HP vs Epson Printers

[arthursiew]

I am planning on replacing my Canon printer right now, because it has some issues. There are two printers that I'm interested in right now. It's either the HP Photosmart Premium or the Epson Artisan 810. Which one do you think is better? In general, which manufacturer is more reliable and more conservative in terms of ink consumption?

 

[arthursiew]

any opinions?

 

[pastrychef]

I've had many Epsons die because of clogged print heads. I will never buy another Epson inkjet again.

I had an HP that died on after about a year or so of very light use. When it did print, the prints would run. Then, it ran out of ink and I replaced the ink carts. The printer refused to recognize that the expensive, brand new, HP brand ink carts were installed. Also, their drivers were some of the most bloated pieces of %$&% ever created. I will never buy another HP inkjet again.

YMMV.

 

[nanofrog]

I've had many Epsons die because of clogged print heads. I will never buy another Epson inkjet again.

I had an HP that died on after about a year or so of very light use. When it did print, the prints would run. Then, it ran out of ink and I replaced the ink carts. The printer refused to recognize that the expensive, brand new, HP brand ink carts were installed. Also, their drivers were some of the most bloated pieces of %$&% ever created. I will never buy another HP inkjet again.

YMMV.

Moral of the story = forget inkjets. Go Laser!

And stay away from HP's, they're supplies are expensive, expire, and the software/drivers are still bloated, buggy piles of crap. This even includes their laser products. Take a look at Brother, as they do well in costs for supplies and functionality with Macs.

 

[Pyrotechnic]

I use epson as it seems they are the only ones who have a print CD ability and the ink is very cheap. HP printers are very expensive to replace the ink carts.

I am hoping Kodak design a printer that prints onto discs and then I am in

 

[nanofrog]

I use epson as it seems they are the only ones who have a print CD ability and the ink is very cheap. HP printers are very expensive to replace the ink carts.

I am hoping Kodak design a printer that prints onto discs and then I am in

A unique case though.

Lasers are great for color documents, such as charts, web pages,... that don't need photo accuracy. Inkjets are more suited to photos, and in your case, printing directly to CD/DVD's. Handy feature, but for basic labels, I picked up a Lightscribe drive, as I don't need pics or color. Just a basic label.

As per Kodak, I am under the impression they do a good job at keeping ink lower than HP, but it's still not as inexpensive as a laser. Worst case, run a monochrome laser for text, and a color inkjet for photos.

 

[pastrychef]

Yep. I use a Samsung colour laser now. The only thing that I sometimes miss that my HP had is duplex printing, but I'll live with it.

I also use Lightscribe to label CDs and DVDs. It's slow as all heck, though. Thank goodness I don't label CDs/DVDs often.

 

[Pyrotechnic]

Isnt an External Lightscribe expensive though, to plug into a Mac. ?

Its something I would consider ?

 

[pastrychef]

I have a Lightscribe compatible optical drive installed internally in my Mac Pro. The difference in price between it and non-Lightscribe compatible optical drives are negligible.

For external usage, you'd have to purchase an external enclosure to house it.

 

[nanofrog]

The only thing that I sometimes miss that my HP had is duplex printing, but I'll live with it.

I have duplexing in mine (Brother Laser), but I wanted it, and made sure to get a model equiped with it.

As per Samsung printers, I'm a bit nervous with them (QC). Their consumables are a bit expensive too, but not as bad as HP.

I also use Lightscribe to label CDs and DVDs. It's slow as all heck, though. Thank goodness I don't label CDs/DVDs often.

True. If there's a lot of labeling required, Lightscribe isn't the way to go, no matter how simple the label may be. But for simple and occasional, it's fine. One less printer to have about, and no ink to deal with either. Media's not too horrible, but I dont' burn all the time either. Just archive disks mostly.

Isnt an External Lightscribe expensive though, to plug into a Mac. ?

Its something I would consider ?

Mine's internal. And there's no "special Mac version" required. SATA is SATA, and any converters (i.e. USB or FW) is hardware only.

They're not hard to make either. Just get an internal drive, and a 5.25" enclosure with an interface you can use, and DIY. That's all the ready made externals are.

 

[pastrychef]

I have duplexing in mine (Brother Laser), but I wanted it, and made sure to get a model equiped with it.

As per Samsung printers, I'm a bit nervous with them (QC). Their consumables are a bit expensive too, but not as bad as HP.

I decided to go with the Samsung because it was the smallest all-in-one colour laser available at the time. I reside in a tiny studio and every little bit of space saved counts...

In regards to the quality of the printer. I was very impressed with how solid the printer is. I've seen some laser printers that seemed really flimsy...

Overall, I've been extremely pleased with my decision to abandon inkjets entirely.

 

[nanofrog]

I decided to go with the Samsung because it was the smallest all-in-one colour laser available at the time. I reside in a tiny studio and every little bit of space saved counts...

Ah. I'm not that tight on space, as the beast I'm using weighs in at ~70lbs, and is approx. a ~22" cube. Not little, but it has the features I wanted. In the end it's actually better on space than a separate printer and fax (assuming the fax would be used as a scanner/copier as well). Worse if not.

In regards to the quality of the printer. I was very impressed with how solid the printer is. I've seen some laser printers that seemed really flimsy...

I seem to recall a high DOA rate, and it made me nervous. But it's been awhile now, as I was doing the research back in March or so before I picked what I have.

 

[pastrychef]

This reminds me of elections... When both candidates stink, no one votes. lol

 

[pimentoLoaf]

I've NEVER had a problem with an HP printer breaking down under any circumstances whatsoever, either PC or Mac.

My current printer is an HP-1500 from yonder back in 2002: still going strong for seven years. (No problem getting ink for it either.)

 

[arthursiew]

I ended up getting the HP. I went to Staples and looked at the ink. The ink for the Epson was $75 for all 6 and the HP was $35 for all 5. The Epson was also $100 more expensive. For $99, I thought the HP was a lot better since it carried a much better value and I heard that the reliability is better. I also purchased a replacement plan for $14 where I can return the printer within 2 years in any condition and get anything that's $99 or less. Thanks for the help!

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Normally I stick with Epson for inkjets and HP for lasers, and have no problems over the years with both my own printers and those of customers. I have also had a few customers who use Canon with no problems. Some Canon models do include CD / DVD printing.

Personally I would never touch a Brother or Oki printer, but that's more of a preference than based on any actual usage of the brands ... they just have that "stink" of cheap 'n' nasty.

Of course, like displays, there are actually only a few companies who make printers, especially lasers, and then other companies just re-badge them with their own logo and sometimes slight styling changes to the outer case (e.g. Dell I think use Lexmark printers and Samsung displays). Apple used to re-badge Canon inkjets years ago, so it's nothing new.

 

[nanofrog]

Personally I would never touch a Brother or Oki printer, but that's more of a preference than based on any actual usage of the brands ... they just have that "stink" of cheap 'n' nasty.

I can understand your POV, as I've been guilty of it myself.

But I decided to try the Brother (reviews have gotten better over time IMO, IIRC). And it's turned out to be a great piece of gear. Granted, mine's more of a business model, and the plastic isn't as sturdy as the old HP's were back in days of yore, it's equivalent in structural integrity as any current HP,... on the market (yes, they've all gotten cheaper <thinner plastic panels & less metal>, not better in this regard). But it functions flawlessly in my experience, and there's other members here who have them, and have had good things to say. No idea on Oki, but I used to use their dot matrix systems, which were really good - really great with multi-copy forms. Obviously that's been awhile (still have an OKI ML591 Dot Matrix, and no idea what to do with it). But it still works.