Need Advice Printer for printing photos

OK so I'm five years behind on my scrapbook, at least, and my printer is failing. Any advice on the best photo printer for the money? I'm replacing a Canon PIXMA iP6000d which was supposed to be pretty good but I didn't think its photos ever turned out quite as good as the ones I got printed at Costco or wherever. Needs to be a fairly decent general-use printer as well, but especially good for color photos. Advice appreciated!

 

I have a HP Photo Smart 1000 printer that will not work with my new computer. It makes great prints plus. I have a big package of ink that has never been opened. You could pick it up and give it a try. Let me know with a PM.

 

I have an HP Photosmart and it goes through ink cartridges super fast and I don't even do any photo printing.

 

if you have a lot to print, i would definitely go to costco instead. you can upload to their site and then go pick them up. their quality is usually very good (and you can get the matte papers too). ink starts to add up quickly, and then i've found it scratches easily and i don't think the quality is as good over the long haul.

 

I too am a scrap booker, and Walgreens always has great deals on prints, not to mention it is super convenient! Ink cartridges are very costly.

 

tell me about it...what's up with this printer? I bought this printer from Costco and i don't print photos and i rarely use the printer, still i need to change the cartridges often.

 

If you're concerned with photographic quality and longevity of the prints Epson is the best choice. Epson is the only company that creates both consumer photo printers and commercial photo printers. As a result, Epson puts a lot more research into their inks and papers than the other consumer printer manufacturers. That said, for best quality you need to use Epson papers with Epson inks (it's like buying your suit jacket and pants from the same maker). It is more expensive and most people can't really tell the difference.
On the downside, I can't say I'm impressed with the longevity of Epson printers. They seem to last for about 3-4 years and then start smearing black ink on the paper. Cleaning doesn't help it.
--- John B.

 

I bought a Canon maybe 4 years ago and have been happy with the results printing photos. The printer paper is occasionally on sale so worthwhile to wait for that. Was well rated by consumer reports at the time. Got a second Canon free a few years ago with a Mac (used the same cartridge set).

The problem with the stores is that they will usually adjust your photo (not sure if this is automatic or not), I had one with vibrant colors (Scotland, highlands in the fall) that looked blah from Ritz. They did not make me pay for it however. Looks great printed on the Canon.

Canon takes a while to warm up and start printing, whereas the black and white Lexmark Kim has instantly starts printing so it may be convenient to have two - one for photos and one for misc. I think a new set of cartridges is ~$60 for the Canon (4 required for the one we have).

My Dad had an HP, inks dried out. He is a photo nut and a few years ago bought an Epson which was what other photo nuts use apparently. This was not an inexpensive printer.

Mike