Printer Recommendations Please

[paddlegal]

My aging printer is still working but after last night's paper jam AND carriage jam on my HP Photosmart (HP website trouble shooting helped me out) I am starting the investigation of printers. All in all my HP has been very reliable and pretty much trouble free. However, I thought I'd start looking into what's new in the printer world now. I know we've had this conversation multiple times but since printers get updated so frequently I am reviving it.

Do I want a wide format one? I can think of a few reasons for it, though so far haven't had the actual need for one. I would be able to print larger items for my KNK to cut and of course print out 12x12 LOs...like I scrap so much. I'm not sure I even have room for those monsters. At any rate I would love to hear your successes with your printers and also not so successful.

One thing I am hoping to find is a printer that can take heavier card stock. My troubles last night are due to using 120lb card stock...bad idea.

Thanks in advance!

[jmp1022]

I have 2 printers a HP and a Epson wf
I bought the Epson wf to print layouts. It doesn't print all the way to edge
but that is mine. It prints wireless but my HP only does it I turn on computer in scrapbook room.

I thought the Epson would print pictures better but they are dull looking
and I'm using their paper

my dd loves her Canon

[pbp908]

I've printed heavy cardstock on both of my Epsons - the Picture Mate and the wide carriage. Unless you really really want to print up to 17" wide I wouldn't invest in a wide carriage - the ink cost alone is astronomical. There were some issues early on with printing purple - they've since taken care of that, so I would definitely purchase Epson photo printers again. Now that I no longer do commercial photography, I really have little need for the big printer, so it sits unless I'm printing a batch run to save money. My Picture Mate is almost 10 years old and it's had quite a work out over the years. It still prints beautifully, and if it dies I'll cry for a few minutes and buy a new one. Or purchase one that'll print up to 8 x 10. Jury is still out on that one, but looking at pricing I think that might be how I go and donate the wide carriage to someone else.

Good lawdy Miss Clawdy! I just looked at the new printers comparable to my 17". Made my heart stop and my pocket book scream "Ain't no way, girl!"

Jill, you probably need to make sure your computer screen is adjusted for your printer. I had to make adjustments on mine to get what I saw on screen match what was on the print. You might also want to adjust your exposure and your saturation in your photo editing software. With digital files you don't always get what you see on that small screen - when the image is compressed that small it's hard to tell if your image is in need of editing.

[jmp1022]

Thanks Pam
My PhotoMate will not print right It's been cleaned several times. Use Epson paper too
I forgot about that one because I don't use it.

[Keitha]

Well dang, I composed a reply and it disappeared as we both posted together. I'm an Epson girl through and through, always buying photo printers as that's what I mainly use my printer for - and have always been happy with the quality using Epson ink and paper.

I'm also considering a wide format - the Epson Artisan 1430 - but am not sure I want to devote the space to it; I, too, have heard ink is ridiculously expensive for it. As I haven't wanted it for anything badly enough yet I'm still debating.

Meanwhile, I just treated myself to the Epson PictureMate pm-400 for my birthday. It prints up to 5x7, so will handle most of my photo printing needs. Should be here in a few days, and even though my birthday isn't until next month I'm not waiting to open it, LOL.

[paddlegal]

Pam the printer that takes the heavier paper, does it have an external paper feeder? I'm thinking that's what I need rather than that kind of paper feeding from a tray and having to make that tight turn. That's where I get into trouble.

Great help everyone. Keep them coming.

[mpizzazz]

Farley, I have the HP Photosmart also and have had no trouble with it at all for many years. I've liked it a lot more than the Epsoms and Canons I had previously.
BUT, like you say, it doesn't like any thick papers because of the way it rolls over at the back. That is the only thing that would make me search for something else. I would love to print on watercolor paper, any watercolor paper, even the thinnest.
I have printed on the Stampin' UP 80 lb. white paper and watercolored on that lightly but no splashy washes or anything.

I wouldn't bother with the wide format again. At first I thought I had to have one so went through a few of them before I gave up on Epsom. I haven't missed it at all.

[Keitha]

Pam the printer that takes the heavier paper, does it have an external paper feeder? I'm thinking that's what I need rather than that kind of paper feeding from a tray and having to make that tight turn. That's where I get into trouble.

Great help everyone. Keep them coming.

