Anyone have any recommendations for a photo printer?

[Jersey Devil]

I have a Sony Cyber Shot 3.3 megapixel camera that I love. Been getting the prints done professionally and they come out great, but sometimes I print them out on my regular printer, an HP Deskjet 895cse, a pretty high resolution printer, but the quality leaves a lot to be desired. I'm thinking of buying a dedicated printer for photos only but there are so many in so many different price ranges that it is confusing and almost mind boggling.

Any recommendations?

[democracyindanger]

1. If you want professional quality inkjet

I've got an Epson Stylus Photo 2200. As good as a Fiery, maybe even better. It's spendy, though. 'Bout $800 I think.

[Elad]

2. I'm happy with my Canon i850

Cheap, and I've had it for almost 2 years without any problems.

[Jersey Devil]

5. Thanks, I am kind of closing in on a Canon

I just have to decide which model. Appreciated (to all those who answered).

[Longhorn]

3. Canon S820

I've had it a couple of years and it prints great photos -- even 8x10s. It uses six individual ink tanks so you just replace the color that has run out instead of the entire cartridge. I do about two to three dozen family calendars of my photos every year so it gets a great workout once a year!

I replaced an HP Photosmart printer. I had great results but when something went wrong with it, it was impossible to get fixed because HP wouldn't release the parts to repair shops -- and it was only 18 months old at the time! They "offered" to sell me a reconditioned printer for $499, which was not only more than mine cost, it was more than the latest Photosmart printers were selling for. Needless to say, I will never do business with HP again!

[Jersey Devil]

6. I like the individual ink tanks and the 8x10 capability

The 4x6 only printers seem to limited for the money. Also I have an HP now so I know how expensive it can get to replace all the colors just because one has tapped out.

[RoyGBiv]

8. Review Site

Here's the review site I mentioned:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/printers.html

This guy primarily does cameras, and his printer reviews are geared toward use as a photo printer.

[RoyGBiv]

4. Canon i850 ...

As elad said, it's a good one, and it doesn't require you to take out a loan to run it.

Besides echoing his remarks, the other thing I want to mention is that while you are shopping and noticing prices, look a little deeper into some reputable online review sites and take note of how much it costs to run the printer. A lot of printers will give you good quality. Some of those are cheaper than others in the initial purchase. However, that one price is not the actual cost of the printer if you're going to use it primarily for printing photos.

Photo printing takes a lot of ink, and some of the cheaper printers use more than the more expensive ones in addition to using a more expensive ink. There was a site I found while researching my purchase -- and I can't remember it right now, but I'll look some more -- that broke down the cost over the traditional lifespan of the printer. (Keep in mind also that some printers aren't expected to last longer than a couple years, while others have a life span of five years or more.) It was fascinating to look at it. I ended up with the Canon i850 because in my acceptable price-range for initial buy, it scored better on the longterm costs with what I was comparing at the time. The technology has probably improved, so there may be better choices now.

[welshTerrier2]

7. C/Net printer reviews ...

i often used C/Net's evaluations for hardware purchases ...

here's a link to their printer ratings ... click on each printer for a more detailed review: http://reviews.cnet.com/Peripherals/4521-6528_7-5021406-1.html?tag=dir.tpprnt

it also might be worth checking out the reviews on epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com/cmhd-Printers-All

on edit: btw, check out the reviews on the canon i950 ... they were almost all perfect scores ... i'm looking for a color printer too and this may be one the one i'll choose ... here's the link: http://www.epinions.com/pr-Printers_Canon_i_950_Personal_Printer_7822A001/display_~reviews

[SW FL Dem]

9. I have an HP Photosmart 7550

It is combo printer that prints B/W, color and photos. The photos are ok but they tend to fade after a couple of years, great for including in holiday cards but I wouldn't print pics I want to save for posterity on it. I take my photo card to Costco and pick the prints I want for .19 each. I don't know if there is a personal photo printer out there that prints anything close to professional machines when it comes to longevity.

[Deja Q]

10. Epson Stylus Photo R800 or 2200

The R800's red output is slightly better than the 2200 and is ideal for glossy paper The R800 is limited to 8x10 (if not 8.5x11) in size, and prints AWESOME glossy or matte pics. It's made for long-lasting photos, nothing even compares (Canon can compare, but HP stands for "Heiffer puke", qualitywise.)

But the 2200 is the best matte and semi-gloss printer in the universe right now and prints up to 13x19 (or 13x44" with roll paper). (gloss paper is better for computer art than photos because of a periodic 'bronzing' effect); but premium semigloss or matte don't show the bronzing at all. Bronzing is where the black isn't as glossy looking as the other colors and creates a visual 'distortion' as to how the eye perceives light.

Both feature dedicated ink cartridge wells, with the R800 having a special glossy coat cartridge and a dedicated red. (the 2200 has Black, light black, magenta, light magenta, cyan, light cyan, and yellow.)

The ink used is pigment-based and not cheap dye-based. The prints will last ~100 years on acid-free quality grade matte paper.

The R800 is $400 and the 2200 is $550-$700.

[Princess Turandot]

11. Canon i9900..

which came out last spring. It uses separate ink cartridges for each color, doesn't clog when not used for a week, and has this nifty fold-down paper rest, which can close off the entry way to the computer. That's a feature which is a blessing for a cat owner!
It also doesn't use up much ink at all if you need to use the head-cleaning utility.The print head is actually a separate installed device which can be replaced if need be. It uses an 8 color system.

The big debate on the more expensive printers is the type of ink which is used. The higher end Epsons use an ink believed to have greater longevity/colorfastness. I say 'believed' since no one's been around for the 50 to 100 years that people argue about.My perspective on this is that in 10 years we'll probably all be using a different form of printer technology anyway.

I did not consider the Epson 2200 because my experience with 2 prior Epson printers was very aggravating. I had a Stylus Photo 1280 which when I bought it was fairly pricey for the consumer/hobbyist user. It was great at first, then developed several head clogging problems which would use a huge amount of ink to fix. I came seriously close to throwing it out of the window last year when I was printing my own designed Xmas cards, but figured that with my luck, someone would happen to leave the building at 3AM and I'd hit and kill the person. I had a similar experience with the Epson I owned before the 1280, but don't recall the model number. I imagine that the 2200 is better designed but I was very jaded on Epson printers at that point.(One of my digicams is an Epson, as is my scanner, and they both work fine.)

I think the Canon i9900 street price is around $500 but have'nt checked that lately.My only disappointment with the printer is that it will not do borderless printing in the 8 by 10 size (it does boardless printing in several other sizes.