The HP Edge

I have HP and Canon printers. My little HP PhotoSmart 100 is truly fun to use. The quality, according to my friends, are equal to lab prints. The cartridges are hard to find locally, but I can and have gotten them online. If there is one thing that bothers me about my HP 100 is that the ink is VERY susceptible to water.

The Canon is a S9000, haven't had it long enough for judgment on longevity, but so far, I couldn't be happier with it! I got it for larger prints, and have been extremely impressed with prints on Epson HW Matte, Canon PPP and OD PPP. Red River and Ilford are really good as well. I don't have any gripes about the Canon at all! It is fast and the large output is sharp. The carts I can get at Best Buy no problem, or even cheaper on the net. Paper is readily available as well.

I also still use my HP DeskJet 855c for graphics and color, while a LaserJet supports text. The little HP 100 and Canon are strictly for photos.

I was pretty worried about my photos from both the HP 100 and the Canon S9000 not printing out my photo's good enough because of some of the threads on the forum. But, I guess I'm not as discriminating as others because I get as good (or better) then lab prints out of both IMHO. It's sooooo easy. All my friends want the pictures and nobody has complained yet.

I will say Qimage has helped me out in the printing. Not exactly what I would call "intuitive", but it is extremely flexible and the best is that IT WORKS! A little curve, adjust some color a bit and wham ... just print. Once you are used to it, I doubt if you will ever go back.

The main reasons I didn't go with an Epson is the chipped carts and the dependability. I'm not saying that all Epson have problems, but I belong to Murphy's Law club. If there could be a problem with Epson like pizza wheel marks, clogging or a colored" cast on the prints, well I definitely would have had it!--Mike

for me the edge to edge printing thing has never been an issue. I just continue to print qty 3 4x6's, a mix of 5x7 and others or 8x10's...none of which have issues on my hp.

the PhotoRET thing....not an issue as turning it off yields much better images. for graphics, it's awesome as it extends ink use quite a bit.

regarding cost....what's $400 on a printer? Chump change really. Sure to each their own, but I have a pretty heft system with a very nice Nikon and I'd hate to cheapen the whole system by costs cutting on anything.

Allen Shope said:

I used to work for CompUSA and the HPs were alright, 932s,etc ...
but they would never print on the right side of the paper ... ie
there always was a 1/2in channel on the right side of the paper ...
Epsons, on the other hand, could always print within 1/8 of any
edge ... AND, I never much liked the FAKE ... notice I said the
word FAKE .... PhotoRET stuff. ...
I've alwasys liked the quality prints that the Epsons make, ... and
yes, have had to get used to cleaning those 'itty bitty print
nozzles' more often than I would like .... and I like the current
crop of Canons as well ... but there was a period after the 600
model .... where they went downhill ... but now the 9000 is looking
real good ... BUT what it all boils down to ... could a $400 Canon
be better than a $53 Epson 780??? (hsn.com) .... I guess if you had
money to burn .... and wanted that last 4% increase in quality or
speed .... then the 9000 might do, ... but ... those cheapie 780s
are 'hard' to beat!!! .... oh yeah .... the HPs are WAY TOO
EXPENSIVE !!

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I look at the print head matter this way. An average HP printer (not the expensive photo printers) cost in the $125 to $200 price range, give or take. A black and color cart. set for them will cost about $60. That means if you purchase 3 sets you have spent the cost of the printer. I have an Epson 800 and Epson 880. All the cart. that have been used in them have been purchase on Ebay. I can buy 3 black and 3 color ( 6 total) for about $28.00 shipped. The ink quality is very good and I have yet to have a problem with 1. They are new vacuum sealed. I'll take a chance on the print head problem. The way I see it, I would have probably spent 3 times what I paid for those printers if they had been HP,s and for what reason. Most people won't keep a printer over 2 or 3 years with or with out problems. About 4 months ago my wife insisted we buy an HP 950 (multi purpose wonder with card readers). A black and regular size color set cost $55 for it. I groan every time she fires it up $$$. To get even with her I just purchased an S900 from dell over the weekend while they were on sale for $339 with free shipping. Now I can spend just as much money on ink as she can!! Bottom line I guess is everyone has his or her own reason for what ever they buy and there are lots of good printers out there. Plain Jane or photo quality. As they say "thats the reason they make chocolate and vanilla"--43sbest

I just went to set-up a printer for somebody, The HP D135 multifonctions, and it has separate heads and ink cartridges, first time I see that on a HP Inkjet.
Gege--Gégé

Wow, maybe I'm wrong. I saw on HP's website that the cartridge is a tri color, meaning all three colors are in the cartridge. You saw three seperate color cartridges and one black one? Just checking. I haven't seen one, got my infomation off of HP's website.

