reccomend me a printer....

[helpimcrap]

its for occasional use and must be capable of photo quality. needs to print text and pictures well too. speed isnt an issue but money is.

we have an epson currently and had no end of trouble with it.

 

[Cyanide]

Anything Cannon or HP... but from personal experience I'd stay away from Lexmarks.

 

[helpimcrap]

was thinking of the IP4200... is this any good? or is the 5200 that much better?

 

[SamuraiTortoise]

I've just bought an IP5200 and I can't say how happy I am with it. I got it from the auction site from a Canon Outlet store and only paid £50 with a year's warranty for it - it's refurbished (brand new but opened box).

This is a brilliant printer and when recently printing some photos onto 4x6 glossy photo papaer I was amazed at the results....better than Boots anyday!

Well worth getting one imo.

Being able to print onto CD's is also an added bonus and one it does very well.

 

[helpimcrap]

any problems with printing after leaving it for a few days? i heard epson have trouble with ink clogging after leaving them for a while. think the same thing keeps happening to my printer.

really pees me off.

 

[squiffy]

I heard Lexmark printers are really good

If possible get one with big carts...nothing more annoying than tiny 5ml ink carts ie the old HP printers. Yep true about Epson, got a knackered 800 here that's clogged up, cannot clean the pores. Ok if you print something every day though.

 

[Monstermunch]

IME always go for Hewlett Packard Printers. They last for ages and the ink cartridges last 4-5 times longer than Epson.

I've got an old HP Deskjet 720c, had it for about 9 years. Still going strong and would happily compete with any current photo printer. Noisy and slow by todays standards though!

 

[SamuraiTortoise]

any problems with printing after leaving it for a few days? i heard epson have trouble with ink clogging after leaving them for a while. think the same thing keeps happening to my printer.

really pees me off.

Absolutely none. I have just printed on it after having not for 4 days and it's perfect still. I read afew reviews on the IP5200 before getting one and they were all very good- hence I bought one.

 

[Rambaud]

I bought an IP4200 a few days ago, and I am very pleased with it.

I bought it mainly for CD/DVD printing, as I was getting fed up waiting nearly 30 minutes for my LightScribe media to print (and only one shade). Well, the IP4200 prints my DVDs in about 1 minute, which is excellent.

I considered the IP5200, but the extra speed was not needed, so it was not worth paying the extra.

 

[helpimcrap]

I bought an IP4200 a few days ago, and I am very pleased with it.

I bought it mainly for CD/DVD printing, as I was getting fed up waiting nearly 30 minutes for my LightScribe media to print (and only one shade). Well, the IP4200 prints my DVDs in about 1 minute, which is excellent.

I considered the IP5200, but the extra speed was not needed, so it was not worth paying the extra.

is that the only difference between the 2 then? i looked at the specs and couldnt see any area where the 5200 was better so i was confused on that one.

 

[Rambaud]

is that the only difference between the 2 then? i looked at the specs and couldnt see any area where the 5200 was better so i was confused on that one.

AFAIK, the IP5200's extra speed is the only (or main) difference.

I have seen some comments that the IP4200 has the (marginally) better quality - but, IMHO, that could be down to the individual printers tested.

But cartridge replacement (for the IP4200 and IP5200) is a bit wallet lightening.

I wait in trepidation to discover how long the ink(s) will last.

 

[helpimcrap]

AFAIK, the IP5200's extra speed is the only (or main) difference.

I have seen some comments that the IP4200 has the (marginally) better quality - but, IMHO, that could be down to the individual printers tested.

But cartridge replacement (for the IP4200 and IP5200) is a bit wallet lightening.

I wait in trepidation to discover how long the ink(s) will last.

ouch... how much? does it need OE ink or is it possible to use 3rd party?

 

[Rambaud]

ouch... how much? does it need OE ink or is it possible to use 3rd party?

About £7.00 for each of the small (x4) cartridges and £9.00 for the large black one. That's OE.

Possibility of re-fills - but not in large numbers yet.

 

[SamuraiTortoise]

Again, the auction site is all good for consumables. ~£30 plus postage for a full set of Canon OEM cartridges last time I checked. As far as I can tell the longevity of these cartridges are pretty good, I've not had mine long and I've done quite a bit of printing and I haven't even touched the cartridges.

 

[helpimcrap]

was warned off by a print shop about the ink prices (14quid for black and 12quid each for colours) but then he sells lexmark and epson.

but got a 4200 and just installed it now. first print i have to admit is very clear and very sharp. me = impressed.

 

[MAllen]

You get more from your Canon ink cartridges. They are Bubble Jets, so can use all of the ink in the container. This is why they are clear plastic so you can see how much is left.

With Epson printers you cannot use the last 30% of the ink. The software will start nagging you to replace the cartridges very early beacuse Epson say the nozzles will get damaged if you run the cartridge dry.

Get the Canon and you will be very happy. I have seen the 5200 in action, and when compared to similar Epsons and HPs it is an all round better product. Also better quality and longer lasting prints.