Printer Choices?

[Kyle]

Any good recommendations or experiences with photo printer?

I Just added the FZ20 as my 2nd Digital Camera. I currently have a Cannon i950 printer and an Epson 925 (which leaves railroad tracks acroos the glossy photo paper). I have been using this printer for 2 years or so now but want to get a new printer to take play with the FZ20. Today I tried the Cannon ip6000 at a retail store and was very impressed.

I took a shot at the bay with boats, buildings, and moutains in the background and the ip6000 did the best job when compared to the Epson and the HP (forgot their model # but they were all at $199.00). I can see lots of dots on the sky part of the photo from the HP and the color on the Epson was off. The ip6000 showed the sharpest image when looking at one of the boat's name in the back ground. All the white boats and poles came out closest to the real thing from the ip6000 as well.

My only question is which brand of printer provide the better cost per print in terms of ink cost. Every salesperson I talked to have a different opinion.

Anyone is welcome to give his/her advise and experiences? By the way, I just ordered 2 prints of the same picture (with one blow up to 8X10) from Long Drugs to compare to the prints I have from the retail store. I will post how the prints from Longs come out once I pick it up. It was done through a Fuji Machine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD.

[genece]

My first 2 printers were Epsons and then I got a HP but now
I am kinda a Canon fan and I would be happy with the i950.
If your printer is leaving those spaces on the paper you need to adjust the settings.
I feel the Canons were the least expensive inks but I think Epson has caught up.

[keiffer]

Can't go wrong with an epson, even though HP has been doing a good job lately, but they really only want their paper, not any other brand. Something to keep in mind.

[johnemiller]

I just got a Canon Pixma ip4000 and am very happy with it. Photo quality is outstanding, and the Canon software to print to the edge of the sheet is really cool. It was less than $120 with shipping - with 5 print cartridges I'm thinking it may be cheaper to buy another one than to buy the cartridges.

[Shenook]

When buying injet or bubble jet printers keep in mind that they usually come with print cartridges half-full. I'm not sure about these printers in question. But go to a midrange hp inkjet at your local retail store and pull out their cartridge. It may say 21ml or so and then go look at the replacement cartridge which is around 42ml or so. Keep this in mind when thinking of buying a new printer instead of the cartridges.

DOn't mind me though but I think the ink is a ripoff. *sigh* but what can ya do.

[Museumtech]

Hi Kyle,

I have just purchased a Cannon IP5000 printer. My wife does a lot of scrapbooking so we were interested in photos that would last. The combination of the Cannon Glossy paper and the Cannon ink is rated to last up to 100 years. This is better than laboratory photos from you 35mm film camera! The colour is fantastic as is the quality. The printer is virtually silent, has a usb port to directly connect your camera and will print double sided. It (along with the Cannon IP4000) produces the cheapest photos and is one of the quickest of the better quallity photo printers.

Follow this link to a test of photo printers that includes estimates of cost per photo. http://www4.tomshardware.com/consumer/20041025/printer-11.html

It is worth noting that the tests appear to be done using the same brand of paper for each (there is no mention of brand specifice tests). Other reviews I have read confirm that the use of the Cannon proprietary brand paper will produce superior results.

Peter

[George Riehm]

Hi Kyle,

I have just purchased a Cannon IP5000 printer. My wife does a lot of scrapbooking so we were interested in photos that would last. The combination of the Cannon Glossy paper and the Cannon ink is rated to last up to 100 years. This is better than laboratory photos from you 35mm film camera! The colour is fantastic as is the quality. The printer is virtually silent, has a usb port to directly connect your camera and will print double sided. It (along with the Cannon IP4000) produces the cheapest photos and is one of the quickest of the better quallity photo printers.

Follow this link to a test of photo printers that includes estimates of cost per photo. http://www4.tomshardware.com/consumer/20041025/printer-11.html

It is worth noting that the tests appear to be done using the same brand of paper for each (there is no mention of brand specifice tests). Other reviews I have read confirm that the use of the Cannon proprietary brand paper will produce superior results.

Peter

Can you point us toward that 100 year print life test? I don't think I saw that combination of ink and paper in lifetesting at the Wilhelm Imaging Research site.

[Robert]

I have a Canon IP6000D and couldn't be more pleased with the prints it produces. But to my knowledge the claims to 100 year longevity are those made by Canon. Lately it seems that all the printer manufacturers are making claims of this nature. I don't know that it's ever been substantiated or not but it's been rumored that many of the labs that test consumer products are often heavily funded by the companies whose produts they test. Who really knows for sure?

[Rhys]

I have a Canon IP6000D and couldn't be more pleased with the prints it produces. But to my knowledge the claims to 100 year longevity are those made by Canon. Lately it seems that all the printer manufacturers are making claims of this nature. I don't know that it's ever been substantiated or not but it's been rumored that many of the labs that test consumer products are often heavily funded by the companies whose produts they test. Who really knows for sure?

Will you be around in 100 years to refute their claims?

