I'm looking for a printer

[vwalbridge]

I need to get a new photo Inkjet printer and I've been out of that game for a long time so I have no idea what is good anymore. Can anyone recommend a good photo inkjet printer under $150?

I know what some of you might be thinking...."Ha look at this guy, he wants a good printer under $150?!"

I know, I know...but I'm just not interested in breaking the bank over a printer right now.

The wife wants to print photos and I might want to print some Waterslide Decals.

For the record, I've never printed waterslide decals before so you are welcome to comment and/or make fun of me for that too. 

[Typefighter01]

If you are in no rush, this printer http://t.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=C11CB53201&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F comes up for sale on Epsons site at a pretty good discount every once in a while. It is a newer version of Epsons epic Stylus Photo 1400 which is now discontinued (even though the Artisan 1430 is its replacement, the 1430 is more like its little brother). I know at its current price it is exactly double your budget, but if you can get it on sale for $249.00, it is well worth the extra hundie. Not only does it do a fantastic job of printing photos, but it has an actual print area of 13" x 44", which means it can double for printing full width marquees and shallow CP art, which is a nice bonus. Also, but I am not postive, I think you can add a CISS or bulk ink system to this printer.

Sorry I couldn't link you a printer at $150, but I spent a good month researching printers last fall and this printer kept popping up. I found that to get a really good printer, $300 was kind of the minimum entry fee. I am sure there are good ones at $150, but someone else will need to chime in.

Not that it matters, but I ended up getting an HP Designjet T120. It's a 24" large format printer that normally retails for around $2000, but found a crazy sale in Toronto at some electronic store I have never heard of for $975. It was too good to pass up.

Keep us posted on what you end up buying

EDIT: The store I bought the printer at was softwarecity.ca and I actually paid $784.69 (just checked my e-mail for original invoice, so it was a crazy good price for sure). Other than the box looking like it was dragged behind a humvee all the way from Fullujah Iraq, the printer was perfect. I see they have the Artisan 1430 on for $266 with $8 shipping if you are in Canada http://www.softwarecity.ca/item/C11CB53201.html

[vwalbridge]

If you are in no rush, this printer http://t.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=C11CB53201&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F comes up for sale on Epsons site at a pretty good discount every once in a while. It is a newer version of Epsons epic Stylus Photo 1400 which is now discontinued (even though the Artisan 1430 is its replacement, the 1430 is more like its little brother). I know at its current price it is exactly double your budget, but if you can get it on sale for $249.00, it is well worth the extra hundie. Not only does it do a fantastic job of printing photos, but it has an actual print area of 13" x 44", which means it can double for printing full width marquees and shallow CP art, which is a nice bonus. Also, but I am not postive, I think you can add a CISS or bulk ink system to this printer.

Sorry I couldn't link you a printer at $150, but I spent a good month researching printers last fall and this printer kept popping up. I found that to get a really good printer, $300 was kind of the minimum entry fee. I am sure there are good ones at $150, but someone else will need to chime in.

Not that it matters, but I ended up getting an HP Designjet T120. It's a 24" large format printer that normally retails for around $2000, but found a crazy sale in Toronto at some electronic store I have never heard of for $975. It was too good to pass up.

Keep us posted on what you end up buying

EDIT: The store I bought the printer at was softwarecity.ca and I actually paid $784.69 (just checked my e-mail for original invoice, so it was a crazy good price for sure). Other than the box looking like it was dragged behind a humvee all the way from Fullujah Iraq, the printer was perfect. I see they have the Artisan 1430 on for $266 with $8 shipping if you are in Canada http://www.softwarecity.ca/item/C11CB53201.html

Wow! Thank you so much for your thorough answer. Yes, I'd rather be given the correct advice rather than the advice I want to hear. Printers are usually a "get what you pay for" kind of item. I'm not in a huge hurry so I'm going to keep watching the printer you suggested. And that would really be a bonus to have it print some arcade artwork.

Other than the box looking like it was dragged behind a humvee all the way from Fullujah Iraq, the printer was perfect.

I about died laughing when read this part btw.    It's always a great feeling when you get a smokin' deal like that. 

Thanks again for your suggestion. I'll keep you posted.

[BadMouth]

All I have to say is that I'll never buy another consumre model HP.  I swore off them before because of the bloatware, but caved when I came across an all-in-one wireless for next to nothing on black Friday.  Despite printing very few color pages, I had to spend $60 on new ink cartridges annually.  Finally I did some searching to find out why.  In addition to wasting a bunch of ink to clean the print head, HP ink EVAPORATES.  I came across that info on HP's own website.

Earlier this year I gave up on it and got a black and white Brother laser all-in-one.
I do miss being able to print pictures, but it isn't worth it if I have to buy new cartridges every time.

EDIT: I'll add that I had a first generation HP Photosmart forever and had no such issues with it.
Don't recall the model number of the newer one, but it takes the 920 cartridges and buying the XL ones seemed to make no difference.