DougT

Gege said:

I just went to set-up a printer for somebody, The HP D135
multifonctions, and it has separate heads and ink cartridges, first
time I see that on a HP Inkjet.
Gege
--
Gégé

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Agreed, but if you factor in refilling, it's a totally different ballgame. I've had Epsons and now HP and believe me HP's are SO easy to refill compared with Epson's. I can refill my colour cartridge for £3 total and the quality is identical to HP's ink. Black refills are even possible now that pigmented refill ink is available, and again it's easy and cheap.

Also, no worries about blockages, just put a new cartridge in. Having said that I've never had a blockage on my 930.

Fritz Norris said:

I look at the print head matter this way. An average HP printer
(not the expensive photo printers) cost in the $125 to $200 price
range, give or take. A black and color cart. set for them will cost
about $60. That means if you purchase 3 sets you have spent the
cost of the printer. I have an Epson 800 and Epson 880. All the
cart. that have been used in them have been purchase on Ebay. I can
buy 3 black and 3 color ( 6 total) for about $28.00 shipped. The
ink quality is very good and I have yet to have a problem with 1.
They are new vacuum sealed. I'll take a chance on the print head
problem. The way I see it, I would have probably spent 3 times what
I paid for those printers if they had been HP,s and for what
reason. Most people won't keep a printer over 2 or 3 years with or
with out problems. About 4 months ago my wife insisted we buy an HP
950 (multi purpose wonder with card readers). A black and regular
size color set cost $55 for it. I groan every time she fires it up
$$$. To get even with her I just purchased an S900 from dell over
the weekend while they were on sale for $339 with free shipping.
Now I can spend just as much money on ink as she can!! Bottom line
I guess is everyone has his or her own reason for what ever they
buy and there are lots of good printers out there. Plain Jane or
photo quality. As they say "thats the reason they make chocolate
and vanilla"
--
43sbest

Click to expand...

Hp cartridge refilling sounds good but a friend of mine tried the refill kit sold at Sam's with poor results. It is my understand the red that HP uses is different from other reds, one reason they still use just 3 colors for photo printing. Has anyone found a good quality refill kit for HP printers such as the PSC 950. It's the multi purpose (4 in 1) with the card readers.

Thanks--43sbest

In that point you are right. Ink are difficult to find. You have to get it on HP dealers and they aere expensive but I tell you the ink cartridges are huge and last forever. They really go forever.

noreltny said:

Are the ink cartridges for the DesignJet 10ps reasonably priced?
Can you get them at most stores like OfficeMax, etc.?

In the past, I found it hard to find consumables for the HP
non-consumer stuff. Especially their series of DesignJet plotters.

Cristian Baitg said:

Val Patel said:

I have simialr experience with my HP original PhotoSmart Printer
for reliability, durability and consistency in quality. The printer
is more than three years old but it has not disappointed me once
(even when I used different papers e.g. Kodak Ultima, Epson Heavy
Weight Matt and Canon Glossy Photo).

I hope HP can come up with a 6 color, wide format printer and blow
the Canon S9000 and Epson 1280 right out of the water.

Regards,

Val

SteveB said:

Bill Finnell said:

There are a lot of truly fine printers on the market today, Epson
and Canon being just two. But HP has the edge in one very, very
important department and that is printheads: They are in the
cartridge and not the printer.

To those who have never had printhead problems, this probably won't
seem a problem. But if you are one of those who have (I am), you
will know what I mean. I have had two very fine Epsons, but both
fell victim to clogged or partially clogged heads. One I finally
junked. The other I had repaired for $65. I finally gave up and got
an HP primarily because the printheads are essentially disposable,
being in the cartridge. I have never been sorry.

I won't get into an argument on the aesthetics of HP vs. Epson or
Canon, but I can say that I have many prints from both and unless
you get them under a very strong magnifier, there is no visible
difference. Even then, the differences are miniscule. To those who
insist on microscopic examination, I have but one message: most of
us don't use microscopes to view our pics. We put them in books or
on the wall, or in slide shows and enjoy them. If I had to drag out
a magnifier and nitpick every picture I or someone else takes, I
would dump digital photography like a hot potato. Fun is finding
beauty, not faults.

To those who insist on panning HP's, I guess there's nothing we can
do but remind you that HP's track record, reliability, AND
printhead technology are all proven facts. I, for one, will stick
with HP until Epson and the others finally figure out how to keep
their printheads more trouble-free. Then I might make the switch.

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--
Cristian

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--Cristian

Tugger,

You probably want to buy the least costly 9XX series. The lowlies 9XX prints the same quality as the most expensive Photosmart - they all have the same print engine. As you move up in the line you gain printing speed and features such as advanced paper handling, memory card readers, etc.