[jaykinghorn]

It is worth snooping around in the fine print of Printer's permanence claims. Kodak recently announced a paper with a 200-year archival life. Their accelerated testing was radically different than many of the other "standard" tests. Wilhelm imaging research tested some of the non-archival Epson papers using Kodak's method and the data showed an archive life of over 1000 years. So, point 1 read the fine print.
Part 2 to that is in response to the question of who will be around in 100 years to see the prints? Manufacturers are often quick to quote the biggest number for print permanence, which is, dark storage. Most prints don't spend their entire life protected from light. The shortest print permanence estimate is always unprotected. Many prints fall somewhere in between. So, if a manufacturer quotes 100 years in dark storage, the print will likely show signs of aging in 5-10 years if it is not protected and 20-50 years if behind glass. Those estimates certainly fall within my lifespan.

My $0.02.
Best regards,
Jay Kinghorn
RGB Imaging

[mtroy]

I also have a FZ20 and received on Monday the first true photo printer I have had at home -- a Canon i9900. I splurged because I often print 11x17 layout drafts at work and can now at home as well. Tho I haven't had a chance to print a FZ20 image on it any larger than 8.5x11, it was beautiful! Even on the mid-level Canon paper, I thought it was excellent. Just got some Staples brand 13x19 and I'm eager see what the i9900 can do.

BTW, Staples has a very good sale price not on Canon Photo Paper Plus (Glossy). Less than half price. $5.98 for 50 4x6. Seems like a great price for Canon paper for everyday use.

Hope my first post isn't too commercial, but I love my FZ20 and its great lens. I'm hoping the i9900 will do it justice.

[FrankyG]

I found this to be useful;

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/124/inkjet-printers/products.html

You might need to register to view the entire site.

FrankyG

[EAP]

It is worth snooping around in the fine print of Printer's permanence claims. Kodak recently announced a paper with a 200-year archival life. Their accelerated testing was radically different than many of the other "standard" tests. Wilhelm imaging research tested some of the non-archival Epson papers using Kodak's method and the data showed an archive life of over 1000 years. So, point 1 read the fine print.
Part 2 to that is in response to the question of who will be around in 100 years to see the prints?


Who will be around in 100 years to view your photos? Potentially your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren, your great-great-grandchildren...depending on what you are photographing (family events/celebrations) your pictures could be quite meaningful in 100 years to future generations.

[EAP]

Also, PC Magazine does reviews on photo printers. It has reviewed pretty much all the printers mentioned in this thread. Here's a link to copy and paste into your browser:

http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1738,1639086,00.asp

[gary_hendricks]

Any good recommendations or experiences with photo printer?

I Just added the FZ20 as my 2nd Digital Camera. I currently have a Cannon i950 printer and an Epson 925 (which leaves railroad tracks acroos the glossy photo paper). I have been using this printer for 2 years or so now but want to get a new printer to take play with the FZ20. Today I tried the Cannon ip6000 at a retail store and was very impressed.

I took a shot at the bay with boats, buildings, and moutains in the background and the ip6000 did the best job when compared to the Epson and the HP (forgot their model # but they were all at $199.00). I can see lots of dots on the sky part of the photo from the HP and the color on the Epson was off. The ip6000 showed the sharpest image when looking at one of the boat's name in the back ground. All the white boats and poles came out closest to the real thing from the ip6000 as well.

My only question is which brand of printer provide the better cost per print in terms of ink cost. Every salesperson I talked to have a different opinion.

Anyone is welcome to give his/her advise and experiences? By the way, I just ordered 2 prints of the same picture (with one blow up to 8X10) from Long Drugs to compare to the prints I have from the retail store. I will post how the prints from Longs come out once I pick it up. It was done through a Fuji Machine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD.



Hi Kyle,

The Canon series of printers are pretty good. I personally own a Canon iP4000 and it has support for PictBridge printing (i.e. print direct from the digital camera).

You mentioned you looked at HP and Epson models as well, at the same price range. I've owned HP printers before. HP printers tend to be better for laser printing, rather than photo printing. I can't really comment about Epson printers as I haven't used any of those before.

[webshooter]

As a point of reference, I have some 35mm lab prints that are starting to age after 5-6 years on the wall. The advantage with my digitals is.....I can print another one right now! and do it in any size I want.

[gary_hendricks]

Any good recommendations or experiences with photo printer?

I Just added the FZ20 as my 2nd Digital Camera. I currently have a Cannon i950 printer and an Epson 925 (which leaves railroad tracks acroos the glossy photo paper). I have been using this printer for 2 years or so now but want to get a new printer to take play with the FZ20. Today I tried the Cannon ip6000 at a retail store and was very impressed.

I took a shot at the bay with boats, buildings, and moutains in the background and the ip6000 did the best job when compared to the Epson and the HP (forgot their model # but they were all at $199.00). I can see lots of dots on the sky part of the photo from the HP and the color on the Epson was off. The ip6000 showed the sharpest image when looking at one of the boat's name in the back ground. All the white boats and poles came out closest to the real thing from the ip6000 as well.

My only question is which brand of printer provide the better cost per print in terms of ink cost. Every salesperson I talked to have a different opinion.

Anyone is welcome to give his/her advise and experiences? By the way, I just ordered 2 prints of the same picture (with one blow up to 8X10) from Long Drugs to compare to the prints I have from the retail store. I will post how the prints from Longs come out once I pick it up. It was done through a Fuji Machine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD.


I think the Canon iP4000 series of printers is wonderful. I've been using it for 2 months now without any problems.