Recommend a decent photo printer...

[CrumpledMidget]

I am looking to buy a photo printer, that is ok for text. I don't really wnt to spend more than 200 bux(prefer less). I was kinda comparing the Epson R300 and a Canon PIXMA Ip4000. I don't need useless features like the LCD, or card readers because the printer is staying at my computer. I like the individual ink tanks of both. I really don't know much about printers though because I have never owned one. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, great place here. I just recently found out about it and really get some good info from here.

 

[minofifa]

hi,
i have an epson stylus photo 825, i bought it last year for 180 bucks canadian. as far as photos go, i think they look excellent. it takes a few practice sheets to see which options you have to set to get the best results but once you get the hang of it, it's quite efficient. One thing i don't like about it is that photos look like ass if you don't use epson paper. i should be mor specific i guess, what i mean is that when i printed on HP glossy paper, the photots were absolutely horrible (literally junk) but when i used epson glossy, they turnd out great.... i don't know what's up with that, just a word f caution

 

[hithesh123]

I got the ip4000 last week and its awesome. I upgraded from my canon i850. I print a lot of text and some photos whenever I have free time. I am very pleased with both functions.
With the i850, I could never match my printer output to my monitor's. But with the ip4000, the printer output is bang on target. I can't compare it to the canon i9900 pro photo printer. But its very good.

If you print just 4x6, you won't see any difference between the ip4000 and the 5000. Text quality is same on both. Compared to the i850, the text quality is better even at draft mode.

I've also heard good stuff about the r300. But its pretty big on Ink consumption. I dont wanna spend $$ on Ink.

oh yeah, the canons have dual trays and duplex printing. which are great features. you can save both paper and time!

 

[saltedeggman]

PIXMA 3000 if you don't do too much photo printing

PIXMA 4000 if you do

 

[Zepper]

Actually you want the Canon iP6000D if photos are your main printing. Don't forget to DL the latest drivers.
.bh.

 

[CrumpledMidget]

Zepper, why do you suggest the 6000? I don't really care about the lcd and card reader, what are the other differences between the two?

 

[Kaido]

I have an Epson R200. Excellent photos, fair text. Also prints on printable CD/DVD discs. Can do 8.5" x 11", 8" x 10", 5" x 7", and 4" x 6". Easy slider on the top. Two USB ports. Six ink cartridges - black is about $20, each color is about $13 (at Staples). Prints well on both glossy and matte.

$99 at Staples, with some nice rebate type things. I paid less than $100 shipped from Newegg, iirc. Great little printer.

Oh, the IPx000 series from Canon can print on both sides of the paper, its pretty nifty.

 

[saltedeggman]

Originally posted by: Kaido
I have an Epson R200. Excellent photos, fair text. Also prints on printable CD/DVD discs. Can do 8.5" x 11", 8" x 10", 5" x 7", and 4" x 6". Easy slider on the top. Two USB ports. Six ink cartridges - black is about $20, each color is about $13 (at Staples). Prints well on both glossy and matte.

$99 at Staples, with some nice rebate type things. I paid less than $100 shipped from Newegg, iirc. Great little printer.

Oh, the IPx000 series from Canon can print on both sides of the paper, its pretty nifty.

IIRC, the 1500 doesn't have tha feature

 

[Cryption]

HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend: hp photosmart 7660

I use it to print up glossy and matte 8x10s taken with a profressional grade Nikon D-100 digitalSLR.
The results are superb. I've gotten the same pics printed at a photolab to compare, and honestly preferred mine. I could see the roller streaks upon close examination on the photolab ones. (FYI: Photolabs use a totally different printing process where they literally roll the picture onto the paper.)

In my opinion the HP is the best printer out there for the $$$. And I've tried a few.

Hope this helps you.

 

[SickBeast]

Canon completely pwns the inkjet printer market right now. You shouldn't even consider other brands, as bad as that sounds. Cost per page is everything with inkjets, and the Canons are cheaper in that regard by a large margin. Epson is the closest competitor, and if you're a serious photo enthusiast and need your prints to last an eternity, they may be a good option for you.

Canon is great for speed, quality, and cost.

Epson is great for quality and fade-resistant inks.

