Advice - Which Printer??

markgriff

markgriff

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Hi all! I was just after some advice on a printer purchase. I've finally got around to purchasing a desktop pc and elements 7 and was now considering which printer to go for?

I was after a decent photo printer to mainly produce prints up to A4 size but looking at the many makes and models out there, it's a bit of a mine field and with having little knowledge on printers I would be grateful of any recomendations!

I don't mind paying a bit extra for the printer if you do get more for your money but are there particular makes that are better value when it comes to replacing cartrdiges?

One additional question in relation to my 8mp 20D, would it be capable of producing A3 size prints from time to time, or is that pushing it's limits?

Many thanks
 
I'd go for something from HP or Epson.

The thing to watch out for is the cost of replacement cartridges. You tend to find that if the printer is cheep the cartridges will be more expensive and vice versa.

Do you only need a printer or are you looking at all in one printer/copiers/scanners?

What is your budget?
 
I was after a photo printer for A3+ and bought the R2400 from Epson. I did get samples from Canon and HP too and to be perfectly honest ALL THREE WERE SUPERB. Yes virtually nothing to separate them. So I looked at the features and running costs. Most of the features were irrelevant for me so in the end it came down to running costs and I chose the Epson because it had the edge on black and white plus Epson's cartridges are cheap. Having used it for a while I then looked at buying a CISS for it but bought refillable cartridges instead. The R2880 has replaced the R2400 now but there is not much in it. It you go to the companies web sites they will often have samples so you can see the difference, they did when I was buying.

Don't however look at this as a cheap way of printing pictures. The printer cost me virtually £500 plus the ink etc and paper means that it would have been cheaper to just take all my prints to Tesco at £1.20 for a 12"x10" and 10p each for 6"x4"
 
Thanks for your replies chaps.

In answer to your question, I was just looking for a printer as opposed to an all in one, as I was primarily just going to be using it for producing prints of the occasional photo. As a result I was working on the theory that a printer dedicated solely to printing would produce better results (however, my logic may be wrong there!)

With regards to budget, I was looking around the £100 mark but would be prepared to spend a little more if it produced better results.

On initial research I was considering the Canon IP4600. I don't know if any of you guys have any experience of that or have any views on it?
 
I think you will be happy with the quality once you have it set up correctly but you will roar through ink catridges as they are so small I imagine. I have not checked - what size do they take?
 
For that budget I would rule out anything bigger than A4. If you need the occasional larger print then one of the online places like photobox.co.uk would be my choice. I've had Canon printers for many years, and generally find them slightly cheaper to run than the Epson or HP equivalents. The latest range of Canon printers are extremely good and very good value for money. There was a test in a recent camera magazine of A4 photo printers which was won by the Canon IP4600.
 
I only know the Epsons so I can't comment on anything else, but I am an Epson service tech for domestic injets :). Your £100 leaves you with only the R285 as a choice, which isnt a bad printer, but it doesnt have the gamut of the R800, which uses more inks and can reproduce more colours for about £250
 
i run the Epson PX700W at home.

Photocopier / Scanner / Wifi Access / Ethernet Access / USB / Card Reader etc.

Does some real nifty stuff with printing from memory cards (proofing etc) and is superb quality as well.

It has twin paper trays so can hold A4 and 6x4 (or 7x5) at the same time and can use compatible inks.

Love it........ BUT the cost is around the £160 mark.
 
I too have a Epson PX700w and find it a great printer as well as being able to scan old prints which need attention extremley well. I bought from Amazon for around £130
 
Did you consider dye sublimation printers? Yes , they do cost alot more than an inkjet, but I wondered if you were aware of them?

Perhaps something like a Mitsubishi CP3020DAE or a Kodak 805?
 
markgriff said:
On initial research I was considering the Canon IP4600. I don't know if any of you guys have any experience of that or have any views on it?
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I have the IP3000, which isn't really targeted at photographers and which I've had since before I took up this interest. It's a 3-ink version and image quality is still quite good, IMO. I've had it about 5 years - it doesn't get that much use, but I've yet to see any other brand of inkjet last so long!

If you want good results, stick to Canon inks & good quality paper. I can't really say more, because it looks like the inks in the IP4600 are supposed to be more fade-resistant than those in mine.

The Canons are also rather nice because they'll do two-sided documents and print on CDs. The black text really isn't a patch on a laser printer, though.

For the amount of photos I print, I'm better off sending away to have them done than spending money on a decent photo printer.

Stroller.
 
Regarding A3 - yes, I'd have thought that your camera (the 20D) would be fine for it, possibly up to A2. I've had A4 prints out of my 350D which look very crisp & sharp - don't forget that one expects to look at larger prints from a greater distance, anyway.
 
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