Photo printers for "home" use

kimb · Aug 9, 2002

What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off, so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

Leon Wittwer · Aug 9, 2002

To make a 960 do well, you need coated papers. This is pretty much true for all of the Epson photo printers. You should look for printers that expressly say they work with ordinarly paper. The quality won't match the photo printers but should be "ok."

kimb said:
What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like
one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget
can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a
laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text
printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers
a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had
a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off,
so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks
interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for
plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo
printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper
Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight
would be appreciated. Thanks

netop · Aug 9, 2002

Leon Wittwer said:
kimb said:

What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like
one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget
can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a
laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text
printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers
a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had
a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off,
so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks
interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for
plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo
printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper
Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight
would be appreciated. Thanks

Click to expand...

cannon S800-S820

netop · Aug 9, 2002

Jaus.M said:
Leon Wittwer said:

kimb said:

What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like
one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget
can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a
laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text
printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers
a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had
a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off,
so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks
interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for
plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo
printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper
Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight
would be appreciated. Thanks

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

cannon S800-S820
sorry> canon

sandpj · Aug 9, 2002

Just curious, but what did you think of the C80 before the USB port broke off? It's a fast text printer with above average photo printing. I haven't heard of a lot of C80 clogging issues.

kimb said:
What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like
one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget
can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a
laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text
printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers
a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had
a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off,
so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks
interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for
plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo
printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper
Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight
would be appreciated. Thanks

kimb · Aug 9, 2002

Sandpj said:
Just curious, but what did you think of the C80 before the USB port
broke off? It's a fast text printer with above average photo
printing. I haven't heard of a lot of C80 clogging issues.

The C80 worked well for us and we got a few great photos from it. It was fast for word art, text, and the occasional picture from the web for homework. But we were starting to have a lot of clogging problems. The last two projects were a brochure with pictures for 3rd grade classroom and senior pictures for including in graduation annoucements. Both projects had a lot of redos because of clogging. The brochure was double sided and finally I had to just let it go and live with the banding on a few of the pictures. And this was just with 5-10 min. between printing jobs.

The senior pictures had lots of tweeking to get the color to come out as seen on the camera and the monitor, then a few clogging issues.

When the port broke my first thought was to replace it with another C80 but I started wondering if there was a better, even upgraded option for us. I've been lurking here and trying to learn more, will I be happier spending more money or just stay with what we had. I even have an unused black ink cart. I'm leaning toward upgrading and doing more photographs than we had done before.

DariusC · Aug 10, 2002

kimb,

Have you got a replacement C80 through warranty? Continual clogging like that is pretty much unheard of with the C80 (for example, I can take the ink out of the unit, let it sit for a month, put the ink tanks back in and it'll work no problem even without a cleaning). Since the C80 hasn't even been on the market for a year yet (in North America) it should still be under warranty.

For what you've been looking for (great on plain paper, good low cost to run, good quality photos) the C80 is still probably your best bet. Sounds like you just got the bad one of the bunch. Get a replacement and (hopefully) you should be in top shape again.

Darius

kimb said:
The C80 worked well for us and we got a few great photos from it.
It was fast for word art, text, and the occasional picture from the
web for homework. But we were starting to have a lot of clogging
problems. The last two projects were a brochure with pictures for
3rd grade classroom and senior pictures for including in graduation
annoucements. Both projects had a lot of redos because of
clogging. The brochure was double sided and finally I had to just
let it go and live with the banding on a few of the pictures. And
this was just with 5-10 min. between printing jobs.
The senior pictures had lots of tweeking to get the color to come
out as seen on the camera and the monitor, then a few clogging
issues.
When the port broke my first thought was to replace it with another
C80 but I started wondering if there was a better, even upgraded
option for us. I've been lurking here and trying to learn more,
will I be happier spending more money or just stay with what we
had. I even have an unused black ink cart. I'm leaning toward
upgrading and doing more photographs than we had done before.

