14 replies to this topic

[Carol A]

I had purchased a new HP Photosmart D110. Our old cheap HP we had for many years had finally quit. We bought the D110 in CO Sept of 2011 so it was not even a year old when a new cartridge wouldn't go in right. I think we forced it too hard. It was only a $79 printer. So we bought a new HP 5514. Well right from the start my pictures just look grainy. When compared to the D110, you can certainly see a diffrerence but the D110 isn't made anymore. I print as many as 5 to15 full 8 1/2 X 11 sheets of variuos sizes of pictures probably at least once a week or more. So I do a heavy volume of photo printing. The D110 had a single cartridge with print head. The 5514 has 3 cartridges and the print head is in the printer itself. Does that make the difference? Yes, we cleaned the print heads.

So, I am looking for a wireless all in one printer that one of you may swear by that gives you nice quality photos. I would like to find one under $300 and one that won't break the bank on just the ink cartridges. I have checked reviews in several places on differnet models and they areall not very encouraging. So, I would appreciate your input since fellow SKPs seem to have the best hands-on information.

Carol

[Earl]

I went through the same curve you did and got disgusted with HP's longevity. I do a lot of photography and after reading endless reviews ended up with a Canon Pixma MG 5220. I'm sure there is a more recent model but it prints photographs absolutely beautifully. It does eat the ink but I have found the generic ink refills do as well as the Canon cartridges so it makes ink very economical. Canon is a leader or one of the leaders in cameras so it makes sense they would make a printer that works well for photography. I regularly print 8x10 prints and they are beautiful and accurate. Steer clear of Walmart Canons. They have a different print head and is inferior to those sold at Staples, etc. Mine was around $130 and worth every penny.

[dontay]

We bought a Canon PIXMA 8220 because I wanted to scan my old slides and we were way behind on printing our photos. The printer/scanner is really fantastic and is wireless (communicates with the laptop through a wifi modem.) I scanned over 2000 slides and my wife printed over 600 photos (all 4x6.)
But then a really strange thing happened. I went to the Canon website to order ink and paper and the paper was out of stock!! So I ordered a couple of ink cartridges. Went to Amazon and Canon paper delivery time was 1-3 months. And there were very few boxes available. I had similar results with other vendors. So we seem to be stuck with a brand new expensive printer that we can't buy supplies for. Fits the definition of a boat anchor in my opinion.
Before replying to this thread I went back to the Canon website and sure enough their paper and ink are still out of stock. The paper says "out of stock" and the ink just is not clickable.

We found that using Kodak paper was acceptable and have found a few ink cartridges on line. Canon uses pigment ink like Kodak and we found prints made on other paper didn't look nearly as good as on Canon paper (except for the Kodak.)

I emailed Canon to see what the problem is and got a generic response with a list of vendors for their supplies. But, like I said, I had tried most of them already. Our latest ink purchase was for three cartridges and took two vendors on ebay to supply. So shipping cost way more than the ink! I emailed Canon back and got a slightly better reply that said they hoped to have the problem rectified soon but gave no explanation of the problem. At that time I remembered that Thailand had some very bad flooding that was hurting Toyota and Honda because of parts shortages. I googled "Thailand Floods" and was able to read an article that also talked about Canon's paper and ink production being wiped out.
Before you buy a Canon I recommend you see for yourselves how their recovery is going. Although I really thought the printer was superior to others we have had I would not recommend someone buy something they have a hard time using. Canon's lack of honesty to me in their emails has soured me on their company.

Edited by dontay, 23 April 2012 - 07:17 AM.

[Howard R.]

After using HP printers for years with general satisfaction, the last change was to an Epson .... Artisan 710. It is a printer, scanner and wireless also.

The big item for me is that you can print CD/DVD labels (special disks required). It uses 6 individual cartridges, both the smaller (99) and larger capacity (98) . Best buy are the larger size purchased on line, set of 5 color and black Hi capacity on Amazon for $77.50 , much better deal than local stores. If you do a really lot of printing I believe there is a kit to use bulk ink tanks for the 710 ... but would have to confirm that.

Ink is not cheap for any of the printers.

It also has a tray for 4 x 6 prints and will do envelopes, etc.

I have been very well satisfied with the print quality and the whole experience. It certainly is nice when presenting someone with a gift CD to have a nice photo label on it instead of the usual hand written labels.

I store it in the original box to transport in the motorhome.

Unless you want/need prints larger than 8.5 x 11 I would surely recommend the 710.

You might put a few of your pictures on a card and have a local store make some sample prints for you to compare.

Howard

Edited by Howard Rawley, 23 April 2012 - 04:28 PM.

[Mark & Dale Bruss]

After a long run in using HP printers, we changed to a Lexmark 900. We prefer all-in-ones with separate inks because in the long run, the operation cost is far less. Nothing worse than throwing unused ink out with a multiple ink cartridge.

