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  • Which Printer?

    I am on the lookout for a printer in the range of £150.

    Should I consider models outside the HP/Epson range?
    Can any on suggest a good model?

    TIA!
    The Welsh support two teams when it comes to rugby. Wales of course, and anyone else playing England

  • #2
    890!!!

    Epson Stylus Photo 890!

    It might be a little over your price (~£165), but you will not be dissappointed with the quality, especially in photo printing

    My previous printer was the SC600 - they have come a long way since this. It will do 2880 dpi, true edge-to-edge printing, has a paper-roll holder for e.g. running off 6x4s, and does a lot better job of printing on cheap paper than the older models. Its 6-colour photo printing is amazing! Has parallel & USB interfaces, and good software for simplifying everyday printing tasks like photoalbums etc.

    The Epson cartridges are well priced too, so little need for using compatibles. The cartridges have chips on them for remembering ink usage. One downer is that it reports the same level for all 5 inks in the colour cartridge.

    It is 6 months since I bought, when its main competitor was the HP (890C?), which has slightly better text print quality & speed, but the Epson can't be beaten at this price for quality. Things didn't seem to have changed in a recent PC Pro group test

    HTH

    Tony.
    FT.

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    • #3
      my opinion........

      stick with HP....quality is good, and we all have dealt with Epson and Lexmark top/back paper feed headaches....I have yet to see any top/back fed printer last more than a year or so..............



      -Dil.......pickle
      Better to let one think you are a fool, than speak and prove it


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      • #4
        Re: my opinion........

        Originally posted by Dilitante1
        stick with HP....quality is good, and we all have dealt with Epson and Lexmark top/back paper feed headaches....I have yet to see any top/back fed printer last more than a year or so..............



        -Dil.......pickle
        I've had my Lexmark 5700 for a good 4-5 years and it's still going strong.

        PC Magazine liked the new Canon's and the Epson's.

        I personally dislike all the HP's I've used and they are expensive.

        amish
        Despite my nickname causing confusion, I have no religious affiliations.

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        • #5
          I'd heartily recommend any HP laser printer, but for ink jet, I think epson is better.
          Lady, people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are mostly? Bastards. Bastard coated bastards with bastard filling. But I don't find them half as annoying as I find naive, bubble-headed optimists who walk around vomiting sunshine. -- Dr. Perry Cox

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          • #6
            I have HP840C and HP950C, both excellent. Are they around your price point Paddy? I cannae be bothered checking man

            P.
            Meet Jasmine.
            flickr.com/photos/pace3000

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            • #7
              Printer....

              i would recomand a HP DeskJet 940 or 960, a very good printers! If you want a laser printer, I would recomand a HP LaserJet 1200 series.

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              • #8
                Dunno what prices are like right now, but I'm using an HP950C that I bought about 9 months ago, and it's the best inkjet I've had yet. Prior to this printer I had two Epsons (um, one replaced the other and was in turn replaced, as each wore out). The first Epson was a Stylus Color (the original with no number in the name) and the last was a Stylus Color 740.

                Before I got the HP, I would've sworn on the Epsons, but not any more. HP puts the print heads in the cartridges, so that each time you put in new ink, you replace the heads. It runs the cost of cartridges up a bit, but I've found that I've had much less headache with this HP than with either of the Epsons, which, toward the end of their time (est. 1.5 years each) started to get tons of clogs and/or smeared ink on pages. The only way to restore it was to follow Seiko Epson's 'advice' and send them in for factory servicing.. no such problems with the HP.

                (Out of the box, and when printing on special glossy photo papers, both brands print extremely nice photo-quality. It's the longer-term that's really sold me on the HP, despite the higher cost of cartridges, which I look at as being worth it, since I don't replace the printer as soon).
                "..so much for subtlety.."

                System specs:
                Gainward Ti4600
                AMD Athlon XP2100+ (o.c. to 1845MHz)

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                • #9
                  While the HP carts cost more you can get a much lower price using the refurbed ones. Pelikan also makes a nice set for some printers with replaceable tanks for each color.

                  That said our printers are a Canon 5100 11.7x17 and an Epson 1280 13x19 (13x44 full coverage capable). Both are doing very well, and if I need anything larger I have an account at Kinkos.

                  The full coverage feature of the Epson comes in handy.

                  The two HP's I've had had electronic failures....couldn't detect the cartridges....after the warranty expired, of course

                  Dr. Mordrid
                  Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 7 January 2002, 20:41.
                  Dr. Mordrid
                  ----------------------------
                  An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                  I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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                  • #10
                    I'm using an Epson 1270 13" X 19".

                    It replaced my 6 year old Epson 1520. I think I did it in by using the generic cartridges. It finally clogged up for good. But it got used a lot during it's 6 year life span.

                    Paul
                    "Never interfere with the enemy when he is in the process of destroying himself"

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                    • #11
                      Thanks for all the replies... If i had the cash, I think I would go for an Epson. However, I have found a source of free HP cartridges... Are they a standard size? I think they are from a 895/980. This swings the ball into HP's court...

                      Which HP model would you go for?
                      The Welsh support two teams when it comes to rugby. Wales of course, and anyone else playing England

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                      • #12
                        There are different cartridges depending on which HP printer you get. Several different model printers may use the same cartridge model. The best thing to do is to find out exactly which cartridges these are that you can get free, then check HPs web site to see which printers each goes with. It's also a good way to compare features and prices on the ones available. I know that there can be as much as $50 - $100 USD difference between two models that have only print speed as a difference between them though, so it's definitely worth the time to check their specs before putting down cash.
                        "..so much for subtlety.."

                        System specs:
                        Gainward Ti4600
                        AMD Athlon XP2100+ (o.c. to 1845MHz)

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                        • #13
                          I quite fancy a HP DeskJet 980Cxi. What do you think???

                          I've also head that HP printers are better for printing colour on bog standard coppier paper than the Epsons. Although the Epsons are better when using your photo quiality stuff...
                          The Welsh support two teams when it comes to rugby. Wales of course, and anyone else playing England

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                          • #14
                            HPs certainly used to be better on copier paper, but that gap has narrowed somewhat these days.

                            Still, free cartridges! Way to go!

                            Tony.
                            FT.

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                            • #15
                              If you don't need color, I recommend an old <a href="http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&query=laserje t+4&shortcut=2">HP LaserJet 4</a>.
                              They're built like tanks.

                              If you need color, my brother just got an <a href="http://www.dansdata.com/sp1270.htm">Epson Stylus Photo</a>.
                              A bit noisy but makes very nice prints.

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