Printer recommendation (Page 2): There is a Printers and Color Printing forum in UHH...

TomV Loc: Annapolis, Maryland

There is a Printers and Color Printing forum in UHH

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Hunts Photo ha a special offer: Now through September 30, 2017, or until supplies run out, we are offering the Canon Pixma PRO 10 printer at $379.99 before rebate (Canon sells it on their website for $699.99). If you purchase the printer plus a package of 13x19x50 sheets of Canon Semi-Gloss or Luster paper, $50, Canon will send you a $250 mail in rebate! This is a pigment based printer and is always reviewed very well. Your final cost is $129.99 for the printer plus $50 for the paper after mail-in rebate!
As always, UPS Ground shipping is FREE in the Lower 48 and there is no sales tax except for orders shipped to MA, RI or ME. In order to receive these deals, please call me, Alan Samiljan, at (781) 462-2383 or send an email including your name and phone number to asamiljan@huntsphoto.com and I'll call you. My hours are 8:30-5:00 pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

What part of limited space do folks not comprehend?!
Yes, the Pixma Pro 10 and Pixma Pro 100 are great printers, I know, I have one of each but they are also large printers and the OP specifically stated, limited space. That is why I recommended the Canon TS-9020. It is less than half the size of the larger Pixma Pro printers. It prints up to 8.5 X 11 photo prints. It prints all type of paper. It's photo prints quality is incredibly good. The ink cartridges aren't outrageously expensive and if one is into black and white prints, it is second to none. The TS-9020 is my general purpose and small photo prints printer and I couldn't be happier with it.

Tikva Loc: Waukesha, WI

I want to thank everyone for their input. I just want 4x6 for personal use. If I want anything larger I have it printed. The 8 1/2 by 11 is for regular document printing. If I had more space I would get a separate photo printer.

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

Acountry330 wrote:

I have an Epson XP400. Which does quite well on 8 1/2X11 as well as 4X6's. I also have an Epson Artisan 1430 winch prints up 16X20 using six different inks. Te Xp400 is quite old and I believe it was just over 100 dollars. Check out their web site for better information. If you want to stay with HP go to their web site. I am sure their web sites will help you make up your mind. Happy shooting.

Actually the 1430 only does up to 13 X 19, not 16 X 20.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

jeep_daddy wrote:

Good printers are large. So you can pick one. Large and good or small and not so good.
I like the Canon Pixma Pro100. It is large, but wireless, and prints everything from small to 17x13 photos. Ink is cheap from eBay. I've used this ink many times and it's fine. The OEM ink is rather expensive.

Note: H had an HP Multifunction that went bad.
I don't think the Canon Pixma Pro 100 will do all that.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Tikva wrote:

I did a search on printers, but there were no articles labeled printers that were new enough to be of any use. My HP 750 All-in-One Printer has bit the dust. I am looking for another printer that prints 8 1/2 x 11 as well as 4x6 photos. Can I get some pros and cons for different printers? I would prefer to get something for less than $400, but might go over that for the right printer. Also, I have limited space in which to put the printer, so that is a big consideration.

The easy way to decide is to go to a site like B&H, find the printers category, set a price limit, choose brands - suggest Canon and Epson, and see what comes up. Look in the specs for dimensions. Look in reviews to see what is said about them. Look at professional reviews - Red River Paper has some great ones, some even compare different printers. redrivercatalog.com

You can also go to the manufacturers' websites and look at what is available there.

I have a Canon all-in-one that prints on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and also smaller sizes. It does a good job with photos. Customer service is good. Ink is not cheap no matter what printer you buy, although it is better for the ones that have larger cartridges. But since you have space constraints, you will have to choose a smaller printer with smaller cartridges. I have my eye on an Epson photo printer that prints up to 17x22 and has 80ml cartridges [usual size for smaller printers is 8ml !]

Tikva Loc: Waukesha, WI

SusanFromVermont wrote:

The easy way to decide is to go to a site like B&a... (show quote)

I wish I had the space for a larger printer, but I don't. My constraint is more space than money. It just seems like they go together.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

There are any number of printers available capable of making 8.5x11 and smaller photographic prints.

Look for 6-color or more printers... for the best photo quality. Avoid 4-color and especially printers that have three or more colors in a single cartridge, which are particularly wasteful of ink.

Some printers have more than 6-color ink sets... often adding grays to be able to make better black & white prints than is possible with fewer colors.

I'm not a fan of "all in one" printers, but some people like them. Just be sure to compare the scanner size, resolution and - if possible - it's dynamic range or D-Max. There are wide variety of capabilities.

There are two types of inkjets... those that use dye-based inks and those that use pigment-based inks. Most of the more affordable models are dye-based, which make prints with lower life expectancy than pigment-based inks. It used to be that dye-based were only rated to last 25 years before fading, assuming optimal paper/ink combo and great care in handling and display. I saw some prints on cheaper papers and displayed in fairly bright, though indirect sunlight fade badly in a year or two.

However, more recent dye-based ink formulations are predicted to last much longer... Canon claims 100+ years with their Chromalife dye-based inks, which the 8-color Pro-100 and some other Pixma models use.

But pigment-based inks are still rated to last even longer... 200 years or more when used with the correct papers. For example, Canon Pro-10 (10-color) and Pro-1 (12-color) use pigment-based Lucia inks.

So for many peoples' purposes, dye-based inks might be fine. But for fine art, collectable, museum-quality prints, pigment-based inks and appropriate archival papers would be preferred.

Personally, for glossy and semi-gloss prints, I prefer dye-based inks and use a Canon Pro-100.

For matte papers, I prefer pigment-based and use an older, no longer available, 8-color HP B9180 (if I were buying today it would probably be a Canon Pro-10).

Do look at the cost of inks.... Printers themselves are often affordable or even downright cheap.... but inks for them are a significant, on-going expense. HOWEVER, it can be difficult to compare. For example, my Canon Pro-100 replaced an older, smaller Epson 6-color printer. A full set of all 8 inks for the Canon costs $125, while a set of 6 inks for the old Epson costs $90. But the Canon ink cartridges hold nearly twice as much ink, so the cost per print is actually quite a bit cheaper with the Pro-100. The cost of the HP printer ink cartridges is even higher... $360 for a full set of 8 cartridges! Partially that's because pigment inks tend to cost more than dye-based inks. But it's also the B9180 uses much larger cartridges than the Pro-100. I haven't closely compared but would guess they hold close to 3X as much ink. So while the up-front cost might be higher, between this Canon and the HP it probably works out pretty close to the same cost per print.

That old 6-color Epson I mention above was 8.5" wide and its print quality was good enough for small proofs and thumbnail catalogs... but I didn't use it for high-quality, finished prints. There are similar as well as better choices available now, primarily from Canon and Epson. But also from a few other manufacturers. Decide what level of quality and features you need, then shop around carefully.

I'm not necessarily recommending you buy the same printer as me.... but hopefully this gives you some guidelines to better select the right printer for you.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Tikva wrote:

I wish I had the space for a larger printer, but I don't. My constraint is more space than money. It just seems like they go together.

There are a lot of good printers available that are not expensive and will fit the space you have. Just like cameras, even the less expensive ones can do an excellent job.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

amfoto1 wrote:

There are any number of printers available capable of making 8.5x11 and smaller photographic prints.

Look for 6-color or more printers... for the best photo quality. Avoid 4-color and especially printers that have three or more colors in a single cartridge, which are particularly wasteful of ink.

Some printers have more than 6-color ink sets... often adding grays to be able to make better black & white prints than is possible with fewer colors.

I'm not a fan of "all in one" printers, but some people like them. Just be sure to compare the scanner size, resolution and - if possible - it's dynamic range or D-Max. There are wide variety of capabilities.

There are two types of inkjets... those that use dye-based inks and those that use pigment-based inks. Most of the more affordable models are dye-based, which make prints with lower life expectancy than pigment-based inks. It used to be that dye-based were only rated to last 25 years before fading, assuming optimal paper/ink combo and great care in handling and display. I saw some prints on cheaper papers and displayed in fairly bright, though indirect sunlight fade badly in a year or two.

However, more recent dye-based ink formulations are predicted to last much longer... Canon claims 100+ years with their Chromalife dye-based inks, which the 8-color Pro-100 and some other Pixma models use.

But pigment-based inks are still rated to last even longer... 200 years or more when used with the correct papers. For example, Canon Pro-10 (10-color) and Pro-1 (12-color) use pigment-based Lucia inks.

So for many peoples' purposes, dye-based inks might be fine. But for fine art, collectable, museum-quality prints, pigment-based inks and appropriate archival papers would be preferred.

Personally, for glossy and semi-gloss prints, I prefer dye-based inks and use a Canon Pro-100.

For matte papers, I prefer pigment-based and use an older, no longer available, 8-color HP B9180 (if I were buying today it would probably be a Canon Pro-10).

Do look at the cost of inks.... Printers themselves are often affordable or even downright cheap.... but inks for them are a significant, on-going expense. HOWEVER, it can be difficult to compare. For example, my Canon Pro-100 replaced an older, smaller Epson 6-color printer. A full set of all 8 inks for the Canon costs $125, while a set of 6 inks for the old Epson costs $90. But the Canon ink cartridges hold nearly twice as much ink, so the cost per print is actually quite a bit cheaper with the Pro-100. The cost of the HP printer ink cartridges is even higher... $360 for a full set of 8 cartridges! Partially that's because pigment inks tend to cost more than dye-based inks. But it's also the B9180 uses much larger cartridges than the Pro-100. I haven't closely compared but would guess they hold close to 3X as much ink. So while the up-front cost might be higher, between this Canon and the HP it probably works out pretty close to the same cost per print.

