Amateur printer recommendation

[melmann]

I've got an Epson Stylus Photo 900 I'm using to print 8x10". I like the output but am looking to move to the next level. My photography is

improving (meaning I'm getting more pleased with the images and people are complimenting me) and I'm thinking of buying a new printer.

Criteria I'm judging by will be print width greater than 8.5", fine detail (>1400 dpi), longevity of print in sleeves and frames, ease of use with

Mac system (Lightroom 2, Photoshop CS3).

 

What is the community happy with for printers? I'm pleased with the Epson system but only have one data point. My photography is

predominately landscape and nature shots. Prints would be framed for my walls or gifts to friends. I'm interested in printing for myself

because I like the satisfaction of understanding the technology and playing with it to be creative.

 

I'm using an Olympus E510 with the 14-54mm and 50-200mm lenses, shooting RAW.

 

Appreciate advice from the community.

 

Mel

[roger_smith4]

Just about all printers will be fine for fine detail and Mac compatibility. All work with Lightroom/CS3.

 

What's the maximum size you want to print? How important is fading to you- how long does it need to last? How important is neutral B&W?

 

Without knowing more my default recommendation would be the Epson 3800 (more economical for ink than the R2400)- try to find a refurb.

[CharlesBecker-Toronto]

Mel-I just got an Epson r1900 and it works great with my Mac; it's great for colour prints but if you do black and white to

any degree, you'll want the 2400 or above. cb :-)

[jonathans]

What's your budget, that's the biggest limitation, I think. I'm in a similar situation, but my budget is around $500-$600 and I

mostly print matte and black and white. The Epson R1900 won't cut it for me, I rarely print glossy and that's what its

optimized for. It's a good printer if you mostly do color glossies though!

 

I'm leaning towards an HP B9180 at the moment. The B8850 is its less expensive sibling. Great B&W prints, very good

color prints, pigment based and rated at 200+ years. It's around $500-$600. If budget were less of a concern I'd probably

jump up to an Epson 3800 for the slightly wider format.

[melmann]

Thanks to all for comments. My budget is like yours, Jonathan, and I print mostly color (glossy for now but want to try

matte). Haven't gotten turned on to B&W that much. Max size, Roger, is probably 13-14" wide - anything larger would

be so infrequent I'd just have the local lab do it. Since the final prints will be mostly framed gifts I am concerned about

fading and longevity - what practical difference are there between pigments and the alternative? Do the printer specs

indicate what type of ink it uses? If not, how do I find out?

 

Also, I've read a couple of posts that indicate not using a printer of this type frequently means the heads clog up and

have to be cleaned. Is this a real problem with a real solution (other than printing every day)? I would probably print in a

smaller format until I'm satisfied with the output and then do final printing on the larger format.