Colour printer recommendation

bazzabear

bazzabear

bazzabear

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I posted a while ago about a colour laser printer, capable of doing reasonable photos.

I bought such a thing 13 years ago, and it's starting to get a bit flaky - I thought things must have moved on by now. In fact, I posted about it a while back:

Laser printer for photos?

I was converted to using a laser printer for all but top quality photo printing a good few years back. As a very occasional printer, I finally got too fed up with inkjet printers being clogged every time I returned to them. And on the rare occasion I needed something to be display quality, I...
forums.overclockers.co.uk forums.overclockers.co.uk

But - from the results of that thread, and from what research I've done myself - it seems that the industry has moved away from the idea of laser photo printing. I don't see any laser printers with better resolution specs than the one I have, and I don't see any particular recommendations which mention their image quality.

So, taking a different approach - is it possible that things have moved on in the world of inkjets? Have the issues which put me off them changed? Largely - their habit of clogging up, and using £££s worth of ink to unclog (usually unsuccessfully)?

Do these new 'ecotank' things have a design which avoids blockages? Does anyone have any decent recommendations?

Cheers in advance!
 
bazzabear said:
So, taking a different approach - is it possible that things have moved on in the world of inkjets? Have the issues which put me off them changed? Largely - their habit of clogging up, and using £££s worth of ink to unclog (usually unsuccessfully)?
Click to expand...

If you aren't using an inkjet pretty regularly, it will clog up, it's inevitable. It's caused by evaporation and that won't change.
 
My Epson Ecotank ink lasts for years and it is very cheap to refill. It has an auto clean function so it doesn’t clog up.
 
spile said:
My Epson Ecotank ink lasts for years and it is very cheap to refill. It has an auto clean function so it doesn’t clog up.
Click to expand...
Same here. Went from colour laser to Ecotank, dirt cheap to print, I run a print every month or so if not using regularly.

Family all love Airprint, they can just print from their iPads for school stuff.
 
Last edited:
Cheers. My wife does actually print more regularly than we used to, so I am tempted by the Ecotank. Wondering whether the extra cost for one of the 6-colour ones is worth it. Seems like a great ability to have - the top notch photos - but I wonder how much we would genuinely use it?
 
Anyone recommend an eco tank printer? Need something wireless model number would be good.
How are photo prints on it?
 
Ecotank (specifically epson)
Still actually have cartridges so still suffer
Clogging if not used often enough
The cartridges are moved to after the tanks
So are harder to get to should they clog

Traditional (epson again) cartridge ink jets
Are pretty simple to unclog normally
Don't waste ink doing it
I remove the cartridges then wet kitchen roll
With glass cleaner
Put the kitchen roll around the spikes that puncture
The cartridges
Usually that's where they clog up
Leave for 5 to 10 minutes
Remove kitchen roll which will have load of ink on it
Add more kitchen roll that's been sprayed with
Glass cleaner wait 5 to 10 minutes and remove
repeat as many times as you want
Until either no or very little ink is on the kitchen roll

Lost track of how many epson printers
I have sorted for friends and family doing this

@Cyber-Mav
Got an older ecotank here ET-2720
Photos print fine
As long as use half decent photo paper
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Ecotank (specifically epson)
Still actually have cartridges so still suffer
Clogging if not used often enough
The cartridges are moved to after the tanks
So are harder to get to should they clog
Click to expand...
The above is definitely not my experience of the Ecotank and five years of use. It uses large bottles not cartridges and does not clog up if left on and allowed to go through its self maintenance procedure. Line 4 I don’t understand.
 
spile said:
The above is definitely not my experience of the Ecotank and five years of use. It uses large bottles not cartridges and does not clog up if left on and allowed to go through its self maintenance procedure. Line 4 I don’t understand.
Click to expand...
Still got cartridges
You pour the ink bottles into the ink tanks
The tanks have a little tube that comes off them
That little tube then goes into cartridges
Those cartridges feed the print head
Same as non ecotank epson printers do
It's just the cartridges aren't visible without some
Dismantling of the printer first

Don't think mine has automatic maintenance
If it does and I haven't noticed
I assume that will use ink when it runs

When I remember to
I just print off a page with some circles of each colour
To prevent clogging
Which probably uses less ink than automatic maintenance
Which i assume runs head cleaning
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Still got cartridges
You pour the ink bottles into the ink tanks
The tanks have a little tube that comes off them
That little tube then goes into cartridges
Those cartridges feed the print head
Same as non ecotank epson printers do
It's just the cartridges aren't visible without some
Dismantling of the printer first

Don't think mine has automatic maintenance
If it does and I haven't noticed
I assume that will use ink when it runs

When I remember to
I just print off a page with some circles of each colour
To prevent clogging
Which probably uses less ink than automatic maintenance
Which i assume runs head cleaning
Click to expand...
Your experience is clearly different to mine.
 
spile said:
Your experience is clearly different to mine.
Click to expand...
Not sure what part of the experience you mean

Regarding the cartridges part
These aren't the sort of replacable ink cartridges
Non tank printers use
Where you buy new ones when ink runs out
If that's causing some confusion

Technically they may even be called something different
But theu look similar to cartridges
And serve the same function So I call them cartridges anyway
Ink from the tank goes to them via a little tube
Then the bottom of the cartridges have the spike thing
Inserted into them
With little holes in it to feed the print head
Same as standard cartridge printers from Epson do

So if ecotank printer gets blocked
It's either
The little tube connecting tanks to cartridges
Less likely unless not used for a very long time
Or the spikes that are between bottom of cartridges
And the print head
This is the usual place for Epson printers to get clogged

If you buy one of these kits they sell
In various places to fix clogged Epson printers (including ecotank)
Removing these cartridges let's you then
Attach the tube included to the spikes/nozzles
To flush cleaning fluid through using a syringe
Though my method of paper towel and glass cleaner
Basically does the same thing for free
Since everyone has paper towels and glass cleaner
In their house anyway

If that still doesn't make it clear
Have a look here
Shows you how to reach the cartridges for ecotank 4750 and 4850
Though not how to reach the end of the tube attached
To the tank if more drastic repairs needed
If a tube is blocked and want to replace it

 
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