fueler 0 #1 February 9, 2006 i must suck at searching cuz i could not find anything. im looking to buy a printer for printing digital stills. i have done a little research and found that most in the $200 range will do a good job. i was looking at HP8250, HP550 pro, and the Canon IP6600D. they are all about the same price with the Canon having the edge in the resolution department. is this true? who has some info on these printers or others in the $200 range. **************************************** what!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattjw916 2 #2 February 9, 2006 Among the printers you listed the two HPs will have the same image quality between each other and due to the 6-color inks better color reproduction faithfulness than the Canon. The only reason I'd go with the 550 over the 8250 is if I was going to be printing _tons_ of photos. As for the resolution, I'm willing to be you won't be able to tell the difference with the naked eye. I've always had awesome results from all the Epson and HP photo printers I have used over the years. Plus, their ink cartridges are very easy to come by and can be purchased in bulk if necessary. My past experiences with Canon printers have been less than perfect. They are just not in the same league as Epson and HP IMO.NSCR-2376, SCR-15080 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gulaz 1 #3 February 9, 2006 I have felt the same way in the past about Canon, Epson, and HP. However, I did just order a Canon i9900 (stupid impulse purchases...). From what I have read online, it is pretty amazing, even from HP and Epson fans. It is quite pricey though... I have owned 3 different Epson photo printers, and all have done me well. The biggest problem I find with most of the printers these days, is that the print head is part of the printer, and eventually, that needs to be replaced. For most printers, that is about the same price as replacing the printer. Edit: I would also stray away from using cheap refilled ink cartridges. Some people dont seem to have any problems with them, but I have had 2 printers crap out because of them. Apparently some of the cheaper inks that they use arent quite the same as the factory inks. I'm not sure if thats folk lore or not, but 2 of 3 is enough for me. I will use factory ink from now on The one that I didnt use refilled cartridges on lasted way longer than the others... coincidence? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chrissay 0 #4 February 9, 2006 QuoteI have felt the same way in the past about Canon, Epson, and HP. However, I did just order a Canon i9900 (stupid impulse purchases...). From what I have read online, it is pretty amazing, even from HP and Epson fans. It is quite pricey though... We have an Canon i9900, and it produces amazing photos! I don't think you will be disappointed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimoke 0 #5 February 9, 2006 In 2003 I purchased a hp 7960, it produces great 8x10 photos. I estimate over 1000+ photos. 70 - 80% were purchased by the customer. the drawbacks are few, time, it takes the time to pack for 2 8x10s to print, not bad......the ink carts (3) photo color, 3 color, and b&w. in this sport we use a lot of blues, so when this runs out you replace the whole cart, I always feel I waste a lot of ink this way. I also tried the refilling route, this sucks balls and is a waste of time and money. the factory refilled are not much better. I will also use only factory carts from now on. I know of 2 camera guys who purchased the hp 8250 and had to return them because of faulty print heads that left "tracks" through the photos. so beware. if my printer craps out this year I will certainly buy a new printer that night and it will probably be an epson 1800. I like the fact that you replace only the color that is empty. but I dont think it has a view screen to preview from the cf card, but I really haven't reseached yet, I casually saw one at bestbuy. Stay Safe JimokeThe ground always, remembers where you are! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #6 February 10, 2006 I like the epson 1800 ,but i currently use a kodak 8500 dye sub which is awsum. No ink to clog ,no print heads giving me shit, and beautiful water proof prints in 90 seconds. If i was to buy a printer right now id pick up a kodak 1400 for under $500.00 , and check into the extended exchange warranty which is well worth the money . A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fueler 0 #7 February 10, 2006 thanks for the replys. i just bought a Canon iP6600D. the only thing i have to compare it to are some 35mm photos i have. the quality of the prints i just made amazed the hell out of me. we will see how it does in the long run. **************************************** what!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
namgrunt 0 #8 February 10, 2006 QuoteI like the epson 1800 ,but i currently use a kodak 8500 dye sub which is awsum. No ink to clog ,no print heads giving me shit, and beautiful water proof prints in 90 seconds. If i was to buy a printer right now id pick up a kodak 1400 for under $500.00 , and check into the extended exchange warranty which is well worth the money . how would you compare dye sub to epsons micro dot ?? ..59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI) www.dzmemories.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattjw916 2 #9 February 10, 2006 Dye-sub printers are definately a professional's tool. In a past-life when I did more desktop publishing work we used mad-expensive dye-sub printers to "proof" the work done by the pre-press department in order to obtain customer approval to proceed. While I haven't looked at the technology recently dye-sub printers are traditionally much higher quality than any inkjet-style printer. IIRC they are also "archival quality" prints unlike the average inkjet prints (which usually require special inks and papers to achieve the same results). I'm sure if you google it there will be much more up-to-date info out there than I gave.NSCR-2376, SCR-15080 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
