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luap82 · Jul 28, 2000, 04:12 PM

im buying a new printer and its either going to be the HP DeskJet 895C or the Epson Stylus Photo 750. The Epson has 1440x720 dpi, but the HP doesnt report what dpi it has, because it boasts the PhotoREtII or whatever. What is this?? and which is the better printer? they are both the same price and id say epson because HP has been wishy-washy about their support of Apple, and they dont support pdf. Anyway, is this PhotoREtII amazingly awesome or something? or should i just go with the 1440x720 Epson. Let me know, thanks
-LUAP

Evangellydonut · Jul 28, 2000, 04:42 PM

Don't know about the latest Epson/HP debate, but from past experience, I liked HP a lot better than Epson. Epson drinks ink very fast, is very loud, doesn't print as fast as advertised, and cleans cartridge too often and takes too long to clean. Oh, and I like the HP drivers better too.
I remember reading something on this forum about the latest HP offerings have very good resolution, comparable to that of Epson...sorry I can't really give you any solid numbers.

Jul 28, 2000, 09:56 PM

I have an Epson 740 and absolutely love it! I have had bad experiences with HP products in the past and try to stay away from them as much as possible. I don't find my printer to be excessively loud or taking too long to clean. It's great!! These are just my own personal experiences though, others may disagree.

[This message has been edited by APW (edited 07-28-2000).]

tonymac · Jul 28, 2000, 10:01 PM

I've used Epson's and HPs. My first printer was a monochrome Deskwriter, and currently I'm using an Epson 600 at home and Epson 1520 and HP 1220 at work. My next printer will almost definitely be an HP. They are MUCH quieter than Epsons, and they don't seem to use the ink as quickly. The Epson is slightly better with photos, but the HP is much better with text.

Cipher13 · Jul 28, 2000, 10:13 PM

Chalk one more up for Epson.
Awesome picture and text quality, and fast. Noise isn't really a problem, but they are louder than HP's.
Compared to a new HP I used the other day, the 740 mopped the ground with it in EVERY respect bar noise.
I was really surprised this thing was so bad...
Slow, bad picture quality. Can't say what model it was, but it was HP. One of those big ones... I think it could print A3.

Cipher13

Don Foy · Jul 28, 2000, 11:13 PM

I have to disagree with Cypher13. I just replaced my Epson 740 with an HP DeskJet 970Cse. and I couldn't be happier. There is no Epson that prints as quiet as the HP. I know you are looking at the 800 series, but you might also consider the 900 series. MacWorld in the September issue reviews photo printers such as the Epson Photo 750.

As for the switch from Epson to HP, I have never been happier. The HP drivers worked the first time. I didn't have to go through a ton of troubleshooting like I did with the 740.

I know you are talking about different models, but my money is currently on HP. They don't suck ink like the Epsons do either.

Go take a look at the output yourself before you buy. You pick which one you think looks best. That way, you can't blame me or any others of us. You can only blame yourself.

Jul 28, 2000, 11:50 PM

Don't forget to take into account the price of cartridges!
from what I have learned over the last few months since purchasing my Epson 900 the price of "compatible" cartridges for epson is way cheaper than HPs.............
Check out www.ink4art.com or www.cartridgeclub.com
You would have to be out of your mind to pay for oem
goods!
Profits come from ink not printers.............

------------------
The only constant is change

exa · Jul 28, 2000, 11:55 PM

HP Anything under 900 is just not worth it, so go for the Epson 740... however, HP 900+ is definetely worth it and IMHO, it kicks any epson (I love my HP 950C).

