Looking for a good Photo printer. Any advice?

Pigchild

I know this is wrong, but I need a top quality photo printer that also does Fax and Scan. Is it even possible to get top quality prints from an all in one printer? I hear that most suck at photo.

Thanks for any advice.

Finchwizard

Not an All in one.

You'd be better off getting some of the new Canon Pixma's they released during PMA.

And people still fax things? Wow, ancient technology.

As for scanners, be better off having standalone one anyway.

Pigchild · 02-09-2008, 07:10 | posts: 2,265 | Location: Memphis TN

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finchwizard

Not an All in one.

You'd be better off getting some of the new Canon Pixma's they released during PMA.

And people still fax things? Wow, ancient technology.

As for scanners, be better off having standalone one anyway.

Believe me dude, I wouldn't own a fax either except a lot of my lame customers don't even have a computer.

It's kind of a shame that Cannon doesn't offer a killer photo all in one unit.
You would think there would be a market for that kind of thing.

My friend has an HP all in one, but damn that thing prints the worst photos I have ever seen. I don't want to waste my cash on that crap.

Finchwizard

If your doing photos you're really better off sending them to an actual photo place to be printed.

Then it's just REALLY good photo quality.

And just buy one of the other all in one things.

hypnotoad24 · 02-09-2008, 08:35 | posts: 275 | Location: Toronto

Not quite a complete (no fax) solution for ya... but this recent article caught my eye:

http://www.dailytech.com/Kodaks+New+...rticle6001.htm

Looking forward to seeing how well these babies deliver on their promise.

Quality wise, yeah, give me a Canon PIXMA Pro9000 anyday (if I didn't have it's almost similar smaller brother, the discontinued IP8500 ^^).

Dustpuppy · 07-30-2010, 03:31 | posts: 4,141

Time to necro this thread. I need an all in one printer (sorry finch) and I'd really like to know the best around $200. fax/scan/print/copy & wireless usage will be home office (real estate).

I'm looking at the epson artisan 810. I looked up the cost of ink per page for it and the pixma 870 & found the epson to be about 25%-30% cheaper ink 3.1 cents vs 4 cents for black. I also looked at the kodak 5250 because the black ink was 2.1 cents per page but the quality turned me off & the color ink comes as a single pack.

should I get the artisan or something else? no HP printers please

thanks!

ShadowMyth · 07-30-2010, 03:48 | posts: 3,396 | Location: West Chester, PA

I bought a Canon Pixma MP620 for really cheap last year. I decided against spending a lot since I rarely use a printer but it's nice to have one around when you need it. The printing quality is fairly good for the MP series, wireless setup is a pain but works flawlessly once setup, build quality is top notch, & the scanner is great. Sorry I can't speak directly about the model your looking at but I thought I'd comment on the brand.

PCthug · *Last edited by PCthug; 07-30-2010 at 14:36.*

Dont just look at the ink prices alone.
Look at the ink quantities.

I once bought compatable ink due to it being lots cheaper, only to discover it had no where near the quantity of ink inside the cartridge as the originals do.

kanej2007 · 07-30-2010, 13:55 | posts: 5,700 | Location: Dubai, UAE / London, UK

You could also go for an Epson printer, their excellent and I've seen them all the time advertised in photography magazines...

They have a very high reputation, just as good as Canon, if not better...

However, as everybody else said, you will NOT get an all in one printer that has stunning photos.

Should you want the best, get a printer only, not a 3 in 1...

Dustpuppy · 07-30-2010, 18:24 | posts: 4,141

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCthug

Dont just look at the ink prices alone.
Look at the ink quantities.

I once bought compatible ink due to it being lots cheaper, only to discover it had no where near the quantity of ink inside the cartridge as the originals do.

I went with the prices direct from the manufacturer & pages by the 247111 standard test.

kanej2007 · 07-30-2010, 18:26 | posts: 5,700 | Location: Dubai, UAE / London, UK

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustpuppy

I went with the prices direct from the manufacturer & pages by the 247111 standard test.

That's exactly why I no longer have or use a printer since it's CHEAPER to buy a whole new printer with cartridges than to replace the ink...

PCthug · 07-30-2010, 18:50 | posts: 2,160 | Location: Durham, UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanej2007

That's exactly why I no longer have or use a printer since it's CHEAPER to buy a whole new printer with cartridges than to replace the ink...

Depends on which printer you have.

I use an A3 Canon Pixma Pro9000 II, and it cost almost £400.
It has 8 inks and i can get them for about £11 each (originals). Thats still almost £90 for a full set though

I used to have an Epson 1290 A3 printer and used a continuous ink system, that wasnt to bad to be honest and FAR cheaper.

The thing with new printers is that it is rare that you get full cartridges with them, so are forced to buy new ones.

kanej2007 · 08-10-2010, 00:00 | posts: 5,700 | Location: Dubai, UAE / London, UK

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCthug

Depends on which printer you have.

I use an A3 Canon Pixma Pro9000 II, and it cost almost £400.
It has 8 inks and i can get them for about £11 each (originals). Thats still almost £90 for a full set though

I used to have an Epson 1290 A3 printer and used a continuous ink system, that wasnt to bad to be honest and FAR cheaper.

The thing with new printers is that it is rare that you get full cartridges with them, so are forced to buy new ones.

I have a Canon printer, great printer only the cartridges cost around £24 each!!!

Dustpuppy · 08-10-2010, 01:48 | posts: 4,141

Got the Epson 810; going to have to get some photo paper and test it out.

Love the interface on it though, makes it look stylish.

fischju · 08-10-2010, 01:59 | posts: 2,085

Printers with 5+ separate cartridges are a better deal I think, they are more ink efficient and you can take advantage of recycling/discount programs on every individual one as they run out. Printers like this, and what I recommend for photo printing (not necessarily an all-in-one model) are the HP Photosmart series of printers.

PCthug · 08-10-2010, 05:34 | posts: 2,160 | Location: Durham, UK.

The Gadget Show had a 'Top 5' section on printers on last nights show.
I dont necessarily agree with their result, but it gives you an idea, and worth watching.

Svein_Skogen · 08-10-2010, 06:17 | posts: 1,284 | Location: Skedsmokorset, Norway

First of all, I'd seriously advise you separate the actual fax part from the printer. With todays spam-by-fax environment (it's as bad as mail), you want your "fax machine" to be a modem with a pc, that takes incoming faxes and dumps them as .pdf files somewhere you can sort them before wasting toner/ink and paper.

The rest of the all-in-one-with-acceptable-photo should be in the Canon MP9x0 range. In addition to my Xerox Phaser (for bulk prints), my selphy (for postcards) and my Pixma Pro9000mkII (for large prints), I have an old MP970, but that has been replaced by 980 and 990. These beasts do a very good job, both at scanning and printing.

Using such a split setup for faxing is as easy as scanning, and then using the fax modem (on your fax pc) as a remote printer.

//Svein

damien666 · 08-10-2010, 19:16 | posts: 11,834 | Location: nottingham, uk

watch the gadget show ep2 on catup matey from yesterday they did a review on them

Technot · 08-11-2010, 01:12 | posts: 113 | Location: Australia..N.S.W..

All in one isn't the best option if you plan on selling your prints.

Get a good pro quality stand alone A3+ printer.. I use the Epson pro R1900. Great prints..

Then if you need a scanner. Get a stand alone scanner.

If your going to sell your prints. You will need great results from your printer. The better you buy. The better the prints. The more you'll sell.