Printer Recommendations Please

[Drizzt]

Electric Amish, do Lexmark still make speaking printers?

[KvHagedorn]

Just get an HP. I have replaced the cartidges once since I got mine. Big f***ing deal. The things are fast, quiet, work well, generally don't break like Epsons do, take up less space, print quality is much better.. this is coming from a former Epson owner (no wait.. the thing is still sitting in another room gathering dust.. I need to find a suitable end for its noisy, broken ass...)

[THE_Editor]

My two cents worth ...

Epson will give you superior print quality ... (wait for it)

1) IF you use top quality paper
2) Can stand the row when its printing

Yes it does have cheap ink cartridges

I quit using my Epson when the bloody thing started putting weird red lines over the project !!

Now I use

HP 970cxi

Bloody expensive cartridges (colour)

but ..

1) Prints real good on plain paper
2) Is it printing ?? (So quiet you wouldn't know its printing)



If its ultimate quality your after (why are you using bubblejet??) Go for the latest Epson. The new one even prints DIRECTLY onto cd faces .. No Labels required !!

But be prepared to ONLY use good quality paper !! (which can be just as expensive as ink!!)

I print off box covers for the weddings i film etc...

And found that the HP was better for this sort of lark !!

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by Drizzt
Electric Amish, do Lexmark still make speaking printers?

It's the software, but yes.

amish

[Dr Mordrid]

I shut the voice off on my sons Lexmark printer. He being 4 years old thought it was cool, but it drove everyone else nuts.

Dr. Mordrid

[K6-III]

Canon S520 or S750...individual ink tanks that are cheap with 25year fade-free photos.....

[az]

Yes, that's another BIG consideration. HP's ink is does fade (their new ink does this less than the older ones, and the black one doesn't at all, but they fade nonetheless) from UV, while canon's doesn't. It's the only one that doesn't, IIRC.

And HPs have to be calibrated once, too.

AZ

[GT98]

Originally posted by az
Get a Tektronix Phaser - no more worrying about black ink - it's free

AZ

Till you have to replace one of the color bricks in it...only what 80 bucks or so per color? LOL

[Drizzt]

Originally posted by Electric Amish


It's the software, but yes.

amish

A friend of mine had one few year ago that spoke by itself. I mean, the voice was from the printer and not from the PC.
It was funny

[K6-III]

Originally posted by az
Yes, that's another BIG consideration. HP's ink is does fade (their new ink does this less than the older ones, and the black one doesn't at all, but they fade nonetheless) from UV, while canon's doesn't. It's the only one that doesn't, IIRC.

And HPs have to be calibrated once, too.

AZ

Actually, the Epson Photo line and the new HP's with PhotoRetIV also give you fade-free prints. The Epson 2000P with its resin-based inks even gives you 200years fade-free.

The main reason to get the Canons is the individual/clear color tanks and the $12 black cartridge that lasts just as long as those $30 HP and $40 Lexmark cartridges.

Check out the ZDNet printer reviews where they actually measure cost per page.

Canon 2.1cents
Epson 3.4cents
HP around 4 cents
Lexmark around 8 cents...

[az]

FanBoy: Last time I checked, black ink was free for Phasers. I mean, free supply.

Of course this was back when they were Tektronix, not Kyocera.

AZ

[Dr Mordrid]

I agree about the lower price/print of those black Canon carts. WTF do HP and Lexmark think, that they're stuff is gold plated? Not to mention that the carts in the one Lexmark we have run out awfully fast considering they aren't used that much.

No wonder the reload kits are selling like hotcakes....

Dr. Mordrid

[az]

According to c't, the ink for the Epson 580 will fade less than the ink for both canon s400 and hp dj930c.

Cost per page (black) is 2.86 euro-cents for the canon, 6.7 c for the epson, and 5.13 c for the hp.
Color: canon is 0.75 for cyan, 2.62 for magenty, and 2.57 for yellow. epson: 9.39, and hp: 11.03 cents.

AZ

[Wombat]

Ya know Doc, I've seen the numbers, and Canon must just be using inexpensive tech. There isn't some 200% markup on HP cartridges - those print heads are expensive to manufacture.

[K6-III]

With Lexmark and HP you replace the printhead every time you replace the cartridge (not on all HP's anymore, however). Very unnecessary waste. On the Canon, however, the printhead is replacable should it go bad, but is designed for the life of the printer. With epson, the printhead is build into the printer and is not replacable whatsoever...