I am trolling for some opinions on a photo printer. The size of finished print should be at least 4.00 X 6.00. I've got a Win XP machine and it came with a printer that, dare I say, is fine for printing drafts of papers and reports but not all that great for photos. I understand that the finished product is a combination of the printer, the paper, and the ink used. The digital camera is a Sony.
And on topic My boss recently moved into his new place and some trees had to come down. He asked if I wanted/needed some wood. Well turns out there is a stump end, including roots about 2.5' dia.of a cedar/juniper and a nice size stump of hard maple about 3 ' high and 20" dia. This weekend the chainsaw and I have a date.
: I am trolling for some opinions on a photo printer. The size of finished : print should be at least 4.00 X 6.00. I've got a Win XP machine and it came : with a printer that, dare I say, is fine for printing drafts of papers and : reports but not all that great for photos. I understand that the finished : product is a combination of the printer, the paper, and the ink used. The : digital camera is a Sony.
The best line of photo printers is made by Epson (their scanners are best as well). My wife has a professional, large-format Epson 2200 printer, which uses seven archival inks. I think Epson now makes several smaller printers, much lower in cost, that use the same print head and ink technology.
I use the $80 Epson R200 and a paper trimmer to cut whatever size prints I need for my press kits and promotional collateral. If I have a need for quantity items, I go the professional printer route.
Yes like Andrew says, Epson does and has for a long time made good printers, I got my first one in 1979 with my first Apple II computer, and yes still worked fine last time I tried it , got a laser printer with my power Mack now.
However if you only need one to print a few photos it would make more economic sense to have a photo shop print them up for you.
I like the new Epson RX620 all-in-one. It sells for $300 but Epson is running a special on their web site with $150 in rebates. It is an awesome photo printers and does borderless 4x6 up to 8x10 prints. It is also a scanner, card reader, and copier, and I'm very happy with it.
First, there are purpose-made photo printers from Kodak, Canon, and others that use a different process (called "dye sublimation") from general purpose printers. These also generally laminate a topcoat. Upside is that print quality and durability are very high, downside is that they are 4x6 (or thereabouts) printers that _must_ use the materials provided by the manufacturer.
Next, if you decide to go with a general purpose inkjet with photo capability, which is what the Epson and HP photo printers are, the big consideration is how often you print.
If you are going to be printing every day, an Epson will be fine--an R220 for a hundred bucks is a very nice printer. Downside is that the inkjets are built into the machine, not the cartridge, which is good and bad--it's good because they can be more precisely made and aligned if they aren't throwaways, but it's bad because when they clog (and if you let it sit for a while they _will_ clog) then cleaning them is a pain in the butt and if you can't clean them then the printer is a throwaway.
If you're not going to be printing at least weekly, then an HP would be a better bet--the jets are on the cartridges, so if they clog you just replace the cartridge and you're back in business. Downside is that you have to align the cartridges after you change them (not difficult--you print a test sheet and then key in some numbers based on what you see) and the nozzles may not be quite as precise.
Both HP and Epson have excellent photo quality--I wouldn't let the arguments of purists in either camp sway me there unless I was working as a professional photographer.
Personally I'd dearly love to have an R220 myself for the CD printing capability but my usage pattern is such that it would end up clogging beyond repair within a year.
Odd thing is that Both printers quit printing black on the same day. When I finally figured out that it was a clog it was a quick fix. My Epson is an 825 and I just had to twist a corner of paper towel and twirl it around in the single hole these cartidges have. Since it was try something or replace the cartridge I figured I had nothing to lose. I'm guessing the alcohol disolves the clog.
We have a couple both Epson and Canon. I love my I9900 when I want to print really large (13x19) but then again I've used photoshop for many years and photography for 30.
However, owning a photo printer is no longer cost effective. If you add the cost of the ink and paper you can't print your own for the price that places like walmart and walgreens etc print. Shoot my brother just uploads his files to Walmart and picks them up later. My wife just takes her memory card with her on her weekly walmart run if she has pictures to print.
PS A better place to ask is rec.photo.digital or rec.photo.digital.po> Off topic post.
If it's a relatively light clog on an Epson alcohol will do it. Some require taking the machine apart to clear, which if you're getting paid to do it costs more than tossing a low end printer. Some won't clear even after you've taken the machine apart.
Be nice if Epson had a "storage" setting that cleared the nozzles of ink, but that would likely cut down on sales.
I have been through several photo printers in the last couple of years and after the dust settled, my favorites are:
4 x 6... the HP 240 or whatever the new number is.. works well with or without computer and is small and portable and does a great job... recommend 4x6" paper with removable tab..
Full sheet, etc..... My work horse pair of Epson inkjets have just been replaced with an HP 1510 from, of all places, Costco.. lol It's a printer/scanner/copier that's very fast and does very well on photo printing... and the damn thing was $100 BEFORE the $20 rebate!
With the price of ink cartridges it's starting to look like 'give away the razors and make the money on the blades'. I believe Gillette did just that at one time in Britain.
Still do in the US. Found one of those four-blade jobs in the mailbox last year. Doesn't work any better than a straight razor, but it is a bit more convenient.
Straight razor shave is more like a ritual. For me it's always been much easier to shave someone elso with one, rather than myself. Used to prep patients for surgery using a straight razor. I think I was the only one in the hospital using one. You do need a bit more skill and steadiness.
I for one appreciate the new method of putting the jets with the cartridge. As others have mentioned, low-volume users would have the ink clot between uses sometimes. With digital cameras I use the color a lot, but there was a time when it might not have been used but three or four sessions a year. When, of course It wouldn't work.
The cartridge was parked on that wiping blotter that collected dust to make CMYK paper out of excess ink.
I like the HP system of the print head new with every cartridge, also.... and if you don't use a lot of ink, the "clean print heads" utility usually works well.. Mac
I got an Epson Stylus Photo R340 for Christmas, and tried it out with precut 4x6 photo paper... WOW! My wife thought the results were as good as the prints we get from the drugstore or even better.
The key is to adjust the print settings for the type of media, and be sure to use good glossy paper designed for photos.
Check in your area to see who carries this printer or see if you see if you can find it on-line with a reasonable shipping charge...
---------------------------------------- Mike Mills Sherrills Ford, NC
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.