inkjet printer advice wanted

Couple weeks ago I bought a Konica-Minolta Laser printer for my wife, just
over $100 after rebate, the start-up cartridge did about 300 hundred pages,
she's one of those that can't read articles on the monitor, when she does
research for school she has to print out everything, the upside is that I no
longer have highlighter marks on the monitor ;-). Anyway a new cartridge
was $80 dollars and should last 5000 pages (text only).

A set of cartridges for my Epson C-82 is about $80.00 and lasts about 100
pages (photo). One nozzle is clogged so I have to buy another inkjet
printer soon. You can empty a cartridge trying to unclog a nozzle. I'm
considering a close-out Canon iP4000, only $40.00 after rebate (and I still
have the last rebate check burning a hole in my pocket!). It's a 5-tank
printer, four for color images and a fifth for text only that uses a pigment
ink. Additionally the Canon has three levels of "unclog" so you don't waste
as much ink, no "chips" on cartridges, so you can refill if necessary, and
the head is user replaceable (no shipping off for service!) and it has dual
paper feed and duplex printing.

So I'm off to Staples today. The laser is on my wife's PC, but is shared on
the network, my Xerox P8ex laser is shared on a LinkSys print server, the
Canon will be on the network as well.
--
darkroommike

----------
"Lloyd Erlick" Lloyd at @the-wire. dot com wrote in message
...
November 13, 2005, from Lloyd Erlick,

Well, here I am asking the darkroom group
about a computer printer!

Anyway, as many people here know, I use the
computer to catalog and edit my work. Right
now I have no printer at all. In the past
I've always had bottom of the line printers,
like the Epson 800 which I had until just a
couple of years ago.

I'd like to be able to print darkroom notes
forms that include a thumbnail of the image
I'm working on. And I'd like to print the
occasional frame to see how it would look.
Mostly I print text, though. Little prints to
use as cover art for the CD of images I give
clients is another use.

Frankly, color capability is not necessary
for me. But I'm sure all the printers I'd be
likely to buy do color. I'd just like to be
able to use black only and not have to
concern myself about the status of the color
cartridge(s). And I want to be able to print
black whether or not the colors are full,
empty or absent. Also, I'd really like to not
have clogging issues ...

I guess I'm just talking about a basic
consumer printer. I just don't know which one
is considered all around most suitable.

Thanks for the brain picking ...

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
voice: 416-686-0326
email:
net: www.heylloyd.com
________________________________
--

"Mike King" wrote

[Epson ink jet] One nozzle is clogged so I have to buy another inkjet
printer soon. You can empty a cartridge trying to unclog a nozzle.

And isn't _that_ fun: the nozzle is still clogged; the cartridge
is still full of ink; the printer reprograms the cart's chip to
'empty'; and I throw a $20 into the trash. I have a rechipper/cart
reprogrammer - however I found some clone carts [Target] aren't
rechippable and are even more prone to clogs.

The nozzle assembly comes out pretty easily with 2 screws and a ribbon
cable or two. A couple days soak in household ammonia works - or worked
once - it's clogged again and I know I have wasted more $$ trying to get
it unclogged than a new printer would cost.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com
Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm

thanks for the fiine analysis!
--le

On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 02:40:38 GMT, "Nicholas
O. Lindan" wrote:

"Lloyd Erlick" Lloyd at @the-wire. dot com wrote

I can't see myself messing with colored inks
or pigments to achieve some sort of high end
black and white prints, like quad tones or
something.

I think you may have to. The standard color
inks do a ****-poor job of black and white. You
will find you tweak things so it looks B&W
under the light at your computer but it
appears split-toned when illuminated with
light of any other spectrum.

There are now 'standard' B&W ink cartridges just
for doing B&W, where the inks have no color
of their own.

If you need to do B&W I would base the printer
choice on it's B&W capability: it suddenly
becomes a small playing field.

On ink costs: I refill cartridges - buying new
h/p or Epson carts involves paying $2,000/gal
for ink that cost h/p $80/gal. Epson and
Canon carts are good forever [almost], h/p
carts wear out because the inkjet nozzles
are part of the cart. OTOH, nozzle clogging
is a problem [and can be a real PITA] with
Epson and Canon if you aren't going to use
the printer [and all it's inks] every day.
OTOF, TTBOMK there is no large B&W ink selection for
h/p.

On Topic: Now with silver, these problems aren't as
one is using a technology that has had 150+ years
of refinement -- but we all know that already.

I'm in no hurry. And I only need to print on
ordinary letter size paper. Legal would be
fine, but I don't care.

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
voice: 416-686-0326
email:
net: www.heylloyd.com
________________________________
--
Lloyd Erlick Portraits,
2219 Gerrard Street East,
Unit #1,
Toronto M4E 2C8 Canada.





On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 21:41:13 -0500, Gregory
Blank wrote:

....____

How soon do you want the printer? send me an address
and I'll send you a file printed out on my fairly new HP 1320
it was about 300 with the rebate.