Good luck
DT

tuqqer said:

tuqqer said:

There are a lot of truly fine printers on the market today, Epson
and Canon being just two. But HP has the edge in one very, very
important department and that is printheads: They are in the
cartridge and not the printer.... [snip]

Click to expand...

Whew, I'm glad I found this site and posts. I'm currently on the
holy grail to find a new color printer. After going through 3
Epsons, I've had it with clogged heads. It's ridiculous.

So, here's my quest: I'm looking for a color printer that:

1. has its printer heads in the cartridges.
2. has large ink capacities, preferably separate ones.
3. I'll give up photo quality printing for more reliable printing!

My needs are not in the photo realm, but more in the color flyers
for workshops, etc. realm. Of course I won't refuse a photo quality
printer, but it's not critical. The only thing critical is keeping
the chances of clogged heads down to a minimum.

After reading these great posts, I'm guessing that the model of
choice is HP. Any suggestions on which model?

Many, many thanks for this site!

Click to expand...

I'm using inks from http://www.reinkkit.com and have had good luck. Anyone else use them for HP's?

Fritz Norris said:

Hp cartridge refilling sounds good but a friend of mine tried the
refill kit sold at Sam's with poor results. It is my understand the
red that HP uses is different from other reds, one reason they
still use just 3 colors for photo printing. Has anyone found a good
quality refill kit for HP printers such as the PSC 950. It's the
multi purpose (4 in 1) with the card readers.

Thanks
--
43sbest

Click to expand...

--QwikSilver

Yeah, any day now!

Val Patel said:

I have simialr experience with my HP original PhotoSmart Printer
for reliability, durability and consistency in quality. The printer
is more than three years old but it has not disappointed me once
(even when I used different papers e.g. Kodak Ultima, Epson Heavy
Weight Matt and Canon Glossy Photo).

I hope HP can come up with a 6 color, wide format printer and blow
the Canon S9000 and Epson 1280 right out of the water.

Regards,

Val

SteveB said:

Bill Finnell said:

There are a lot of truly fine printers on the market today, Epson
and Canon being just two. But HP has the edge in one very, very
important department and that is printheads: They are in the
cartridge and not the printer.

To those who have never had printhead problems, this probably won't
seem a problem. But if you are one of those who have (I am), you
will know what I mean. I have had two very fine Epsons, but both
fell victim to clogged or partially clogged heads. One I finally
junked. The other I had repaired for $65. I finally gave up and got
an HP primarily because the printheads are essentially disposable,
being in the cartridge. I have never been sorry.

I won't get into an argument on the aesthetics of HP vs. Epson or
Canon, but I can say that I have many prints from both and unless
you get them under a very strong magnifier, there is no visible
difference. Even then, the differences are miniscule. To those who
insist on microscopic examination, I have but one message: most of
us don't use microscopes to view our pics. We put them in books or
on the wall, or in slide shows and enjoy them. If I had to drag out
a magnifier and nitpick every picture I or someone else takes, I
would dump digital photography like a hot potato. Fun is finding
beauty, not faults.

To those who insist on panning HP's, I guess there's nothing we can
do but remind you that HP's track record, reliability, AND
printhead technology are all proven facts. I, for one, will stick
with HP until Epson and the others finally figure out how to keep
their printheads more trouble-free. Then I might make the switch.

Click to expand...

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I bought a HP after a clogged Epson, and have cut my printing cost to a fraction of what is was with Epson. I use Calidad brand refill ink which works perfectly, and if the nozzles ever block, I will just buy a new cartridge.

Brian

Wrong!! Canon had seperate ink tanks in BJC800 in 1991!

Shervin said:

Shervin

Dave said:

What was that poster talking about with "The HP Edge"? Hmmmmmm....

-Dave

Mr. Stacey said:

The HP D135 is one of their newest multi-functions. They use a
seperate ink tank and seperate printhead.

How about taking the challege?

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1003&message=2329579

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QwikSilver said:

I'm using inks from http://www.reinkkit.com and have had good luck. Anyone
else use them for HP's?

Click to expand...

I have used reinkit in both my old 820 and photosmart 1115 with great sucess. I was wondering, however, how the toolbox inksupply monitor works. When I removed the cartridge to refill it, I expected the printer to reset to 100% full, or at least ask me if I had installed a new cartridge. Instead it continued to indicate 20% full. How do you reset this? --Paul

I have an hp 1115 that I bought from dell for $150 in dec.

never a problem with it... that is after nearly 3 years of heavy photo printing from an 880 (it still works)... (the 1115 has the duplex attachment which is nice for doing double sided work... never used the card reader.)

The 880 was a replacement for an epson that never worked right and when i went to buy and epson this past year to replace the hp... my wife reminded me of all the probs we had with the epson.

I do alot of photo printing...

I did not have success doing refills... will try the suggestion made earlier...
I used the one from sams...

