Photo Printers

Any modern printer can be used as a photo printer. However, best results will be gotten from those designed to be photo printers. As I write this in 2006, the two brands that have achieved the highest reputations as photo printers are Canon and Epson. Epson has had a long reputation for quality printing, but has also had a reputation for ink clogging. Canon has been catching up and may have done so in image quality, without the reputation of ink clogging.

There are many brands of printers and some are giving Canon and Epson serious competition. As time goes on, printers, ink, and photo papers will continue to improve.

My Printers:

My Hewlett Packard Deskjet 842C printer served, at times, as my photo printer until I actually bought a photo quality printer in 2006. The 842C did a fair job of printing photos, but nothing special.

After having seriously considered the Epson 1280 and 1800 printer models, I ordered the Canon Pixma iP5200 as my photo printer in April, 2006.

Using five separate ink cartridges, two blacks, cyan, magenta and yellow. This was a great step up from the 842C which only used two cartridges, black and tri-color, for as far as not wasting ink; plus the iP5200 delivers exceptional photo quality results.

Things to Consider: When picking out a photo printer, there are several things to consider: What are the largest size prints are you likely to make, now and in the future? Will you want to use single or multiple color ink cartridges? If single ink cartridges, how many colors, four, five, eight? Will it do black and white printing as well as it does color photographs? What speed does the printer print at? Will it fit in the space you have available? Is the price of ink reasonable compared to other models? Do prints really look like those from a photo lab?

The biggest expense will not be the printer, of course, but the ink and paper run through it over the course of time.

Multiple color ink cartridges are the most wasteful, since they have to be changed when one color runs out, wasting what ink is left in the other compartments. Using single color ink cartridges, you only need replace that one color.

Photo papers come in a variety of sizes: 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, etc. You will most likely want whatever variety your printer accepts. Paper also comes in a variety of styles: matte, glossy, double sided, etc. You may want a variety of styles for different reasons or depending on your taste.

So, take a little time to research before buying a photo printer. Talk to others who have photo printers, visit dealers to see the printers and see examples of how they print, check out the prices of ink and photo papers, and end up with a printer system you will be happy with.

HOME