Fill-in Printer - Quick Opinions?

[bayhli]

While I'm waiting for the Canon IP 6600 to become available up here in the great white north, I've decided to pick up a middle of the road printer as well and save the 6600 for my good photo print jobs.

Anyone have a quick recommendation? I want photos to be decent but only for practice and fun cards and stuff for my grandchildren, as well as for word perfect documents and graphics for office work I do at home. Canon or Epson is what I have in mind - Canon preferred. QUIET operation is a must-have !!

Thanks - on my way out of town and want to pick up one today while I'm in the bigger town.

Thanks so much!!

[Carbone]

You know, I'd look for another Canon, and especially one which would make use of the same ink cartridges as the iP6600. You'll only have one set of consumables to be concerned about :)

Ray

[bayhli]

Hmmmm.... that's a good thought Ray. I have a little time yet so I'll check out the Canon site.

It just struck me that I'm probably looking for one with a less number of cartridges than the IP 6600. Ahh - I don't really know what I'm talking about so better head for the Canon site and see what's there. :confused:

Thanks Ray:)

[Carbone]

I think the Pixma IP3000 would do the work, only the Black cartridge is different.

Ray

[bayhli]

Geez I'm glad you are online today Ray.

I was down to comparing the IP3000 and the IP 62100 when I read your latest message. They are the same price range.

If the store doesn't stock the IP3000 will the 62100 use the same cartridges and do the job?

How the heck are you figuring out what cartridges they use and especially if they are the same as the 6600?

[Carbone]

Oops.. I read wrong. I read 6000 instead of 6600. The 6600 uses Chroma life cartridges.

The 3200 uses BCI-6e cartridges. It's on the Canon Canada website, under specifications.

So, in this case, any other Canon will do because few Canon uses the Chroma Life inks as of today. And a second, Chroma Life compatible printer would probably cost you almost as much as the 6600.

The low cost Canon uses one tri-colour catridge (and sometimes one black cartridge).

Sorry for the confusion :(

Ray

[bayhli]

Well, I finally ended up ordering the PIXMA IP6600 I've been wanting rather than a fill-in. No one had anything worth buying off the shelf for a fill-in so I'll wait on that.

The seller had an IP6000 the same as yours and could have tempted me but he would not reduce the price. And then cries because it's still sitting in his shop. :rolleyes: So for the same money I went with the newer model. It should be here this Friday or the following Monday. Thank God it's finally available up here... well, sort of. Always you wait! But at least I can plan some photo printing now.

Thanks for all the advice Ray! My personal Santa has the Spyder Plus for me (counting the days until Xmas and I can use it) so I should just about be set for awhile.

[Carbone]

I think the IP6600 uses ChromaLife inks.. right..? If so, you'll get long lasting prints :)

Ray

[bayhli]

Yes it does use ChromaLife inks - I ordered an extra set with the printer but will have to compare that price with Ebay.

I was buying all my ink cartridges from Ebay and even with customs and the exchange it was way cheaper. I was getting them all the way from Britain many times and still saving a bundle.

As for a fill-in printer I have an Epson C62 here that has hardly been used. It ran out of paper and now I can't get it to print. The cartridges are brand new so I know that's not stopping it. I got really frustrated with it and uninstalled it but I'm going to try reinstalling and see if I can get it to work. I almost feel if there was a reset button for the yum yum it would begin working again:) There's no reason I can see for it not to work.

I'll be so so happy when all my equipment is efficient again!

[Carbone]

Pat,

Try to clean the print head, one of them might be clogged. I know it's in the driver or the Epson utility, but I don't know it at all for Windows.

Ray

[bayhli]

It won't even let me use the cleaning utility Ray - it totally just shut down. I'll try reinstalling it and see if that changes anything. This is why I've left Epson!

[Carbone]

Warning : The next question is probably going to sound stupid :)

Is this an USB or Parallel printer? If Parallel, you might want to check the cable, at both ends, because if memory serves me well, those printer needed to be physically connected (with a working connection) to power up normally.

(you said it was old, hence the old technology question!)

Ray

[bayhli]

It's USB Ray - not that old I guess.

Not a stupid question at all....I shouldn't have used that term as it's only 2-3 years old but old in terms of their upgrades.

[Carbone]

One last thing that comes to mind... check that all print cartridges are firmly in place (those you can see if the print head is parked in an unreachable region).

Ray

[bayhli]

Thanks Ray - good thought. I'm going to reinstall tonite and work on it. Have to have LOTS of patience so I don't lose it with this thing!

[Carbone]

I got an Epson a few days ago and all went very smooth, so I will cross my finders for you :) x x (I tried to simulate a finger crossed icon.. hahaha!)

Ray

[bayhli]

I actually noticed you had an Epson from your equipment description below your message signature. You surprised me, I thought you were strictly canon:cool:

[Carbone]

I was, untill I wanted to print my own CDs and DVDs... Sticking a label is out of the question, so an Epson was in order. They're the only one I know which can print on discs.

Also, I had a rebate coupon from Staples which made the purchase very affordable. As well as a mail-in rebate from Epson :)

Rest assured, I'm not forgetting the Canon :D

Ray

[bayhli]

Well I fixed that Epson C62 right up:) I went for broke and took the cover off and there were two major wire sets just hanging there - of course once reconnected everything worked just fine. Well....not exactly fine - what a piece of junk! Noisy and clunky and just burns up the ink. I found some websites aside from Epson that help with fixes and the Epsons are actually famous for the printer thinking there are paper jams when there are not & I did think that was the problem so took it apart to inspect and clean it. Turned out to be an easy fix but no more epsons for this girl! Scarey what I was reading.

