Let's talk printers

I have an HP Photo Printer (this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9108734&type=product&id=1218024212656 )

It uses the Vivera ink (the 5 individual ones), which I REALLY like - that way I only have to replace the one that is out of ink. The cartridge replacements are a little under $10 each, and last a really long time. The quality is absolutely amazing and it prints very fast.

I like that I can print on 4x6" or 8.5x11" paper - and I like that it has the ports to plug in my camera card so that I can print straight from it instead of hooking up my computer (which I normally do anyway, but it's nice that I can print straight from the card if I need to).

Lemme know if you have any questions about this printer - I have been really happy with it!
 
I had a Canon but it crapped out on me quite quickly AND I could only use real Canon photo paper (no Staples brand or any other brand at all... that cost a lot).

3 weeks ago I bought an Epson and I LOVE it. I've used my Canon paper and it prints beautifully, and even though the printer came with those little half empty sampler cartridges, they are still reading as pretty much full, and I've printed like 4 projects with it so far. The quality and color are exactly what I see on my screen. I would highly recommend going with an Epson!
 
I really love my Canon pixma & I can use generic paper @ it has I think 6 or 8 separate ink cartridges & I get them cheap from 4inkjets.com.
 
I use an Epson too, and I'm very happy with it. Its an Epson Stylus Photo R285 and was under £70 ($120???).

I did experiment to see whether I could use generic ink cartridges, but found that I really did get the best quality with own-brand, especially for blended colours like brown. The black ink is the only one I really can buy generic.

I bought the printer from Amazon as it was on sale - so do check them out for bargins 'cos the do cycle round. I also found my ink cartridge supplier via Amazon - its one of the shops that use Amazon for advertising. I regularly do 'price checks' to make sure I'm getting a good deal as there are so many suppliers of genuine brands that you can definitely save money by shopping around.

I use regular paper, t-shirt transfer paper and card - my card is quite thick (300gsm) and the printer copes with it without difficulty. Photos print beautifully too. Plus I can use different sized paper and print onto CD's (but I've not tried this function yet).

As Deanna said, just ask if you want more info :)
 
I have an HP printer similar to the one Deanna has, it's the D5160 and also uses Vivera inks but it just has two ink cartridges (color & black & there's also an optional photo cartridge) and absolutely love it. I've had it two years now I think and haven't had any trouble with it, I probably paid $75 for it. It prints on 8.5x11 paper and also has a special tray for printing 4x6's and 5x7's and also prints on CD/DVD's. I've used several different brands of glossy & matte photo paper with no problems at all - HP, Staples & Epson. So I would highly recommend one of the HP Photosmart printers :)
 
I use a Canon 860. It's considered a business type printer but the photos/colors that comes out of it is as nice as the Canon photo printer... the 980 or something like that. I got this cause it does duplexing and all the usual business junk. I wanted a multi use type of printer. The Epsons are nice and suppose to be better image quality than Canon. I guess it depends on what you need and also the price. We had a $75 Dell coupon and they had the 860.
 
I have a Canon 560 that needs to be replaced. Recently, the first page that comes off the printer is always "off" a bit...too much magenta. We've tried calibrating it, but I think it's the age of the printer. It must be 5 years old...can't remember.
 
I have an HP Photosmart 3-in-1 that I bought about 3+ yrs ago at Costco and love it. It also uses the 5 Vivera inks and I'm pleased with how long they last. I print A LOT and I'm shocked that this printer has held up as long as it has.

As for quality of printed material, I still hold firm to the belief that you don't need a super high-quality printer to get great results. I think it has as much to do with the type of paper you print on and making sure you change your printer SETTINGS to reflect the paper type you're using. There's a HUGE different in color vibrancy, etc when I do that each time I print. And FYI, I print on matte double-sided brochure / presentation paper (usually the Officemax brand) and I change my "paper type" to something like HP matte brochure paper EVERY SINGLE TIME I print (it automatically reverts back to default each time). This is the paper I use for the vast majority of my projects and I love it.
 
I have had Canon PIXMA iP 3000 since 2004.

canon-pixma-ip3000.jpg


It is a very good printer still working despite of the age :) It has 4 separate ink tanks which are much more cheaper than comparable HP stuff and last almost forever :D

It has also CD tray I appreciate so:

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35295

When it passes someday, I will definitely buy another Canon, probably PIXMA iP 4700:

ip4700.jpg


but I am still sorry to throw away the old printer :)
 
Jen i have one of those printers in my storage room. i LOVE it too! the ink was $17 for color and even less for black and white, which i hardly used, lol. i just can't find my power cord :( so i have been using my little HP one. it does good but i miss my 3 in 1! and i'm out of presentation paper, but i love it. i have some cardstock i got from Sams Club. i'm going to see if it looks okay.
 
Canon Pixma MP990. Love it.

It uses 6 cartridges and in addition to the classic print function it has a scanner/copy function and a CD print function. It's a bit on the pricey side, but it's worth it.
 
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junebug said:
Jen i have one of those printers in my storage room. i LOVE it too! the ink was $17 for color and even less for black and white, which i hardly used, lol. i just can't find my power cord :( so i have been using my little HP one. it does good but i miss my 3 in 1! and i'm out of presentation paper, but i love it. i have some cardstock i got from Sams Club. i'm going to see if it looks okay.
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You might just doublecheck and see if the power cord for your other printer will fit it... I have my original power cord from like 2 printers ago that works with this one.
 