Hope this helps. :beer:

 

[Zepper]

The 6000D is six-color (6 ink tanks - allows for a broader palette in the light areas of the photos) and the black is dye based which looks better on photo work. The 3000 is 4-color (4 tanks) and the black is pigment based so the prints look a bit darker and grainier in the dark areas (but not much) but also yields crisper and darker text. The 4000 is also 4-color, but it has both dye and pigment blacks (5 ink tanks) and one or the other is used depending on the print settings you choose.
. Another option is the 5000 which has the highest res of all the Pixmas on the market thus far - it is basically the 4000 with 2x the res - where detail in the prints rises above other considerations.
. I would agree that the 4000 is probably the sweet spot for general purpose with lots of text and I probably would have bought it if the 3000 wasn't such a good deal at the time, but if you're really into photo-quality printing then you should take a close look at the 6000D too. steves-digicams.com has reviews on many of the models.

.bh.

:moon:

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: saltedeggman

Originally posted by: Kaido
I have an Epson R200. Excellent photos, fair text. Also prints on printable CD/DVD discs. Can do 8.5" x 11", 8" x 10", 5" x 7", and 4" x 6". Easy slider on the top. Two USB ports. Six ink cartridges - black is about $20, each color is about $13 (at Staples). Prints well on both glossy and matte.

$99 at Staples, with some nice rebate type things. I paid less than $100 shipped from Newegg, iirc. Great little printer.

Oh, the IPx000 series from Canon can print on both sides of the paper, its pretty nifty.

IIRC, the 1500 doesn't have tha feature

yeah, afaik its just the IPx000 series - IP3000, IP4000, and IP5000 (Pixmas).

 

[bob4432]

i recently purchased a canon pixma ip3000 for $80 to replace an aging epson photo 780. this canon printer is one of the best deals i have ever bought. just for kicks, i went to some of the digial camera makers/reviewers and d/l some of their high res sample photos from the camera i just ordered - a canon s70 and needless to say, these prints look every bit as good as a mini lab. the 2 sided printing is excellent ableit a little slow. ink consumption is minimal. i have already printed out about 300pages of text and the black is still showng full. i have printed quite a few borderless 8.5x11 pics at full resolution and all the ink cartridges are still showing full. when i had my epson, if i didn't print every day, the damn thing would clog and i would waste 1/2 the ink just to get it cleaned again. i also have a laser printer and the text output from this inkjet is very close to the laser, although not exact. you will not notice this unless you look at the text from the inkjet very close. all in all, for the price of the ip3000 i don't think you can find a better bang for the buck.

 

[Zepper]

Newegg has got the iP3000 on their one-day sale again - $67.25 shipped!

.bh.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Zepper

Newegg has got the iP3000 on their one-day sale again - $67.25 shipped!

.bh.

damn, what a steal

 

[hamidjunior]

Hey CrumpledMidget, I had R300 for..eehhh..4 month. Works great. It is super for printing DVDs (printable inkjet surface), that's why I got it pretty much. Prints borderless pictures great also.

Often there is an issue with the CD/DVD tray It gets stuck the very first time u use it. Most of the time u can fix it, just be patient. Some people even send it back because of it, but they probably shouldn't have. Ink vise, it says already for a month I am running out, but I'm still printing DVDs, Pictures and other stuff with no prob. (complete set with extra black u should get for about $30-$40)...so do the math.

One thing, do yourself a favour, use this printer for color purposes only, if u can. Black there is just for use with other colors . It prints black n white slow and not that perfect. Spend extra 100 and get yourself a simple laser printer for black n white. But if u r on the budget, R300 will work for everything good and especially color stuff great. Hope helped

 

[Erasmus-X]

If you don't need card readers and end up going Epson, get the R200 instead of the R300. That's essentially the only difference between the two models.

 

[kini62]

Another vote for Canon Pixma series. I have the 5000 and it's great. Pixmas are the fastest phoo printers, nearly the fastest text and the cheapest consumables.

Photos only, and you don't care about cost- then Epson R800-

 

[ChaosPhoenix]

I've got the IP4000, and I love the results I get. Many photos (especially outdoor) I can't tell the slightest difference between the Pixima and a professional lab.

 

[tjmjr]

There is a $20 dollar rebate on all of the canon ip series printers.

Link