New Printer Suggestions Needed

redleash

I am shopping for a new printer. I have an older Canon Pixma model that works fine for everyday use but has never been good for photos. I would like to print more photos, for family and for my own wall. I have an equal need for color and BW prints. I don't see a need for larger than 81/2 x 11' but would consider larger. I need something that works well for routine documents, however, I could keep the Pixma for documents and add a dedicated photo printer. I don't need scan/copy/fax but would not turn them down if an all-in-one model seemed like a good choice. I would prefer a wireless printer. Card and USB ports are nice but not necessary. I don't know enough about ink types to make an informed choice, but I don't want to constantly spend lots of money on ink.

Are there any suggestions for me to consider? I run on a Mac. Printer budget is under 400.

Thanks, Lauren

Earache

Lauren,
I'll mention the inkjet printer I use, only because the print quality is very, very, good - otherwise, it's probably a little long-in-the-tooth and lacks some of the features you mentioned.
Canon Pixma Pro9000 MkII: Prints everything well (up to 13"x19") including graphics and text... seems to gobble cartridges - they all may do that, though. They're online for just under $400.
I got mine NIB from a private party who received it for free in a bundle deal - they were commonly available on that basis a couple of years ago.

I haven't had an Epson for several generations and I'd be interested to hear a user report about cartridge life in their current models.
Hopefully someone will weigh-in with a bonafide recommendation fitting your requirements.
Good luck!
Eric

Don Kondra

Canon Pixma Pro - 100 is $398

I have been purchasing the older models after the new ones are released..

Canon iX6520 sold for ~ $500 when new, a year or so after the latest model was released I purchased the iX6520 from B&H for $140 with a $40 rebate !

Cheers, Don

ARKreations

And B&H has a $300 rebate through June 30, so the net price is only $98!

Don Kondra wrote: »

Canon Pixma Pro - 100 is $398

I have been purchasing the older models after the new ones are released..

Canon iX6520 sold for ~ $500 when new, a year or so after the latest model was released I purchased the iX6520 from B&H for $140 with a $40 rebate !

Cheers, Don

dixonduke

ARKreations wrote: »

And B&H has a $300 rebate through June 30, so the net price is only $98!

OK, that is a really good deal!

I had put some thoughts together, but I retract them now and say go for the Pixma on B&H.

Here are my thoughts anyway though.

I may be in a camp of 1 here, but I wanted to get into printing at home about a year ago. I chanced upon an "old" Epson R2400 and positively love it and am blown away at the quality this thing will produce. You can find them really cheap locally though craigslist or computer repair stores (at least here in the Houston area), or on ebay.

I know that it is a previous generation printer, but it still works flawlessly. Find a used one and put it back in service. I don't know what newer ones can do that this one can not, but for wider paper.

Full disclosure, I did run through a set of ink's cleaning the print head, but even doing that I am not out 200 bucks yet. I do not know exactly how many images I have printed with it , but I just had to replace my first ink cartridge (Light Light Cyan) out of the 8 or so cartridges that it takes. I am not exaggerating when I say I have printed a couple of hundred images of various sizes before that 1 cartridge gave the low ink warning. The inks last a long time.

It is still cheaper to go to Sam's Club or the ilk to print, but for instant gratification or for experimenting with different "looks", nothing beats being able to print from home.

kdog

I recently got the Canon Pixma Pro-10 to replace my old Pixma 9000 Pro (MK1). The pro-10 is the same as the pro-100 but it has pigment inks which are supposed to last longer. I LOOOVE this printer. The usability of it is way better than the old 9000. All my prints so far have come out great. Plus the ink consumption seems way better than my 9000 which was downright abusive in the way it ran through ink cartridges. If you can get the Pro-100 at $300 off, that is a no-brainer.

paddler4

IMHO, the first decision is dye vs. pigment. Dye prints don't last as long before fading, but the colors are vibrant, and dye-based printers are much less prone to clog if not used frequently. I opted for dye and have used two Canon Pixmas for years with zero problems. I can leave them idle for months and then print without any problems. My photo printer for several years has been a Pixma Pro 9000 II, which has been great, but I am replacing it with a Pro 100 that I got for free with my most recent camera.

Canon periodically has very steep discounts on their dye-based photo printers.


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redleash

Thanks, everybody. I bought the Pro 100 with the rebate from B&H (thanks for the tip, ARK!). Have not set it up yet--hopefully today. Will let you know.

cab.in.boston

This is a fantastic and very timely thread. It turns out we are in need of a new printer, and I've long wanted a good photo printer. We have never needed much in the way of printing quality - a cheap all-in-one has been sufficient, but with the desire to print photos, and large-ish ones, I've been wanting something like this.

I have a couple questions for people who have used a Pro-100 (or similar) printer... Are they really mainly for photos, or do they work just fine for basic printing needs as well? As I said, we don't print much, just the odd form needed for the kids' schools, or some coupons downloaded from the web, so I feel like I don't need a high volume fast document printer. I assume this would work fine for that use?

Second, the specs say that the Pro-100 comes with "setup" ink tanks. I assume those are small capacity tanks? How soon before I should expect to have to replace the tanks?

And third, I plan to call B&H to ask this, but does the included 50-pack of printer paper qualify you for the rebate, or do you also have to actually purchase one separately? It seems to me that the rebate would be for items you've actually paid for, not just thrown in with the deal. But OTOH, the fact that the paper is included "free" seems to me to be done specifically so the rebate terms can be met.

Of course, with the obscenely good price on this printer, even if a) it's not good for documents, b) the ink only lasts a day, and c) I must purchase additional paper, it still seems like a good deal, and we could just pick up another cheap all-in-one to do the "other" printing and still come out ahead. But I'd still like to know a bit more about what I'm getting into with this, since I've never purchased a serious printer anything like this in the past.

Thanks!