Best home printer?
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- matski
Looking to get a home printer and need advice and the best ones for 'getting great detail'?
For example, I may print my print portfolio out using it, the works are going to be small (e.g. 4 dps on an A4 page), so need a printer which can print in good detail or definition. Also one which can print good greyscale/shadows.
Any suggestions?
- pango0
i have a epson stylus photo 1400. the most inexpensive large format printer. (that i know)
13" x 19" boarderless. If you have the right paper, the detail is really super fine. i was seriously blown away by what this printer can do.
6 individual cartridges. each cost around $24 bucks canadian. ya.. ink ain't cheap...- Hey, I have that one aswell. sometimes I have lines in my prints though.digdre
- Nairn0
I'd be willing to bet that most printers these days deliver 'great detail' for portfolio prints, seeing as the tech is so evolved.
Regardless, choose your price point, select printers within that range from the main manufacturers (personally, I'd only select from Canon or Epson) then Google and filter here for reviews. Everything else people tell you is either personal prejudice or redundant in the face of your cost range anyway.
- Nairn0
digdre - sounds like you've had periods of non-use with your printer, allowing bits of ink to dry in the tubenozzles between your ink cartridge and paper.
Get yourself a wee bit of pure alcohol (80%) and some ear cleaners - remove the cartridges, and liberally dab the ink head (if you can reach it) and the nozzletubes with your alcohol, then do a print with CMYK blocks of colour (or match whatever inks your printer has). If there are still any lines on the colours, dab more alcohol on that colour's nozzle.
Whilst you're in there, dab some heavy swabs of kitchen paper into the ink well under/right of the ink cartridges' resting spot - soak up as much of the excess ink as you can (a little alcohol in here, after it looks like you've soaked up the majority, isn't a bad idea). Just this one act will probably add a year's life to your printer.
- dMullins0
Got a Photosmart 8700 series at home. Love it to death. I don't print a ton, but I haven't changed the cartridges since I bought the thing back in December of 2007.
- FallowDeer0
still rocking a epson 1290
- formed0
Just got a Epson Photo 1900 ($100 rebate until the end of the month). Love it so far, sooooo much faster than my Photo R800's.
- formed0
Just got a Epson Photo 1900 ($100 rebate until the end of the month). Love it so far, sooooo much faster than my Photo R800's.
- raf0
Just got a Canon ip4500, I'm not impressed with color accuracy at all. Probably needs custom icc profile - any of you are doing these?
- Yes, I have that and have a lot of trouble with it as far as color management is concerned.duckofrubber
- shitehawke0
I agree with nairn, had a cheap ass epson stylus during college and it was a workhorse, always produced good prints and was only £150 when I got it, but the ink replacements were kinda expensive.
Upgraded about 2 years ago to a canon i9950 A3+ for about €650-€800 (cant remember exactly how much now), great prints but recently its been getting banding so I might just have to try out nairns cleaning method.
Things to look out for are, how easy it is to get replacement cartridges and how expensive they are. Usually the cheap end inkjets have more expensive triple colour cartridges whereas the more expensive printers take single colour cartridges so you can save money by only replacing the cartridges when theyre empty instead of having to replace all 3 at once.
- d_rek0
I have an epson stylus 2-in-1 scanner / printer that was more than worth the $100 it cost. It uses individual ink cartridges (7 in all) but the quality on photoprinting is excellent and even for just basic prints it is still really good. Only down side is the format - 8 1/2 x 11.
- vaxorcist0
I love my Canon 9500.. it just works... what a concept!
I had an Epson R1800 that drove me nuts with paper feed oddities after the warrant was over and alot of calls to Epson....
I'd be curious if the 1400 or 1900 are reliable, they certainly are cheaper...
- Atkinson0
canon mp780 is ace