printer

[nikki]

Looking for a new printer, my epson 740 won't feed in the paper straight.It works good as a paper shredder.
I'm looking at a i860 Canon, on,  http://www.macworld.com/2003/03/reviews/in...kjetprinters03/
they have the i850 as a good all around printer. Is the i860, just as good,better,or what.

Any other printers sugestions would be great too



 

[Paddy]

The i860 is the newer version of the i850. 15 reviewers at Amazon.com seem to really like it - it gets 5 stars.

Lots of happy campers - looks like a very good choice indeed, for both photos and text. We got my Mom a Canon printer this summer (not that one - a slightly cheaper version) and it does a nice job. The multiple ink tanks make it more economical than some.

[nikki]

Thanks paddy,
Ayone know of a good place to buy ink for the canon i860,??


 

[rongold]

Make sure to download the most recent driver from Canon website (not the easiest to navigate through). Posted drivers are more Panther-compatible than drivers on printer CD or Panther.

[Paddy]

Buy.com has the best prices I've seen so far on the ink, if you want to stick with the OEM ink. ($11 for the black cartridge) If you don't mind using third party ink, it starts at about $2/cartridge, but I don't know if it's worth the risk. I have HP's, and since their print heads are in the cartridge and are patented, there really aren't any options other than refills (which aren't a good idea either, necessarily, since the print heads are really only designed for one use).

PCWorld did an interesting article on the subject in September:

Cheap Ink Probed

As the owner of a now-defunct Epson 850 that I'm pretty sure was killed by third party ink, I don't personally recommend that route. And, the issue of permanence is a big one, if you're printing photos.

[RHPConsult]

Count me in as an especiallly happy supporter of both HP LaserJet and DeskJet products. We have both: a 4MV tabloid that's probably 10+ years old which has n-e-v-e-r faltered once in all those years,  and a 970 Cse that is simply amazing in its versatility and reliability.

If I have a "complaint" - - and I recogniize it's a curious one at that - - it is that HP's products are almost too reliable - - talking here about a fax machine (read specialized ink jet) that experienced what I judged to be a minor paper feed problem after a number of years of faultless service.

HP and its dealers seem to have no capacity for dealing with really old machines, so that the cost of diagnosis exceeded the purchase pice of a replacement.

What a waste, methinks, but hard to complain about too much reliability

[nikki]

Has anyone used the Epson SC900, I got a private deal on one and would like some feedback.

 

[Paddy]

Nikki, I assume that you are talking about the three and a half year old Epson 900 SC, vs the 3 month old Epson Photo 900? The old one gets so-so reviews, the new one manages about 3.5 stars out of 5 (PCWorld and epinions). MacWorld liked the SC900 though, in a review in June '99 (4 mice out of 5).

Me? I'd stick with the Canon, unless you getting a really really good deal. Besides - Epson cartridges are expensive, (and there aren't individual tanks for each color with this model, like there are with the Canon) and using after-market ink with their printers can be a recipe for disaster. And another concern (perhaps) - with a 3.5 year old printer, how long will Epson continue providing driver support etc. for new operating system versions?

And why is Epson confusing people by using the same number over again?