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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > Printer recommendations

Printer recommendations
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Chris_G
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Jan 25, 2002, 01:58 AM
 
I'm looking for recommendations on the following printers... the HP 940c versus the Epson Stylus 820 Photo versus the Lexmark Z53. All three are within my price range... I really don't want to spend more than $150. I don't print that often, mainly text and some text/color graphics, also photo printing for my digital camera. I was leaning toward the Epson due to its current $50 rebate, but am worried about the disadvantage of having the print heads integrated into the printer itself (HP and Lexmark have disposable print heads built into the cartridge). Does anyone sporadically use an Epson? Have you noticed any problems with the print heads? What about the amount of ink used to clean the heads? From the reviews, it seems the 940c is the best all-around performer... thoughts? Thanks!

Chris
     
xyber233
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Jan 25, 2002, 11:17 AM
 
IMO, Epsons have the best quality. I have an Epson 740. Even though its a little louder and slower than the HP I love it. Go with the Epson .
     
zac4mac
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Jan 26, 2002, 01:04 AM
 
I got an HP 932c when I got my duallie last year. It was adequate, but not stellar. Just replaced it in November with an Epson 1280 Photo.Sweeeeeet
At work I have an Epson SC800(bought in 1997) on a cyborg PM8500 that still does a pretty nice job with photos, though it's really noisy.

Zack
     
OldManMac
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Jan 26, 2002, 01:44 AM
 
I sell them all; I use Epson. I do a fair amount of nature photography, 35mm, and I recently got a Nikon Coolpix 885. The HP and Lexmark printers do a better job at text, but the Epson does a far better job at photgraphs! The Photo 820 is a six color printer, while the HP and Lexmark are standard four color units. I've used an Epson Photo 870 for 18 months, and the output is fantastic! I've shown customers my nature shots, and they look like photos! I've also owned a couple of Lexmarks and a couple of HPs, and they can't match the Epsons for photo work.
Why is there always money for war, but none for education?
     
Chris_G  (op)
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Jan 26, 2002, 03:28 AM
 
Karl:

Does the Epson handle text reasonably well? I need this printer to pull multiple duties, so all three... text, graphics and photo capabilities hold equal weight for me. How is the Lexmark if you use the photo cartridge with it (if I understand correctly you can replace the black cartridge with a photo cartridge that has the 5th and 6th colors)?

Chris
     
OldManMac
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Jan 26, 2002, 08:12 PM
 
The Epson handles text reasonably well, if you use it at Quality mode, as opposed to Speed. It is a lot slower that way, but it will print a nice document. I've never used the optional cartridge on the Lexmark.
Why is there always money for war, but none for education?
     
rambo47
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Jan 27, 2002, 01:39 PM
 
I've had all Epson printers, currently the 880, and I can whole-heartedly recommend them. One of the great things is out-of-the -box Mac support, especially in OS X.
     
xyber233
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Jan 27, 2002, 02:19 PM
 
HP handles text better than Epson but Epson still does a pretty good job. Epsons are way better with graphics and photos than HPs are. I wouldn't bother with Lexmark. I am not impressed with them at all.
     
Mack
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Jan 30, 2002, 11:28 PM
 
So the Epson 1280 works fine in OS X? I need a new printer, mostly for photographs and graphics, and the 1280 looks pretty good.
     
rhino_g3
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Jan 31, 2002, 12:00 AM
 
I own an Epson 777i and it too produces nice photo prints.
     
iMacfan
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Jan 31, 2002, 08:28 AM
 
Hi,

I have both an Epson 740 and 680, and I would recommend them. They are sometimes quirky, but always work (usually immediately, sometimes after a little persuasion). Also, while they do drink ink, there is a benefit of the permanent print heads - third party refills are new 'compatible' ones, instead of being recycled ones with an old printhead.

Hope this helps,

Dave
http://www.ppconmac.com - Mac compatability for your PocketPC!
     
Paul S
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Jan 31, 2002, 01:00 PM
 
I too have had a Epson Photo 870 for over a year. Outstanding printer. Epson Photos can't be touched in picture quality. They have also gotten much quieter since the days of the Stylus 800. I don't even hear my printer over the TV. I always double check to see if paper is actually coming out of it.

For text it's adequate for me, but I bought it sepcifically for photos. I have done some professional letters, set to the higer quality setting and they look great. At normal quality they are OK.
     
nana2
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Feb 1, 2002, 08:35 AM
 
Check out the new Epson C80. It's a 4 colour printer but uses pigmented inks to produce very nice photos.
     
Fetch
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Feb 5, 2002, 01:02 AM
 
Originally posted by nana2:
<STRONG>Check out the new Epson C80. It's a 4 colour printer but uses pigmented inks to produce very nice photos.</STRONG>
Sorry, but I strongly disagree with your assessment of the C80 as a "photo' printer. This printer is NOT a photo printer in the classic sense. And, if you read between the Epson marketing lines, they are talking about printing photos on "plain" paper. From that, most folks get hoodwinked into thinking this is a photo printer. OK - if you want to take advantage of their 70-year ink lifetime on "plain" paper, but who wants to keep photos on plain paper?

I have just completed many days of very frustrating tests, trying to get at least a few reasonable-quality photos on Epson premium glossy paper. Due to the manner in which Epson handles the black rendering, the photos will come out flat and dull. This printer is VERY dependent on the type of paper used. There are ways to trick the printer into making better blacks, but they are very laborious and if you intend to save the "photos" you need to spray them with Krylon or something similar. Though there is a separate black cartridge, (which one would think would be used to advantage to make black look black) when working with glossy or semi-glossy photo paper, (i.e., just about any coated paper) the resultant will either be a flat, dull look (by their combining of the CMY inks to make black) or the actual black ink will overlay the CMY coloring and stand out like some old painting. If one selects Photo Quality Inkjet Paper, one will get the latter look. If one selects Premium Glossy or Semigloss Photo Paper, one will get the "black" from a combination of the CMY cartridges and the result is dull with poor black rendering. Either way, printing on tradtionally used photo papers achieves a lousy outcome.

The color on "plain jane" paper is very good and for flyers, etc. this is a great printer. I'm going to try some heavyweight matte paper and see if there is anything I can do to use this as a photo printer. Otherwise, I urge anyone that thinks they can do traditional photo printing inexpensively at home - keep away from this one and get yourself an 820 or something similar. I've had spectacular results with an old 740 and 777. I upgraded to the C80 because I thought I would like the longevity of the pigmented ink. WRONGO! However, bear in mind that dye-based inks such as used in the "cheaper" printers that produce beautifully-rendered, brilliantly-colored photos will fade out and become pretty useless in fairly short time, unless protected by glass or sleeved.

Just my long-winded two cents worth (or in this case, about 80 sheets of Epson Premium Photo paper and a $70 set of new cartridges).

Al
     
G4ME
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Feb 5, 2002, 10:50 AM
 
Go For the Epson C80 Nice res and very fast and quiet what else could you ask

I GOT WASTED WITH PHIL SHERRY!!!
     
zigzag
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Feb 5, 2002, 11:24 PM
 
Check out the recent printer reviews at www.tomshardware.com and www.pcmagazine.com . Both picked the Canon S500 as best all-around for the $$$.
     
DNA man
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Feb 6, 2002, 01:23 AM
 
I use a Epson Photo 870. It's great printer but ink is expensive compared to Leximark or HP
     
   
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