|
Post by Lynnrose on Jun 19, 2009 21:17:23 GMT
OK everyone, what printer do you use at home and what score/review do you give it?
Mine is an HP PhotoSmart P1000 Inkjet Printer I have had the printer for years and give it 10/10, but I must admit, I don't use it for photos that much anymore, but in the days that I took loads of photos, it was brilliant and probably still is. The link gives some more info and some reviews.
I don't think you can buy it anymore though.
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 20, 2009 2:11:30 GMT
I have a a HP Photosmart C5180 all in one, with Continuous Ink Supply System. It connects to my computer via router by RJ45 cable and my laptop can connect to it by wireless. Its a great piece of kit and produces beautiful photos. It was outdated when I bought it, but why pay an extra 100 quid just to have the wireless built in. It has a USB connection, but this is only used for the built in card reader and it can edit and print from the memory cards without the computer. It also has a small monitor built in, for editing if needed. The CISS makes it very cheap to run. I give it 10/10 for performance and quality printing.
|
|
|
Post by nike on Jun 20, 2009 7:48:30 GMT
For my scanning and Disc label printing, I use a Canon MP780 all-in-one. It prints beautiful colour prints on basic A4 paper. The 5 seperate ink tanks let me know when I need to replace them.
For all my normal printing, I have a Samsung CLP300N colour laser printer that prints colour prints, as good if not better, than my inkjet printer. It's used as the default printer and is a network printer as well.
|
|
|
Post by jojo on Jun 20, 2009 9:47:21 GMT
I use an EpsonStylus R300.
Photos are excellent. Good vivid colour. (Though I'm colour blind, you get the idea).
Text is crisp and clear.
Takes separate cartridges for each colour. Brand name are really expensive, so I buy Tesco own brand which are excellent. Tried others, not very good at all.
(added). One brand of generic cartridges, bought from a refill shop blocked the internal jets. Having internal jets is perhaps something to remember. Cleaning cartridges are available if you look hard enough.
The paper tray is not very big, can probably hold about 100 pages at a time.
It doesn't have any inbuild facility to print envelopes. I haven't found any suitable software yet either.
The software supplied is just bulk ware and completely unnecessary as the drivers come with Windows XP.
|
|
|
Post by buzzy on Jun 20, 2009 9:52:46 GMT
Ken,
I have a trusty Epson Photo R340. My main PC and laptop are connected via a router. The printer has purely one USB socket permanently connected to the PC.
Is there a way I could print from the laptop via the router thus avoiding swapping USB cables?
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 21, 2009 12:59:40 GMT
RJ45. CAT5 cable, same difference Buzzy. Its the one that connects to the Internet. If you dont have this type of connection on the printer, you would need a wireless Print Server to do the job. Print servers look very much like routers, but connect between the computer and the printer using USB. They normally have at least 2 USB connections, so you can have 2 computers wired and as many wireless as you like. The problem with print servers; they handle the printing side, but not the scanner in the case of an all in one. All in ones like mine; operate normally through the network, both wired and wirelessly.
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 21, 2009 13:04:34 GMT
You could hook the laptop to the computer Buzz and share he connection to the printer. You need to go into Printer, Properties on the computer and make it a shared connection.
|
|
|
Post by buzzy on Jun 21, 2009 13:17:59 GMT
Thanks Ken, I'll have a look at that.
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 21, 2009 13:43:35 GMT
Your welcome Buzz, if you get stuck you know where I'm at. I have had no reason to do it for years, but I can probably figure it out if you need any more advice.
|
|
|
Post by kubik8 on Jun 21, 2009 23:02:27 GMT
"If you dont have this type of connection on the printer, you would need a wireless Print Server to do the job."
Why would it have to be wireless? If the printer is close to the router, then a wired print server would be fine.
Simply sharing it is the cheapest (well, free!) solution, and that's fine if the PC is always going to be on when you wish to print from the laptop. If your circumstances and/or setup preclude that, then a print server is the way to go.
For the past year my main printer has been a Canon Pixma MP520 multifunction. It was (got broken through no fault of its own) a solid dependable thing with excellent photo output, fast printing/scanning, and a clear little colour LCD screen and button layout which made for extrememly easy configuration and use. It also only cost £65.
On the downside, it's very bulky, and colour ink carts don't last long. I didn't like the rear paper feed either. Although, from an engineering point of view it's the best solution, being the simplest paper path, I like to tuck printers out of the way under the desk, so loading paper was more of a hassle than a HP which loads from the front (underneath the output tray). But that's just a personal thing, no bad reflection on the device.