That old 6-color Epson I mention above was 8.5" wide and its print quality was good enough for small proofs and thumbnail catalogs... but I didn't use it for high-quality, finished prints. There are similar as well as better choices available now, primarily from Canon and Epson. But also from a few other manufacturers. Decide what level of quality and features you need, then shop around carefully.

I'm not necessarily recommending you buy the same printer as me.... but hopefully this gives you some guidelines to better select the right printer for you.

There are any number of printers available capable... (show quote)

I would never buy the branded inks. I always shop the web for other ink companies and check their ink qualities.
Branded inks are way to over priced.

donb17

CPR wrote:

What do you want to do with the printed pages? Are you looking to print photos to frame and sell or just make copies of a photo for casual use. If casual use an Epson All-In-One with photo paper will surprise you with the quality of prints and costs about 100 bucks.

Tikva Loc: Waukesha, WI

amfoto1 wrote:

There are any number of printers available capable of making 8.5x11 and smaller photographic prints.

Look for 6-color or more printers... for the best photo quality. Avoid 4-color and especially printers that have three or more colors in a single cartridge, which are particularly wasteful of ink.

Some printers have more than 6-color ink sets... often adding grays to be able to make better black & white prints than is possible with fewer colors.

I'm not a fan of "all in one" printers, but some people like them. Just be sure to compare the scanner size, resolution and - if possible - it's dynamic range or D-Max. There are wide variety of capabilities.

There are two types of inkjets... those that use dye-based inks and those that use pigment-based inks. Most of the more affordable models are dye-based, which make prints with lower life expectancy than pigment-based inks. It used to be that dye-based were only rated to last 25 years before fading, assuming optimal paper/ink combo and great care in handling and display. I saw some prints on cheaper papers and displayed in fairly bright, though indirect sunlight fade badly in a year or two.

However, more recent dye-based ink formulations are predicted to last much longer... Canon claims 100+ years with their Chromalife dye-based inks, which the 8-color Pro-100 and some other Pixma models use.

But pigment-based inks are still rated to last even longer... 200 years or more when used with the correct papers. For example, Canon Pro-10 (10-color) and Pro-1 (12-color) use pigment-based Lucia inks.

So for many peoples' purposes, dye-based inks might be fine. But for fine art, collectable, museum-quality prints, pigment-based inks and appropriate archival papers would be preferred.

Personally, for glossy and semi-gloss prints, I prefer dye-based inks and use a Canon Pro-100.

For matte papers, I prefer pigment-based and use an older, no longer available, 8-color HP B9180 (if I were buying today it would probably be a Canon Pro-10).

Do look at the cost of inks.... Printers themselves are often affordable or even downright cheap.... but inks for them are a significant, on-going expense. HOWEVER, it can be difficult to compare. For example, my Canon Pro-100 replaced an older, smaller Epson 6-color printer. A full set of all 8 inks for the Canon costs $125, while a set of 6 inks for the old Epson costs $90. But the Canon ink cartridges hold nearly twice as much ink, so the cost per print is actually quite a bit cheaper with the Pro-100. The cost of the HP printer ink cartridges is even higher... $360 for a full set of 8 cartridges! Partially that's because pigment inks tend to cost more than dye-based inks. But it's also the B9180 uses much larger cartridges than the Pro-100. I haven't closely compared but would guess they hold close to 3X as much ink. So while the up-front cost might be higher, between this Canon and the HP it probably works out pretty close to the same cost per print.

That old 6-color Epson I mention above was 8.5" wide and its print quality was good enough for small proofs and thumbnail catalogs... but I didn't use it for high-quality, finished prints. There are similar as well as better choices available now, primarily from Canon and Epson. But also from a few other manufacturers. Decide what level of quality and features you need, then shop around carefully.

I'm not necessarily recommending you buy the same printer as me.... but hopefully this gives you some guidelines to better select the right printer for you.

There are any number of printers available capable... (show quote)

I want to thank you for all of the information. How do I tell what kind of ink a particular printer takes, between the two?

Tikva Loc: Waukesha, WI

SusanFromVermont wrote:

The easy way to decide is to go to a site like B&a... (show quote)

Does the Epson printer also print plain paper documents or just photos?

donb17

Tikva wrote:

Does the Epson printer also print plain paper documents or just photos?

We use mainly to just print plain paper docs.