bsprague wrote:
There are only a few printers optimized for photo printing in current production that fit on a typical office table. They print on up to 13" wide paper. All are inkjet. Two use dye ink. They are the Canon Pixma Pro-100 and Epson Artisan 1430. Three that use pigment ink, are the Canon Pixma Pro-10, Epson Stylus Photo R2000 and Epson Stylus Photo R3000. The R3000 is believed to be a little better than the R200 for B&W prints . Two more photo optimized printers have huge and pricy ink tanks and are aimed at high volume printers. They are the Canon Pro-1 and Epson 3880. Dye ink printers are less expensive, believed to be less likely to clog and the prints are assumed to resist fading for a few decades. Pigment ink printers cost more, are believed to be more likely to clog when used infrequently and the prints are expected to resist fading for several decades.
People that print for galleries and exhibitions tend to believe that pigment inks are a necessity. People that print for personal use often find the dye ink printers good enough. Owners of each of these seven printers will endorse their print quality. They are all capable of making stunning prints. None make poor prints. Ink cost per print can be argued, but it is nearly impossible to accurately measure. Unless you are a high volume printer, the marginal ink cost differences may not be significant.
In the end, choosing between these seven printers may come down to what's on sale, what is bundled with it and how big is the rebate. Places like B&H have all off them, price them competitively, ship for free and normally don't charge sales tax.
Two years ago I bought the cheapest one I could find at the time. It was the Canon Pixma Pro-100. Prints are wonderful, they will outlast me, it has not clogged (even with months of being turned off) and I think the cost per print is about the same or slightly less than "quality priced" commercial printing.
There are only a few printers optimized for photo ... (
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:thumbup: Thank you for the USEFUL reply.