[Tony Parkes]

The following are some things you should keep in mind even as deciding which printer to buy.

The first thing you should do when getting ready to purchase a new printer is decide what tasks that you are going to need your printer to complete for you. Once you have that determined you will have a better idea of what type of printer you should purchase.

You should definitely shop around when looking for a new printer. Don’t feel forced to buy the first one you find. Ask a lot of questions so you can do thorough research to ensure this is the printer that will meet all of your needs

Are you going to need particular inks for the printer to get the best possible print quality? If this is the case this can become a large expense for you as the consumer

Another thing consumer should consider when shopping for a new printer is that many refurbished printers cost considerably less than brand new printers and still carry a full manufacturer’s warranty. This could be a great money saving purchase if you are on a budget.

[Veltliner]

There's another decision: buy a dye based printer, or a pigment based printer.

If you think you'll live 200 years and want your prints to still outlast you, then buy a pigment based printer.

For a normal, human life span, a dye printer of the latest generation will be OK.

Most higher end Epson, for example, are now pigment based, but the Canon Pixma Pro 9000, for example, is a good dye printer, costs about half what its pigment ink counterpart costs.

Both types of ink will give you great results. It used to be that dye based printer had better colors, but in higher end printers that gap has been almost closed.

It used to be that dye prints faded quicker, but that gap has been narrowed. Canon's ChromaLife promises 100 years.

Both types of printers will give you a longer lasting print than a traditional photo.

One other tip: the best printer will not help you, if you buy low end inks at Walmart, Walgreens, Staples, etc... In this case you can sit down and watch your prints fade.

Again: don't underestimate ink quality. You have to be really, really knowledgeable to buy third party ink, and people who are that knowledgeable often buy the manufacturer's ink, as it's well tested.

Third: don't forget the paper you buy. There is a connection between printer, ink, and used paper. Some papers cannot be used for both kinds of inks.