Which inkjet printer

[annc]

I need a new inkjet printer, and am wondering what is currently available.

Basic specs are:
A3
Good quality photo reproduction
CD printing
USB at least, network would be wonderful
Decent Mac driverI've had Epsons in the past, and my experience has been mixed. But part of that could be my procedures.

This office has one Mac and one IBM ThinkPad. I have to unplug the printer from one USB hub and plug it into the other at the moment when I need to print from another computer. The printer drivers on the Mac have always been flaky for the current Epson, a Photo 1270, which has been inoperable for over 12 months.

I'd really like to be able to offer prints of the photos I take at horse events instead of only offering photos on disc.

Any suggestions?

[Mike]

I have an Epson R1800 which I'm very happy with. It's attached to OSX and the driver works fine. I've not tried it with Windows. It uses 8 colour cartridges (including a gloss optimiser); prints on CDs (comes with a special application for designing CD labels); has USB and Firewire but no network connection.

It does borderless prints on A3 (and probably A3+ but I've not tried that).

I'm trying to think of some disadvantages but I can't -- except, of course, the cost of ink, but that's true of all inkjet printers. There are a number of continuous ink systems available for the R1800 but I've not tried any of them or any 3rd-party inks. Previous experiences have taught me to stick with Epson inks and at least I know with them I can guarantee longevity. In November 05 I printed some card with the Epson 4800 (same type of ink as the R1800), covered part of it with thick card and left it on a south-facing window sill in the conservatory. When I removed the masking card a year later I couldn't see any sign of fading or colour change. That gives me a degree of confidence that my customers' work won't suffer when it's displayed in shop windows.

Amazon UK has some customer reviews of the R1800 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Epson-Stylus-Colour-Inkjet-Printer/dp/B00092ZIGK/sr=1-1/qid=1165483094/ref=sr_1_1/202-6687654-7558254?ie=UTF8&s=electronics).

[annc]

I heard good reports of the R1800 when it came out, but was wondering if it was a current model.

Have you tried printing to CDs from it?

And have you tried printing to it from your PC? I seem to have problems with the 1270 when I move it from one computer to the other.

[Mike]

I've printed plenty of DVDs. Works fine so long as you ignore the message about wrongly loaded media.

I've not tried printing DVDs from any package except the one supplied by Epson. I imagine it would work OK but the Epson package works fine for me so I've not bothered experimenting.

The output on Premium Glossy paper is superb. It's that that I mainly use it for as the 4800 is set up with matte ink (and on that machine it's expensive to swap over).

I've not tried attaching it to the PC. If I have time later today I'll have a go and let you know what happens.

In my experience the 1270 always was a bit problematic. The printer driver for the R1800 on the Mac is more user-friendly for the non-techie types. It offers options such as 'photo' or 'super-photo' (they're called something like that) rather than dpi settings.

[LoisWakeman]

Ann: don't discount Canon and HP: their new photo quality printers have excellent reviews. Michael Reichmann at the Luminous Landscape has ditched Epson in favour of Canon for instance - though he's gone for the top-of-the range models of course!

Don't know about the CDs - you'd have to check.

Can't you network your Macs? I thought it was supposed to be very easy compared to Windows - then you could share one printer on both.

I've had a Canon s900 (A4) for several years and it's a little cracker - quiet, fast, and output looks good. The new models have a better inkset, too.

[Steve Rindsberg]

>Can't you network your Macs? I thought it was supposed to be very easy compared to Windows

It is, except when one of the Macs is an IBM Thinkpad <g>.

[annc]

Ann: don't discount Canon and HP: I was hoping for info on current models of any persuasion. :)

Can't you network your Macs?What Steve said... ;)

I've had a Canon s900 (A4) for several years and it's a little cracker - quiet, fast, and output looks good. The new models have a better inkset, too.Thanks. I'll have a look at the latest models from Canon. We have an HP inkjet at work, and it is a dog, so I'm a bit unhappy about looking at them as inkjets. The HP laser printer at work, otoh, is a great workhorse. Hasn't had a paper jam since I started there, and it does upwards of 400 pages a day. But it's mono. We use a Kyocera for colour laser output, and it is also a dog.

