BleepingComputer.com: photo printing

i have a birthday coming this weekend...and hubby knows i want a scanner. our printer is almost 5 years old, and probably about due for replacement. it's a canon, and has been marvelous. so we thought a printer/scanner would be ideal. we do not need nor want a fax, since we don't even have a land line.

i have looked online and in the stores...office max/depot, best buy, etc. i have read about features, and options. i have decided a few things...

first, i want to be able to print NICE pictures, up to 8x10.

second, i really like the separate ink cartridges. i'm tired of throwing away a whole cartride cuz the blue is gone...or whatever..

it is not necessary that it have the port to put my camera chip into...i can plug it into my puter easily enough, or i have one of those nifty little 4x6 printers, if i need to preview it. however, it seems that if this feature is absent, it is NOT a photo-quality printer.

i have been told that ANY decent printer will print quality pics if i use GOOD paper...is this true, or just the ramblings of an over-eager salesman?

i would like the cost to be under $200...around $150, if possible. i have looked at canon, hp, and epson. i have been told that canon and epson are the only companies whose printers have separate ink cartridges (the salesman, again!).

all this having been said, may i ask for suggestions, and opinions? especially in the picture printing department...i would love to hear personal experience/opinion.

thanx gang...

damgud

I use the Lexmark 5150. about $150.00 at Target. Separate black & color cartridges. Color $33.00, Black $29.00. It has scan/copy/fax. I don't use the fax. prints up to 8 1/2 X 11. I set it to "econo-copy" and that is a big savings in ink consumption, although I despise the ink pricing and whining about "being low" that all printer-copiers do with popups or whatever. (I used to own a commercial printshop and bought black ink 5lbs at a time for 25.00 and color @ similar for 1lb) It can be set for 2-3 other levels of quality, and a variety of dpi's up to 2400 I think. (resolution) I usually use 300-600, but some optical character recognition programs (1 is included in the purchase setup software, along with a nice photo editing feature which I use in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop) work best at the higher resolution for scanning (like scanning grocery store receipts to import to Excel for data saving purposes.) Gallery quality or larger than letter size scan/print jobs I'd be outta luck using a Lexmark...but I'd be out many thousands of dollars trying to do THAT right. 400-500 dollar units I've researched do no better, really.

The paper is an essential element in the quality issue. Even so I'm cheap, so I use a high quality Xerox paper@ $13.00 a ream instead of economy bond @ $3.50-$4.00 to print pictures and put 'em behind glass. Presto, high gloss. Most importantly however is the science involved. Photo paper is manufactured differently. Hence, the high cost. It also soaks up less ink than a bond paper. You can buy a lot of nicer than usual bond and ink if you're not spending for the Hewlett-Packard Deluxe stuff, though. K-Mart or thrift stores for the frames, too. IMHO

I use a hp 1350v all in one.......I have also used epson but the one I had broke....copy/print/scan......make sure its copy this way you can copy a page without scanning sending to pc then printing.Make sure it prints fast too.......Lexmark was always slow I dont know about nowadays....mine was 200.00 at walmart........

Quote

The 5150 operates as a stand-alone printer. Copy speed is dependent on ink settings and other factors. Using the lowest quality setting doubles the speed, btw. Check ppm stats (page per minute) but keep in mind comparisons may not neccessarily be user friendly or governmentally controlled like EPA mpg figures. I checked, among other things, Consumer Reports Guide mid-2003 special report on "the multis" , cost of ink cartridges, appearance, size, weight, whether it was a new model or an improved version of a previous one, etc. Dell buys their 9800 (or some similar-type model number) from Lexmark to sell as their multi. It is the 5150.

O yeah I know its all according to the setting....low quality means more ppm! Hey dont buy your ink at wallmart or best buy! Go to ebay or newegg.com!
Save yourself a buck or two!

I've found Target occassionally beats online pricing with their sales. Its immediate gratification, too. I usually buy a hot dog and soft drink while I'm there.

BTW, nmDamgud
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Happy B day! We need to make a forum.....this weekend! Tomorrow?

yes, tomorrow. thanx, guys!