Printer purchase advice please
Feb 4, 2016 15:41:51 #
After checking the cost of printing note cards from my digital photos, from places like vista print, staples, etc., I began to consider the option of printing my own. I'm interested in 4x6 size note cards and want great color reproduction. I shoot raw images with the Nikon D4. What color printer that can also produce good B&W images should I be considering? Will it cost less than Staples charge of $2.00 per note card after averaging the cost of photo paper and ink?
Feb 5, 2016 08:43:13 #
Check out the Red River Paper site for product and cost info. My sole source of late.
Feb 5, 2016 09:02:43 #
I did Christmas cards this year with a Canon Pro 100 and they came out really well. I would say any one of the Canon or Epson Photo printers (those with 6 or more ink cartridges) will do an excellent job for you. Look in to the 'Printers and Color Printers' forum here in UHH for more information.
And as above check with Red River Paper they have a good supply of card stock.
And as above check with Red River Paper they have a good supply of card stock.
Feb 5, 2016 09:15:03 #
Feb 5, 2016 10:48:30 #
I've printed cards on Red River's card stock with my Canon MG6220 printer with good success. You have to play with your image to get it and anything you're printing on the back (like ID of the image, your name, etc.) to print correctly. I tried it this year on the Pro-100 and had difficulty with blacking of the edges. I assume it was caused by the weight of the paper. I had to trim them a bit and wasn't totally pleased. I have no idea as to the cost, but I do find home printing a bit costly.
Feb 5, 2016 11:53:20 #
AzPicLady wrote:
Once you get to be reasonably good at it, costs will come down, especially on the larger prints. Like anything else to do with photography, practice is a necessary part of the learning curve. Once mastered, you'll like the fact that you're in total control. Best of luck.I've printed cards on Red River's card stock with ... (show quote)
Feb 6, 2016 12:51:13 #
Today I checked out the Epson line of color printers. The one I'm considering is ET-2550 Eco Tank wireless all in one.
functions: copy, print, scan; print speed 9 ppm; paper size 8.5 x 14; tray capacity 100 sheets; resolution 5760 dpi print.
Not on sale right now. $299.99 in local store. Need to price check online and with other stores, although they did say they would match the price to any non .com stores.
functions: copy, print, scan; print speed 9 ppm; paper size 8.5 x 14; tray capacity 100 sheets; resolution 5760 dpi print.
Not on sale right now. $299.99 in local store. Need to price check online and with other stores, although they did say they would match the price to any non .com stores.
Feb 6, 2016 13:09:37 #
seeker wrote:
This would NOT be a good choice for printing photos.The one I'm considering is ET-2550 Eco Tank wireless all in one.
Feb 6, 2016 14:21:42 #
Chris, Please explain the features that this printer lacks that are essential for printing good quality photos in sizes 4x6 to 8x10.
Feb 6, 2016 14:58:29 #
Good photo printers have at least 6 cartridges or more. For the same or less you could get a brand new Canon Pixma pro 100 on eBay. You could probably get a Pixma Pro 10 for a little more. The ET 2550 would make a good office printer where color is used heavily in documents.
Feb 6, 2016 15:16:53 #
WayneT wrote:
I would agree with this. I have an ET-4550 and I think it makes a great business document printer. With only 4 inks, it doesn't work well for photos. Other, some less expensive printers are better for photo work. I MHO.Good photo printers have at least 6 cartridges or more. For the same or less you could get a brand new Canon pixma pro 100 on ebay. You could probably get a Pixma Pro 10 for a little more. The ET 2550 would make a good office printer where color is used heavily in documents.
Feb 7, 2016 09:27:00 #
Checking out this one. Same price: Epson Artisan 1430 Color Printer Model: C11C863201
Ink: 6-color Claria High Definition dye ink; Resolution:5760 x 1440 optimized dpi; Supported Operating Systems; Wide-format. Wireless Performance.
The Artisan 1430 takes photo printing to the next level of performance, delivering brilliant, Ultra Hi-Definition prints as large as 13 x 19".
Includes advanced color and lighting correction for amazing photos. Photos are smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant thanks to Claria Hi-Definition ink1. Prints last up to four times longer than photo lab prints.
Ink: 6-color Claria High Definition dye ink; Resolution:5760 x 1440 optimized dpi; Supported Operating Systems; Wide-format. Wireless Performance.
The Artisan 1430 takes photo printing to the next level of performance, delivering brilliant, Ultra Hi-Definition prints as large as 13 x 19".
Includes advanced color and lighting correction for amazing photos. Photos are smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant thanks to Claria Hi-Definition ink1. Prints last up to four times longer than photo lab prints.
Feb 7, 2016 10:13:40 #
seeker wrote:
The Artisan 1430 is a nice printer but it lacks in a gray cartridge and will not produce reasonable quality B&W prints. Dye inks will also clog your print heads if you don't use the printer on a regular basis. Yes I know they are suppose to last 300 years but I'm not going to be around in 300 years. For an average user you can't beat the Canon Pixma Pro 100. Price wise or capability.Checking out this one. Same price: Epson Artisan 1430 Color Printer
Feb 7, 2016 11:14:30 #
Wayne,
One reason I was hesitating on the canon printers that I looked at, and I may not have seen the one you are suggesting here, is that the ink cartridges were significantly smaller, requiring more frequent replacement. They were priced lower, but I thought it would be inconvenient to be replacing them more frequently. Do you know how far your ink cartridge goes in relation to how many prints you can get off the cartridge?
One reason I was hesitating on the canon printers that I looked at, and I may not have seen the one you are suggesting here, is that the ink cartridges were significantly smaller, requiring more frequent replacement. They were priced lower, but I thought it would be inconvenient to be replacing them more frequently. Do you know how far your ink cartridge goes in relation to how many prints you can get off the cartridge?
Feb 7, 2016 11:52:34 #
seeker wrote:
I'm not a heavy user right now but I've done a number of 8X10 recently and I still have my original set in the printer. To be honest this Canon Pixma 100's ink last a lot longer than an older Epson All-In-One that I had and had to discard due to blocked printer heads and the Epson carts were about the same size as the Canon's I'm using now. If you are really worried about ink cost there is one alternative that has had nothing but positive reviews here on UHH and that's to refill your own cartridges with http://www.precisioncolors.com/index.html inks. I personally haven't done this yet because right now I am printing very little but I do anticipate increasing my printer usage when spring arrives and then I will probably switch over to refilling my cartridges using Precision Color inks.One reason I was hesitating on the canon printers that I looked at, and I may not have seen the one you are suggesting here, is that the ink cartridges were significantly smaller, requiring more frequent replacement. They were priced lower, but I thought it would be inconvenient to be replacing them more frequently. Do you know how far your ink cartridge goes in relation to how many prints you can get off the cartridge?
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