A new printer

I've been having a hard time find a place to print my pictures from my digital camera with out screwing them up and the places that do a good job are too far away for me. Soooo I would like to purchase a printer and print them out myself. I just have no idea what kind to get or where to start. Will a regular but good printer be just as good as a photo printer?

I need something that prints fairly good but it doesnt have to be perfect and not too expensive.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!! Thanks

 

For most people a good dual purpose 'regular and photo quality' inkjet is fine.

The photo quality comes not only from running the printer at higher resolution but mainly from printing on suitable photo quality paper. Results vary hugely with different papers so see some results before you buy and make sure the supply of suitable paper is secure.

If you are going to be using a combined purpose printer, connected to a pc the benefits of camera card readers or direct camera connection (called pictbridge) are dubious. Especially if you intend any prepress editing.

Whatever you choose don't expect to save money. Home printing is costly.

 

Thanks studiot

I know it can be expensive but I know some people that can get me deals on paper and ink LOL

I was wondering if someone could suggest models that would be worth while?

Thanks again.

 

We have plenty of stores where you can do it yourself, for little cost. Nothing like that where you are? Bazza

Check out http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070705
(FREE newsletter) for a great article on printing photos, etc.
There are competing claims for costs for various makes and models of colour printers. Hope it helps. Baz

 

There is one that I know of but it is pretty far away from me. Its kind of why I want to do it myself.

 

Not sure I'll be able to offer any specific advice, but here's some rules of thumb I would keep in mind:

- Cheaper printers tend to cost more for ink/toner, and are usually harder to maintain, meaning that when the rollers and/or fuser wear out (normal wear and tear most people don't bother fixing), you may have to take it to a pricey technician, or replace it altogether. Check out how much toner costs, and see how hard they are to maintain. A good resource is www.fixyourownprinter.com. I know for business class HP printers, maintenance is cheap and very simple. For $100, I can make an older printer perform like brand new.

- Choose a printer that can output a resolution to match your camera. If you need help here, posting the make/model of your camera will help us get information.

- I would say that Brother and HP are my brands of choice. HP has a bit better support, imo, but Brothers have lower initial cost.

Places you might look:

www.tigerdirect.com
www.newegg.com

 

And for a follow-up article check out
www.windowssecrets.com/comp/070712 newsletter.

Bazza

 

Check out the Epson RX580

http://www.soundadviceblog.com/?p=420

 

Since I generally only print out 4x6's i picked up a cannon selphy. This is a person al preference though. I just think that die sub printers due a much better job than inkjet printers. no heads to clean, and they dont leave the streaks that some of the inkjets due.... however, yes tehre is a however. even though I love my printer there is one thing it does not due quite as well....... very vibrant colors... by this I dont mean bright I mean shades bordering on day-glo... for those that dont know what this is just try and remember the 80's. But if you are looking to print out larger format pictures by all means check out the other members suggestions. once again I will not recommend anything that I have not personally tried or own. Happy hunting

 

If you are going to be doing a lot of colour printing consider one of these.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Continuous-In...oryZ1483QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

That continuous ink is a good idea. I think I want to get either a HP or a Epson because we have Epsons at work that print out really nice. Im just torn on models.... Thanks for all your input folks

 

The Epson inkjet system inherently produces the best quality print. However, and it is a big however, Epsons have to be used frequently or they clog up. If this happens you usually have to bin the printer.

The HP system is much much tolerant of intermittent use, and the cost of clogging up is simply a new cartridge.

This is because the HP nozzles are part of the ink cartridge and you get a new one each time you buy a cartridge.

The Epson system separates the cartridge and the nozzles so you never repalce the nozzles when you change the cartridges. If you leave the printer unused for a few days the nozzles will clog. Epson have a self cleaning system but this means you must never turn the printer off.

So if you take that 3 week holiday in Hawii you can safely turn your Hp off before you go, but must leave your Epson on or you will have to throw it away when you get back.

 

Whether your printer costs $49 or $499, the purchase price is only the first item on your new list of ongoing printing expenses. Over time, buying the ink or toner and acquiring media (paper, envelopes, and transparencies) will very likely make a far bigger impact on your wallet.

Saving money on printing starts before you buy your printer.

Once you start looking at certain models, make sure you check the recommended print volume; if you typically print 100 pages a day, you wouldn’t want to buy a printer that's rated for 500 pages a month.