what type printer

[pap]

I don't know if this is the place to ask this type of question,but here goes. I have the Elements 6 version on a Windows Vista program. What we would like to know is, What's a good printer to use to get execllent color prints? Would it be inkjet or lazer.And what the better brands that won't take a huge bite out of pockets?

Thank to all Future Help
Pap

[Jeff Perry]

Pap, in general for an "entry-level" purchase, if you will be printing photgraphs you will want to stick with an inkjet printer. That being said, the next thing to decide is how big of a print do you want to make.

Desktop printers from famous makers, e.g., Canon, HP, and Epson, will have the widest range of support for different types of paper, and each printer will have limits as to the maximum size it will print, most being 8.5 X 11. If you need larger print output, say you need to do 12X12 scrapbook pages, then you will need to look at printer capable of outputting to 13X19, and that type of printer will take up more desktop real estate and cost more than a smaller printer.

Remarkably, you will get excellent quality from very inexpensive printers from the big three and even from the "also rans". But if you stick with Canon, Epson or HP you can be assured of finding ink and paper that matches the printer.

I personally use a Canon Pixma ip4200 that I think has been replaced by the ip4300, and am very satisfied with the output. I would love to have a 13X19 printer but just don't have the room for it.

Also keep in mind the cost of ink and paper. I personally always recommend staying with the manufacturers brand of ink and never refill my ink cartridges. Others I'm sure will disagree. Some printers have multiple color cartridges, e.g., yellow, magenta, cyan, black, etc., and some put all the colors into a single cartridge. The latter will waste ink because the printer will stop printing when one color runs out of the tri-color cartridge, and you end up throwing the balance of the unused ink away that is still in the cartridge.

As for paper, I use a lot of Canon stock, but also specialty papers. Try to find a paper that works for your output AND that has ICC profiles created for your printer. Photoshop/Elements likes to manage color in the printer, and uses ICC profile instructions to better understand what paper it is outputting to. Many excellent 3rd party paper makers provide profiles, but don't necessarily support all printers, so sometimes it is trial and error (emphasis on the "lots of error"). I tend to buy "sample packs" of 3rd party paper (most 3rd party paper manufacturers sell them) and you can play with them to see if they work for you before springing for 25 or 50 sheets only to find they don't work for you.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[mschall]

I am very happy with my wide format Epson Stylus Photo 1400. It wasn't super expensive and prints up to 13 X 19. I print a lot of 12 X 12 pages and it is perfect. I used to keep 2 printers and only use my previous wide format (a HP that gave me trouble from day 1) for large prints and use my Epson Stylus Photo R200 (another excellent printer) for everything else. I am definitely an Epson fan. I could tell a couple horror stories about HP. I'm sure there are lots of HP fans out there, though.

[billd2]

Pap, not much else to say after Jeffs recommendations which are excellent. I have two Canon printers, one for 8 x10s and one for 13x19 prints. The problems I have had are small ones and if I buy another I will stick with Canon, however I am sure HP and Epson are also good printers.

[rubeelou]

I have a Canon MP830 and I am very happy with it, I always use the right ink have learnt the hard way before.

[pap]

I wish to say "Thank You" to all that's replied. This will aid in making our decisions.*Thanks AgainPap

[MazG]

With regard to ink, check out whether the printer has separate ink cartridges for each color or one cartridge that has several colors. If the ink cartridges are separate, you only replace what you actually use up, if there are several colors in one cartridge you replace as soon as the first color runs out even though you may still have ink left in the other colors. Separate ink cartridges are generally considered more economical.

Another thing to watch for (if you are comparing a couple of printers) is the size of the ink cartridge vs. it's cost. Some cartridges contain a lot more ink than others for similar cost and so generally are a better deal.

Printer manufacturers make little if no money on printers and make all their money on ink and paper. Even so, I do not recommend refilling cartridges because a) you invalidate the warranty, b) you are not getting the best quality, c) all archival ratings are out the window.

With paper it is a little different, I have never heard of a printer manufacturer invalidating warranty because of paper although I have seen many print heads damaged especially when using recycled paper which tends to shed easily with particles clogging up the print head (I used to own/operate a computer retail store and this was incredibly common). Again, quality is compromised and you can judge that for yourself although if you use a competitors paper of similar type (designed for similar ink, dye vs. pigment) then you probably won't notice it a great deal.

[pap]

"Thank You" for this info on the ink, and I did't know about the recycled paper.

Regards
Pap

[patkc2000]

What we would like to know is, What's a good printer to use to get execllent color prints? Would it be inkjet or lazer.And what the better brands that won't take a huge bite out of pockets?
Pap

Pap,
I just bought the August issue of PCWorld. It has an excellent section on the top 10 printers with rankings, prices, performance and features.

An added incentive to buy the magazine is their article on ink, manufacturers inks as opposed to third party inks. It rates the inks by longevity, fading and cost.

Very informative if you're still in the market for a printer.
Pat

[cats4jan]

I like my Epson R800 - it's maximum width is 8.5 inches (I print my scrapbook pages at 8x8). It has 8 ink cartridges - I feel adding magenta and cyan to blue and red - adds depth of color. It also has two blacks - photo and matte - and a gloss optimizer for coating the photos.

I am into quality first and foremost - I use only Epson paper and Epson ink. My scrapbook pages are truly remarkable.

My favorite paper for scrapbooking is now semi-gloss - it makes a wonderful scrapbook page.

For greeting cards I like matte.

For photos, I like glossy.

You will probably feel compelled to "save" your ink for those good projects, but if you don't run an inkjet printer with any amount of regularity, the jets tend to clog because they dry up. You can run your junk printing at fast mode or draft mode - to save ink - but at least the jets will be kept clear because you are using them. I'd print - at the least - a couple of times a week.

[Laughing Dragon]

I'm curious about printers too. I won't be printing photos, but color artwork. Can anyone recommend a good (and inexpensive printer) for that? Thanks!

[Sepiana]

What we would like to know is, What's a good printer to use to get execllent color prints? Would it be inkjet or lazer.And what the better brands that won't take a huge bite out of pockets?


Pap,

You may want to check this link for reviews of printers.

http://www.pcmag.com/search_results/0%2C1208%2C%2C00.asp?qry=printers&section=&site=3

Also, the August issue of PC magazine devotes its Buying Guide section to printers --"Prints Charming"

[Abby]

Another thing to consider when choosing a printer...

Ink durability (http://www.pcworld.com/article/147267-4/www.idgconnect.com)

This PC World article concludes that Epson inks will retain their color better over time than other inks tested. Too bad they didn't include HP inks. I'd be very interested to see how they compare since they're certainly one of the top selling printer brands.

I'd almost decided on a Canon MP850 but after reading this article I decided against it.

[SharLamb]

Janice, I see that you have an Epson R800. I have a few questions for you:

1. Can you feed heavy cardstock thru it? One of my main uses for a printer is making greeting cards. The printer I have now will not take most of my cardstock.

2. I see that it loads paper from the back. I have ALWAYS had front-loading printers, and wonder if this was easy to adjust to.

3. One of the reviews I read complained that the output tray was flimsy. Has that been a problem for you?

4. How much do the ink cartridges cost?

5. It seems like a complex machine. I need something that I can hit the ground running with. Do I need to study a manual to make this work?

Thanks,
Shar
who is fed up with her HP C5180