My only beaf... is very tough to find "cheap" hp cart. I get the tri color (large 78) at sams for $50 but continue to look for cheaper.

The other beaf is trying to find the hp 4x6 paper at a cheaper price than $20 for a 60 pak. (this is the premium plus)

Anyone know of a place to get it cheaper? ink cheaper?... I have used the black refilled cart found on the net with no problems.

Anyone use any other type paper and get the same great results as the premium plus?...

I do not like the cheap thin paper as it does not appear to give the same results...
thx
frank

Brian Jackson said:

I bought a HP after a clogged Epson, and have cut my printing cost
to a fraction of what is was with Epson. I use Calidad brand
refill ink which works perfectly, and if the nozzles ever block, I
will just buy a new cartridge.

Brian

Click to expand...

Just my 2 cents, I think you need both. I use my s9000 for photos which is far superior to my HP, but my hp is far superior and cost effective for typical text printing and web pages. So, when I upgraded for photo's I siimply left the old reliable HP attached to the parallel port and I am a happy man. Best of both worlds.

gpa

Bill Finnell said:

There are a lot of truly fine printers on the market today, Epson
and Canon being just two. But HP has the edge in one very, very
important department and that is printheads: They are in the
cartridge and not the printer.

To those who have never had printhead problems, this probably won't
seem a problem. But if you are one of those who have (I am), you
will know what I mean. I have had two very fine Epsons, but both
fell victim to clogged or partially clogged heads. One I finally
junked. The other I had repaired for $65. I finally gave up and got
an HP primarily because the printheads are essentially disposable,
being in the cartridge. I have never been sorry.

I won't get into an argument on the aesthetics of HP vs. Epson or
Canon, but I can say that I have many prints from both and unless
you get them under a very strong magnifier, there is no visible
difference. Even then, the differences are miniscule. To those who
insist on microscopic examination, I have but one message: most of
us don't use microscopes to view our pics. We put them in books or
on the wall, or in slide shows and enjoy them. If I had to drag out
a magnifier and nitpick every picture I or someone else takes, I
would dump digital photography like a hot potato. Fun is finding
beauty, not faults.

To those who insist on panning HP's, I guess there's nothing we can
do but remind you that HP's track record, reliability, AND
printhead technology are all proven facts. I, for one, will stick
with HP until Epson and the others finally figure out how to keep
their printheads more trouble-free. Then I might make the switch.

Click to expand...

You probably have to tape over some contacts like on the 9xx series to reset the ink level to 100%. Search on groups.google.com.

Paul Feldman said:

QwikSilver said:

I'm using inks from http://www.reinkkit.com and have had good luck. Anyone
else use them for HP's?

Click to expand...

I have used reinkit in both my old 820 and photosmart 1115 with
great sucess. I was wondering, however, how the toolbox inksupply
monitor works. When I removed the cartridge to refill it, I
expected the printer to reset to 100% full, or at least ask me if I
had installed a new cartridge. Instead it continued to indicate 20%
full. How do you reset this?
--
Paul

Click to expand...

Bill Finnell said:

There are a lot of truly fine printers on the market today, Epson
and Canon being just two. But HP has the edge in one very, very
important department and that is printheads: They are in the
cartridge and not the printer.

To those who have never had printhead problems, this probably won't
seem a problem. But if you are one of those who have (I am), you
will know what I mean. I have had two very fine Epsons, but both
fell victim to clogged or partially clogged heads. One I finally
junked. The other I had repaired for $65. I finally gave up and got
an HP primarily because the printheads are essentially disposable,
being in the cartridge. I have never been sorry.

I won't get into an argument on the aesthetics of HP vs. Epson or
Canon, but I can say that I have many prints from both and unless
you get them under a very strong magnifier, there is no visible
difference. Even then, the differences are miniscule. To those who
insist on microscopic examination, I have but one message: most of
us don't use microscopes to view our pics. We put them in books or
on the wall, or in slide shows and enjoy them. If I had to drag out
a magnifier and nitpick every picture I or someone else takes, I
would dump digital photography like a hot potato. Fun is finding
beauty, not faults.

To those who insist on panning HP's, I guess there's nothing we can
do but remind you that HP's track record, reliability, AND
printhead technology are all proven facts. I, for one, will stick
with HP until Epson and the others finally figure out how to keep
their printheads more trouble-free. Then I might make the switch.

Click to expand...

While I much prefer the troublefree operation of the HP PhotoSmart and HP series 900 printers over the finicky operation of the Epson Photo Stylus printers I must admit than IMO the Epsons are just a click above the HPs in photo quality.

My only gripe is that occasionally I have run into a few problems with banding and grainy photos. I can only attribute this to lack of strict quality control on the part of HP as in instances where I encountered this the culprit was always the ink cartridge.