(OT) Debra, regarding a new printer, I have been looking also since I've been finding my old reliable HP Deskjet 500's too slow, and finally suffering from years of wear and tear, and I also want color for printing some charts. I'm new to trading and e-mailing, so I don't know what PM and TIA on your post mean. I've done a fair amount of research through looking at Consumer Reports, PC Magazine, etc., and will summarize it for you. If you want more details, I'll be happy to provide them to you.
I was looking for a printer that was as fast as possible; could do color suitable for charts, but also could produce near photo quality reproductions on regular paper as well as on special photo paper since I want to do some calendar and other near photo quality printing of my children's and other photos; wanted it to be compatible with Macs and PC's; could do high quality black and white when necessary; and was highly reliable. There are many relatively low cost inkjets-about $200.00-that come close, such as the Canon 5000 and 6000, and a real bargain is the HP 722 or 720 which has now been replaced by the 822, which is faster, but some reviewers feel does not have as good print quality. Some even lower cost ones, about $100.00, are available, but haven't gotten reviews that meet my needs.
I've about decided on the Epson 900, which, unfortunately, is probably the most expensive intermediate price range inkjet at $450, occasionally for $400.00. It's about the fastest inkjet in this range or in any range available, up to 12pm black and 10 ppm color; 1440 x 720 dpi resolution; is rated for a fairly high work load; works with Macs and PCs; produces amongst the highest quality color and black and white resolution. Many of the reviews come down to subjective opinions on quality of color reproduction, and are split between HP and Epson. HP's PhotoRet process is very good in terms of color reproduction, but some think that Epson's latest 900 is superior, and definitely much faster than the HP's.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck, and I hope you're enjoying a great weekend.
Shirley |
