Looking for a good HP/Epson printer that is similar to Epson Stylus Photo 785EPX...

This Sunday, I am going to buy a new printer from a local retail store
(Fry's Electronics, Costco, Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Office
Depot, Staples, The Good Guys, etc.) in Los Angeles, CA area. I have
narrowed down to Hewlett Packard and Epson brands. I am still having a
hard time picking specific models to get for my requirements. From what
I read and heard, these two brands will do well.
Both http://www.salescircular.com/ca.shtml and
http://ads.myoc.com/onlineads/common...?keywords=Frys
(Fry's ads) have a large selection of printers on sales, but I don't know
which ones are reasonable for my needs.

I am willing to spend up to $500 to get a good printer. Laser or Inkjet.

1. Small size to fit on my tiny desk (small room). The printer should be
small. I have an Epson STYLUS Color 880 and had a HP 560c Deskjet so that
should give you the sizes.

2. Ink catridges does not clog often especially when I only print a few
pages per week. I only power on the printer when I need it so most of the
times it is off and only on for a few minutes. The ink cartridges must
stay in good shape in 85+ degrees temperature (yes, my room gets this hot
during the heat waves). I never had this problem with dot matrix printers
and HP 560c DeskJet when I used them.

3. Easy to maintain and fix when there are problems. My old Epson Color
STYLUS 880 printer was annoying during warm up and took up to a minute to
clean ink (heads too?) and use a lot of ink after some times. Once in a
while, it likes to leave marks on papers during printing and paper feeds
so I have to clean them. It is very annoying! Also, it is difficult to do
intense movements (e.g., remove pieces in printer) due to my multiple
physical disabilities to clean the printer.

4. Color support for color photographs that will be done once in a while.
I would like to get support for various digital camera memory cards
without turning on the computer. They will be on glossy papers. I won't be
using the color inks/toner that much.

5. The printer must work in Windows 95 (original and OSR2), 98 (first and
second editions), PC parallel support for the old machines like my Compaq
1585 DMT P150 MMX notebook that still works and used. Basically, the
printer should support both USB (1.1) and parallel ports. I might use
Samba to share the printer later on over my mini-LAN.

6. I do not really need scanner, copy machine, and fax features. I don't
think it can be fitted into a small printer. Also, that adds to the price.

Thank you in advance for any advices.
--
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing." --Ben Franklin
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

That price range could put you in the area of cheapie color laser
printers, but color lasers don't print on glossy paper - actually lasers
don't print on glossy paper. Never tried a semi-glossy. If you think you
might go that way, I'd ask for a demo on several types of paper first.

wrote in message
news
I am willing to spend up to $500 to get a good printer. Laser or Inkjet.

1. Small size to fit on my tiny desk (small room). The printer should be
small. I have an Epson STYLUS Color 880 and had a HP 560c Deskjet so that
should give you the sizes.

2. Ink catridges does not clog often especially when I only print a few
pages per week. I only power on the printer when I need it so most of the
times it is off and only on for a few minutes. The ink cartridges must
stay in good shape in 85+ degrees temperature (yes, my room gets this hot
during the heat waves). I never had this problem with dot matrix printers
and HP 560c DeskJet when I used them.

3. Easy to maintain and fix when there are problems. My old Epson Color
STYLUS 880 printer was annoying during warm up and took up to a minute to
clean ink (heads too?) and use a lot of ink after some times. Once in a
while, it likes to leave marks on papers during printing and paper feeds
so I have to clean them. It is very annoying! Also, it is difficult to do
intense movements (e.g., remove pieces in printer) due to my multiple
physical disabilities to clean the printer.

4. Color support for color photographs that will be done once in a while.
I would like to get support for various digital camera memory cards
without turning on the computer. They will be on glossy papers. I won't be
using the color inks/toner that much.

5. The printer must work in Windows 95 (original and OSR2), 98 (first and
second editions), PC parallel support for the old machines like my Compaq
1585 DMT P150 MMX notebook that still works and used. Basically, the
printer should support both USB (1.1) and parallel ports. I might use
Samba to share the printer later on over my mini-LAN.

6. I do not really need scanner, copy machine, and fax features. I don't
think it can be fitted into a small printer. Also, that adds to the price.

Number 5 is the tough spec here. Most printers these days do not have parallel
ports anymore. Without the parallel port support you cannot get Win 95
support. The DeskJet 5650 would meet your needs except it does not have photo
card slots. I do not believe any of the current HP Photosmart printers have
parallel port support.

The DeskJet 5650 has parallel and USB support, will print borderless photo's,
and has driver support for Windows 98 and later. Your Win 95 machine could use
a driver for an earlier DeskJet as the DeskJet 5650 supports PCL3.

See:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...51-304441.html
for details of the DeskJet 5650.

Regards,
Bob Headrick, not speaking for my employer HP

ray wrote:
That price range could put you in the area of cheapie color laser
printers, but color lasers don't print on glossy paper - actually lasers
don't print on glossy paper. Never tried a semi-glossy. If you think you
might go that way, I'd ask for a demo on several types of paper first.

I never used a laser printer for color. What papers does it use then?
For example, greeting cards, letters, photographs, etc.?
--
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing." --Ben Franklin
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

Bill wrote:
wrote:

narrowed down to Hewlett Packard and Epson brands. I am still having a
hard time picking specific models to get for my requirements. From what
I read and heard, these two brands will do well.

I am willing to spend up to $500 to get a good printer. Laser or Inkjet.

Since you want to print glossy photos, forget about a colour laser.
Inkjet printers will give you realistic photo prints, but laser printers
will not.

Really? I always though laser printers were better for printing in
everything including photographs.


And there are very few models that will fit your need for a parallel
port and Windows 95, since most printers have switched to USB. However,
some models have built-in networking via an ethernet port and since
you've expressed an interest in sharing the printer, the networking
feature makes it easy. If you opt for a model without ethernet, then
using a USB printer through the network is also relatively easy.

So for the networking, do I just hook up the ethernet cable to printer and
to my old Netgear DS108 hub (8-ports; 100Mb)? Do these printers come
with Ethernet cables or do I have to get it separately? Hmm, I would need
a very long cable since my network stuff is on one side of the room, and
the printer is on the other side (ugh).


As for model recommendations, look at the HP Photosmart 8150 and 8450.
The 8450 model adds the ethernet networking and extra ink cartridge slot
over the 8150. Aside from that they're basically the same. I believe
these models will give you the best running costs since they use the
newer 96/97/99/100 Vivera ink cartridges. And the printheads are on the
ink cartridges so you never need to worry about the heads.

I got Wired's magazine and it said 8150 was a good one as well. However,
I am worried about Linux support. I cannot find find 8150 model, but I
did find 8100: http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_pr...hotoSmart_8100

Is this printer backward compatible back to 8100? The printer looks fancy!
I hope it's not hard to use.
--
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing." --Ben Franklin
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

Bob Headrick wrote:

wrote in message
news

I am willing to spend up to $500 to get a good printer. Laser or Inkjet.

1. Small size to fit on my tiny desk (small room). The printer should be
small. I have an Epson STYLUS Color 880 and had a HP 560c Deskjet so that
should give you the sizes.

2. Ink catridges does not clog often especially when I only print a few
pages per week. I only power on the printer when I need it so most of the
times it is off and only on for a few minutes. The ink cartridges must
stay in good shape in 85+ degrees temperature (yes, my room gets this hot
during the heat waves). I never had this problem with dot matrix printers
and HP 560c DeskJet when I used them.

3. Easy to maintain and fix when there are problems. My old Epson Color
STYLUS 880 printer was annoying during warm up and took up to a minute to
clean ink (heads too?) and use a lot of ink after some times. Once in a
while, it likes to leave marks on papers during printing and paper feeds
so I have to clean them. It is very annoying! Also, it is difficult to do
intense movements (e.g., remove pieces in printer) due to my multiple
physical disabilities to clean the printer.

4. Color support for color photographs that will be done once in a while.
I would like to get support for various digital camera memory cards
without turning on the computer. They will be on glossy papers. I won't be
using the color inks/toner that much.

5. The printer must work in Windows 95 (original and OSR2), 98 (first and
second editions), PC parallel support for the old machines like my Compaq
1585 DMT P150 MMX notebook that still works and used. Basically, the
printer should support both USB (1.1) and parallel ports. I might use
Samba to share the printer later on over my mini-LAN.

6. I do not really need scanner, copy machine, and fax features. I don't
think it can be fitted into a small printer. Also, that adds to the price.

Number 5 is the tough spec here. Most printers these days do not have parallel
ports anymore. Without the parallel port support you cannot get Win 95
support. The DeskJet 5650 would meet your needs except it does not have photo
card slots. I do not believe any of the current HP Photosmart printers have
parallel port support.

The DeskJet 5650 has parallel and USB support, will print borderless photo's,
and has driver support for Windows 98 and later. Your Win 95 machine could use
a driver for an earlier DeskJet as the DeskJet 5650 supports PCL3.

See:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...51-304441.html
for details of the DeskJet 5650.