[ktinkel]

The HP laser printer at work, otoh, is a great workhorse. Hasn't had a paper jam since I started there, and it does upwards of 400 pages a day. But it's mono. Interesting — I bought an HP color laser printer because I was fed up with the Epson/inkjet problems, and am surprised at how pleased with it I am.

The color is not as vibrant as inkjet (though I have hardly played around with paper types or anything), but very pleasant, and the thing prints reliably.

If you are not trying to make real art photos you might want to consider it. (Toner trumps ink when it comes to cost, convenience, etc.)

[annc]

Yes, but will it print on CDs? That's my most current need, and also an ongoing one.

[ElyseC]

Yes, but will it print on CDs? That's my most current need, and also an ongoing one.My little Epson Stylus Photo R200 does a good job with disk printing. The current model seems to be the R220.

I don't know that you can do anything to network it in your mixed environment, but with all our machines being Macs I have it plugged into one of mine then use OSX's printer sharing feature to let the other two machines see and print to it.

[annc]

My little Epson Stylus Photo R200 does a good job with disk printing. The current model seems to be the R220.

I don't know that you can do anything to network it in your mixed environment, but with all our machines being Macs I have it plugged into one of mine then use OSX's printer sharing feature to let the other two machines see and print to it.I need the photo capability too, Elyse, to sell prints of the photos I take at events.

It seems the R1800 is more or less what I need, but it's getting a bit long in the tooth.

There's a Canon that has Ethernet, but it doesn't print to CDs/DVDs.

[Mike]

If you get a printer with USB and Firewire connections them you could presumably plug the ThinkPad into one and the Mac into the other.

Alternatively you could use a USB sharing hub -- if that's what they're called. I have one that has two inputs and four outputs. Each output has a switch to connect one or other of the inputs to an output. When I had a Mac and a PC sharing the same desk it was very useful.

Thread drift: Can you network the ThinkPad with the Mac for file sharing etc? I've been trying but I don't really know what I'm doing so at present I have to use Apple's .mac server to transfer files -- seems a bit ridiculous that files have to travel 6000 miles to cross a 6 foot gap.

[annc]

If you get a printer with USB and Firewire connections them you could presumably plug the ThinkPad into one and the Mac into the other.Hmm, that sounds like a good idea. The ThinkPad doesn't have Firewire, but that's no problem because the Mac does.

[ElyseC]

I need the photo capability too, Elyse, to sell prints of the photos I take at events.Ah, in particular you mean you need A3 capability. I forgot you said that and, you're right, the R220 doesn't do any larger than our "legal" size.

[annc]

Ah, in particular you mean you need A3 capability. I forgot you said that and, you're right, the R220 doesn't do any larger than our "legal" size.Well. A3 too. But also the special inks.

[ElyseC]

Thread drift: Can you network the ThinkPad with the Mac for file sharing etc? I've been trying but I don't really know what I'm doing so at present I have to use Apple's .mac server to transfer files -- seems a bit ridiculous that files have to travel 6000 miles to cross a 6 foot gap.Do you have Bluetooth on both machines? Try using it to transfer the files. I use it here all the time; all my machines (granted, Macs all) are all within Bluetooth's 30 ft range limit.

IIRC, each machine's Bluetooth preferences have to be set so that the machine is "discoverable." Once set, I go to the little Bluetooth icon up in the menu bar and select "Send file..." Next I pick the file/s (command click multiple files to send several at once) from the Get File dialog box that comes up, then in the next dialog that comes up I pick the machine I want to receive. Click Send, then turn to the receiving machine and click Accept in the box that pops up there. The file(s) or folder(s) (yes, you can select an entire folder to send) will land in your Documents folder.

Slick!

[ElyseC]

Well. A3 too. But also the special inks.Yes, good point.

[Mike]

Do you have Bluetooth on both machines?

The ThinkPad doesn't have Bluetooth - though I suppose I could get a USB-Bluetooth thingie. What annoys me is that I think I should be able to network OSX and XP Pro if only I knew how.

[annc]

Sorry, no bluetooth here. All machines are 2003 or earlier.