Need a new printer

[MontyVeda]

Hey up...

I'm looking at buying a new printer, but don't want one where I'll be spending a fortune on ink cartridges (al la my old Lexmark).

I don't do much printing; the odd order form, cd cover and occasional photos... the latter being my main priority.

I'm looking at a couple of A3 printers, because A4 sometimes isn't quite big enough:

http://www.ebuyer.com/256107-canon-pixma-ix6550-colour-a3-inkjet-printer-4895b008aa

http://www.ebuyer.com/177488-epson-stylus-office-b1100-colour-a3-inkjet-printer-c11ca58301


does anybody have any experience with Canon and Epsom printers?

My last printer was an Epsom and i had no complaints, but that replaced a Lexmark so anything was an improvement after that pile of @&*p

Whats the benefits of inkjet over laser? (or vice versa)

Will i really notice the difference between 5760 dpi and 9600 dpi?

questions questions

 

[crazy580]

I used to have an Epson printer and it was a pain, cant print black and white if one of the colour cartridges was empty, so I got myself a canon, and its very nice, it has 2 spaces for black ink, which is a handy feature.

 

[fossyant]

All I'd say is look at ink costs. We've got a HP photosmart scanner/printer which is good, and original inks aren't bad if you shop about £10 each x 5 colours for the XL cartridges. Copy cartridges with chips are only just coming out, but I stick with the originals given out low print use.

 

[swee'pea99]

Canon are very good. Inks are pricey, but I think that's pretty much universal. Canons do have a reputation for being bolshy with 'compatibles'. Inkjets give much higher quality than laser - a good colour inkjet print looks like it came out of a photolab...that's not true of any laser I've come across.

 

[MontyVeda]

cheers for that.. just had a check at the ink prices for the canon printer i linked to above... they don't look too pricey, but how long they last remains to be seen. I'd better start saving up!

 

[swee'pea99]

I've never heard that before!

Always had Canon's (currently I have an MP640 wifi one). and I have never, ever, once bought official cartridges.

You can get dirt cheap chipped compatibles from inkredible.co.uk and they work perfectly. You can even get even cheaper unchipped ones and fit them with the chips from your first set of official Canons that come in the machine. It's very easy.

I could be wrong. I used to have a Canon and it gunged up after not a great deal of use and at the time googling around seemed to suggest that this was the case...but it was only a few comments on a message board and quite possibly wrong. The quality of the prints, certainly, was unquestionable.