[Reggie Fowler]

I'm looking for a new printer. Inkjet Photo printer to be exact.
I have been searching the web trying to get reviews, but most sites don't have the latest stuff or the reviews are years old.

What site do you visit? What's the best?

[shifuimam]

Epson makes the best photo printers, hands down. Make sure to use quality photo paper, too. However, if you print a lot of photos, consider going with an online service like Snapfish or taking them to Wal-Mart Photo or something - you'll save money in the long run.

Epinions.com is a great site for reading in-depth reviews on anything. Your best bet is to start looking at printers online, find one that's in the price range you want, and then look up reviews and see if it's any good.

If you mostly print out documents and things, though, you will save a lot of money long-term by going with a laser printer. An HP laserjet might run you $400 up front, but one toner cartridge will last you as much as a year with normal printing habits, whereas a $50 printer plus a $20 black-and-white cartridge and a $30 color cartridge every few weeks will add up quickly.

[Reggie Fowler]

I'm looking for more of an independent site that rates and review printers. not an opinion based site.

[angelmb]

I guess asking here makes sense, then you can always read reviews on sites like MacWorld… IMHO Canon is nowadays the best inkjet maker out there.

[OreoCookie]

Most people on this forum have turned away from Epson (clogging, slow printing compared to Canon). If you are looking for reviews of photo printers, you can go here.

[Reggie Fowler]

no offense, but that site only has a few reviews from 2007. most of it's old. plus, i don't see direct comparison reviews. just a review of the printer itself.

i'm looking for a site that says: i think you should get the canon 9500 over the epson 960 (the latest model) because of x, y, z.

[OreoCookie]

I don't think you will find a lot of reviews like that, reality is usually more complicated than this. As for the reviews being old, that's because many of the printers are still sold! For instance, the Epson R1800 that was tested in 2005 is still the same R1800 that is sold today! So even though the review is old, it's not outdated.

You can compare the print times `by hand' (you'll see that the Canons are almost always faster, often by a factor 2 or more!

Also, Epson doesn't sell a 960 anymore, it's not their latest printer.

[JonoMarshall]

Consider your search over:

"I think you should get the canon 9500 over the epson 960 (the latest model) because of:

x - Canon printers don't clog as much and are faster
y - Canon printers are generally cheaper
z - Canon are IMO a better company (no chipping inks, better research, etc)"

In all seriousness: Decide which feature set you want what are the pros/cons of each model. If that doesn't create a divide then decide according to price. If that doesn't create a divide then buy the Cannon.

[butterfly0fdoom]

Get a Canon. I told my friend that, but he opted to get an Epson (since he liked his old Epson), only to tell me that I was right 3 weeks later (he had returned the Epson and gotten a Canon instead).

[Reggie Fowler]

it's kinda sad, but with searching the entire internet....there isn't one good rating/review printer website.

[eggman]

I used to be an Epson fan, for years and years: Epson scanner. Epson printer. I even had an Epson digital camera.

Now it's Canon all the way, based on quality, reliability, features and total cost of ownership.

[angelmb]

Yeah, everyone concerned about quality color printer in the mid 90s would be happy with one of those Epson Stylus Color… they were way better than e.g. HP DeskJets, but until Kodak arrives with their low cost high quality printers is Canon all the way nowadays.

[maxhedrum]

First off, what are you looking for in a printer? Dash off a few 8X10 or smaller prints once in awhile, or serious photo print work?

If the former, just about anything in the same price range will work.

For serious hobbyist/semi commercial work, you need to go to at least a 13" machine. However the Epson R880 would be the way to go if the wide carriage printers are just too big. A good source for serious real world printer reviews is:Digital Photography at photo-i. Also check out the printing forum at dprevirew. Photo sites are usually better than the usual electronica ones for photography related reviews.

I started with a Stylus 740 years ago, and quickly got tired of the clogging . When Canon came out with the bjc6000 I picked one of those up and was happy with it until it turned into a pumpkin due to the driver not working with OSX. I replaced it with an i950 and ran that into the ground before replacing it with the ip6000D, which was one of the last of the unchipped individual ink cart Canons. Yep, the individual ink Canons now all have chipped carts like the Epsons. Now that has turned into a pumpkin due to Canon not updating the drivers to keep up with the current OS/Photo App versions. This seems to be a trait with Canon in regards to the consumer end printers.

I was able to pick up a store demo Epson R1800 for a very good price. I had misgivings due to the fact that it had been sitting unused for over six months with the carts in it. Much to my amazement the heads cleared after a half dozen or so cleanings and nozzle checks. Epson seems to have come along ways in regards to the clogging problems with the pigment inks. They do drink like a fish, so I also picked up a CIS system.

If you are a Photoshop user, check out Adobe's Photoshop users forums. Most folks who hang out there are working professionals and you would be hard pressed to find anyone using printers other than Epson. The driver problems are the most stated reason for avoiding Canons. If considering the Canon Pro 9000, do some research, they are having paper feed problems.

There is no best printer. It all depends on what you want to do with it, how much you want to spend, and how serious you are about your images. And like most things in life, ya get what ya pay for.