Bugs Bunny · Jul 29, 2000, 12:02 AM

Epson is my choice. Print quality is excellent, the newer models are very quiet, and the last thing I have to say is this. Epson has supported the Mac platform, through all the hard times as well as the good. I can't say the same for HP, who by the way has jumped on the Apple explosion wagon. So I'm staying with Epson, I guess I'm just a loyal consumer.

dlindsay17 · Jul 29, 2000, 02:43 AM

I have an HP 970cxi (same as 970cse) and would probably love it if I ever took teh time to hook it up. From what I've read, it's fast, quiet, produces great results and the 970's duplexer lets you print double sided!
Buy.com has them for pretty cheap and apply the $30 off $150 discount to get it for only around $300 (vs $400 list)

joe · Jul 29, 2000, 03:58 PM

Originally posted by dlindsay17:
I have an HP 970cxi (same as 970cse) and would probably love it if I ever took teh time to hook it up. From what I've read, it's fast, quiet, produces great results and the 970's duplexer lets you print double sided!
Buy.com has them for pretty cheap and apply the $30 off $150 discount to get it for only around $300 (vs $400 list)

Yeah, I bought the duplexer as an option for my HP930 and it's EXCELLENT! There's something to be said for the cheaper 930-935 HPs with their folding trays too. Of course, all 900 series have the space saving front tray design. The 93x just fold up smaller for those really tight on space.

They may be a little slower than the 970, but they have the same 2400dpi awesome print quality. IMHO, any 900 series HP is an excellent pick. Right now, they are as good as it gets......joe

Cipher13 · Jul 30, 2000, 12:50 AM

Unlike some people it seems, I have never had any trouble with Epson drivers - work first time, every time.
Nor have I ever had any hardware troubles. I believe the Stylus 760 is out isn't it? Anyone know the dif. between the 740 and 760?

Cipher13

Evangellydonut · Jul 30, 2000, 01:39 AM

As a rebuttal to darkstranger's response. HP's per-page ink price is the lowest on the market, and though some may not mind, I think changing ink cartridge every month is a pain in the ***. I only had to change HP ink once in the past year I've used it.

As for exa's comment about HP under 900 not worth it, I also disagree. I use an 882C, which I got for $200. Aside from the fact that it's ranked as the best personal color printer by zdnet, IMHO, it's the best price/performance printer. Of course I got mine almost a year ago, so things must've developed much since then...

The only reason to get an Epson printer is if you have an entire line of Epson stuff, from scanner, printer, to digi-cam, then it might be a good idea. However, from the reviews I've read on digi-cam and scanners, the reviewer compared the quality of HP and Epson printers too, since it was relevant, and HP was neck to neck with Epson.

As for PhotoREt technology, I think it's crazy how they can fit 16 ink drops on 1 pixel!!! (II, don't know 'bout III)

joe · Jul 30, 2000, 03:02 AM

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Unlike some people it seems, I have never had any trouble with Epson drivers - work first time, every time.
Nor have I ever had any hardware troubles. I believe the Stylus 760 is out isn't it? Anyone know the dif. between the 740 and 760?

Cipher13

The 760 has smaller ink droplets than the 740. I think it's around 6picoliters iirc. The new smaller droplets are suppose to give much finer print quality and cut down on warping (for non-photo paper). Probably is more economical using smaller droplets too in the long run....joe

joe · Jul 30, 2000, 03:21 AM

Originally posted by Evangellydonut:

As for exa's comment about HP under 900 not worth it, I also disagree. I use an 882C, which I got for $200. Aside from the fact that it's ranked as the best personal color printer by zdnet, IMHO, it's the best price/performance printer. Of course I got mine almost a year ago, so things must've developed much since then...

I bought my HP930c for $199 6 months ago. It's now available for as low as $179. So things have improved since last year

But the photretII HPs have dropped even lower. So if you don't need 2400dpi photo prints, you can pick up an 840c for around $135 these days....joe

garyp · Jul 30, 2000, 09:11 PM

I've used the Epson Photo 750 for the last year or more and its image quality is stunning. Drivers usually work fine. Occasional troubleshooting usually turns up a USB glitch not necessarily Epson's fault. Depends on your primary use of the printer. The 750 and 1200 rock for photos and graphics. The 900 is a better all-around office printer. Warning: it does suck ink! Never buy OEM cartridges, unless you love getting ripped off. Try inkforart.com, ow inkjetdiscounts.com. HP delivers the quality on the bigger high end models, but Epson is a good choice for the consumer desktop. Another warning: The so-called archival models aren't ready for prime time yet.