmbo's in the market for a new photo quality printer but we're not sure what to go for really.

Do any of you guys print a fair bit of stuff and recommend a decent printer that will last longer than six months.

Just a few pointers would be useful to give us somewhere to start.

I've asked a few of the photo mad guys in theoffice who've mostly said go for Epsom, I know she's had a few of those in the past and they've not lasted too long before getting replaced.

 

[tobes01]

I ditched my photo printer in favour of Photobox online service - the quality's better than any home printer, and the running cost is lower - in my opinion, much lower. Submit your photos by 4pm and they'll arrive in the morning post.

Toby

 

[jimford]

Do any of you guys print a fair bit of stuff and recommend a decent printer that will last longer than six months.

What the printer or prints from it lasting 'longer than a few months'.

I've got an Epson dye ink inkjet printer (stylus Photo 895) I've had for about 5 years and it's still working fine. If the prints are constantly exposed to stong light they show fading after a few months. Pigment ink printers are reputed to give better lasting prints, but are more expensive to buy and run.

Jim

 

[Shewie]

What the printer or prints from it lasting 'longer than a few months'.

I've got an Epson dye ink inkjet printer (stylus Photo 895) I've had for about 5 years and it's still working fine. If the prints are constantly exposed to stong light they show fading after a few months. Pigment ink printers are reputed to give better lasting prints, but are more expensive to buy and run.

Jim

The actual printers themselves Jim, maybe we've just been unlucky or going by the reviews on the web, you've been lucky.

We've seen a Canon ip4600 which is looking favourite at the moment.

 

[stonyman]

I used to service HP printers and plotters and would recommend one their photo printers, I'm not an authorised HP service engineer so have no connection to them, especially not now since I was made redundant.

 

[bearbait]

'er indoors is verging on semi-pro photographer (well - she sells some commercially) and uses a Canon Pixma Pro9000, and is well pleased with it.

 

[ArkAngel]

I work for Cartridge World (don't let that put you off!!!)

I have a Canon i9950 (a forerunner of the pro 9000) and it is a great printer, but as it is A3 and 8 tanks of ink not cheap (i don't use refills- draw your own conclusions from that!!! )

You could do a lot worse than the Pixma ip4600. Excellent quality, individual inks and cheap to run (largest volume cartridges on the market)

Epson's are good but a number of customers complain that they use a lot of ink and the cartridges are rarely empty when the machine tells them they are. The Canon's are the only machines on the market that use a sensor to measure the amount of ink in the cartridges, everything else guesses

HP's are OK for quality but expensive on cartridges as a lot of the technology is on the cartridge not in the printer like the Canon's.

If you want decent photo's don't even look at Lexmark or Brother. I wouldn't use one as a doorstop.


Hope that helps a bit

 

[kimbo]

I've got a Canon MP970 (multifuntion machine) and couldn't be happier with it mate. It's far more printer than I am photographer!! haha

 

[Shewie]

I work for Cartridge World (don't let that put you off!!!)

I have a Canon i9950 (a forerunner of the pro 9000) and it is a great printer, but as it is A3 and 8 tanks of ink not cheap (i don't use refills- draw your own conclusions from that!!! )

You could do a lot worse than the Pixma ip4600. Excellent quality, individual inks and cheap to run (largest volume cartridges on the market)

Epson's are good but a number of customers complain that they use a lot of ink and the cartridges are rarely empty when the machine tells them they are. The Canon's are the only machines on the market that use a sensor to measure the amount of ink in the cartridges, everything else guesses

HP's are OK for quality but expensive on cartridges as a lot of the technology is on the cartridge not in the printer like the Canon's.

If you want decent photo's don't even look at Lexmark or Brother. I wouldn't use one as a doorstop.


Hope that helps a bit

Thanks for that fella

Swmbo's used a lot of the refils over the years and I think that's probably why she's knackered the Epsons so quickly. She's agreed to buy only the proper cartridges for the next printer so hopefully it'll last a bit longer.

She's got the i9950 at work (design teacher) and raves about it and has brought home some great quality prints before. It looks like a Canon will be favourite

 

[ArkAngel]

Thanks for that fella

Swmbo's used a lot of the refils over the years and I think that's probably why she's knackered the Epsons so quickly. She's agreed to buy only the proper cartridges for the next printer so hopefully it'll last a bit longer.

She's got the i9950 at work (design teacher) and raves about it and has brought home some great quality prints before. It looks like a Canon will be favourite

No problem.

I don't want to say too much about refills in case any one at head office comes on here but.....................


I don't use refills
My Wife's machine doesn't use refills
Or my mother-in-law's printer
Or 4 of my mates machines


.....seeing a pattern here?

 

[Shewie]

No problem.

I don't want to say too much about refills in case any one at head office comes on here but.....................


I don't use refills
My Wife's machine doesn't use refills
Or my mother-in-law's printer
Or 4 of my mates machines


.....seeing a pattern here?

Subtle, but I think I hear what you're saying

 

[jimford]

Epson's are good but a number of customers complain that they use a lot of ink and the cartridges are rarely empty when the machine tells them they are.

That's why I use a Continuous Inking System (C.I.S.)

Jim

 

[ArkAngel]

That's why I use a Continuous Inking System (C.I.S.)

Jim

Again a good way of lowering your printing costs

BUT

They can be pricey to buy and you are back to making sure good ink is going through your system i understand Lyson ink(sp?) is very good quality. Once it's set up and running it's cheap but you hope the printer will last long enough to get you the return on your initial outlay.

As i understand it you also have to bypass the door open sensor, remove the lid or drill a big hole in it to accomodate the tubes from the bottles to the 'false cartridges'. That won't do much for a warranty.

Plus by the time the printer dies the system won't be compatable with any new printer.


The end result IMO is this

You pays your money, you takes your choice.....

I have seen new printers (less than a year old) fail on having nothing but original cartridges through them.

I have seen printers run on the cheapest cartridges available last for years. My friend has an Epson R300 run on cartridges that cost him £15 for 6 full sets (36 cartridges!!!). I have serviced it once but still it runs and produces good results.
When i first started at the shop we had 6 R300's in. Every single one came back broken within 8 months.


We sell nothing but Canon machines and have done for years.
For the most part they last very well (apart from the odd duff one).

Having had Epsons and Canon's i prefer Canon

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who hate Canon's and swear by Epson's, HP's etc etc.

Personal experiences differ!

One thing we do say in the shop.

"If you are scared of pressing the 'print' button, you have the wrong printer!"

 

[hiho]

We've seen a Canon ip4600 which is looking favourite at the moment.

I've got the ip 4200 which did some realy good prints.... it ran out of ink and I've never bothered replacing it

 

[SiWhite]

I ditched my photo printer in favour of Photobox online service - the quality's better than any home printer, and the running cost is lower - in my opinion, much lower. Submit your photos by 4pm and they'll arrive in the morning post.

Toby

x2. Just used Photobox for the first time and VERY impressed with the pictures and the service.

 

[teflon]

One thing that is often overlooked is the massive amount of time spent printing images. And it's boring.

Sending files off for printing is a sensible solution - especially if they are cheaper and a better quality.

Just my thoughts.