G5 on the way...suggestions for printer?

[grafikat]

Howdy!
I'm looking for input on a tabloid inkjet printer. I would print between 500-1500 sheets on it per month, but want good color. Any suggestions on what works well on Panther? I'm looking at either the
Epson Stylus Photo 2200 or
HP Photosmart 7960

Anyone have one of these, or a suggestion on a different printer? Older is OK, as I have all new goodies to get (Upgrading from a G3 beige, with all scsi periphs)

cheers
Kat

 

[psycho bob]

Get the epson I have one and it has been (so far at least touchwood) flawless. Output is beyond reproach. It isn't cheap but then quality never is. Bare in mind that with all printers like this they are expensive to run. A full set of 8 cartridges will set you back in the region of £80. None of the light colours light cyan, light magenta etc last particularly long so I advise you keep these in stock. Oh and spend an extra £50 on a cheap canon or lexmark for daily letters etc that way you'll maximise your ink usage for projects with your chosen printer.

 

[Makosuke]

At this point if I'm buying an inkjet, I never look past Canon--their combination of non-clog prone and user-replacable print heads (a pleasing change form most Epsons) and comparitively inexpensive ink (much better than most HPs), plus spectacular color make them very desirable.

I have, admitedly, never tried one of their large-format printers, but have heard very good things about both the older S9000 ($300) and i9100 ($500).

I've used several S750s, which produce surprisingly good output, and recently installed a new i860 which produced glossy photos that looked very, very good even under magnification--the photographer that was using it (who also had an S750) was very impressed as well.

Here's a glowing Steve's Digicam's review of the i9100:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/canon_i9100_pg4.html#conclusion

If the ink costs are similar per square inch as with smaller format printers, then you'll probably save hundreds of dollars going with a Canon printer.

Canon also seems to be good about releasing proper OSX drivers--the same can't be said about HP (not sure about Epson).

 

[thehuncamunca]

i got an hp 7660 ($150) does really nice prints, the only problem is that ink is rather costly if that's a concernt the canon's have cheaper ink
i'd avoid epson, last one i had (stylus color 880) was a disappointment it always strecked a little black ink on my paper, not a big problem on text but pretty much ruins any photos my brother's epson (sylus color 777) and my mom's (stylus color) do the same thing

 

[johnnowak]

I have an HP 960c, and its made like crap, and the rollers need to be cleaned all the time. It also prints crooked nowadays after trying to print an 80 page documents. Mine was I think $399 when I got it.

 

[bousozoku]

In the September/October issue of MacDesign, they rated three tabloid printers for design work. It does not mention whether the used Mac OS X or not.

Epson Stylus Photo 2200: 4.5 of 5
Canon i9100: 4 of 5
HP cp1700: 2.5 of 5

They complained about all of the printer drivers.

 

[psycho bob]

the 2100/2200 is untouchable below £1000. All the magazines and reviews have said so the only issue is cost. But as they say quality usually does. Although OS X drivers were a long time coming from epson they are now available and to the best of my knowledge support all features including CD printing (new download available from epson). Mine has proved to be very reliable and works best with 10.3 thanks to its improved printer support. Getting it to work over a network was a walk in the park. If it is in your price range go for it you won't regret it. If you can spare an extra £50 or so get a cheap canon or lexmark for routine printing like letters and save the epson for best.

 

[Dave Swift]

The epson OS X drivers don't let you do boardless printing or let you use the paper roll. Of course they don't tell you that until you actually buy the printer and read the manual.

Check out the Gimp-Print drivers... they add support for all of the stuff Epson screwed up.

 

[Nuc]

Re: G5 on the way...suggestions for printer?

Originally posted by grafikat
Howdy!
I'm looking for input on a tabloid inkjet printer. I would print between 500-1500 sheets on it per month, but want good color. Any suggestions on what works well on Panther? I'm looking at either the
Epson Stylus Photo 2200 or
HP Photosmart 7960

Anyone have one of these, or a suggestion on a different printer? Older is OK, as I have all new goodies to get (Upgrading from a G3 beige, with all scsi periphs)

cheers
Kat

I suggest the HP Photosmart 7960, I have one and it's great! It's prints 4X6 borderless photos flawlessly. You can always buy an ink refill kit, this will cut the cost a lot.

The Photo 2200 is good too, but I don't think it's worth more than twice the HP!

Happy hunting,

Nuc

ps. 7960 it works great with 10.3

 

[cubist]

What? Use an inkjet on a G5? (withering sneer) That's like hanging a cardboard air freshener from the mirror of a Lamborghini. The least you should consider is a Xerox Phaser solid-ink printer.

 

[grafikat]

The inkjet is for the quick and dirty stuff, and tabloid printing. (besides, I like the smell of pine )
I'm going to sign up for the Free color printer deal from Xerox. Their supply cost is on par with the market, actually.

If anyone has had an experience with 'em, I'd like to hear 'bout it!

BTW, I went with the Canon i9100 Photo Printer, as the separate ink tanks work the best for me. (I tend to drain the blue a bit fast)

 

[MattG]

Another vote for Epson -- I have a 1280 and it's fantastic. One day when it kicks the bucket, I'll probably replace it with a 2200.

 

[MattG]

Originally posted by cubist
What? Use an inkjet on a G5? (withering sneer) That's like hanging a cardboard air freshener from the mirror of a Lamborghini. The least you should consider is a Xerox Phaser solid-ink printer.

I wouldn't buy a printer made by Xerox if they were the only company that made printers.

Maybe their support for Macs is better than their support for Windows, but in my experience plus what others tell me, Xerox printers should be steered clear of.