Photo printers for the inexperienced buyer

[After G]

There have been a lot of digital camera threads in this forum, and after looking through all of them, reading a lot of photography books, etc., I kind of know what I am going to buy in terms of a digital camera. However, I have absolutely no idea what to look for in a photo printer.

I want a good photo printer that will print out decent pictures, and not cost too much for ink and photo paper. I already have a laser printer that I use for text output regularly, so buying a regular inkjet is not really what I have in mind, since I don't really need color output for documents, and space is at a premium. I was thinking more along the lines of one of those dedicated photo-only printers, but if you can convince me a full-sized printer that does photos on the side is a good deal, I'll go for it.

Honestly, I don't know what other preferences I can say, because I have no experience in these kinds of products. Any recommendations are highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[HardcoreBanjo]

However, I have absolutely no idea what to look for in a photo printer.
The name "Epson". Pretty much all of the high-end Epsons will give you photo quality prints with good paper. My dad uses Epsons and they are quite impressive. http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductCategory.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=-8165

[sw1tcher]

Budget?

check out Epson's R300/R320 and R800, or Canon's Ip 5000.

[After G]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Seems to be a concensus on the Epson printers for photos. I do have my reservations about Epson, as I had an old (non-photo) Epson inkjet printer that broke on me. But my budget ... I guess around $200 - $300.

Looking at the printer examples you guys were nice enough to provide, they seem a bit large for the space I have for them, though I will have to go in-store to confirm this. I was looking more for printers that did photos only, as I don't really have a need for other color documents, but this is a good start.

[Macky-Mac]

and if you're only interested in snap shot sizes prints (4x6) then look at Canon's Compact Photo Printer line.....they're based on dye-sublimation technology instead of ink jet technology and they produce a print that's very very impressive

Epson certain was the "quality standard" for ink jet photo printers for years....but recent ink jet models from Canon also receive excellent reviews so they're work considering too

[MacBarry]

I purhcased a Pixma i4000 and it is great. Easy set up. Great photos on Kodak Paper, and less than $200. 4 color ink plus an extra black. All my nieghbors say my photos print great. ....my $.02

[puckhead193]

I have 2 HP photo smart printers and i love them.