That was the other thing I meant to mention. My Epson printers have an external feed and for thicker papers I can help the rollers grab the papers by putting a bit of pressure on the top edge as it starts to feed through. You can't do that with internal trays.

[pbp908]

What Keitha said. I have used some extremely heavy watercolor paper and had to give it a little nudge, but normally the heaviest thing that I run is cardstock the weight of CS paper (the older paper) and a little heavier. I did accidentally put a piece of light cardboard through the Picture Mate and it handled it without a stutter. The only papers I've had trouble with so far have been, of all things, vellum, but that was the really light weight stuff. The heavier vellum goes through with little or no problem.

[paddlegal]

I knew I could count on your great feedback. Thanks everyone.

I haven't sold myself on a WF at all. But I do think when it's time to replace my current printer I'll want an external feed tray. Meanwhile I'll settle for what I can run through it. It works fine for the time being.

[Monica]

I'm an HP fan over Epson. My HP printer will do up to 14" wide, has either a regular tray or a back-loading tray, and has never given me a lick of trouble. I have an Epson at work that's maybe 2 years old that is only used with text weight paper and I've had problems with it smudge printing for the past 6 months, wasted copious amounts of ink trying to clean the heads, and frankly, am not impressed. Prior to getting the HP at home I had an Epson all-in-one, and had the same problem with it. Nice to know the Epson works for some of you, but I would avoid that brand like the plague.

[pbp908]

I'd never have an all in one. If you loose one part of it, you're up the creek for the other parts.

As for HP, I have two older laser printers at work - one to print B&W, which is extremely fast and trouble free. The other I only use for printing color since the ink is so expensive and it's slow as Christmas. I just found out by accident that the B&W will print double sided. DH purchased an all in one HP for the house. I've used it in a pinch for photos, but the darned thing is taking too much real estate on the desk. I can't figure out why in the world he wanted it, because I have a flat bed scanner that will also fax and make copies. Oh well, men and their toys. (Says the woman with 2 photo printers, a flat bed scanner with all the bells and whistles, and a Wish Blade that's never cut the first piece of paper. )

[nchoney]

If you want to use heavier cardstock, you should find a printer that feeds the paper straight through... a top feeding printer. The only ones of those I've found for some of our needs where I work are Epson Stylus printers. Not sure if they make a 12" size... or if they make a photo quality printer... but other printers that curl the paper around inside the machine are definitely going to jam with heavy cardstock because it doesn't curl enough to make the trip through the printer

I've found some laser printers that don't curl the paper as much... but a color laser might be pricey to buy and test with heavy cardstock ... so you'd have to find a recommendation from someone... or a store that'll let you take cardstock in and try to print with it in the store

[Monica]

My HP sits on a shelf above the computer desk, so I don't worry about space unless I need to feed cardstock into it using the back tray. At that point I simply pull it down onto the desk for the print job. Mine is inkjet, not laser.

And Pam, I agree regarding the all-in-one types. The only reason we got that one way back was because it had a really good scanner with it, which happens to be the only part still working. I really need to just get rid of the darn thing all together.

[EDelValle]

I've had an Epson wide body for more than several
years. I thought that I would use it more than I have
been. But I've really only used it to print photos
in a larger size for framing.
I've also used it occasionally for printing a title
across a scrpbook page when I wanted a particular
font and didn't want to fussy cut letters.
I thought originally that I would use it to print
pages that had been scrapped using digital elements
but I prefer the layers of paper scrapping, when I
do scrapbooking.
I like Epson for photo printing; pictures that I have printed
more than 15 years ago and hanging framed on my walls are still
the same quality as when they were first printed, the color
hasn't faded at all.

If you do decide on Epson, on their website check out
the deals they have on refurbished printers. I have
always ordered them and have never had a problem
with printing or mechanics and you can usually find
a few good deals.
I paid $30.00 for a color printer/ copier to use at my desk at work
7 or 8 years ago and it still working as hard as ever. I bought
my own because I didn't want to keep getting up and going to
the other side of the office to photocopy things while I was in the
middle of a project, plus it printed in color, so I could create a
letterhead on my computer and just type a letter and then print it out
with the company logo in color, instead of purchasing a bunch of
preprinted letterhead that would take us years to use up.