Whats a good printer?

[falchard]

I print high DPI graphics work from time to time, and I need a printer that prints in color well. I don't really care about anything else it does as long as its alignment is good and it doesn't break. I have owned 4 printers and all of them had faults. Most of them had alignment issues, and my previous 3 broke within a year. My current one is great but after a while the black ink clogs and I cannot clean the print head because its embedded in the printer while the automated unclogging option fails to unclog the heads. (Already had 1 replaced because the black ink completely stopped coming out).

Does anyone have any good recommendations on a printer that has good alignment, good with printing color even on card stock, and the print head doesn't clog or is apart of the ink cartridge?

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

Laser is your best bet for reliability. Though cheap laser printers won't be able to print color as good as inkjets.

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

The printing heads are inside the printer not the cartidges. So if those dry and clog, it is basically game over.

I went through several inkjets myself because I only print for school so when summer rolls around my printer doesn't get used for 3 months and dies.

I am using a laser color printer right now. The resolution isn't terrible but it is fast and it doesn't give the wet paper look when printing color. Toner is also a lot cheaper though.

On the consumer end there is very little difference in printing quality for cheap or expensive printers. Only professional corporate color printers would have better color. For test a cheap B/W laser can match corporate lasers. Get a cheap color laser around $200-$300 and it would do wonders over inkjets.

 

[falchard]

I was thinking about going laser, but I am worried about the quality. I need descent quality color prints at 300 PPI.

The one I am using now is a DCP-585CW. I just sent my 2nd one in for repair at Brother's expense before my warranty expires. The print quality and alignment are great, but the black ink clogs. My last one had all 96 black ink nozzles clogged. This one started to clog with 2 of the 96 clogging and my warranty running out in a week, it was a good oppurtunity to send it in.

 

[falchard]

Best answer selected by falchard.