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Author Topic: Photo printer recommendations  (Read 20948 times)
BobIr
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« on: December 30, 2014, 09:54:14 PM »

I'm looking for ideas on a new photo printer.  My last two HP photo printers died on me much too soon, and both developed a "kink" with Qimage.  They'd generate thin black lines on the prints.  Only happened when using Qimage.  I'd guess Epson would be a better alternative.  With so many models out there, just doing a search gets so many responses, it's hard to sort through all of 'em.  So, I'm asking those of you who do a lot of printing for ideas.

Budget is around $200.  I doubt I need anything bigger that letter size prints and something easy on ink would be nice, if that's an option.

Thanks for any ideas and your experience you've had with what you recommend.
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Fred A
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« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2014, 11:55:58 AM »

Quote
I'm looking for ideas on a new photo printer.  My last two HP photo printers died on me much too soon, and both developed a "kink" with Qimage.  They'd generate thin black lines on the prints.  Only happened when using Qimage.  I'd guess Epson would be a better alternative.  With so many models out there, just doing a search gets so many responses, it's hard to sort through all of 'em.  So, I'm asking those of you who do a lot of printing for ideas.

Budget is around $200.  I doubt I need anything bigger that letter size prints and something easy on ink would be nice, if that's an option.

Thanks for any ideas and your experience you've had with what you recommend.

Hi Bob, and Happy New Year

Your question is so subjective that it would be similar to asking a group of 2000 people, "what kind of car do you recommend for me.... I don't really travel all that much"
You will get 2000 different answers.

Nevertheless, it would be fun to hear opinions.... and there will be rebuttals. !!!!!!!!
Let's get the ink out of the way first.
No such thing as EASY on the ink. Granted some printers are a tad more economical on ink, but for the most part, that's where they make their profit.
I have an Epson R 2000 right now, and that thing is smarter than I am by a long shot.
All that research and development, technology, and engineering for a small price..? 

They sell INK!

I have had Canon printers, Epsons, and HP.
Here are my personal experiences.

HP.... Excellent hardware. The machines are well made and virtually indestructible. I have had three.
Software, (Drivers) are so bad that (truth), my wife is waiting for the Xlarge inks she bought to go dry, so she can throw it out.
HP never updates, not do they fix anything.  Her printer goes OFF LINE when it feels like it.  She clicks print, and nothing.
She has to open Devices and Printers every day and uncheck OFF LINE. Google it. Hundreds of complaints, no fix.  For years, no fix.

Canon.... Excellent printer... Quality of output, Superb.
I found that I was burning out heads and replacing heads... too much aggravation.

Epson...I love my Epsons... I had a 1280, an R1800, and an R2000.
I know, they have a reputation for clogging...  So be it.
I do not have much trouble with clogging perhaps because I print a lot.  (and I have to be careful because Mike checks my prints for banding)  Roll Eyes Grin Lips Sealed

The output is excellent, and it just keeps going and going until it decides to pass the baton to the next generation.
Since no brand seems to be 100% perfect, I guess I go with Epson because the need to run a cleaning cycle now and then, is far less irritating than the alternatives mentioned above.

Fred




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GlennJ
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« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2014, 12:11:03 PM »

When my trusty old Epson 1290 finally passed away I replaced it with an Epson Stylus Photo P50 (T50 in the USA) as I was on a limited budget and no longer needed to print above A4.  I was very pleasantly surprised at the superb photo print quality, which easily beat the 1290 (and is a lot faster too).  It uses 6 individual ink cartridges, so you don't have to replace the lot when one colour runs out.  Genuine Epson ink is expensive but this can be mitigated if you really shop around - it's also cheaper if you use the high capacity 07xx series instead of the 08xx series.  I now stick to genuine Epson ink after blocked nozzle problems with several "high quality" compatibles.

My first P50 died after nearly 3 years when I managed to drown the ink sensor but I had no hesitation in replacing it with another, given the price and the quality I obtain.  If you do go for one (around $211 on Amazon) then I would strongly recommend you invest in a Printer Potty (Google it), which will save your pads and sensor if you're a heavy user.  Epson also do a very reasonably priced 3-year warranty for the P50.

I can't comment on your HP problems (I'm allergic to all things HP) but can say that I've never experienced any problems with my Epsons and Q / QU.

Hope this helps!
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Sandy
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« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2014, 06:37:43 PM »

The printer is too often just the down payment and ink is the real cost.  nb if (as has been said) all the colours are in one cart, as soon as one colour runs out you have to buy a new cart and waste the unused ink so opt for a separate cart for each colour.  I bought the excellent Epson 3880 - well outside your budget but it came with all the carts full which was worth a lot.  The large carts mean cost per print is (relatively) low and will go a long way towards saving the extra outlay.  Think about alternative ink suppliers.

I recently bought an Epson all in one WF-3640 for day to day stuff, copying etc.  I've never compared its colours etc with the 3880.  It would hardly be fair!  I'm running that on in from an alternative supplier.

I have had a few HP printers over the years and all did well.  The last was a HP Photosmart that I passed to my daughter and is still going strong but its output is not remotely in the Epson 3880 class.

Sandy
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Terry-M
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« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2015, 12:18:19 PM »

Like Fred, I have an Epson R2000 which I am very pleased with. I've had it for 14 months and not had any real clogging problems; I've only ever done 1 or 2 nozzle clean sessions in that time.
I print on a limited variety of papers: Ilford Prestige Smooth, Gloss & Pearl; Epson Premium Semi Gloss and Archival Matte. The latter is called by a different name in the US (remind me Fred!). I print in black & white using a good colour custom profile, as well as colour and all the prints are excellent.
I do like Epson printers and I get on with the driver settings well and find it all easy to understand.
Terry
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Fred A
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« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2015, 12:25:19 PM »

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The latter is called by a different name in the US (remind me Fred!).

Epson Ultra Presentation Matte

Fred
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BobIr
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« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2015, 03:34:14 PM »

Thanks for everyone's help.  Seems Epson is top choice of you that do lots of printing. 

In looking over their choices, I found the dedicated photo printers are out of my price range.  The "all in one" machines fit as far as price goes, but looking at reviews they don't seem much better than HP.

Best fit for me looks like Canon's Pixma iP8720. 

So, now that I've narrowed it down, does anyone have experience with this printer? 
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wolverine@MSU
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« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2015, 12:12:34 PM »

Depending on how soon you need a printer, you might want to reconsider whether a dedicated photo printer is out of your price range.  Although they are out of stock right now, the Epson website offers refurbished R2000 printers for $349.  When I bought mine, they also had a $100 rebate, bringing the price down to $249, which is very similar to the going price for the Canon iP8720.  Just something to think about.  The link to the R2000 refurb is:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=C11CB35201-N
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BobIr
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« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2015, 09:59:44 PM »

Is Epson pretty much the main choice for those using Qimage, anyway the ones on this forum who are serious about the program?
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