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Printer recommendations?

adam
polycounter lvl 19
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adam polycounter lvl 19
Hey hey,

My girl and I are looking to get a home printer that she can use for printing photos and I can use for printing recipe's, maps, etc. etc. We went to Staples and checked out this one here.

I'd like to know if anyone has a printer they love and does the things I mentioned above. Our price range is ~$200.
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  • ScoobyDoofus
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    ScoobyDoofus polycounter lvl 19
    I have to jump in and say I wouldn't buy a Kodak anything except film & paper. They totally suck at everything else in my experience. Canon produces some very nice printers. I have a giant Canon Pixma Pro9500 on my desk which my Dad somehow got for around $150US and it'll print 13"x19" thats just about as good as photolab quality. That's probably overkill for what you need, but Canon is a good brand for printing. HP might produce decent print quality for the price, but the sofware is going to be horrible.
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  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    HP PSC 2110. Cost me like...$80 at Target? Nothing fancy, but it can copy, print and scan. I can print 8x5 pics that looks really crisp, which is good enough for me. Though I'm not sure if they still sell this particular model. Bought it like 2yrs ago.
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  • Slingshot
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    Slingshot polycounter lvl 17
    I would lean away from investing in a Kodak printer; they used to be good back in the day.

    Epson or a Canon Printer both are my top two pick.
    We used an Epson printer back in college in my photography class that could put out some very crisp photos. Epson also makes some archival able photo paper and inks too.

    Some things to consider are how hard it will be to find a print cartridge for that certain printer. Some printers let you replace just the color you need and not every color at once. Unless you like that Easter egg hunt feeling while looking for that illusive ink cartridge. Avoid those all-in-one printers tho (scanner,printer,fax).
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  • Jeremy Wright
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    Jeremy Wright polycounter lvl 17
    Epson all the way. My wife is a software analyst and did a ton of research on printers for her public relations job. Epson came out on top.
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  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    What's with the all-in-one hate? You want a separate piece of equipment to print, to scan and to copy? No thanks! They work great, I don't understand why you'd suggest people stay away from them.
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  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19
    never owned one myself but I've seen plenty of all-in-ones die after a few months of use (plenty as in hundreds), usually the scanner part craps out.

    I think ink-jet printers are total crap anyways though, my next printer will be one of those personal laserjets > the toner may cost more but you save in the long run and it doesn't dry out from disuse.
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  • Whargoul
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    Whargoul polycounter lvl 18
    Buy a cheap one (around $70) and when it runs out of ink, just buy a new one! I had an epson, and it was nice. But it ended up being cheaper to just go to London Drugs with a memory card and print stuff there. Plus, depending on where you go, it will be on real photographic paper so it will last forever - inks never last as long.
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  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    haha, Cody - me working at Kinkos previously my first instinct was to tell the wife just to get them printed somewhere and we can save $ on a printer.

    That said, she would like the convenience of printing her photos at home. And I would like to be able to print maps & recipes at my leisure.
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  • pliang
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    pliang polycounter lvl 17
    Epson and Canon hands down....from my experience.
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  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    I've had my HP PSC-all in one for over 2 years. Still in perfect condition. Bunch of haters! :)
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  • Lee3dee
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    Lee3dee polycounter lvl 18
    I bought a HP deskjet 860 for $70 at Target 2 years ago and its lasted longer than my Canon i550 I bought a year before that which was $150. HP colors are vibrant and it prints very fast, I was pleasantly surprised when I first bought it, thought it was going to die after 30 days.
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  • Jesse Moody
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    Jesse Moody polycounter lvl 17
    I got a Canon about a year ago. I use it to print photos, my portfolio prints, sample pages, and just about everything else. I actually did my prints at home rather than bring them to kinkos. Came out a lot nicer too. I paid just under 200 for it.

    I am sure the newer model is out now but the resolution on this thing was amazing.
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  • Ryno
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    Ryno polycounter lvl 18
    I've had good luck with my older Epson photo printer, and it's held up well for the last 3 years. I'm sure they're even much better now.
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