While HP printers had been well made, the software has been, and still is, too much and poorly written. The Lexmark software has been a whole lot more stable.

[RV]

I am a really light user and still it appears that my HP days will be over when my trusty Officejet 6310 all in one eventually gives up the ghost. I agree with the HP software being quite a bit bloated. I have had nothing but HPs since my first all in one, the 8700 if I remember correctly from 1997. I got a brother giant POS all in one with a phone even that you can see built-in the picture of the office desk in my first rig on my website. Brother has been a never buy again since. It was bought only because it was 2/3rds of the size of my HP all in one.

All good things must end so when I go to get another, much later I hope, I will come and ask again.

[Carol A]

Thanks for the responses! Earl, on the 5220, have you had any problem finding paper or ink? Note the problem on the 8220 that was in the response after your post. I know you said you use the generic. Do you order that on line or does Staples carry their own brand. What paper do you use? Have other photo papers worked pretty good? Ordering on line will be tough because we fulltime and are on the move most of the time.

Carol

[Ron Harp]

X2 on the Epson Artison all in one. I've used and given to family several of the Artison 800 series(I think the newest is 837). No one has had a glitch. Superb 4x6 photos and very good scanner controls.

Ron

[Earl]

Thanks for the responses! Earl, on the 5220, have you had any problem finding paper or ink? Note the problem on the 8220 that was in the response after your post. I know you said you use the generic. Do you order that on line or does Staples carry their own brand. What paper do you use? Have other photo papers worked pretty good? Ordering on line will be tough because we fulltime and are on the move most of the time.

Carol

I checked on line after the response about the 8220 and honestly was very surprised. Paper and ink were available everywhere I looked. I do usually buy on line and did so when we were full-timing. I have the Amazon two day delivery service so could always figure out where I would be two or three days ahead to get it delivered to a cg or post office or UPS office. So I don't know about the Staples generic brands. As for paper, I really can't see much difference in brands. I just checked my stash and I'm using HP 8.5xll, Kodak 4x6 and Canon 5x7. I do care about true colors but just can't see much difference between different brands. I buy my ink here: https://www.comboink.com/ 12 cartridges for $57. That's a lot of ink. They also list the 8220 for the same price. Can't see any difference in the ink.

[CSwin]

I personally got tired of dealing with HP printer issues. After using them for years and replacing many units, I made the switch to a Cannon Pixma when we went on the road fulltime. Pictures are beautiful and it's longevity is supposed to be much better; and it was very reasonably priced. Love it so far!

Check out our families adventure while working from the road fulltime: http://longlongwayto...y.blogspot.com/

[Carol A]

Thanks again everyone. When we get to a decent size town I will look into the ones suggested above. It gives me what to lok for.
Carol

[SWharton]

On Wed Best Buy gives a 20% discount on ink...................Any brand...........

[dontay]

On Thursday I saw Canon ink cartridges at our Walmart. They were the PIMXA 226 required for the 8220 that I had bought there before the big supply hassle and I didn't look to see what else they had. I don't even know what colors they had because I was in a hurry. I don't think they carry Canon paper (Glossy II.) When I got home I looked on some other websites again and now most are showing "in stock" for the paper in smaller quanties up to 100 sheets. Early on I bought a 400 pack of 4x6 from Canon's online store for $39.95 with free shipping. BTW, the Walmart cartridges were $13.97 same as at the Canon online store except instead of free shipping you burn your own gas to get them.
Although Canon still is "out of stock" it looks like they are shipping product again to their distributors and retailers which is great. I hope that by the time we get back from summer out west everything will be back to normal.

Carol,
I failed to mention that the Canon takes 6 ink cartridges. I am sure some people would think that stinks but it really is more economical if you can replace a single cartridge for $13.97 instead of a large single one that may still have a lot of other colors in it but still has to be replaced. Also, the software warns you when it is getting low and again when it is empty. Interestingly, the Canon has a grey cartridge used in color printing as well as two different blacks (one for photos and one for regular paper copying and printing.) The cartridges are very easy to change and when you open the machine the one needing change has a blinking light on it.

[OLYLEN]

The wife is a heavy user 300-600 at a time plus cards and is very happy with the Artison 800 series. This is our second Epson in the series and just updated because of a couple xtra features like the printable CD. And if you watch the add's you can save $$$$ both on the printers and paper with any brand, also check on rebates.

LEN

[Carol A]

THanks to the help of great SKPs I went with the Epson Artisan 730. Bought it a few days ago and have really put it to the test. I have already printed 50 pages of photos on 8 1/2 by 11 and even used up my stock of HP glossy paper before switching to the Epson paper and the quality is pretty good. The concentration of deep color is great! So I'll keep my fingers crossed thatI have finally found a good printer.
Carol