Decent Printer?

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iainokane

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iain
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I'm fairly new to photography and I have recently bought a Canon EOS 450 D. I have been on a course and I am addicted!!

I want to buy a good printer that prints decent quality photographs of different sizes. any suggestions??
 
Iain, do a quick search m8, that question gets asked very often. Mind you you'll probably end up confused with all the answers.
 
I have an epson R2880 and can thoroughly recommend it if its in your budget.
Cost of ink has to be factored in though as well ;)
 
I think with printing one must seriously consider the question whether to go DIY or use a service provider. The cost of inks is considerable, I have an Epson R2440 and although I only print a few B/W A3s, all the colour inks have disappeared with head cleaning.

Nowadays with highly automated professional printers it should be easy to find a reliable provider. The only thing you must ensure is that the file you hand over is of the best quality and is exactly what you want. Unlike the old wet processing days digital printing is a high tech process rather than an art form. A commercial quality printer with the right profiles for the paper will turn out the goods whoever presses the button.

Brian
 
I use a Canon multifunction MX850 (A4) which produces great results and a Canon Pro 9000 MKII (A3) which I love.

What is your budget and will you use need to use the printer for other purposes than just priting photos? EG, printing letters/text, photocopying, fax, scanning, etc....

I used the MX850 for a year before I purchased the 9000 MKII, and think it is a fantastic little printer. Both printers use the same cartidges which is a bonus for me, but you are looking at about £50 a time to replace all the inks, not that they all go at once though.

Really need to know your budget and if you need to use it for other purposes.

John.
 
canon 9000 - a3 is definitely the way to go for the better inks - though you need a bit of space

my experience is to stay clear of the epsons if you don't use regularly - they can clog easily
 
I use a HP B series and it's great......but not cheap. £500 for the printer and £28 a cart and it has 8 of the blighters. Just spent £102 on ink to make sure I don't run out of anything over Christmas!

It does produce some stunning stuff though. :)

I tend to print at A3 or A3+ for clients, it's nicer than A4 and because many people top out at A4 it's just that little bit, well...more professional looking ;) I'll often give a couple their favourite wedding pic as a gift and they can have it framed, nice warm fuzzy stuff!

For anything smaller I use DSCL (DS Colour Labs) online printing and it's here in 2 days.

Togsprint (Run by Lee here) also has a very good reputation :)
 
AliB said:
I use a HP B series and it's great......but not cheap. £500 for the printer and £28 a cart and it has 8 of the blighters. Just spent £102 on ink to make sure I don't run out of anything over Christmas!

It does produce some stunning stuff though. :)

I tend to print at A3 or A3+ for clients, it's nicer than A4 and because many people top out at A4 it's just that little bit, well...more professional looking ;) I'll often give a couple their favourite wedding pic as a gift and they can have it framed, nice warm fuzzy stuff!

For anything smaller I use DSCL (DS Colour Labs) online printing and it's here in 2 days.

Togsprint (Run by Lee here) also has a very good reputation :)
Click to expand...

Check out cityinkexpress.co.uk the CISS will save you a mint Which model have you got?
 
It's a B9180 and thanks for that I'll take a look. My main problem with a CISS is space. At the moment the printer is on top of a bookcase at about waist height so a nice height to work at but no room for anything unless I can put the CISS inside the bookcase! Goes off for a rummage! :)
 
AliB said:
I use a HP B series and it's great......but not cheap. £500 for the printer and £28 a cart and it has 8 of the blighters. Just spent £102 on ink to make sure I don't run out of anything over Christmas!

It does produce some stunning stuff though. :)

I tend to print at A3 or A3+ for clients, it's nicer than A4 and because many people top out at A4 it's just that little bit, well...more professional looking ;) I'll often give a couple their favourite wedding pic as a gift and they can have it framed, nice warm fuzzy stuff!

For anything smaller I use DSCL (DS Colour Labs) online printing and it's here in 2 days.

Togsprint (Run by Lee here) also has a very good reputation :)
Click to expand...

I also have a HP 9180 and love it to bits. Print quality is excellent and I do a lot of A3 & A3+ prints for people. Ali is right about the inks being expensive but I have found that they last. I also do a lot of B & W prints and the printer is great for these.

Ali, have you tried the Silver Cross paper from Calumet (sold under the Brilliant name). B & W prints have an almost metalic sheen. Lots of people have commented on this and how great the prints look.

Chris :)
 
I use Brilliant Matt normally so I'll have to try the silver cross, not seen it in my local branch but not been in for a couple of months. (best for the bank balance if I stay away!)

I'll have to investigate the CISS system though, that looks like it could be a fantastic addition and I like the fact that the do both dye and pigment. The original HP's are pigment based inks and although expensive it does produce great prints. I might have to have a go at the pigment based CISS. At £170 it gets the cart costs down from £28 to £5. It also comes with a full set of inks (100ml each) which would be the equivalent of £700 of HP ink!

Thanks for that Chaz, will do some homework over Christmas on that :)
 
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