[JDFan]

I had to spend $60 on new ink cartridges annually. 

Pretty much any brand of inkjet has this problem - the ink will dry out and clog the heads especially if you are not using it for long periods of time -- This is the main reason I have changed to laser printers rather than ink jet - sure the initial cost is a bit higher but since the toner cartridges are powder based rather than liquid you don't have problems with the ink cartridges clogging if not used for awhile.

Note : I do agree with you on the HP printer drivers and bloatware it installs - why would you ever need 150MB + worth of drivers for a printer ??

[vwalbridge]

the ink will dry out and clog the heads especially if you are not using it for long periods of time

Welp this just narrowed my search.  I just totally forgot about ink heads drying out. I don't print often enough and that always happens to me so I'll have to go the "toner" road for sure. Thanks for reminding me.

[Vigo]

Right now, I am on a Canon Pixma, and have to say it is pretty darn good printer for the price range. (I paid $120 at the time). I think mine is an mx870, and I am sure there is a newer model replacing it since I have had it for almost 5 years. It has a couple key functions like borderless printing that make photo printing much better. Never had a clog on it like mentioned above, and i have had months go by between color prints sometimes.

This might be obvious, but avoid anything with combined ink cartridges. Individual inks are where it is at. You won't waste other inks when one color runs out, and i found they print better as well. Nicer printers will offer more inks than the standard cmyk as well, and depending on what you print, the added colors should give a truer image.

[PL1]

One other consideration when looking at inkjet printers is that some ink cartridges have controller chips that only allow you to print a certain number of pages before they stop working.

Some of the chips can be reset/replaced.
Some, like the HP 564/564XL series carts, use 128-bit encryption to prevent users from resetting the chip. 


Scott

[dkersten]

the ink will dry out and clog the heads especially if you are not using it for long periods of time

Welp this just narrowed my search.  I just totally forgot about ink heads drying out. I don't print often enough and that always happens to me so I'll have to go the "toner" road for sure. Thanks for reminding me.

You are going to have to spend a LOT of money to find a good color laser printer that can do photo grade printing.  For photos, inkjets are the best option for a home user.  I have found that even a $100 HP printer will print photos as well as a dedicated photo printer that cost 5 times as much just a few years ago.  It isn't perfect, but in most cases I can't tell the difference between a print from a photo shop and one printed on my HP at home.  On the other hand, if you are a photographer, you would hate a regular inkjet for photos, so it really depends on how perfect you are expecting the quality to be. 

[DeLuSioNal29]

Right now, I am on a Canon Pixma, and have to say it is pretty darn good printer for the price range. (I paid $120 at the time). I think mine is an mx870, and I am sure there is a newer model replacing it since I have had it for almost 5 years. It has a couple key functions like borderless printing that make photo printing much better. Never had a clog on it like mentioned above, and i have had months go by between color prints sometimes.

THIS.

I have the Canon Pixma MG5522 that I got two Christmas' ago from my fiancee.  I was such an Epson snob it wasn't funny (I have a side DVD biz where I transfer wedding stuff to DVD so I needed an HQ printer to make glossy labels.)  My trusty Epson Photo printer was clogging all of the time when not it use (it would not park ink heads properly).  I gave the Canon a shot and it did everything my EPSON HQ-wise did and THEN SOME!  Plus:  A)  It has a built in scanner/copier  B)  Ink is half the cost of the Epson (and last longer since they do not clog like the Epson)  C)  It works wirelessly with my MacBook and PC (different OS's do not matter)  D)  Works in "standalone mode" with my iPhone and iPad without have to turn on the main PC.  All you have to do it turn on the actual printer.  Voila!

Here's the best part:  $54.99 at Walmart
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-PIXMA-MG5522-Inkjet-Wireless-All-in-One-Photo-Printer/28773462

Bam!

DeLuSioNaL29

[Dawgz Rule]

If you keep your eye on Newegg, you can find a nice color laser that will do a more than adequate job of printing photos.  I purchased one for my wife for less than $300.  More expensive than what you want to spend but you will make up for it by virtue of the toner versus ink.   I replace the toner about once a year.    The one caveat is to be sure to turn off any setting that disable printing with low toner.  My experience has been that we typically get a another month or two out of it before replacement. 

[blacketj]

I know this is skirting the original topic, but why buy one at all?

I've avoided inkjet printers like the plague for over a decade. Maybe they are more reliable than they used to be, but I kind of doubt it. And the expense of the ink cartridges is ridiculous. Plus if you want the best prints you already have to spend extra money on glossy paper. I use a cheap black and white laser printer that is all I need for 95% of the printing I do.  And for photos or anything else that needs color I use an online or brick & mortar print shop.

Getting photo prints online is so cheap and easy, I don't understand why anyone would bother dealing with an inkjet printer. 

[dmckean]

I know this is skirting the original topic, but why buy one at all?

