Best Photo Printer for $350?

[Robert Matthews]

I am planning to buy a photo printer for up to $350 or so, and have only looked at the Canon S900 and Epson 960 as possible choices. Does anybody know of a better model, or have some good advice?

From some of the customer comments on Amazon I am concerned that the archival properties of S900 prints may limit their life expectancy to a few weeks, and that there is a common failure in its print heads. Other sites lead me to believe that the Epsons are slower than a Vietnamese driver in heavy fog . . . If we gave credence to all the comments on the internet, nobody would ever buy anything.

I have a lot more faith in the opinions found on this forum. I recently bought an Epson 2450 based on what I read here, and that worked out very well indeed!

Thanks

[Vicky Cravey]

Epson 1280 <http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductQuickSpec.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0824725104.1043822265@@@@&BV_EngineID=fadcgfihkmlibfdmcfjgckidnf.0&oid=176023&category=Ink+Jet+Printers> they have a $100 mail-in-rebate, if you can afford the initial cost. You may even find a better deal at Buy.com or a comparable online store.

[Unknown]

The Epson 1280 would give you B-sized and SuperB (13x19) large print capability. The Canon S900 and Epson 960 are both letter sized. The S900 has a big brother, the S9000, that can do 11x17s. All of these printers can produce stunning photo quality prints.

[dave milbut]

olympus dye sub 330n. it only prints upto 4x5 though. you didn't say if you required ink jet, or 8x10. 8x10's are nice, but the dye sub's continuous tone imaging system looks like it came from a photo lab. also the oly 400 is an 8x10 version for about $420 (over your limit, but close).

dave

[Dion Kelly]

I use and LOVE the Cannon S9000 the Wider then the S900

[photobug]

Maybe I've just been unlucky, but I've had 2 Epson printers and the ink-jets on each of them frequently got clogged-up. So no more Epson's for me.

Anyone else notice this problem with their Epson?

[BLUDVLZ]

The only good Epson is a dead Epson--fortunately the printers pretty much do themselves in, so it isn't like you'd be facing prosecution.

Ever notice that when there's a thread posted on the PS board about printing difficulties, that it's almost always about an Epson?

[brent bertram]

Oddly, I haven't had any Epson hardware problems. On my fourth, Epson Color II, 1520, Photo 870 and Photo 890 . All still running. Without Ian Lyons' site , though, I'd have never figured out how to use the Epson driver. Too much flexibility is a kind way to put it ! <G>

:-)

Brent

[Emma d'Anise]

I have an Epson and I've also noticed the clogging issue.

[marionbabich]

For 4x6 I use and recommend the HiTouch printer at $159 and for (true)8x10 the Kodak 8500 are the best bang for the buck. True 8x10 and you can't tell the print from your neighborhood photo store.

[marionbabich]

Yes Dave....had an Olympus p330 and when I saw the print from a HiTouch I had to get one. Also, Kodak has a next day replacement if the 8500 takes a dump. You can also extend the warranty after one year for an addtional year for $128. Boy, I sound like a Kodak rep which I'm not. :)

[dave milbut]

marion are those the other dye subs you mentioned right after I got my oly?

[Lawrence Hudetz]

I had 2 870's and one of them clogged up.

Permanently.

I gave it away to a tinkerer.

To come to the defense of Epson, the reason you see Epsons on problem threads is that they have gobs of the photographer market.

I just surfed Luminous Landscape and on their print thread, all anyone was talking about is the 2200. I tried to get a thread going about the Canon S9000 about 6 months ago and it went zip.

Either nobody's interested, or no problems.

[psnewbie]

Another tale of Epson clogged inkjets here (and I never bought off-brand cartridges)! Now I've got a Canon S900 and love it.

[Robert Matthews]

Marion, I've never even heard of the technology used by the Kodak 8500, but it sure does look interesting. I looked it up on the Kodak website and it is hard to find a price and I'm guessing they're not widely distributed.

Is Hi Touch the manufacturer, or the just the name of the printer?

Thanks for your inputs. One sure can learn a lot by reading this forum!

[Unknown]

Robert,

If you are interested in the Canon S900 you might be even more interested in the new 2-picoliter Canon S950 (which succeeds the S900).