I'd give it 8/10 overall, and 9/10 for value.
My backup - and now my only printer - is a HP Photosmart 1215. It looks pretty much the same as Lynnrose's model. It's eight years old which is quite amazing, as any personal inkjet routinely doing above average duty isn't likely to last more than 3-5 years in my experience.
Despite having just black + tricolor cart (very old hat), the photo output is superb, even using recycled carts.
10/10 - Best printer I've ever owned by far.
|
|
|
Post by larrye on Jun 22, 2009 1:49:18 GMT
I have an HP PhotoSmart 6380 and I love it.
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 22, 2009 2:54:19 GMT
I think most people use their laptops wirelessly these day, so it seems a bit daft to plug it in every time you want to print. Otherwise I agree, a wired print server would do the job. It would probably have to be a second hand one, as I think they probably only make wireless ones now. You can still plug at least 2 computers in and they are not particularly expensive.
|
|
|
Post by kubik8 on Jun 22, 2009 13:01:12 GMT
Maybe I misread but from this...
"My main PC and laptop are connected via a router."
...I gather the laptop is already connected satisfactorily to the router. Whether that be wired or wireless, as long as the connection is there, there's no need to plug anything in when needing to print.
In which case a wired print server attached to the router would be fine. I dunno how much wireless ones cost but you can still source wired print servers for £20 or so.
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 25, 2009 13:07:28 GMT
I suppose they do make CAT5 print servers, but all the ones I've seen are USB and wont connect to a router. Yes I know there are USB routers, but they are very rare and not worth mentioning. We dont need to be trecking the Himalayas, looking for a piece of kit thought to be extinct.
|
|
|
Post by kubik8 on Jun 25, 2009 14:17:05 GMT
Hmm, we seem to have our wires (or wirelesses, heh) crossed here.
I'm talking about a device which acts as an interface between a USB only printer, and a hub/switch/router. It's an 'entity' on the network with its own IP address, and so is available to any other machine connected to that network.
It just seemed the logical choice if your printer is near the router (and you have a spare port). Although, I suppose they may be quite rare. Hadn't really thought about that. I have a HP Jetdirect 3700 on my home network which only cost £30, but I think it's only suitable for HP printers.
I have never even heard of a USB router. Sounds awful!
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 25, 2009 21:25:51 GMT
I did have my wires crossed, I had to dig my old Belkin F1 out to refresh my memory. Sorry about that, it is RJ45 to the network with USB for 2 printers. I remember now I had to put another network card in the computer, I couldn't get it to work from the router. The wireless side worked OK, but not the wired side. It was having to wire it to the computer that threw me, until I looked at it. It would probably interact with a Belkin router, but I was using a D-Link router at the time. Not exactly the wisest choice I ever made. I have been using a Belkin router for years, but never tried the print server on it. As I said, it won't handle the scan side of an all in one. The HP network all in ones work great.
|
|
|
Post by kubik8 on Jun 25, 2009 22:29:13 GMT
It seems (after a bit of research) that I'm talking cobblers really. On another thread I mentioned having worked in the IT sector, but left it for the last five years to raise my daughter. I had assumed that, given how home networks are now pretty much the norm, there would be a market for simple print servers that plug into a router, for those who want to make a printer accesible to everyone. I'm a bit out of touch...
Now I realise that network-capable printers are so inexpensive it makes very little sense to bother buying kit to network an old one. Just buy a new one.
To bring the thread back on-topic, I just bought a HP Photosmart 6380 (same as larrye's) to replace the broken Canon, and it's a fantastic piece of kit! Wired and wireless networking, auto-engaging photo tray, incredibly good photo output and very fast. All for £102. Well chuffed.
The photo quality is so good that, on my fave pic of my daughter, when printed on 6"x4" photo paper, a single strand of her blonde hair that's dangling in front of her face, is perfectly visible.