I've avoided inkjet printers like the plague for over a decade. Maybe they are more reliable than they used to be, but I kind of doubt it. And the expense of the ink cartridges is ridiculous. Plus if you want the best prints you already have to spend extra money on glossy paper. I use a cheap black and white laser printer that is all I need for 95% of the printing I do.  And for photos or anything else that needs color I use an online or brick & mortar print shop.

Getting photo prints online is so cheap and easy, I don't understand why anyone would bother dealing with an inkjet printer.

+1

[eds1275]

My experience has been that we typically get a another month or two out of it before replacement.

On my laser printer, if it starts getting that splotchy look of almost out of toner I just shake the hell out of and it works again. Can do this  a few times and then it's gone.

[vwalbridge]

I know this is skirting the original topic, but why buy one at all?

I've avoided inkjet printers like the plague for over a decade. Maybe they are more reliable than they used to be, but I kind of doubt it. And the expense of the ink cartridges is ridiculous. Plus if you want the best prints you already have to spend extra money on glossy paper. I use a cheap black and white laser printer that is all I need for 95% of the printing I do.  And for photos or anything else that needs color I use an online or brick & mortar print shop.

Getting photo prints online is so cheap and easy, I don't understand why anyone would bother dealing with an inkjet printer.

Funny you should say this. I was telling this exact thing to my wife last night. Why don't we just print everything online and just stick with our b&w laserjet for everything else. At this point, I might only be needing a color printer if I still want to do my own waterslide printing.

Eveyone's suggestions have been really great. And that's why I posted it here. But I guess sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. 

[BadMouth]

I know this is skirting the original topic, but why buy one at all?

I've avoided inkjet printers like the plague for over a decade. Maybe they are more reliable than they used to be, but I kind of doubt it. And the expense of the ink cartridges is ridiculous. Plus if you want the best prints you already have to spend extra money on glossy paper. I use a cheap black and white laser printer that is all I need for 95% of the printing I do.  And for photos or anything else that needs color I use an online or brick & mortar print shop.

Getting photo prints online is so cheap and easy, I don't understand why anyone would bother dealing with an inkjet printer.

This is what I currently do.  I upload to walmart's website and the photos are usually ready in 10 minutes.
The downside is that I can't print trademarked stuff (not supposed to anyway), or do project related things like print button labels or instruction cards.

[Vigo]

Most my heavy printing is done through photo centers, or in specialty cases, sites like artscow. The price is a no comparison, it is cheaper to outsource.

At the same time, it goes against my grain to not have the ability to print, and it has saved my butt in a number of cases where I need something right away, or just need to rifle out a few test prints. I've had cases where I need to get a passport photo right away, do a last minute gift for my wife, quick throw together a portfolio of my work for a job interview, etc. The benefit to having a good color photo worthy printer is significant enough for me to always have one. Just not an expensive model. 

[Dawgz Rule]

My experience has been that we typically get a another month or two out of it before replacement.

On my laser printer, if it starts getting that splotchy look of almost out of toner I just shake the hell out of and it works again. Can do this  a few times and then it's gone.

Ditto.  Forgot to mention that one.  Would never go back to an ink printer.

[SavannahLion]

One other consideration when looking at inkjet printers is that some ink cartridges have controller chips that only allow you to print a certain number of pages before they stop working.

Some of the chips can be reset/replaced.
Some, like the HP 564/564XL series carts, use 128-bit encryption to prevent users from resetting the chip. 


Scott

This....

Unless the cartridges are stupid cheap (are they ever?) first thing I do is check the DIY refill sites to see if the cartridges are refillable and ressettable.

I don't have an affinity to printer brands anymore after getting ass raped by a piece of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- Lexmark years ago. Damn thing was so shoddy it would only power up occassionally, it randomly reset during prints and I paid more for the damn foul cartridges during the entire time I had it than I actually paid for my Voodoo2 gaming rig from that time.

I finally took a hammer to the damn printer and enjoyed every minute of its demise.

[PL1]

I finally took a hammer to the damn printer and enjoyed every minute of its demise.

Were you the inspiration for that scene in Office Space?   




Scott

[knave]

I am a blend of all the stories told so far. If its worth it for you to print at home and you don't need perfect quality pick up a cheap all in one. I will never be without a laser printer. but kids want/need to print color sometimes. New ones seem better than 5-10 years ago.

[vwalbridge]

I don't have an affinity to printer brands anymore after getting ass raped by a piece of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- Lexmark years ago. Damn thing was so shoddy it would only power up occassionally, it randomly reset during prints and I paid more for the damn foul cartridges during the entire time I had it than I actually paid for my Voodoo2 gaming rig from that time.

I finally took a hammer to the damn printer and enjoyed every minute of its demise.

OMG, I laughed so hard at this.  I hear ya man, I hate printers and it was only a matter of time before someone agreed with how I really feel about them on this thread. Your post reminded me of this: