Ruraldi wrote:
My printer recently went to printer heaven - may it RIP.
I'm looking for a new printer that I'd be able to print my own 11X14 prints and that the print cartridges aren't outrageously priced.
Any recommendations would be helpful. Some questions I have looking at the large variety available are :
`laser or inkjet
`minimum dpi
`brand
` cartridges or tank ink
` print speed
` quality vs quantity
` best place to purchase
` wifi ? or cable hook up
`compatible with both Mac and windows
Any helpful recommendations or your experience with specific printers would help me make an intelligent decision. I'm not looking for a cheap printer, but something that will make nice enlargements and not cost a fortune to run.
My printer recently went to printer heaven - may i... (
show quote)
There are hundreds of printers, but your requirements immediately narrow it to just a few printers.
Using these criteria:
- Inkjet (laser are no good for photos, dye sub are expensive)
- Photo quality prints (at least 6 ink colors... 8 or more preferred).
- 13" wide printer (sufficient for up to 13x19" prints)
Plugged into the search tool at B&H Photo website, we have narrowed it to just six printers:
- Canon Pixma iP8720... $285 (sale thru 9/2, $245)
- Epson Expression XP-15000... $299
- Canon Pixma Pro-200... $585 (sale thru 9/2, $535)
- Epson EcoTank ET-8550... $800 (sale thru 9/2, $700)
- Canon ImagePrograf Pro-300... $850 (sale, $800)
- Epson SureColor P700... $829 (mail in rebate, $629)
These meet the above criteria.
The next questions (to narrow it further) are how long do your want your prints to last and/or what type of paper do you print on and how do you display your prints?
For print longevity, "pigment" inks are better than "dye" inks. For color prints personally I prefer pigment inks on matte papers, which are then framed under glass. For the low-gloss or luster papers that I use for black & white prints I prefer dye inks. So I use each type of inkjet printer for photographs.
Also, it used to be that dye based inks had a pretty short life... only around 25 years at best. Dye based inks I used to use would sometimes show fading within a year or two when exposed to a lot of indirect but bright sunlight in a store front. No longer displaying anything there, I haven't had the same opportunity to test the newer dye inks I now used. Today when used with the right paper a dye-based print is predicted to have up to 125 or more years life. Pigment based inks give longer than that... I've heard 200 to 225 or more years. Not that I'm worried either way (since I won't be around to see them), but generally speaking pigment inks are considered more "museum quality" or "archival" than dye based inks.
Of the above printers, only the Epson P700 and Canon Pro-300 use pigment based inks. Those two also have the most complete sets of ink colors (ten cartridges), however the colors in their respective sets are different. The Canon uses cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, red, two blacks (one is matte), one gray and an "optimizer" that's used to even out the finish on prints. The Epson uses cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, violet, two blacks, gray and light gray. The Epson uses approx 1.6X larger individual ink cartridges than the Canon.... Epson 25mL... Canon 14mL. However, the Epson inks cost 3X the price of the Canon: Epson $38 ea., Canon $13 ea.
Of the dye-based inkjets, in my opinion the Canon Pro 200 is the most photo-oriented with 8 colors: cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, black, gray and light gray. Epson
The Canon iP8720, Epson XP-15000 and Epson ET-8550 all use 6 ink colors and are more general purpose, less photo-oriented. They all do include a gray ink for better black and white prints. The Epson ET-8550 is one of their "eco tank" printers. The Canon iP8720 also has choice of standard or extra large capacity ink cartridges. I don't know the exact capacity of the ink cartridges in any of these or how their prices compare.