I don't think many printers at that price point are capable of such quality.
|
|
|
Post by ken on Jun 25, 2009 23:18:24 GMT
Thats a good price; I paid a ton for my 5180, when it had been replaced by the 6180. The 6180 was exactly the same, but with the wireless built in for about a ton more. I got the CISS thrown in for the price and thought I had got a good deal out of it. It shows how the prices have dropped. You cant fault the 6 ink printing, much better than the 4 ink. You wouldn't think that pink and light blue would make much difference.
|
|
|
Post by martytoo on Dec 31, 2009 20:56:50 GMT
Canon Pixma iP4600 Brilliant
|
|
|
Post by nike on Jan 1, 2010 7:37:15 GMT
Recently, my Pixma MP780 stopped working. It appears that the generic ink cartridges clogged the print head, which cost me $140.00AU to replace. No more generics for me, it's genuines all the way from now on.
While my 780 was out of action, I still required a good quality printer to do disc labels etc, so I purchased a Canon MP640. This printer seems to print better quality DVD covers than the 780, and is really a great unit. It's my backup printer now that i have my new print head installed in the 780. Genuine Canon cartridges fixed the print quality problem also.
|
|
|
Post by lazysod on Jan 1, 2010 14:40:28 GMT
I have been using a canon mp600 printer for a couple of years now and I am extremely happy with it the ink is quite expensive but the compatable ones are great.
|
|
|
Post by shaggyhair on Jan 17, 2010 11:31:48 GMT
Just purchased a Cannon IP4700 to replace my Cannon IP5000. Very pleased with Cannon but use third party inks.
Use it for general printing and photos.
|
|
|
Post by movieman36 on Aug 12, 2011 13:53:26 GMT
Use a Canon i860 (about 4 to 5 years old now), works faultlessly and produces stunning pictures if a bit slow by modern standards. Made the mistake (that I promised myself I would never do again after killing two Epsom's) of trying some 'compatibles' machine works OK but print quality is complete rubbish, back to expensive but quality originals from now on. For my work I bought a HP Office Jet 6500 to replace a HP colour laser that was costing me a fortune. It's an all in one and I have got to say so far (about a year in) it is fantastic. Super quick, not terrible on ink, the text quality is at least as good as my laser if not better and to print a few documents at a time is about 3 times as fast. The one touch photocopy function is just superb....can't rate it highly enough as a general purpose printer, shame it doesn't print to CD & DVD's...never mind, the Canon does.
|
|
|
Post by elvisuk on Aug 12, 2011 18:33:58 GMT
I use an Epsom DX6000 for my printing i have no problems and i use compatible ink cartridges
|
|
|
Post by Lynnrose on Aug 13, 2011 9:11:19 GMT
Still using my HP Photosmart P1000 Have to use 'real' ink as I have tried the other stuff and very poor quality
|
|
|
Post by gentleharry on Oct 25, 2011 19:10:08 GMT
I am using the Lexmark X2650 printer and happy with it........I dont use it much...........for example bought a cartridge in asda approx 6 months ago, because it was a good price, and its still un opened lol............
harry
|
|
|
Post by alexham36 on Dec 30, 2011 16:41:56 GMT
Epson Stylus Office BX 530WD.
Alex
|
|
|
Post by johnnybee on Aug 10, 2013 1:12:03 GMT
Picking this thread up a bit late perhaps, but printers and scanners are one area where my normally logical view of things goes straight out of the window. Maybe some of you may have an answer for me on a problem I've encountered since I switched from XP to Win7, resulting in my HP Photosmart7660 being sidelined through a lack of a functioning driver. The HP website suggests using the W7 driver for the Deskjet 5660, which I downloaded and installed; however although Windows recognises the printer and the properties dialogue tells me its working properly, nothing happens when I try to print a document or a photo. Not a beep, no motion of any sort, just complete silence and inactivity. The printer worked beautifully under XP - never a problem, so I'm loth to junk the thing - anyone got any ideas?
|
|
|
Post by Lynnrose on Aug 10, 2013 8:31:49 GMT
Just a quick one...had the same problem with my Photosmart and had to install a different driver 'HP Deskjet 970Cxi' All I can remember is that it didn't work straight away, loads of time spent on it because I wouldn't give up on the fact that I had a perfectly good printer and was determined to get it working on W7...and it now does! Only think missing is, I cannot check the ink levels...the thing is, I can't remember how I got it to work in the end. I do know that I trawled websites for tips and eventually something worked. So, do not give up!!
|
|
|
Post by mikkh on Aug 10, 2013 9:29:30 GMT
That's why I like Linux, old hardware doesn't get abandoned in the latest version. I'm sure it's deliberate to try and make you buy a new printer you really don't need or want.
HP also make PC's that are mostly running Windows, a bit of you scratch my back I'll scratch yours?
|
|