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Printer recommendations


Irene
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Good Morning! :)

I presently have an HP Deskjet 895cxi, which I have had for a number of years and still serves me well on an everyday basis. However, since becoming involved in digital photography I feel the need to print the occasional photograph as well as the all import saving to CD etc.

My question is...

1. Do I purchase an A-I-O which will print. scan, copy and print photos?

2. Do I retain my present HP and buy a dedicated photo printer (no scanner which on occasion may be useful).

3. Any other suggestions??

Limiting factors:

Space is relatively limited - I have a desk 4ft x 2ft with a set of drawers to one side. On the desk top is a 17" Flat screen monitor, the present HP printer and a variety of writing medium etc.

Height is also restricted because the desk is located in a stair well (i.e. sloping overhead of the desk).

All donations of opinion will be gratefuly received!

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If you want high quality photos you need a photo printer - one with 6 ink cartridges, preferably.

I'm very impressed with the Epson "R" series of printers - several models to fit your needs. These printers will also print directly to CDs and DVDs (provided you have printable types - which are common now).

Have a look here for the R series.

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The problem with any all in one piece of apparatus, is that it is a Jack of all trades, and a master of none. If the scanner plays up, or the fax or the printer, then the whole thing needs replacing again. As pops says the Epson R series are very good printers. I have recently purchased an Epson R340 Stylus Photo printer, and am very pleased with it. Look to pay less than RRP. I had mine from the local Curry's because I needed it quickly, but you can probably get a better deal. If you need a scanner and are short of space, you can now buy upright models, which only need a few square inches of desk top. You could keep the scanner standing upright on the floor until you need it.

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I have a cheap R200, Irene, and I find it satisfactory for all jobs (apart for the plumbing and washing up). The six ink pot scheme makes it very economical to run, and it is even cheaper if you use "compatible" cartridges. "Print-Rite" run on my machine wonderfully.

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I always had problems with Epsom printers. As such I will never buy another.

Give the "HP Officehet 5510 All in One" a look. We have 3 in the house and have had no problems. Prints, copies, images and scans.

Most people who buy Epsom printers are asking for trouble. It is best to stick to those called Epson.

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I always had problems with Epsom printers. As such I will never buy another.

Give the "HP Officejet 5510 All in One" a look. We have 3 in the house and have had no problems. Prints, copies, images and scans.

Most people who buy Epsom printers are asking for trouble. It is best to stick to those called Epson.

:lol: :P

Oops. :rolleyes:

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HP, Cannon are both good names.

Names I try to avoid (due to multiple problems, amoung multiple models) are Epson, Lexmark.

If you are doing JUST photo printing, a photo printer is perfect, but if you also want to do other printing as well as photos. Go for an all-in-one and purchase some optional Photo Cartridges and Photo Paper, and only load them when doing pictures.

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I always had problems with Epsom printers. As such I will never buy another.

That's the only make I have ever used.

No problems for me apart having to get shot of them after a few years due to non-serviceable parts but as the printer was cheap and I could run 3rd party compatible ink (i.e. cheap), I'm not complaining.

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Many thanks everyone for all the contributions. Armed with your various opinions, I think I'll make a preliminary visit to our local PC World where I can see the various options in the 'flesh'. Then find the best price on the internet for the final result.

This is the best forum I have used for response, knowledge and virtually immediate help at hand. I'll be forever grateful to Thos. for the introduction. :)

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I think I'll make a preliminary visit to our local PC World where I can see the various options in the 'flesh'. Then find the best price on the internet for the final result.

When scouring the internet for the best deals have a look at those firms selling ink. Many of them sell printers, and those printers seem to be considerably cheaper than elswhere. I saved nearly £20 on the PCW price of my last printer this way (and it was only a cheap one).

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I have no need for a scanner and am content with my HP Deskjet 1550 plus a Kodak Printer Dock which was given to me as a gift. The prints, which are very good, work out to be quite expensive so I use it only rarely.

I find THIS to be a good very reasonably priced site when you know what you want.

Thos.

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Once again, many thanks for everyone's help.

Did the leg-work today to try to define exactly what we want. We came to the decision that although my interest in photography is important and bearing in mind the space limitation, we fixed our research on an Epson RX640 A-I-O Photo Printer. It does all the actions required and the spec looked quite good. Having said that, I could have done with a party of you with me to explain what something x something dpi means (the dpi is easy, why do you you need a multiple?!), let alone all the other (for us) hi-tech spec definitions! However, we have done the deed... PC World were selling this model for £229.99. When I did a goodle search I found that I could get it for the princely sum of £165. :D

Thats a saving of £75 to put towards the next cruise!!! What a good thing I have Mike to look after me in my retirement. Still. every little helps.

The next issue will be the best souce of supply for Epson original? Cartridges!

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Did the leg-work today to try to define exactly what we want. We came to the decision that although my interest in photography is important and bearing in mind the space limitation, we fixed our research on an Epson RX640 A-I-O Photo Printer. It does all the actions required and the spec looked quite good. Having said that, I could have done with a party of you with me to explain what something x something dpi means (the dpi is easy, why do you you need a multiple?!), let alone all the other (for us) hi-tech spec definitions! However, we have done the deed... PC World were selling this model for £229.99. When I did a goodle search I found that I could get it for the princely sum of £165. :D

Hello again!

Just to round off the saga. The printer duly arrived. All hooked up and running well. I'm very pleased with my choice. Not only does it do all the things I expected, but it will also copy and print from film and the old 35m slides, of which we have many from when the children were small and there was no such thing as a digital camera. So I'll have lots of fun digging out all the old photos and bringing them all to life again.

So, I can now recommend the RX640 to anyone who is looking for a photo printer with all the benefits of an A-I-O.

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Very pleased you're happy and getting on well with your now toy.

Make sure you've plenty of stocks of ink and paper because once you start digging out the old pictures, you'll become very addicted to refreshing and renewing all those old and forgotten photos.

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Make sure you've plenty of stocks of ink and paper because once you start digging out the old pictures, you'll become very addicted to refreshing and renewing all those old and forgotten photos.

You are so right! I've sourced some 6 x 4 and 7 x 5 photo paper, and two multipacks of the six cartridges on ebay. Did quite well I think.

I scanned and printed from a recent portrait photo taken on a cruise and it turned out really well. We had a beautiful Waterford frame for christmas a couple of years ago and have been waiting for the 'right' photo to put into it. I reduced the size to the appropriate one and bingo! it fits perfectly.

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