All-in-one vs Photo Printer

We are looking at two competing HP printers (HP Envy Photo 6234 and HP Envy 6032. One is labelled ‘Photo’ and we will be printing photos... so there’s only one answer, right?

However, where HP says that photo printers are ‘for photographers’ because they use a different type of ink, are usually both dye and pigment based and use 6 to 12 ink cartridges, none of those differences are evident in the specs; both use one black and one tri ink cartridge, both are inkjet, and they each have the same dpi.

Is there really any difference between these models in photo printing terms? Can we safely go for the less obtrusive/lighter/cheaper option?

{Also posted in the Fuji forum; hope that’s ok}

It's all in the eyes of the beholder. I'd say that if you would show random person (non pixel-peeping photo enthusiast) a comparision, they would most likely see a difference.

If you would just show them a print from the "non-photo" -printer on a good paper they would probably think it looked perfectly fine.

The number of black/grey inks indicate that it probably prints B/W photos better than the other one.

Another aspect is the price per volume of ink and possibly the durability of the prints.

allofthemweretaken said:

It's all in the eyes of the beholder. I'd say that if you would show random person (non pixel-peeping photo enthusiast) a comparision, they would most likely see a difference.

If you would just show them a print from the "non-photo" -printer on a good paper they would probably think it looked perfectly fine.

The number of black/grey inks indicate that it probably prints B/W photos better than the other one.

Another aspect is the price per volume of ink and possibly the durability of the prints.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

But if both printers have the same number of inks (one black, one tri) and both print to the same dpi, output would be the same, right? I am getting the impression that in this specific case, ‘Photo’ is a marketing exercise ie there is no difference in output between these printers.

s200 said:

We are looking at two competing HP printers (HP Envy Photo 6234 and HP Envy 6032. One is labelled ‘Photo’ and we will be printing photos... so there’s only one answer, right?

However, where HP says that photo printers are ‘for photographers’ because they use a different type of ink, are usually both dye and pigment based and use 6 to 12 ink cartridges, none of those differences are evident in the specs; both use one black and one tri ink cartridge, both are inkjet, and they each have the same dpi.

Is there really any difference between these models in photo printing terms? Can we safely go for the less obtrusive/lighter/cheaper option?

{Also posted in the Fuji forum; hope that’s ok}

Click to expand...

If the ink carts are the exact same, and the final output resolution printer is the same.... there may be other “features” the printer offers, but I doubt the quality of the output would be different in any way.

Rand

The only difference I can find is in the ink cartridges. On the ‘Photo’ model, ink drop is listed as 17.9pl against 12pl on the all-in-one. Ink drop for the tri colour cartridges is basically the same across both models, as is pretty much everything else. Counter-intuitively, the photo model has fewer print head nozzles.



Any of the above make any real difference? Would a 50% increase in black ink drop (with constant tri-colour ink drop) be noticeable?

s200 said:

We are looking at two competing HP printers (HP Envy Photo 6234 and HP Envy 6032. One is labelled ‘Photo’ and we will be printing photos... so there’s only one answer, right?

However, where HP says that photo printers are ‘for photographers’ because they use a different type of ink, are usually both dye and pigment based and use 6 to 12 ink cartridges, none of those differences are evident in the specs; both use one black and one tri ink cartridge, both are inkjet, and they each have the same dpi.

Is there really any difference between these models in photo printing terms? Can we safely go for the less obtrusive/lighter/cheaper option?

Click to expand...

HP has not made a desktop printer with really enhanced photo-printing features in many years. If you want an inexpensive printer or all-in-one with enhanced photo printing capabilities, your options are:

* Canon TS8320 / TS8350 / TS8360 all-in-one (or if you can find one, predecessor models like the TS8250);

* Epson XP-970 all-in-one that will print A3 / 11x17 inches (or if you can find one, predecessor model the XP-960);

* Epson XP-8600 all-in-one (or if you can find one, predecessor model the XP-8500); or

* Epson XP-55 printer-only.

Thanks for the suggestions, appreciated.

If you are going to print a substantial number of full-page photos (or anything in color for that matter) I would look for a printer that uses individual ink cartridges or ink tanks for each color. Tricolor cartridges are an absolute money sink for photo printing. If you plan to print 100 to 200 full-page color images a year, you will probably spend as much or more each year on cartridges as you spent for the printer.

Whether it is useful to you to go beyond a 4-color printer will depend on what subject matter of your photos is, what you plan to use the prints for, how critical of color accuracy you are, and how long you expect them to remain colorfast after being printed.

Printer costs per print vary widely, mostly based on capacity and cost of ink cartridges. Printers that use small cartridges tend to be extremely expensive per page. To calculate that, you need to know how many prints per year of what size you expect to print. Ink tank printers tend to be very economical in use for higher volume, but the inks are in general not intended for prints you expect to remain colorfast for a long period.

Info on intended use of the printer, what percentage of your use is photos, what the use of the photos is, and yearly printing volume (number of pages, percent full color, and size of prints) would be very helpful in helping you select a printer for your use.

--
Pat

I agree.

I bought one of the low-end models, 2652, at a time when I was working with Linux distros.

An 8x10 photo print on HP paper was outstanding. But these printers literally "eat ink", way more than any Canon or Epson I've worked with.

I also had problems with genuine HP cartridges, bought from HP, not working when past the date on the box. Again, not something I experience with Canon or Epson.

I think the Canon TS printers are a wonderful choice, either 4 or 5 dye positions, plus pigment black for text. I recommend AIOs. The Copy and Scan functions are quite useful. And the WiFi on my Canon TS and MG printers works quite well, on both Mac and Windows 10. It's a great way to get started in printing. I'm constantly amazed at how good these consumer levels printers are. On a Mac, color management is foolproof, just push the "button."

Good luck and enjoy.

HP printers have one unique feature, the print head is in the cartridge. But I agree with comments above.

Some great suggestions, thank you. We have gone for a great deal on the cheaper model, including 25% cashback and 5 (perhaps 7 if we add codes after sale) months of Instant Ink. If we enjoy printing photographs, we might look at a significantly more capable printer with separate ink tanks; our bargain model will have paid for itself in free ink even in that short time, so we’d Freecycle it.

The "Photo" printer will most likely have a larger gamut - range of printable colours.

To see if the difference in gamuts is significant you could download the printer profiles of each printer for the paper you are using and look at the gamuts using one of the free gamut viewers downloadable from the www.