Printer Recommendation ??

[Deb58]

Want to buy a photo printer for somewhere between $300 and $500. This printer is just for our own personal use for family photos. Would like to print up to 8X11. Does anyone have any suggestions for a printer for us. Thank you very much

Debbie

[waple]

You're going to get a lot of personal preference answers... like this one. I've been using a Canon i9900 for several years and have been pleased with it. It does up to 13x19 which you may or may not use and was $500. I think the new version is the i9950 or something. Granted, it's the only printer I've been using so I can't fairly pit it against anything else.

[tekdiver500ft]

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 has a street price of $500, and the print quality is outstanding!

[Deb58]

Originally Posted by waple

You're going to get a lot of personal preference answers... like this one. I've been using a Canon i9900 for several years and have been pleased with it. It does up to 13x19 which you may or may not use and was $500. I think the new version is the i9950 or something. Granted, it's the only printer I've been using so I can't fairly pit it against anything else.

Originally Posted by tekdiver500ft

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 has a street price of $500, and the print quality is outstanding!

Thanks, I have looked both up and both of these look very close to what we are looking for. Have either one of you had experience in printing on Glossy paper.

A question: about how many say 4x6 photos can you print with one set of ink cartridges>

[tekdiver500ft]

I primarily print on glossy paper. The images are very accurate, deep blacks and brilliant whites, very lustrous. I haven't got a clue how many 4x6's you get out of a set of ink, though. I don't print them. Based on my usage for 13x19's, though, I suspect you will get approximately 600 or so from an ink set.

[Deb58]

Originally Posted by tekdiver500ft

I primarily print on glossy paper. The images are very accurate, deep blacks and brilliant whites, very lustrous. I haven't got a clue how many 4x6's you get out of a set of ink, though. I don't print them. Based on my usage for 13x19's, though, I suspect you will get approximately 600 or so from an ink set.

Oh! That is more photos than I would print in a number of years, so the ink is definitely not a problem. Thank you for your response. There are some really nice prices for the HP printer plus free shipping that you suggested.

[happusa]

I have an Epson RX580. Six color ink & beautiful 11x8 prints and a scanner too! Should be well under $200.

[Deb58]

Originally Posted by happusa

I have an Epson RX580. Six color ink & beautiful 11x8 prints and a scanner too! Should be well under $200.

Thanks for the info, I will check it out

[AG34]

I'm in the UK, so a different market, but I expect the various manufacturers have similar products around the World.
I've had two Epsons and was very disappointed by both due to the incredible number of head cleans I had to do. I researched this and found it's a definate trait of Epson - I've used almost an entire new cartridge just to do sufficient head cleans so that I could get a decent print. A pro-photographer I spoke to a little while ago also confirmed this to be an Epson "problem".
I now have a Canon and it's print quality is very, very, good. It developed an ink tank recognition problem recently, which I'm hoping to resolve with Canon, but I'll likely get another due to the amazing print capability. (I've only ever used genuine Canon cartridges but I've only had it 20 months).
I've seen pretty amazing results from HP and Lexmark but haven't owned either.
Best of luck!

[tekdiver500ft]

Originally Posted by AG34

I'm in the UK, so a different market, but I expect the various manufacturers have similar products around the World.
I've had two Epsons and was very disappointed by both due to the incredible number of head cleans I had to do. I researched this and found it's a definate trait of Epson - I've used almost an entire new cartridge just to do sufficient head cleans so that I could get a decent print. A pro-photographer I spoke to a little while ago also confirmed this to be an Epson "problem".
I now have a Canon and it's print quality is very, very, good. It developed an ink tank recognition problem recently, which I'm hoping to resolve with Canon, but I'll likely get another due to the amazing print capability. (I've only ever used genuine Canon cartridges but I've only had it 20 months).
I've seen pretty amazing results from HP and Lexmark but haven't owned either.
Best of luck!

+1 on Epson. They produce good prints when they are working correctly, but they are unbelievably expensive to maintain. They use a ton of ink, and need to be cleaned a LOT. Canon are very good, too. I have had four consumer level HP, and six pro HP, and been ecstatic with all of them. I have had two pro Epsons, and hated them both. I have had one pro Canon and one consumer Canon, and loved them both. Lexmark makes printers for some of the "name" manufacturers, but I don't remember which ones, and can't therefore comment on their quality. Obviously, I am a huge fan of HP, and will recommend them to anyone needing a printer at the under $24,000 price point.

[Harry]

Epson R-1800. Do quite a few prints for customers, myself, plus all of my DVD case inserts and my printable DVD's. Excellent gloss and semi-gloss work, haven't gotten the hang of working with matte prints yet. Only time I have problems requiring cleaning is when I let it sit, unused, for long periods of time.

[Deb58]

Thanks for all the info. I am still checking everything out that you guys give me. Thanks again.

[Deb58]

Originally Posted by Harry

Epson R-1800. Do quite a few prints for customers, myself, plus all of my DVD case inserts and my printable DVD's. Excellent gloss and semi-gloss work, haven't gotten the hang of working with matte prints yet. Only time I have problems requiring cleaning is when I let it sit, unused, for long periods of time.

Which Epson R-1800 do you have. There are like 3 of them. Thank you.

[dot-borg]

Originally Posted by tekdiver500ft

The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 has a street price of $500, and the print quality is outstanding!

I second this. The HP B8850 also has a few features that make it much better than Epson's offerings:

- Built-in colorimeter, so the color of your prints are accurate straight out of the box.
- A special sensor that detects which nozzles are clogged, so that the printer can clean just those nozzles. This saves a lot of ink over the Epson printers, which clean all the nozzles on all the heads regardless.
- When you replace a cartridge the printer does not flush (waste) ink from all the other cartridges like the Epsons do.

While milliliter for milliliter the ink costs about the same as Epson's, you will end up saving a lot using the HP.

[Deb58]

Originally Posted by dot-borg

I second this. The HP B8850 also has a few features that make it much better than Epson's offerings:

- Built-in colorimeter, so the color of your prints are accurate straight out of the box.
- A special sensor that detects which nozzles are clogged, so that the printer can clean just those nozzles. This saves a lot of ink over the Epson printers, which clean all the nozzles on all the heads regardless.
- When you replace a cartridge the printer does not flush (waste) ink from all the other cartridges like the Epsons do.

While milliliter for milliliter the ink costs about the same as Epson's, you will end up saving a lot using the HP.

Thanks for the input. I believe we have made the decision for the HP. Thanks again everyone