URGENT: Advice needed re: Printer

[Paddy]

I have been caught with my pants down and I need a new printer today.

I am going to have to visit the High Street, hand over both kidneys bend over and get absolutley shafted, but I don't really have any other choice.

I know nothing about printers. I can't spend more than £200, and I would prefer it to cost <£150. If i am going to have to buy a printer, i would want to get one that could print everything.

I assume that there will be die hard HP and Epson fans out there.

What models or 'features' should I look out for, and what should I avoid.

Cheers!

[Paddy]

I have looked at the range in PCWord which is to say, rather limited.

I guess I would want one with a duplex cabability and seperate ink wells... The problem with PCWorld is that I will be forced to get one that they have, rather than a specific model. Hence I am asking about 'what to look for' and what models to avoid.

[Taz]

Er laser or Ink Jet?

[Paddy]

Sorry, Ink Jet

[Gurm]

Do you NEED duplex? Are you going to print double-sided so often that you can't just flip it over and send it back through? That feature will kill ya.

That said, HP or Epson are fine choices. I'm not a big Canon fan, though.

- Gurm

[Nowhere]

It seems that HP hadn't produced shitty printer from quite some time (except maybe low end printers...but they're always shitty). So I guess it's quite safe to go with them...

[Paddy]

nah i dont NEED duplex...

what model ranges should i be looking at?

[Paddy]

what about this?

http://www.epson.co.uk/product/printers/photo/styphoto915/index.htm

[Taz]

According to PC Worlds website they sell this Epson printer which sounds pretty good, it has speperate black and colour catridges but doesn't do duplexing.

http://www.epson.co.uk/product/printers/photo/styphoto830/index.htm

It's £86.99 on their website, expect to pay about £10 - £15 more in-store.

[Paddy]

Cheers - Will look at it now.

[Paddy]

what are these photo printers like? What is the quality like over a colour inkjet?

[Taz]

Originally posted by Paddy [MU]
what are these photo printers like? What is the quality like over a colour inkjet?

Photo printers are much better at printing pictures and photo's, they use a 6 colour catridge, as opposed to a 3 colour on a normal colour inkjet, which gives a less stippled looking print.

Best bet is to go to PC World and get them to print off something from each printer your interested in.

[Topha]

I have a canon (S750, but I think they change the naming from country to country), and i just love it. Its fast, it uses little ink, it has great text quality and awesome photo quality. I can only recommend it. Its way better than my fathers HP990cxi.

Also its extremely quiet in normal mode, but it still has a silent mode included, which I never used so far

[Paddy]

I bought an Epson Stylus Photo 830.

I'll let you know how i get on with it

[K6-III]

I'll vouch personally for Canon's S520, S600, S630, S750.

All have individual ink tanks and have the lowest cost per page due to considerably cheaper ink tanks.

With Epson the printhead is built into the printer (if it dies, time for a new printer). With HP and Lexmark it is built into the cartridge (making the cartridge rediculously expensive) (take note that the new series of HP printers uses a cartridge that has half the ink but costs the same).

Canon simply uses a removable printhead that is designed, like Epson, for the life of the printer, but can be replaced if need be.