[enggass]

Looking for any input on Graphic Printers.
Am leaning towards the Epson 3000... also considering an Epson Photo Printer!?!
Does any one out there use one of Epson's Photo Printer series?
Suggestions?...

[samdragon]

I reciently bought the hp deskjet 1220c, it will print 13inches wide to infinity. It produces photographic quality prints, if you hvae photographic paper, I usually buy the kodak photopaper, it's cheaper than hpbrand and has a higher gloss finish. Only draw back is the large color ink cartridge cost around $60 (u.s.)

I have a friend who uses the epson printer and it also has great quality.
Don't be fooled by the dpi crap. Make sure you understand the difference between LPI and DPI/PPI and how they relate to prints and screen resolution.

If you get the chance, look at some sample print outs, see if you can spot any tiny black dots in the light areas, also look for banding of color. Chances are you can't afford to print every print out on glossy stock, so try to get a sample on plain paper.
And most importantly, make sure you can afford the ink/toner for the printer, it sucks when you're printing alot of stuff and about half way through your ink runs out and you can't afford more ink!

The last printer I had lasted a good 5 years before it wasn't able to pull the paper through the feeder. So i'm sure the printers you buy today will last even longer.

Oh yeah! for some reason, manufacturers the printer you buy has a cable and it's compatible with your computer. I noticed alot of the newer printers are USB.

[proximo]

Dude you shuld get an alps 5000 .. its like 2400 x 2400 dpi .. not too expencive .. i made my fake ID with !

[HumanClay]

Alps printers are incredible. They can print on virtually any surface. I made fake IDs in high school with one all the time. I highly recommend

[Pigeon]

I've printed a lot of stuff on Epson printers for years, including the 3000. I even sell these prints as fine art prints (then it's a good idea to spray your prints with an acrylic or UV coating). It's always been great quality and true to screen. You have to look hard to see the dots - the CMYK are indistiguishable. However, this is only as long as you use Epson papers, which is no big deal. Both glossy and the photo-quality matte paper work like a charm. If you have the dough, get the 3000. I think you may have to get a connecting cable separately. Check with your dealer.

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-Pigeon
http://members.aol.com/dndunakin

[This message has been edited by Pigeon (edited July 16, 2000).]

[Rinaldo]

I've got an Epson 1160....it does some good stuff. If I was to buy a printer now I would go for the Epson 1270. It will print like a photo. The 3000 is a bit long in the tooth. I know a lot of Graphic designers still use it but unless you really need the A2 size then give it a miss, the quality is nowhere as good as the latest printers. It does come with seperate ink tanks, And is thus less expensive to run, if that is a priority way before quality then I might consider it. But I use one at school and to me it shows it's age.

[Danny]

Hey enggass...
I've been on the look-out for the perfect Graphics printer for about 2 years now. I have come to the conclusion that the best quality/price printers are made by Epson. I'm currently using a simple Epson 740 model, which does a decent job of doing test prints.
For a while I've considered the 3000 aswell, but decided that if you want ultimate quality it's a little outdated (it's been around for a few years already). It's a 4 colour printer and it's dots are simply to large by modern day standard. To show you what I mean, have a look at this place:

http://www.tssphoto.com/sp/dg/news/dot_comp.html

Read it carefully, click on the links etc..

Now the 1270 would be an interesting candidate eventhough it's only capeable of doing A3 (or A3 banners). However since it's release earlier this year, loads of professional users have encountered horrendous fading/discolouring problems within days, sometimes hours, after the prints have been made. Despite Epsons innitial claims that their new ink/paper combination that goes with it is capable of a fade resistance of about 20 years.
As Epson has apparently been bombarded with these complaints they are now admitting (albeit not on a marketing level) there is indeed a problem and that they are working to find a solution.
There is however some light on the horizon in the form of the Epson 2000P. Unfortunately it's again only <=A3, but if we're to believe Epsons claims and Wilhelm's test results the ink (pigmented instead of dye) and paper combo for this one is supposed to reach the 200 year longevity mark. It's a 6 colour printer like the 1270, so my advice is to wait around for a few months and see how it actually performs outside of Epson's labs.

An interesting *rumour* is that Epson is re-tooling their 3000 to give it better print quality.

Lets wait and see..

Danny

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