looking for a new office/photo printer

gearhead

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
My HP 8150 is not behaving well with Windows 7, I can't even get it to print 4 x 6s from the tray any more.
It did a great job in it's day. If I could I'd get a new one just like it---that was supported by it's manufacturer.
Does anybody make one that'll do photo paper plus envelopes, etc?
All I see are combo everything in one units, which I have no desire for.
I have a good scanner, all I want is a good printer.
 
Can't tell ya what to get, but I can tell ya one to avoid. I made the mistake of getting an HP Envoy 4500 when I found out HP wasn't going to make drivers for my trusty old relic. Beautiful prints, but it EATS cartridges.

Next time around, I hear good things about the entry level Brother color lasers ...

Oh. And whatever you get, think twice about installing the full service printing application bundled. The HP one is just plain annoying. Install the bare driver if you can get away with it.
 
my input is either Canon or Brother. both have ability to buy cheap cartridges everywhere.
Or HP with their overpriced carts and early failures. Epsons same thing, had one that
failed days before warranty ended.

however, the new epsons have a large refillable tank that cuts the cost per page down.

check out nifty-stuff.com for their forums on each printer class (inkjet, laser)
 
My next office/photo printer is going to be the Epson one with ink that lasts over a year or so. You pay for the printer up front, not ink cartridges on a continual basis.
 
Be very careful with cheaper or off brand cartridges. Using them almost always invalidates the warranty on a printer and can actually cause the printer to fail completely. Have seen it happen several times.

Most decent printers (that do good quality photos) these days for home use come bundled with a scanner, unless you move up to semi pro. For day to day use I have a Canon Pixima, mines about three years old and still going strong.

As to your issues with your current one, have you tried reinstalling printer drivers or checking to see if a new one is required?
 
I can vouch for the Canon MG5320 being a boat anchor. It lasted just beyond a year before it threw an error message and, going online, found that this error is common and can't be repaired. (It can't even be used as a scanner.)

The Epson office printer/scanner I bought to replace it has been a workhorse though. But, I could probably do better for photo printing (it does a good, but not great, job on photos). The Epson I like for photo printing is a pro model that working photographers use, and is expensive to purchase and maintain--the inks alone would make me a po' man. :D. (A full set of ink is $500; the printer starts around $1000.)
 
You might want to consider separate printers, one for photos, the second for documents/ envelopes. There is HUGE difference in the quality of a photo printed with a photo printer.

There are often Canon printers available very inexpensively on CL. Retailers often give away closeout Canon printers when purchased with a camera. The end user has no need for the printer and ends up selling for litttle money on CL.
 
I figure as little as I want to print something, it is far cheaper, with better results, if I send the digital files off to a photo lab for printing. I need to do it at a place like Adorama which offers the option of turning auto-correction features off. As long as my images use the sRGB color space, it's all good. If it's a quick knock-off photo, this Epson I have does OK with it.

If I am going to the trouble to print photos, a $199 printer won't work to my satisfaction. And a $1000+ professional photo printer with $500 ink sets is overkill for the dozen or so I print each year. (Although one could go into business printing high quality digital photos for others. ;) ) A lot of pro photographers use the Epson Stylus Pro series. I figure if it's good enough for Pete Turner, I'm down with it. ;)
 
If you shop at COSTCO, you should know that they have excellent photo printing service, and at the best prices ($3.99 for a 12x18 glossy). Plus, their customer relations are excellent, they will redo any print free, no questions asked, if you don't like your first attempt.

Printer profiles for each individual store are published by DryCreek Photo:
https://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/
and you can turn off the auto correction (as you surely will want to do) on the COSTCO order form.

They print up to 12x18 inches on Fuji Chrystal Archive C-41 (chemical) photo paper, and larger posters on inkjet. The C-41 process does not have as large a gamut as an inkjet with pigment inks, but is perfectly fine for sRGB files. I use them for competition prints at the camera club, as do several other members.
 
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