Best Printer For Your Photos

[Steve Williams]

So what is everyone using. My son is saying to stick with Epson or Canon. Is that a safe recommendation?

As an addendum I would think that there would be better color resolution the more color cartridges the printer uses.

 

[RBFC]

We use an HP 2840 all-in-one laser printer here. While I don't know about the absolute image quality compared to others, I can say it does a very good job. It has settings for photo paper, etc. and "high"-quality printing.

Lee

 

[Steve Williams]

Thanks Lee

How many ink cartridges and what is MSRP

 

[amirm]

HP, Canon and Epson all make great printers these days. The difference between them as far as quality is not worth discussing. However, you do need to pay attention to cost of inks and that is where they get you. And speed of printing. Both of these are specified in printer reviews (look at CNET and PC Mag).

I am running all Epson gear including my large format printer. However, Epson design requires that the heads be kept clean and this can be a pain. The other two let you change the head and hence, there is less hassle there. On the other hand, there is more support for Epson printers in the wild. This is important as you need to match the paper to the printer (if you don't have calibration equipment) and so access to larger array of media becomes important if you try to do specialized printing.

 

[RBFC]

Thanks Lee

How many ink cartridges and what is MSRP

It's actually a model that is no longer current in their line.

Around $1200, IIRC. There are 5 total toner cartridges. Black, cyan, yellow, magenta, and a black imaging drum. Total cost of replacements ~ $600. Honestly, I don't know for sure if this is the "best" image reproduction available, but it looks pretty darn good to me.

Lee

 

[LesAuber]

I'm using a HP Photosmart B9180. Network capable, prints up to 13 x 19, 8 ink cartridges and 4 replaceable print heads. Cartridges are $38 each, don't recall about the heads as they've not needed replacement. IIRC it was about $700 new. So far I'm happy with the results.

 

[DonH50]

I have an older Canon i9900. The current replacements are still topping the reviews (see e.g. the Imaging Resource site) for best picture quality. One thing the Epson did better than Canon in the past (not sure now) is longevity -- less fading over time due to the fundamental difference in the time of ink used. Canon for higher quality; Epson for longer life. HP has been hit and miss in their printers -- sometimes a real winner (I think the 9180 is one), sometimes a real dog (relatively speaking). Steve, you could have gotten a hefty rebate on a Canon printer when you bought the 5D -- maybe you still can?

FWIWFM - Don

 

[rblnr]

I use an Epson R1900 which has eight cartridges. C, Y, M, Red, Orange (notoriously difficult to print well), Photo Black, Matte Black, and a gloss optimizer for glossy photos. Photo quality is extremely good, and the heads rarely require attention, something the was a problem w/my old R800. I'd highly recommend it. As noted too, Epson seems to have wider distribution and more paper choices than Canon and HP. luminous-landscape.com is another good source for printer info.