Whats a decent budget printer i could buy?

[UsandThem]

Canon PIXMA i2000. Nice prints, only two ink cartridges that are cheap to replace.

 

[Macro2]

RE:"Why would one pay $12. PLUS shipping on tylermartin.com for a set of tanks for the i560/iP3000 when one can buy the same set of tanks for $11. shipped on eBay (USAinkjet store - an alias for Tyler-Martin)???"


Good point...
When you call Tylermartin just tell them.
you're calling their ebay store.



http://search.ebay.com/usa-ink...Z1QQcoentrypageZsearch

 

[Goi]

Canons have traditionally been the cheapest per page, and their ink catridges last pretty long too. I've owned 2 Canons and 2 Epsons, and I'll definitely go back to Canon for my next printer.

However, the newe Pixma series seems to be a step backwards from the older i-series that it replaces. Other than the "duplex printing" feature which is kinda nifty and convenient, my new IP3000 printouts aren't as good, fast or silent as my older i560 ones.

 

[Macro2]

Goi,
Interesting. I thought the ip3000 and i560 had the same print engine. Are you using the same ink and paper?

 

[Goi]

Well different paper, but I've used all sorts of paper for both printers and the IP3000 consistently produces worse printouts. The inks are original Canons that came with the printer, I haven't had to replace them yet. Anyway these are just my experiences, though I've heard/read similar comments elsewhere. YMMV.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Goi
Well different paper, but I've used all sorts of paper for both printers and the IP3000 consistently produces worse printouts. The inks are original Canons that came with the printer, I haven't had to replace them yet. Anyway these are just my experiences, though I've heard/read similar comments elsewhere. YMMV.

canon printers have best results with canon paper, prints on the kodak and fuji crystal archive paper is amazing also but its really expensive, stick wiuth canon paper for the stuff you can find every day

 

[Macro2]

Well I do remember now that they made some changes to the pixma printheads.
I also heard that the i950 printed better than the i960.

Interestingly the ip5000 supposedly replaces the i960 but the i960 had 6 carts and the new ip5000 has only 5. But the ip5000 is the first 1 picolitre, 9600 dpi printer. I've yet to see a print from one though. Supposed to have no grain.

 

[Goi]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Goi
Well different paper, but I've used all sorts of paper for both printers and the IP3000 consistently produces worse printouts. The inks are original Canons that came with the printer, I haven't had to replace them yet. Anyway these are just my experiences, though I've heard/read similar comments elsewhere. YMMV.

canon printers have best results with canon paper, prints on the kodak and fuji crystal archive paper is amazing also but its really expensive, stick wiuth canon paper for the stuff you can find every day

The interesting thing is that I've never had Canon paper. I've always used generic paper, and over the course of ownership of both printers, I've used several different brands, and the IP3000 consistently produces more feathering/bleeding on text printouts than the i560, regardless of print mode. Also, the IP3000's draft mode prints stuff in dithered gray, compared to the i560 where stuff are still black and acceptable.

I'm not saying the IP3000 is crap, it's probably still better than the competition, but the i560 was just that much better. Its text printouts were incredibly sharp, almost laser like.

 

[Zepper]

I think it's the iP6000D that replaces the i960. My last Canon was the i450 and my iP3000 prints at least as good as that did plus I don't have to change ink tanks as often. Have you all that are having print problems removed the original drivers and replaced them with the new version(s) that have been on Canon's web site for a while??? They include several things that I'm not sure were available in the original drivers e.g. a setting to raise the head to allow for thicker paper (perhaps a CD could be attempted???) and another to allow you to do manual head alignment as well as the automated procedure. Anyway, mine worked better after installing the new drivers.
iP3000 v1.80a Printer Driver for Windows XP:
iP3000 v1.80a Printer Driver for Windows 2000
iP3000 v8.41 Printer Driver for Windows 98
iP3000 v8.41 Printer Driver for Windows Me
iP3000 v2.6.1 Printer Driver for Mac OS X
iP3000 v5.00a Printer Driver for Mac OS 9.x

iP3000 driver page

.bh.
Rain, rain GO AWAY!!!

 

[Pretty Cool]

For what it is worth, Cnet's review echo's the opinion that the 3000 is worse than the 560.

Canon Pixma iP3000
Editors' rating: 6.7 Fair
The good: Plenty fast; PictBridge compatible; dual paper trays.
The bad: Slightly slower than its big brother; mediocre output.
What's it for: Printing text, graphics, and photos.
Who's it for: Penny-pinching small businesses; multitasking families; students.
The bottom line: It's worth spending more for better photo quality and slightly faster print speeds.


Canon i560
Editors' rating: 8.4 Very good
The good: Inexpensive; fast; excellent text print quality; good photo print quality; useful features; clean, compact design.
The bad: Some trouble printing mixed text-and-graphics documents; warranty and free support last only a year.
The bottom line: This color inkjet is an excellent value for families, students, job seekers, and, of course, digital photo nuts

 

[Erasmus-X]

99% of every ink jet printer you'll encounter on the market today doesn't come packaged with an interface (i.e. USB, Firewire, etc.) cable. You'll likely need to buy one.

The Pixma iP3000 uses individual color cartridges so cost-per-print isn't drastic, even when using OEM cartridges.

Generally, you'll just want to avoid the super-cheap models that use small black and "tricolor" cartridges (like the low-end Lexmark and HP printers). You'll end up spending lots of $$$ on ink for subpar prints.

 

[NightCrawler]

Originally posted by: Nick5324
I must be crazy, b/c everyone thinks of having seperate color ink carts is a big plus, since you don't waste the remaining ink of two colors when one runs out. I've had both seperate and tri-color printers, and i've found the color ink runs out fairly close together (for me anyway). Therefore, i end up buying the 3 ink tanks all together anyway. Bottom line, instead of getting a generic tricolor for say $8, i have to buy 3 seperate colors at $5 each. If the ip3000 had the tricolor, i would've picked one up already, but since it doesn't, i've passed. I wish the IP2000 didn't cost MORE than the 3000, sigh.

There is more ink in the seperate tanks which can print more pages. The single tanks can print 500 pages or so, the older tri-color tanks were good for maybe 150 pages if you were lucky.

If I recall when talking to Canon the separate tanks hold 27 ml while the old tricolor held 9 ml, so three times as much.

 

[Erasmus-X]

The iP6000D actually replaces the i900D. They're based on the same print engines, use the same cartridges, and offer card slots and LCDs. The iP6000 most notably adds the dual paper path feature (you can do duplexing in a printer that's under $200 - suck that, HP).

The iP5000 is an entirely new product design-wise (as far as price point is concerned, it takes the place of the i960 in the model lineup). It's currently the only printer on the market with a 1-picoliter droplet size. Because the droplets are so small, light-intensity (i.e. LC and LM) inks are not needed.

 

[Zepper]

"Night of the Living Dead"

Note that this thread died three months ago...

.bh.

Here, have another :beer: !