I have an Epson stylus photo 1400 ... it prints up to 13x19" paper ... some of my books are 12x12" ... I will use photoshop and put a 12x12" layout at the top ... and TWO 6x6" layouts at the bottom (which are my cookbook layouts) ... and get 3 pages printed on one sheet. I really like the quality of my printer and that it has individual ink cartridges too.

I am a paper scrapper from years back ... about 17 years I have been scrapbooking ... and I started out with Creative Memories ... they really taught you about archival quality and preservation ... so I am a "purist" ... I use only AFLF (Acid Free Lignin Free) products ... I print with Epson's archival ink and on Epson's paper to get the maximum life out of my layouts ... they should be available for my sons, their children, and easily their grandchildren before they start to degrade...if they do then.
 
I am going to get a 13X19 inch printer for my bday. I see that Sharon's is that size, is does anyone else have a large format printer that they like/recommend?
 
Oh I want a new printer now! I want to able to print 13 x 19 like Sharon. Must add that to my Christmas list.

I currently have a canon MP240. Nothing special but, I don't print very much scrap book stuff on it currently. I have done a few hybrid projects and they turned out very nice though.
 
I have a question for those of you that are printing hybrid on your personal printers...aren't you going through ink like crazy??

Like I'm picturing, say if you printed a dozen cards, on regular cardstock, using a digital paper...doesn't that use a TON of ink?

I'd really like to try hybrid, as I used to be a paper scrapper and card maker. But I'm stingy when it comes to my printer ink (it's not cheap here).
 
I don't find that I go through it that fast (Epson R340 user here). I think I have it work out to needing new ink every 6-8 months or so (I seem to go through yellow and the 2 magentas a lot faster than my black, or either blue cart but it's actually cheaper for me to buy the whole combo pack for some reason.)
I don't create entire folded cards though. All my cards are created as fonts only, and adhered to a card blank (be it from cardstock, or from a package of card blanks I purchase at the craft store).
If I'm creating multiple mats, I delete the center of the mat that will not be seen.

I've never created a hybrid project using anything printed outside of my home.

ETA: It costs me about $60 every 6-8 months for ink. I stocked up on paper during one of Epson's big sales online, so I haven't bought paper in almost 2 years. I use their Premium Presentation Matte Paper (the 4 star).
 
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jknath said:
I am going to get a 13X19 inch printer for my bday. I see that Sharon's is that size, is does anyone else have a large format printer that they like/recommend?
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I have the Epson R1900 (I think those are the right nbrs). I print 12x12 a lot. Love that they have individual ink cartridges. Hated my old hp printer that had the 3 in 1 cart. Would have to change it if only one of the inks was low & the other 2 weren't. I had to spend over $50 in ink one weekend. ugh.

I order my ink from epson, they have free shipping on ink cartridges if you spend over $45 or $40 or something like that.

but I have been having problems printing hybrids with it. But that could me my error than the printer's. I need to look up to see what quality of paper to use & the settings; gloss optimizer, etc.
 
ColleenSwerb said:
I don't find that I go through it that fast (Epson R340 user here). I think I have it work out to needing new ink every 6-8 months or so (I seem to go through yellow and the 2 magentas a lot faster than my black, or either blue cart but it's actually cheaper for me to buy the whole combo pack for some reason.)
I don't create entire folded cards though. All my cards are created as fonts only, and adhered to a card blank (be it from cardstock, or from a package of card blanks I purchase at the craft store).
If I'm creating multiple mats, I delete the center of the mat that will not be seen.

I've never created a hybrid project using anything printed outside of my home.

ETA: It costs me about $60 every 6-8 months for ink. I stocked up on paper during one of Epson's big sales online, so I haven't bought paper in almost 2 years. I use their Premium Presentation Matte Paper (the 4 star).
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Wow, 6-8 months is impressive given how much hybrid stuff you do!

I have the Epson RX595 and that thing eats ink like nobody's business. I swear if you even just mention the word "print" it will run out of ink. The print quality is gorgeous but this was my first Epson printer and I don't know if I would ever buy one again because of the whole ink situation. :thumbdown:

And worse if ANY of the cartridges is out, it pretty much locks up and won't let you print anything. At least with my old HP printers I could still print faded versions of things when the ink was low.

I just bought some high-capacity ink cartridges for it so I'm hoping that will at least help. I really want to use it for my December Daily album but I don't want to go broke trying to feed it's never ending need for ink.
 
That's so strange Lynnette! I mean like you said, I print like an animal! LOL!

I would LOVE for a wide format so I could print out 12x12 backgrounds for hybrid pages. That's the only thing I regret with my printer, which isn't really it's fault, LOL!
 
I would say that my Epson 2200 and my Canon MP620 both use about the same amount of ink. It seems like a lot though both ways.

I looked into upgrading my Epson because it is 8 years old and I'm worried it will give up and die on me one of these days...but when I looked at the R1900 it was even more $ per ink cartridge. So I may just pray that the 2200 lasts forever!

I would say though that the prints use less ink when you use the photo paper. The cardstock kind seems to just absorb it!
 
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