<http://www.photo-i.co.uk/>

This printer seems like credible competition to the Epson 960.

-- Burton -- (a satisfied Epson user)

[Robert Matthews]

Burton,

Thanks so much for the input. I looked at your link and found it very interesting. This model must be very new, and it might be worth the wait.

Robert

[brent bertram]

Ran across these directions from a previous thread ( I believe, Daryl Pritchard's ) . Seem appropriate :
"Epson 1270 Photo Printer - Printer Head Cleaning

After printing several 11x14-inch prints on artist canvas and a few on watercolor paper for inkjet printers, I found that black smears of ink began to appear on my prints. Observing the paper rollers as printing was in progress, I saw that the center 3 rollers were being continually swiped with black ink. Consistent with what I'd found during a search on the internet, I found the problem to be a buildup of ink and fibers around the printhead, with some actually extending off enough to effectively become an ink "paintbrush". Presumably, use of some media such as the canvas and watercolor papers may increase the risk of introducing thin fibers into the printer that can affect the print head. After my experience, I agree this is quite likely what happened. That's not to say that such media cannot be used, but one may find it necessary to clean the exterior of the print head assembly on a periodic basis. Fortunately, this isn't too difficult.

Tools Needed: Phillips 1 or 2 screwdriver.

Setup: Power off the printer and disconnect the USB printer cable if attached. Remove two screws at rear of cover and two screws inside the front edge, under printer hood. Remove paper feed tray extension and then slide off printer cover.

Details:

1. Remove the ink cartridge covers by squeezing in (black) or spreading out (color) the tabs on each cover, and twisting the covers until detached.

2. Remove spring at lower left of ink cartridge carrier by pressing down and back on the eyelet end until it clears the catch that holds it in place.

3. Depress the carriage locking post and slide the carriage to the left to provide more room to work. Post will stay down until power is reapplied to printer and carriage is returned to starting position.

4. Remove the two screws at each end of the steel bar in the base of the carriage.

5. Remove the small screw at the top back of the carriage. Now the ink cartridge tray is held in place only by the ribbon cable jig.

6. GENTLY lift the back of the ribbon cable jig up and toward the front of the printer until the plastic fingers disengage from the carriage. It may help to lightly pull up and forward at each of the outer corners. Use of a flashlight to look behind the jig and see how the fingers are gripping the carrier may also help judge how best to loosen them.

7. CAREFULLY lift the ribbon jig up to fully detach it from the carrier, but DO NOT pull it so high as to cause the ribbon cables to pull free from their sockets.

8. At this point, it should be possible to tilt the ink cartridge tray to the left and wiggle it free from the lower carriage frame. If the ink jet port wells appear fairly clean of ink that might drip or run, the ribbon cables may be left connected and the tray may be lifted up and inverted back over the top of the printer, so as to present the print head in an accessible position. If the ink jet wells are not very clean, it will likely be best to gently pull the ribbon cables free from their sockets (3 total), noting that they are a little tricky to get reinserted but not impossible of you work from the innermost cable outward.

9. Clean around the perimeter frame of the print head to remove any build-up of dried ink and fibrous debris. Wiping the print head directly should probably be avoided in all but the most extreme cases.

10. Reinstall everything by reversing the process, but reinsert the screw at the back of the carriage before attempting to snap the ribbon jig back into place. Having the ink cartridge tray back in place and anchored by the screw makes it easier to snap the ribbon jig onto the carriage. "

I've never had to use these instructions, but at least I've got them handy ! <G>

:-)

Brent

[marionbabich]

Robert,

Here is just one web site that carries the HiTouch <http://www.marinecamera.com/360%20PT-printer.html>

The Kodak and HiTouch are both dye sub so there is no inks to clog. You replace ribbon and paper with packages. You can read more about these on Steve's Digicam site.

Marion

[dave milbut]

the oly 330n's only around 350 or less! :)

[Robert Matthews]

Marion

Thanks for all you inputs. I find the Kodak really interesting, but I will have to look hard for reasons to spend this much now--I just bought a Nikon 5700 Coolpix a week ago, my very first digital camera. Going digital was a tough decision for me.

Robert