Having said that I still like my old, and this one is really old, Epson Stylus 880. I was reading that you can flush out the head so I think I'm going to give that a try some day and see if I can hang onto it. It works really good and the quality is great for an oldtimer - it's just leaving black marks on the paper so not too useful. Come to think of it the web site also mentioned empyting some ink wells or something so there are a few things to try. I'm convinced I clogged the head by using outdated ink so that's something I'll never do again either. It was fine until I did that.

And the best news is that my Canon IP6600 is supposed to be delivered to me tomorrow. Had it picked up today and it is being brought into town for me. Hopefully that's the end of my printing problems! Can't wait.

Thought I'd let you know how things ended up since you were so much help as always. Thanks again!

[Carbone]

Pat,

Have you ordered some paper to go with the Canon? Here are a few of my favourites :

- Photo Paper Plus Glossy or Ilford Smooth Pearl. They're not exactly identical but the finish is kind of similar
- Matte Photo Paper (very inexpensive and gives good results)

Of course, if you can afford it, the Pro paper is just gorgeous (but very expensive especially when trying to learn the new printer).

Getting a new printer is always soooo exciting !!! :D

Oh.. did you have a USB 2.0 (or USB HiSpeed) cable? As I recall, the printer doesn't come with one.

Ray

[bayhli]

Oh shoot, I never thought of good paper. Thanks for the suggestions I'll have to get some. I do have a USB cable; I'll have to look into the high speed USB you mentioned. I didn't know there was high speed and I assume that means it communicates faster? Boy, the dealers up here don't offer any info at all...no competition in these small towns so they don't have to put out any extra effort to get your business. I was shocked at how fast the new printer came once it was ordered, that was nice.

Thanks Ray!

[NMarti]

Ray
Where do you get the photo paper from? I'm currently using Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper for normal printing I want to keep and National Geographic Professional High Definition Photo Paper Ultra Gloss and it is AWSOME but pricey. I only use it for the absolute final no more correction archival prints.;) I'm interest in the pearl finish you spoke of as I do like a soft satiny sheen but can't find a real good quality paper.

[Carbone]

Pat :

It's either indicated on the cable or on the box of the cable... HiSpeed (or USB 2.0) makes sending those 40mb TIFF to the printer a lot faster!!

Nancy :

That Ilford paper I spoke of, I get it a local camera shops. They sells the whole line of Ilford. You can find them on the web as well. If cannot locate a dealer, drop a line at their customer service. I'm sure they'll be able to help :

http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/homeng.html

Ray

[bayhli]

Ray,
If the box indicates the printer uses a high speed cable and mine is just a regular cable, will it hurt the printer to use it with the regular cable until I get the high speed?

I'll have to look for an online supplier for the paper - I usually prefer Matte but the pearl sounds really nice for good photos - if I ever produce any:rolleyes: !

Nancy,

If you use Ebay at all there is Ilford pearl on there; not sure how prices compare. The shipping will be too pricey to Canada for it to be worthwhile for me but it will be more reasonable for you since you're in the U.S.

[jo]

Nancy, try Epson Premium Luster or Epson Premium Semi-gloss. The premium glossy makes great prints, but I like the other two for portraits.

[Bayla]

Ray,

You mentioned that you switched to an Epson printer because you can't print directly on CDs with a Canon. Well my Canon (i965) can print directly onto CDs, not that I've ever used it yet!

Bayla

[Carbone]

Pat : No, it won't hurt the printer. It'll only take a bit longer to send the information to the printer. That's all!

Bayla : In North America, Epson has a patent on the CD /*DVD printing process. Canon and others can't offer it. Though I just learned that with a bit of a tweaking, I could have got my iP6000D to print CDs and DVDs... !! :twisted:

I have not abandoned my Canon printer. In fact, I just print my December calendar on it a few days ago. It's just that it's not connected to my own computer anymore. It's connected to my friend's and I can use it via network or directly with a memory card. Joys of tech :)

Ray

[bayhli]

OK - I guess I'll be the one to ask the stupid question - how is it possible for a printer to print on a CD? Do you mean it prints labels for CD's? Never heard of such a thing :confused:

[jo]

My Epson has a little tray that holds the cd in place and feeds it into the printer. You have to buy printable cd's and dvd's. They have a white surface for printing.

[NMarti]

Pat - thanks for the tip. I check Ilford's site and did the locate a store and found that a shop about 10 miles from me has it. I go there about once a month anyway to shop so it's not a big deal to stop in and check it out. My Epson uses a tray that is inserted into a slot behind a drop-down door on the front of the printer. It pulls the tray all the way through and then prints as it pushes it back out the front. I really like it and the cost has come down considerably on the printable CD's/DVD's. I found a place where I can get 100 printable DVD's for $40 US. They were about $100 when I first got the printer.

Jo - I have used all types of Epson and like all the papers. I mainly use the Premium Glossy Photo but HP used to have a matte finish that actually was slick like glossy and had a satiny finish - I really liked it but they stopped making it and I have not really spent much time looking for a replacement until now. I'm going to have my husband pick up a pack of Ilford and see what I think.

[Bayla]

Pat,

My Canon has the same as Jo's Epson, a little tray that clips on & that feeds the CD in to be printed. One day I'll get around to using it......

Bayla

[bayhli]

Well I'll be darned - I sure didn't know a CD was able to be printed on. I've seen those white discs and never really thought anything about it! Now that would be handy.

p.s. it was Ray who recommended the Ilford paper and their site. I hope I can find someone who sells it around here.