Looking for a printer...

[Rex914]

Now that my DSLR search has wound down to a close, it's time for me to look at a printer. Because of space (but not budget) limitations, we can only get one printer. This printer needs to handle everyday text tasks as well as photos which I will be printing frequently. I will mostly print letter size, but I can already see myself doing larger format prints here and there. I'm wavering between getting a letter sized printer or a wide format (13x19) printer. Since we replace our printer so infrequently (this will only be our third printer ever), the budget is $500 and is completely separate from the camera budget.

I've been looking at the Canon ip8500 ($300), i9900 ($400) and the Epson R800 ($330 AR) and R1800 ($430 AR). I am also intently waiting for Canon's new high end printers that will replace the 8500 and 9900 using their new ink system already used in lower end models. I have no more interest in HP printers or any other brands.

If I had to buy today, I would go for Epson (probably R1800) just because the ink system is one generation ahead of the ink used in the 8500/9900 (and there's a $50 rebate on all of their printers too), but if Canon came out with their new high end printers by PMA (like the one JTL was describing), I would hold out to see those.

[erichlund]

If you think you may want large format, then it doesn't really pay to get a letter format printer and regret the decision. That said, I have the R1800, and previously had the R800. For day to day tasks, both are adequate, but neither is as good as my much older Deskjet 1220C. The real difference that I see is in the saturation of black text. The 1220C looks more "black".

OTOH, both are much better photo printers. Also, both the R800 and R1800 support printing to CD / DVD, and the fact that they use pigment inks is nice for this feature.

Cheers,
Eric

[Rex914]

Have you experienced the infamous clogging or the frequent need to performing cleaning? It seems that especially the R800 is prone to this. I have never ever had to worry about cleaning or calibrating before unless I had to install a new cartridge. To add a bit, my printing schedule will be fairly irregular. Sometimes, I may print a lot (daily), or I may go for a couple weeks without printing any photos (but daily document usage will hold). Does this affec tthe clogging issue in any way?

[erichlund]

I live in Anaheim, which has a marine influenced climate. I guess that is important when discussing the Epson printers. The people that seem to have the most problems, as far as I can tell, live in arid climates where the ink is more likely to dry in the head. I've never had a clogged head on either printer, but the other piece of important advice is to operate the printer according to the directions. When done using the printer, ALWAYS turn it off using the switch on the printer. This allows the printer to do a proper shutdown.

As far as schedule, I'm actually the perfect example of someone that prints in batches, then goes for long periods not using the printer. I would seem the most likely target for a clogged head, but I've still never had one.

Cheers,
Eric

[JTL]

Hey Rex:

I have been pestering Canon on the new 10-ink printer and they will not commit. When I told them that then they shouldn't be demo-ing prototypes at industry events, they didn't respond...

Maybe someone with more juice can try to get at least a statement of direction from them...:cool:

[Rex914]

they shouldn't be demo-ing prototypes at industry events...
I actually got a kick out of seeing prototypes of acrylic bodied cameras. Seeing an acrylic Rebel XT was very interesting. :D

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3349236357957668.JPG

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/5226667344509756.JPG

Thanks for the heads up Eric. I also live right by the sea (Bay Area), so I should be in a very similar climate.

[Rex914]

Eric, I've got one more question. Apart from the larger format capability, what advantages does the R1800 have over the R800?

[erichlund]

Eric, I've got one more question. Apart from the larger format capability, what advantages does the R1800 have over the R800?
It has some additional paper pathing to handle heavier art papers. This is the same as on the more expensive 2400 model. To be honest, beyond that I haven't been using too many of the features of the printer, as I don't currently have a camera. Another few weeks, and I'll be putting it through a major workout.

I will say that it does seem a bit faster, but not having them side by side, I don't know if that is true or not. I really got it for the larger size, so that was my main focus.

Cheers,
Eric

[Rex914]

Went to the local electronics store to do a sanity check on the printer size and the basics, and something hit me. The R1800 appears (I still need to verify using actual measurements) to be too big! Didn't see that one coming. :(

This is totally unrelated to printers, but I did a quick check in the camera section to look at the newer DSLR's like the KM 5D, E-500, etc. and it bears mentioning that a 2.5" LCD is drastically bigger than a 1.8" LCD (on the old D70, 20D and the XT). Never really gave much thought to it before, but it's a huge difference that I've always overlooked...

[erichlund]

Went to the local electronics store to do a sanity check on the printer size and the basics, and something hit me. The R1800 appears (I still need to verify using actual measurements) to be too big! Didn't see that one coming. :(

Yeah, it is a bit of a beast. Really though, all the wide format printers have a pretty large footprint. You'll have to measure them all if this one is a problem. Here are a couple things to consider.

The Epson has special paper pathing for art papers that does not involve pulling the printer away from the wall. I cannot say that about my DJ1220C. However, that says nothing about current HP printers. I know nothing (Shultz!??) about the paper path of the Canon printers. One reason I like Epson over the HP printers is that Epson is a top loader. The printer looks more professional with the HP layout, but I can't tell you the number of times I've been printing only to have the rollers pull the paper in and have it shift, ruining the print. Also, with expensive papers, you definitely want a path that is more straight through.

Cheers,
Eric

[Rex914]

Actually, the offending dimension is width (although height is not at a premium either).

Our current main printer (not the one I complained of in the other thread) is an HP 890C with dimensions 17.5 x 8.9 x 15.6 in.

The R1800 is 24.2 x 9.1 x 12.6 in, so it's a lot wider, a bit higher, and less deep. Currently, we have at most 5 inches wide to spare, so that pretty much knocks this one out unless we find another place (space in the computer room is difficult to come by). Looks like I'll have to pass on a wide format printer for now... :(