Home Printer Recommendations Please

[ElizabethAtkinson]

The time has come to look for a new A4 printer. Whilst I am not intending to print photos at the moment (this will possibly change though) can I get some recommendations from those of you who are happy with your printer; currently I just print documents etc. but if I decide to print photos I want the printer to be able to produce high quality photos.

My budget is up$200-300 and the printer must be able to scan.

Thanks

Liz

[geoffsta]

Liz. I have the Epson Artisan 730. It prints really good images for around the price you are looking at. And the software supplied ain't to shabby either.
The only negative I have heard, is that it's fairly heavy on ink if you only print documents. I think it's main design is for images. And I have printed many shots with changing the ink.
Plus cartridges are proberly the best value for money. I have been using epson for a fair while. And they have never let me down yet.

[ameerat42]

Liz. If you are looking at the Epson range, make sure the model has the word "Photo" in the name, like Epson Stylus Photo... In addition, consider one that uses (the more expensive) "archive" type inks.

Geoff, are you talking about when you print B/W text only? Do you switch to "Black ink" or "Greyscale" or any other mode that uses black ink cartridge only?

Reason is that someone else lamented very much like this to me recently and that was the problem: they were using "color" mode to print B/W.

Having said all that, I do not even bother to print anything anymore. I have an Epson Stylus Photo RX650 - yeah, with scanner which is not as good for me as the standalone V700 scanner.

Oh well, that's the only way you'll see 2 cents these days...

Am.

[wanderer51]

For photo printing IMO you can't go past Epson. I bought an Epson Artisan 730 a while ago and it has proved to be fairly impressive particularly in its photo printing. While a few reviews (well one actually that I have read) have said that its document printing has looked a bit 'faded' ( http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399616,00.asp ), I haven't noticed it. Seems to me to be just as good as my two other printers (although they are both fairly old now).
With its Wi-Fi connection (easy to set up) it quite happily prints from our PCs, Macbook, and iPad and scans (via Wi-Fi) quite happily from both PC and Mac. The printer can also be connected via Ethernet or USB.
It has so far been quite 'frugal' on ink, except of course when you start printing A4 photos!
The only criticisms I have about is that its CD/DVD printing is not as easy as from my elderly Canon IP3000 and so I use that for printing CD/DVDs; and the Artisan does not have the ability to accept paper sizes larger than A4. I wanted to print some pano photos but as the paper size is twice as long as A4 (same width) there is simply no way to feed it in.
I picked mine up from the Good Guys in Melton for $194, but if you shop around you can get it for about $150 ( http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Printers-and-Faxes/Inkjet-Multifunctions/Multifunction-Excluding-Fax/EPAT730 )
Hope this helps.

EDIT:
Have just seen the two replies above about it being 'heavy' on ink for document printing. Can't say that I have noticed this, but AM is correct. Using 'color' mode for printing B/W will use more ink.

[geoffsta]

Geoff, are you talking about when you print B/W text only? Do you switch to "Black ink" or "Greyscale" or any other mode that uses black ink cartridge only?
In answer to the question.. I don't print documents. If I need to I'll take them to work and print them on the laser. I only print images, and the cartridges last for ages. My last epson was a "Stylus Photo" And it was brilliant until a mishap brought on an early retirement. I also own a "Stylus R3000"So I love Epson products

[ROA44]

I bought an Epson R290 6 X cartridge Stylus ( printer only ) about 3 years for about $150's and works extremely well only does up to A4 but very pleased with it if Epson do a current model replacement & you weren't wanting to spend big $'s then I would say try to get the current equivelant. However replacement crtridges is where they get you $141 average cost from officeworks don't worry about Epson offers as by the time you pay for freight it works out to be near enough the same.

Milton

[ameerat42]

In answer to the question.. I don't print documents. If I need to I'll take them to work and print them on the laser. I only print images, and the cartridges last for ages. My last epson was a "Stylus Photo" And it was brilliant until a mishap brought on an early retirement. I also own a "Stylus R3000"So I love Epson products

OK, I understand. So your problem arises when you print B/W images (I hope that's right.)
Same thing: switch to "greyscale", as it's called on my printer, or I have seen it called "black ink only".
Am.