Menkaure Loc: Michigan

Epson all the way. I've used them all and Epson reigns supreme. A warning... DO NOT buy a HP! Worst of the bunch.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I've always been happy with whatever Epson I've had, but, to be fair, I've never owned a Canon printer. I now have an Epson R3000 (recently replaced by the P600) and am very happy with it. Anything larger, I just outsource!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Need to clarify one thing... Dye inks vs pigment inks.

Depending upon the paper they're used on and the way the print is displayed, dye inks might last 25 years... but can fade within a year or less.

Pigment inks on the right type of paper and displayed with reasonable care can be expected to last 100 to 200 years before fading.

I've used Epson, Canon and HP. For light, occasional use, there's not much difference. But for any sort of volume printing, Epson are the most expensive, Canon runs a close second, and HP tend to be the most cost-effective.

First decide on the size you need... 8.5" wide or 13" wide (any wide starts to get into expensive "pro" oriented printers). Choose based upon what you'll be doing most often... not on the rare, larger print. You can always send the occasional large print out for printing.

Next, choose between dye and pigment-based inks. Do you want permanence (pigment), or will 5 or 10 years be enough (dye)? Note: there are also dye sublimation printers available, quite fast and good permanence, but they are very limited in size and rather expensive initially.

How and where do you intend to display the images? In a book or album dye-based inks may be fine for a long time. But in a frame on the wall, even under glass (unless it's special UV filtering glass), a pigment-based ink is a better choice... especially if there's a lot of sunlight, even indirect, in the display area.

Then for color images look for a printer that has at least 6 separate ink tanks: black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta. If you also want to print black and white images, you might want an 8-ink-tank printer, with a couple additional gray inks.

You want separate tanks to minimize waste. There are lots of printers that have a single color cartridge with all the colors in it, or two cartridges with three-colors apiece... but when one color runs out you waste whatever remains of all the others by replacing the cartridge. So individual tanks are generally best for cost efficiency, even though a full set of them will likely cost more initially.

Also look at what paper selection is available for your particular purposes. I prefer a smooth, matte, 100% rag, heavy weight paper for "fine art" prints that will be matted and framed under glass. I use a 13" wide format, pigment, 8-color inkjet printer for that (for larger prints, I send them out).

But much of the time I'm just making proofs or catalogs of thumbnails on an inexpensive gloss paper, and an 8.5", dye, 6-color inkjet works well for these purposes. This smaller printer also is what I use for general purpose office printing.

You can find excellent printers from Epson, Canon and HP that meet all these requirements. I know there are people who prefer one or the other... But I really think it's possible to learn to use any of them very well, to achieve quite good results.

I would highly recommend a couple other things, though. First, if you don't already have it, get a calibration suite (sensor and software to use with it) for your computer monitor. The three most popular are X-Rite Color Munki, Datacolor Spyder and Pantone Huey. Each of these are sold in versions that range from very basic and inexpensive to quite advanced and pricey. Just be sure that the type you choose has capability of measuring the brightness of your monitor and that it is usable on the type or types of monitors you use.

Calibration will pay for itself over time. You'll waste a lot less paper and ink, by having a monitor that displays your images as correctly as possible, both in terms of brightness and color accuracy. Most computer monitors are way, way too bright and if not dialed down to a more appropriate level for photographs with a calibration device, will result in too-dark prints. Calibration needs to be redone every one or two or three months... because your monitor's brightness and color rendition change over time, as it ages.

Also, are you working with a laptop computer or a desktop? If it's a laptop, I recommend setting up a "work station" with a separate monitor that you plug into any time you are finalizing an image for printing. A laptops screen is too subject to variations... due to moving it from one location to another, with different lighting conditions... and even because the angle of the screen is rarely the same from one time we use it to the next.

In either case, some consumer grade monitors do not offer full range of adjustments or have limited color gamut... might want to consider upgrading to a graphics quality, wide gamut monitor. This can make for much better print results.

A calibration device and/or better monitor are possible additional expenses, but can go hand-in-hand with a good printer and might effect how much you want to spend on the printer itself.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

At 61, 25 years if OK by me! :wink:

billybob40

Epson then Canon, before you buy a printer look and see the ink cost.
The printer I'm using is a Canon MG6220, ink cost is every low on ebay. I print most 8x10 cut out other sizes. Use Red River paper, paper has a lot to do with the look of your prints.
www.noveltyPHOTObooth.com

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Been impressed with the stunning colors from mine. Long lasting and large, too.

Don Fischer Loc: Antelope, Ore

Good post!!!!

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

I have two HP"s, a B9180 and a Z3100. You can't hardly beat them with anything.

WAKD Loc: Cincinnati

:thumbup: Thank you for the USEFUL reply.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Thank you for the reference bsprague ... now pondering how to support that coffee table top.

Yes bsprague, 825 is an oldie... but was on my shelf for 12 Years!! waiting for the other printer to die. Also was a "contract Engineer" for 5, out of country for 1, working lean in Arazona for one... not till I retired did I start printing again.

The 825 was "buy a camera and get a printer" for $30 period of time ... remember those days? ... The 825 works great. Scanners and printers are at the point where resolution is not noticeable except with a microscope. Love that RedRiver Pearl Metallic look... it makes wow of some prints...

100 Year archival people should remember that photos can be reprinted if they become that famous, but probably my prints as theirs will be archived in the fire like Citizen Kane's sled "Rosebud" or if you descendents really care, put in books like Ansel's prints and eventually prints will be 3d... and/or projected as a hologram. Hummm, ever hear of Lytro? Times are a changen... don't stand in the doorway... :XD: :thumbup:

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

You are right! In my list of 7 printers, I included the R3000 and, based on B&H availability, it has been discontinued and replaced by the P600. The P600 is the first in the "SureColor" line that should include 10 printers by 2016. The Stylus Pro line will likely be phased out. The highlights of the $800 P600 are that it can achieve a higher black density and uses nine of the UltraChrome HD (pigment) ink cartridges that are relatively large and cost $32 each.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I agree that, generally, older people worry more about it than their heirs. My mother left us will file cabinets full of stuff she saved for us. We had to pair it down to a few folders of stuff we could keep. My father-in-law, a Boeing engineer, traveled the world in 707s and left behind 5,000 slides. Excited to scan them, my wife found about a dozen pictures with her parents in them. The rest were pictures of statues and airplanes. My inkjet printing goal is to put something on the wall I want to look at for about 6 months, then replace it with something newer and hopefully better. Some day I may get around to filling up an HDD with a few thousand photos and put it in the safe next to the will for my oldest kid to deal with. With luck my dye ink prints will have faded by the time he finds it.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Agreed! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Goldyrock

I have found Canon Pro 100's from $120-$150 on Craig's List with the 50 sheet pack of paper.

I bought 2 of them. One to use , and the other for the ink and paper.

har1ey4 Loc: Long Island, New York

I was lucky enough at B&H to find a Canon Pixma Pro with a 250.00 rebate. With tax and all I paid about 150.00. I don't really even know what I am doing and I have some very nice prints. Ink is about 100.00 if you buy the 8 pack.
So far very pleased with results. The gift card they send for the rebate is used like a credit card not a debit card. Bought a Tiffen 86mm CPL and UV so far with the card.