Photo printer recommendation
Jun 12, 2020 14:10:04 #
I'd like advice/opinions on a printer to buy. I would like to use it for general printing use and scanning--mainly black and white documents-- but would also like high quality photo printing, preferably archival quality so the pix will last when displayed. 8x10 is probably the biggest size I need. Not too sensitive on price but would like something that works and is not too futzy to install. Not sure if inkjet or laser is better for this purpose. My pictures are in Lightroom on a Mac with Catalina OS but being able to print wirelessly from a phone or my Windows laptop would be nice, but not a deal breaker.
Reviews on Amazon are confusing. There seem to be about as many negative stories as positive ones, even for the printers that get 4 stars. From previous inquiries elsewhere I have an Epson bias but the ratings don't necessarily support it.
Maybe I need two printers, a cheapie for office use and a good one for photos.
Thank you
Walt
Reviews on Amazon are confusing. There seem to be about as many negative stories as positive ones, even for the printers that get 4 stars. From previous inquiries elsewhere I have an Epson bias but the ratings don't necessarily support it.
Maybe I need two printers, a cheapie for office use and a good one for photos.
Thank you
Walt
Jun 12, 2020 14:10:46 #
Jun 12, 2020 14:49:16 #
FreddB
Loc: PA - Delaware County
For the moment, most Canon printers (probably others also) seem to be out of stock/on backorder. So, take your time, do the research. If you have the space and budget for two, go for it. Using a photo printer for documents is overkill; avoid it if you can.
Jun 12, 2020 14:54:55 #
Photo printers have more ink colors than utility printers. B&H has a printer selector page on their website where you can select 6 ink colors and "all in one". Two that show up are the Canon PIXMA TS8320 and Epson Expression Photo XP-8600. There are not many "All in One" printers aimed at making photo prints.
Jun 12, 2020 15:06:16 #
Depends...
Volume?
How "detailed" are you?
(And everyone will either have a positive or negative opinion about each.)
I use a Canon PIXMA TR8520 for home (Win 7 & 10), it does well.
Most of my photo printing is done by Costco.
Volume?
How "detailed" are you?
(And everyone will either have a positive or negative opinion about each.)
I use a Canon PIXMA TR8520 for home (Win 7 & 10), it does well.
Most of my photo printing is done by Costco.
Jun 12, 2020 15:13:53 #
Always select the latest model. Make sure Canon is supporting it with their software or that Mac is supporting the printer with their drivers. My Canon printer (TS9120) is useless as a photo printer because of Canon's lack of support for the model on Mac OS. Canon says to use macs print drivers witch is totally pointless rendering any customizing color profiles useless.
Jun 13, 2020 11:55:56 #
wguterbock wrote:
I'd like advice/opinions on a printer to buy. I w... (show quote)
Go with ink jet. Epson and Canon are known as the best for photo printing. For all around use I suggest you look at an Epson Small-in-one XP960. It has a built in scanner, uses 6 color ink for better photo printing, can print up to 11"x14" but fits in the desk top footprint of a typical 8"x10" printer. I have been using a previous model (XP-950) for a few years and I am very happy with it. Stick with OEM ink for best archival prints.
Jun 13, 2020 13:58:13 #
IMHO, you won't find a single printer that does both Business and Photo printing well. For a business printer, pick your poison. I have an HP Laser, and HP inkjet AND an Epson EcoTank for thbusiness task use. Personally, I am using an Epson P800 for photo printing. For what you want, and Epson P400 may be a better choice, and there are other good brands such as Canon. Best of luck.
Jun 13, 2020 16:46:34 #
Maybe I am "old school" but I prefer a laser printer to an inkjet for business. I have a Brother MFC 9560 color all in one with a high-speed scanner I think it is 10 years old and still works great. I have an Epson ecotank that I use to print photo holiday cards. It is really cheap on ink and does a great job on "snap shots.". I have a Canon Pro 9500 Mark II for high-quality photos. I can always tell when an ink jet is used for business and I do not think it is professional looking.
Jun 13, 2020 17:45:21 #
I use a laser printer for printing documsents and a couple of inkjets, one small, one large for photos. Saves a lot of money because I don't have to get inkjet cartridges for the document printing.
Jun 13, 2020 18:28:37 #
For business use I'd recommend a laser jet,
as ink jet ink will run/smear on plain paper when it gets wet.
as ink jet ink will run/smear on plain paper when it gets wet.
Jun 13, 2020 19:00:12 #
wguterbock wrote:
Maybe I need two printers, a cheapie for office use and a good one for photos.
Thank you
Walt
Thank you
Walt
Epson EcoTank (not a cheap printer, but it uses cheap ink!)
Canon PIXMA Pro 100 — best value photo printer for high quality and low volume.
Jun 13, 2020 19:15:23 #
bsprague wrote:
Photo printers have more ink colors than utility printers. B&H has a printer selector page on their website where you can select 6 ink colors and "all in one". Two that show up are the Canon PIXMA TS8320 and Epson Expression Photo XP-8600. There are not many "All in One" printers aimed at making photo prints.
I use a Canon Pixma 8200 series 6 ink "all in one" printer (it's an 8270 Actually). Has worked reliably for 5 years. It only does 8X10 so if I need bigger I use a local lab
Jun 13, 2020 21:07:25 #
gmsatty wrote:
Maybe I am "old school" but I prefer a ... (show quote)
Glad you mentioned this gmsatty. I have a Brother MFC-J875-DW that is about 10 years old and still doing a good job. My grandkids were visiting this week and we took a lot of photos. We printed about 30 photos on generic photo paper, using cheap ink that costs about $5 per cartridge, and they looked great. I was really surprised how good they looked. I only printed up to 8x10 though. These were more than adequate for our purpose (put them in a scrapbook so they had a way to review the places they went). Unless you are going to print larger photos or needing extremely good quality, these Brother printers do a respectable job and they are reasonably priced. The OEM ink is quite expensive, so I try some non-OEM ink and so far have had good luck.
Jun 14, 2020 16:08:43 #
Tonyf1234
Loc: Hyattsville, MD
wguterbock wrote:
I'd like advice/opinions on a printer to buy. I w... (show quote)
Walt, I first bought a HP laserjet 1020 (B & W) many years ago. It is still working beautifully.
I have also used a number of all-in-ones (fax, scan. copy, print) mostly Canon. I currently have the Canon Pixma TS 9120. It does very well on printing my pictures. Much better than its predecessor TS 9100.
Now I do not calibrate my monitor or printer - you can judge from that if I am fussy enough for your taste or not, but I am pretty happy with the color, and totally happy with my little ole laser.
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