It doesn't seem like any local retail stores have this model in stock. I
will probably end up with a PhotoSmart model and lose Windows 95 and
parallel support.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
--
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing." --Ben Franklin
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

wrote in message
...
Bill wrote:
wrote:

I got Wired's magazine and it said 8150 was a good one as well. However,
I am worried about Linux support. I cannot find find 8150 model, but I
did find 8100:
http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_pr...hotoSmart_8100

Is this printer backward compatible back to 8100? The printer looks fancy!
I hope it's not hard to use.

The Photosmart 8100 is really the Photosmart 8100 series, which includes the
8150. The Linux driver should work.

If you are willing to give up parallel connectivity I would recommend that you
also look at the All-in-one units. I know you were concerned about the cost
and size, but the HP Photosmart PSC 2610 might be a good choice. They have
about the same desk footprint as the Photosmart 8150 and have built-in network
ports as well as USB connectivity. The Linux driver for the Photosmart 8100
series should work for the PSC 2600 but I have not tried them. See the
following for info on the PSC 2610:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...57-391114.html
While you said you do not need the scan, fax or copy capability it is a nice
addition to have. I personally have become rather spoiled having a personal
color copier .

Regards,
Bob Headrick, not speaking for my employer HP

Bob Headrick wrote:

wrote in message
...
Bill wrote:
wrote:

I got Wired's magazine and it said 8150 was a good one as well. However,
I am worried about Linux support. I cannot find find 8150 model, but I
did find 8100:
http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_pr...hotoSmart_8100

Is this printer backward compatible back to 8100? The printer looks fancy!
I hope it's not hard to use.

The Photosmart 8100 is really the Photosmart 8100 series, which includes the
8150. The Linux driver should work.

If you are willing to give up parallel connectivity I would recommend that you
also look at the All-in-one units. I know you were concerned about the cost
and size, but the HP Photosmart PSC 2610 might be a good choice. They have
about the same desk footprint as the Photosmart 8150 and have built-in network
ports as well as USB connectivity. The Linux driver for the Photosmart 8100
series should work for the PSC 2600 but I have not tried them. See the
following for info on the PSC 2610:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...57-391114.html
While you said you do not need the scan, fax or copy capability it is a nice
addition to have. I personally have become rather spoiled having a personal
color copier .

I think I am going to get either 8450 or 8150. Linuxprinting.org mentions
similiar stuff but for 8400. It looks like all local retail stores have
them. No sales that I see though according to Web sites.

PSC 2610 is really huge. I don't even have the space for that. Scanner
would had been nice. I already have an USR Sportster 33.6k Faxmodem for
faxes but I haven't used it for years.
--
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing." --Ben Franklin
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

Bill wrote:
wrote:

narrowed down to Hewlett Packard and Epson brands. I am still having a
hard time picking specific models to get for my requirements. From what
I read and heard, these two brands will do well.

I am willing to spend up to $500 to get a good printer. Laser or Inkjet.

As for model recommendations, look at the HP Photosmart 8150 and 8450.
The 8450 model adds the ethernet networking and extra ink cartridge slot
over the 8150. Aside from that they're basically the same. I believe
these models will give you the best running costs since they use the
newer 96/97/99/100 Vivera ink cartridges. And the printheads are on the
ink cartridges so you never need to worry about the heads.

Question about ink cartridges since you seem to know these printers well.
Do the ink cartridges last a long time when using printer rarely (say a
few pages per week)? When I print a lot of documents in B&W, does the
printer only uses black ink (nothing from color cartridge)?

How's the powering on printer work? Is it ready to go? Basically, no warm
ups and cleaning like my old Epson printer? I remember my HP DeskJet 560c
doesn't do this. I am hoping the newer HP printers are still like this.

Thank you in advance again.
--
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing." --Ben Franklin
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

This Sunday, I am going to buy a new printer from a local retail store
(Fry's Electronics, Costco, Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Office
Depot, Staples, The Good Guys, etc.) in Los Angeles, CA area.

Ant-

You are a bit hasty. Wait at least a couple more days to give us a chance to
respond!

You have a common situation, in that most of us don't print every day, and
inkjets tend to have clogged heads when left unused for long periods. Of
course some are better than others, even of the same brand and model. In
addition, we sometimes forget to turn off the printer before turning off the
power, which results in heads not being parked properly.

That leaves laser printers. Some do quite well with photos unless you require
glossy paper. Then they stink! In addition, the toner sticks to some plastics
such as PVC, just as Xerox copies will.

In other words, you are looking for the best compromise. I doubt you will find
any one printer that satisfies all requirements. Perhaps the best you can do
is find one that lets you print from several different memory card formats, and
has both USB and parallel ports.

Fred