kimb · Aug 10, 2002

DariusC said:
Darius

That was my original intention. I packed it up and took it back to Costco. The warehouse near my home didn't have any more in stock and had discontinued the C80, only available online. They gave me my full refund of $180 even though the price had dropped $40, plus I had already gotten a $30 dollar rebate from Epson. They checked stock of other stores and I didn't make it there before they were gone. That's when I really began thinking of upgrading. The C80 was great for kids projects and the occasional card, I guess I'm wondering if the photo printer lines are also made for those kind of paper projects. Plus in between then and now we've added 2 digital cameras to the household, before I'd just borrow my sisters, so I know photo printing will become more critical. I think I could justify in my mind the $350 price range if it can do it all, but if not I know the C80 would work. I always agonize about spending money.

sandpj · Aug 10, 2002

kimb wrote:
Plus in between then and now we've added 2

kimb said:
digital cameras to the household, before I'd just borrow my
sisters, so I know photo printing will become more critical. I
think I could justify in my mind the $350 price range if it can do
it all, but if not I know the C80 would work. I always agonize
about spending money.

I also agonize when making these purchases because I want to be sure I am getting not only a good product but also the best value. I needed to replace an epson 600 (which did clog on occassion) and decided to get the C80 for the "home/office" with the thought that later I would also get a "photo" printer like the 820. I got the C80 for $100 with the $50 Best Buy Gift Card that is still offered on occassion.

The C80 does a great job on the "home/office" jobs with no clogging. However, I was amazed at how well it does on photos. I can't bring myself to pay $250+ for a "photo" printer when the C80 does well or I can go to Sams or Walmart and get great prints at a great price.

By the way, I have considered the epson 820, but it just doesn't look very durable. It's only $100 and does very good with photos, but it does not use the DuraBrite inks like the C80 which supposedly resist fading. Also, the C80 is also much more economical in the ink usage department.

Obviously, my thinking is to stay with the C80 until a couple more generations of printer technology when the price/performance provides more value for photo printing.

rr28233 · Aug 10, 2002

For your purposes you wnat to look at HP 900 series printers. No clogging, prints very well on plain paper, card stock, and prints reasonable photo prints, all with a minimum of hassle.

kimb said:
What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like
one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget
can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a
laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text
printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers
a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had
a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off,
so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks
interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for
plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo
printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper
Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight
would be appreciated. Thanks

T. Boehle · Aug 10, 2002

Have you thought about a HP 1115. It has automatic 2 sided printing, is fast and dependable. No banding or clogged heads and IMHO is great for photos. Reliability is not an issue with HP either. Sam's Club has them for $249 and the ink usage is nill. The 4X6 is not the greatest only because it seems to load a little sideways for some reason. Great for everyday and wouldn't think twice about putting photo paper in it and print away.

rr said:
kimb said:

What are some good examples of all around printers? I would like
one that does a decent job on photos (meaning the best my budget
can afford), but need an all around color printer to complement a
laser printer for kids homework. The laser does the bulk of text
printing but sometimes it just has to be color. Are photo printers
a waste of good ink to use for regular jobs on plain paper? We had
a C80 that had clogging problems and then the USB port broke off,
so now it's time to make a decision. The new Epson 960 looks
interesting, or the Canon S900, are these too much printer for
plain paper and best suited as the next level up home photo
printers? Would a better choice be to just go for the much cheaper
Epson 820 when it needs to be a kids printer also? Any insight
would be appreciated. Thanks

Click to expand...

travis belton · Aug 10, 2002

I have an Epson 820 and it makes beautiful photo prints on good paper. It is slow and noisy and probably won't last forever, but it is only $99. Contrary to what someone wrote, when used with Epson photo paper it will produce long lasting prints. I have been very impressed with the text quality for non-photo printing. I'd think for kids it would be fine.

From what others have said, the Canon S900 is about equal in print quality for photos. The Canon is much, much faster and quieter if that is a consideration.

Travis

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