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Author
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Topic: 2013 printer recommendations (13x19" format)
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Mike Blakesley
Film God
Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 03-11-2013 01:23 PM
A few years ago there was a recommendation on here for the HP B8550 printer, which handles 13x19" paper. I got one of these printers and it really does make nice prints, but it's so clunky and unreliable that I want to replace it. I have to fight it everytime I want to make a print, especially on photo paper. It refuses to even pick up 4x6 paper, and if I'm making signs on 13x19, I have to feed it one sheet at a time otherwise it will suck up three or four sheets, or say it's out of paper when it isn't, etc etc.
I was drawn to that printer because it didn't cost that much, but as always, you get what you pay for. So I'm ready to upgrade to something better, more reliable and so on. Anyone got any recommendations? I guess my main usage would be for making smaller one-sheets and signs, but I do print the occasional photo too, so good print quality is a must.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 03-11-2013 03:08 PM
Once, I thought HP printers were good but, lately, I don't care for them much. They are clunky, take a long time to start printing, I don't care for their software drivers and even after much fooling around, still only print on par with other brands. I really haven't seen an HP photo printer that can beat an Epson or a Canon.
Further, last time I checked prices, HP was among the most expensive brands.
My next photo printer is probably going to be an Epson.
Then, again, I don't use a photo printer very much. I usually just make real photos.
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 03-15-2013 09:47 AM
Mike,
I might have been the one to recommend the HP 8550. I still have it and it's not given us any trouble, but we don't put it through a big workout. My biggest issue with it was when I accidentally disengaged the print head when I was replacing some ink carts, and thought I was going to have to replace the print head at $$$.
Paper handling is probably the biggest issue I've ever experienced with printers. I got rid of a hulking color laser because it just couldn't pick up paper reliably, resulting in a false paper jam error. When I finally got tired of dealing with it and decided to either repair or replace it, the cost of repair in addition to the high cost of the toner cartridges convinced me to just trade it in for a $50 credit towards a new printer.
I assume that you've already tried to clean/replace the rollers? I've been able to fix a lot of paper handling problems by cleaning the rollers, and some printers do allow for them to be replaced. However, with the new printers being priced to sell, I doubt that it might be possible.
I had an Epson 870 before picking up the HP, and while it created excellent photos for its time, it really wanted to be used on a regular basis. Because we only used it once a week or so, the print nozzles were constantly in need of cleaning in order to produce streak-free photos, and all that cleaning really drains the ink cartridges.
Looking at the info for the Epson WorkForce WF-7010, all the talk about "affordable" might be reason for concern. Its initial price is low (esp. for a wide format printer), but I would be concerned about its reliability and if it will really hold up any better than the HP did. We live in an age of planned obsolescence, where most electronics are treated like cell phones, where the companies want you to replace them every other year, so little durability, much less repairability, is designed into them.
If you find something, please follow up and let us know what you think. It would be good to know of options if/when our HP decides its useful life has passed!
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