Need new printer...current one is horrible.

[reuber1]

Wondering if you guys can help me here. I have an old HP cheap-o printer that I bought from Target several years back that has really worn it's welcome, and I'm about ready to punt the thing out the window. I burned through 10 #10 envelopes on this thing just now, with feeding and jamming problems to no end, and that's pretty much par for the course when I'm sending out resumes. Decent enough on glossy prints for my portfolio, but it could be better.

I'm fine with inkjet, as my budget won't allow laser. I would love to do 11x17 tabloid size docs (print to edge not necessary), but again, price may be a factor against that. The all-in-one solution isn't completely necessary, as the one I have does scanning and copying decent enough. I don't print to color a lot though, I do print B/W almost daily, and I've heard issues about some printers will gum up rather early if you don't use the printer regularly; not sure how big of an issue this is.

I would much prefer something that isn't HP. I've been thinking Canon over Epson.

[Typically]

well i know you are thinking canon over epson but i have this printer and it works great. http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Inkjet-Printer-Silver/dp/B000086A2I

it prints 11x 17 and really rich blacks

[reuber1]

well i know you are thinking canon over epson but i have this printer and it works great. http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Stylus-Inkjet-Printer-Silver/dp/B000086A2I

it prints 11x 17 and really rich blacks
Hmmm, that one looks quite nice.

[mojoprime]

i have to say that i'm leaning more toward buying an epson 1400. i don't necessarily need a speed demon, but oversized prints would be nice. so would printing on CDs.

that said, hands down best printer i've ever had is the one i have now, a canon ip5000. low cost of ink per tank (~10-12 bucks US depending on where you look), duplexes, great prints. 150 when i bought it new. i've had epsons starting with a stylus 740 on up and every one of them has crapped out, even with printing a lot, even daily. i'm hoping they've got that cleaned up with their newer models, becuase the epson larger-size printers pretty much rule that market. that's the one place where canon, for some reason, hasn't caught up.

so, in short, buy a cheap samsung B&W laser (~150) and a larger-format inkjet. you might be able to get out from under it for around 500-600, as opposed to around 2500 for a tabloid laser.

[reuber1]

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PIXMA-Pro9000-Printer-9995A001/dp/B000J1HPK8/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4737622-2210329?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1191876339&sr=1-1

What about this one? This was recommended by one of the Amazon reviews of the ip5000, and it looks pretty solid. Prints up to 13 x 19 (I only need 11 x 17, but whatever), and it sounds like when loading different stocks you don't need to babysit the thing nonstop (kinda like I do with my current POS). It seems to be approximately as large as my couch (give or take).

[mojoprime]

i dunno. i would love to have a canon one, but the step up from it, the 9500 pro, didn't get such great reviews:

http://www.macworld.com/2007/08/reviews/pixmapro9500/index.php

you're right. it does get great reviews on amazon. i talked with a couple of folks on here, and the 1400 is supposed to be a great machine, though slow. and it prints on CDs, which after having a long weekend pulling inkjet labels out of my machine, sounds delightful.

[reuber1]

and the 1400 is supposed to be a great machine...and it prints on CDs
I like the sounds of that *Goes to look up the 1400*

Speed isn't a big deal for me per printout, just wasting materials after a myriad of botched prints is.

Be great if those Memjet printers became a reality sometime soon.

[mojoprime]

yeah, i wonder about the vaporware aspect of that. i mean, the video is nifty, but i've seen some inkjets hustle pretty fast as well. and i wonder about the archival aspect of it. i dunno. would be sweet if the color and quality are spot-on.

http://www.macworld.com/2007/07/reviews/epson1400/index.php

by the by, i don't work for epson -- and i wouldn't after slamming them earlier. i just want something that'll handle art prints pretty well. and epson has a crap ton of specialty papers.

[MD]

If you decide not to get an 11x17 printer the price of small color laser printers has really come down. Earlier this year I picked up a Xerox Phaser new for under $250 shipped. http://www.pricegrabber.com/ can really help you find a great deal.

[mojoprime]

MD, you're right about that. Did you get one that's solid ink or does it use conventional toner? i always wondered about it getting clogged. I also heard the solid ink ones were tough to duplex if the coverage was high.

By the way, how much are the consumables for your Xerox?

[MD]

Conventional toner.

I have no idea how much the consumables are but it is safe to assume a refill will cost more than the printer. I don't print out a ton at home and the factory cartridges are rated for 2.5k I should be ok for a while. When they empty out i might sell the printer on ebay and buy a new one.

[mojoprime]

i was just wondering, because i was thinking of going that route as well.

[reuber1]

Time to necro an old-ish thread (hey, 8000 posts!), but I'm still looking for a printer and I checked out this guy. Even comes with a rebate for $100 off, which means I'll see that money in about six months if I got it today. Up to 13" x 19" it says, which is nice; I figured I'd have to break the bank for that.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Pro9000-Professional-Printer-9995A001/dp/B000J1HPK8/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1198895648&sr=8-1

Any opinions on this one? Most of the reviews on Amazon seem favorable.

[mojoprime]

it's gotten good reviews. i needed to be able to print on CDs as well as some other criteria, and i got the epson stylus pro r1800. it's a beast, in a good way. i still haven't put it through all of its paces yet but i printed just a black and white photo the other day on it for a xmas present, and it was simply awesome.

[PrintDriver]

Canon 9000 has 8 ink cartridges. Small ones? I didn't go that far in checking. Flaar.org photo site didn't really have a review but they didn't have anything bad to say about it. They aren't shy in their printer reviews.

The Epson 1400 has small cartridges too but the image quality offsets the cartridge changing. And you can change carts in the middle of a print without a stop bar. Pretty cool.

[reuber1]

Looks like those are the smaller cartridges. I wouldn't be doing high volume runs though, it would mainly be for portfolio pieces down the line among other things.

I've been on the fence about Epson...not anything from personal experience, just that I hear lots of mixed things. Sounds like most people on the GDF have had good luck with them though. The Epson R1800 looks really sweet, and I'm almost sold on it just for it's direct to CD print capability, but it's a bit more than I'd like to spend at the moment (though I'm not questioning it's value). If I can't figure out in time that the Canon rebate expires, which is like in less than two weeks, I'll probably go that route. Gawd, sick of spending money.