Archived from groups: comp.periphs.printers (
More info?)
Great post, David. The reality is that all brands of inkjet printers (and
all devices in general) have pros and cons. No device lasts for ever, and
each has its own way of self destructing. Whatever printer one purchases,
it is a good idea to become more educated through reading of newsgroups and
forums to learn about alternate inks and papers, trouble shooting and
simple fixes. For instance, there are ways of clearing head clogs that will
help forestall a new printer purchase when an old one doesn't print well.
The most comprehensive place for finding information on printer maintenance
would be Arthur Entlich for Epson at www.artistic@telus.net (when
requested, he will email you his instructions on diagnosing and clearing
Epson print head clogs) and Neil Slade's site at
www.neilslade.com/papers/inkjetstuff .
"David Chien" <chiendh@uci.edu> wrote in message
news:d4bmcm$kmr$1@news.service.uci.edu...
> There is no "BEST" unless you tell us what of the following you want the
> most in a printer, ranked by preference. (there's a lot more, too)
>
> 1) cheap is important
>
> Any on-sale inkjet printer that goes for <$50. Simply buy, use until
> ink cartridges are empty, then replace with another <$50 printer (since
> ink cartridges cost about the same as a new printer anyways).
>
> Give aways, hand me downs, found in trash, etc. are all good to get.
> BIG college campuses like UCLA at the end of the year and quarter are
> particularly good for dumpster diving.
>
> 2) Longevity is important
>
> a) Keep in mind that all inks fade with light/air exposure - thus,
> don't expect prints to last in open display longer than a few years w/o
> fading (search for POV Image Epson Orange Fading website). Applies to all
> inkjets.
>
> b) Out of the box, those expensive Epsons like the 1800/2200 series
> which have longer lasting inks than their regular line. Pigemented
> generally lasts longer than dye based inks, but see #a above.
>
> c) you can even buy 3rd party archival inks and papers from
> www.inkjetmall.com and elsewhere, but even then, as you can see from their
> longevity reports, that they don't last that long either under direct
> light exposure.
>
> d) If you're worried about lawsuits, simply do like the regular film
> print companies - put in a disclaimer that you're not responsible for any
> fading at all, period - because they will fade.
>
> 3) Smoother prints with less visible dots. Smaller picoliter dots like
> the 1.5pl from Epson will be able to print tinier dots that are less
> noticable. Also, more colors like the 9 color from HP will generally be
> better than lower number of colors - but here, keep in mind that almost
> any inkjet printer that runs at least 6 colors or more will produce
> 'photographic' prints quite easily.
>
> 4) Lower operating costs?
>
> More ink cartridges = more cost per set of inks you need to replace.
> Also, Canon carts are the easiest to refill, HP & Epson are tougher,
> esp. the chipped cartridges from Epson, or the expiration dated HPs. You
> can bypass the locks, but it's an extra step.
>
> Continuous Bottle Feed ink systems from www.inkjetmall.com and
> elsewhere let you print thousands of colors prints w/o a single refill -
> they feed directly from huge bottles of ink retrofitted to your printer.
>
> www.shopper.com generally gives you an idea what each printer's print
> cartridge cost will be, so you can find out what the operating costs are.
>
> also, keep in mind that Epson generally has cheaper photo papers than
> Canon which in turn is cheaper than HP. Per print operating costs of
> Paper + Ink is to be kept in mind. Also, add to the per print operating
> cost the price of the printer, too! An expensive printer will make each
> print more costly than a dirt-cheap printer.
>
> 5) DOS/linux
>
> You'll have to hunt down printers that have support for these OSs.
>
> 6) Thick paper
>
> Flatter paper feeds such as the top in, bottom out feeds of some Canon
> and Epson printers are better than HP and some Canon U-feed designs.
> These can definitely jam up on thicker paper, or not feed at all.
>
> 7) double-sided
>
> Here, only a few printers from Canon and HP have auto-double-sided
> printing
>
> 8) flash card slot
>
> Only a few from each maker have these to print directly from digital
> camera flash cards
>
> 9) scanning?
>
> Only a few from each maker can print photo prints, scan/copy in color,
> and even fewer still (like the Epsons) have built-in scan directly to
> flash cards w/o a PC, or scanning of 35mm films.
>
> R500/600 series from Epson are examples of some that have a truck load
> of these nice features.
>
> 10) n-up on one page support, borderless printing, etc.
>
> A lot of other features are only available on some makes and models,
> such as poster printing, n-up on one page printing, manual double-sided
> printing, etc, etc.
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