Of course we are talking prints no bigger than? The printer does
about 8x10 max. Its slow to start though on bigger files, proofing at
say 150 dpi it may be suitable. I think you can buy more ram for it and
it would print faster.

is clogging a problem Epsons are prone to??
-le




On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 16:04:39 GMT, "Nicholas
O. Lindan" wrote:

"Mike King" wrote

[Epson ink jet] One nozzle is clogged so I have to buy another inkjet
printer soon. You can empty a cartridge trying to unclog a nozzle.

And isn't _that_ fun: the nozzle is still clogged; the cartridge
is still full of ink; the printer reprograms the cart's chip to
'empty'; and I throw a $20 into the trash. I have a rechipper/cart
reprogrammer - however I found some clone carts [Target] aren't
rechippable and are even more prone to clogs.

The nozzle assembly comes out pretty easily with 2 screws and a ribbon
cable or two. A couple days soak in household ammonia works - or worked
once - it's clogged again and I know I have wasted more $$ trying to get
it unclogged than a new printer would cost.

"Lloyd Erlick" Lloyd at @the-wire. dot com wrote in message
...
is clogging a problem Epsons are prone to??
-le

My Epson Photo 870 does on occassion but I think that's pretty much par for
the course. Go to your favorite download site and get CCS Utility - software
that cleans the nozzles, resets the timer and a lot more.


Natural Light Black and White Photography
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze76ane/
-George-
--
It is not our patriotic duty to send children to be butchered & slaughtered
& to butcher & slaughter others every time a general or a politician gets a
hardon for a war. Rather, it is our patriotic duty to demand the highest
burden of proof to justify war.

Epson uses a print head mounted in the machine vs. the HP approach where the
cartridge is the print head. Additionally some Epson's use pigment ink
instead of dye, more permanent but I suspect more prone to clogging. Great
printers but they need to be used a lot, the occasional user (like myself)
is the guy that has the problems.

I did break down and buy the Canon (49.95 after rebate) and printed out one
test scan and the color is excellent. Then had to print another on a sheet
of Ilford Galerie Glossy Ink Jet paper and I'm in love. Also like the built
in duplex printing for running out web pages. The Canon web print utility
has issues and only works with Internet Explorer so will probably uninstall
it but the rest is pretty good.

--
darkroommike

----------
"Lloyd Erlick" Lloyd at @the-wire. dot com wrote in message
...
is clogging a problem Epsons are prone to??
-le




On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 16:04:39 GMT, "Nicholas
O. Lindan" wrote:

"Mike King" wrote

[Epson ink jet] One nozzle is clogged so I have to buy another inkjet
printer soon. You can empty a cartridge trying to unclog a nozzle.

And isn't _that_ fun: the nozzle is still clogged; the cartridge
is still full of ink; the printer reprograms the cart's chip to
'empty'; and I throw a $20 into the trash. I have a rechipper/cart
reprogrammer - however I found some clone carts [Target] aren't
rechippable and are even more prone to clogs.

The nozzle assembly comes out pretty easily with 2 screws and a ribbon
cable or two. A couple days soak in household ammonia works - or worked
once - it's clogged again and I know I have wasted more $$ trying to get
it unclogged than a new printer would cost.

"Mike King" wrote

[Epson] Great printers but they need to be used a lot, the occasional user
(like myself)is the guy that has the problems.

Like he said. The Epson I am pulling my hair out over is used
once or twice a week.

The CCS utility only works with _some_ printers and carts. The
$12 chip reseters don't work with some clone carts. Don't
buy TARGET store-brand carts.

IMO pigment ink is death in an Epson, but again the printer
is rarely used.

Keep in mind: occasional use; this is my only contact with
an epson ij. Salt available next to baking supplies in isle 6.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com
Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 11:14:21 -0600, "Mike
King" wrote:

Great
printers but they need to be used a lot, the occasional user (like myself)
is the guy that has the problems.


November 16, 2005, from Lloyd Erlick,

Thank you for this observation! I am
definitely in the occasional user class
myself. I never print images as finished
product, just small ones and thumbnails on my
darkroom notes.

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
voice: 416-686-0326
email:
net: www.heylloyd.com
________________________________
--

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 18:37:22 GMT, "Nicholas
O. Lindan" wrote:

"Mike King" wrote

[Epson] Great printers but they need to be used a lot, the occasional user
(like myself)is the guy that has the problems.

Like he said. The Epson I am pulling my hair out over is used
once or twice a week.

The CCS utility only works with _some_ printers and carts. The
$12 chip reseters don't work with some clone carts. Don't
buy TARGET store-brand carts.

IMO pigment ink is death in an Epson, but again the printer
is rarely used.

Keep in mind: occasional use; this is my only contact with
an epson ij. Salt available next to baking supplies in isle 6.


November 16, 2005, from Lloyd Erlick,

And thank you too, Nicholas! My old Epson 800
died of a clog, I believe. I suffered with it
for a while, even put a new black cartridge
in it. Finally I had to introduce it to its
new home between the sidewalk and the road.
It did prosper there; at least, it found its
way somewhere else.

So it appears I should buy a lower level HP
or Canon? Is there a specific model I should
look for? Or would a laser printer really be
the thing? (I always thought laser printers
were no good for images? No doubt my
knowledge is behind the times.)

Thanks again, folks ...

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
voice: 416-686-0326
email:
net: www.heylloyd.com
________________________________
--