What have you found is the best site for Photo Printer tests and reviews?

m8o · 11-11-2009, 11:04 AM

Hope there isn't a thread on this specifically already....

Thinking about getting a 'real' printer to print my photos. Not looking to be told which one to buy, but feel free if you want.

But as said in the title, what site have you found offers the most accurate and comprehensive tests & reviews?

Thanx,
-steve

timo · 11-11-2009, 06:02 PM

Very good question, and it would be useful if such a site devoted enough attention to performance with various paper options. Just saying that such-and-such a printer works well with the most expensive paper produced by the manufacturer is not quite enough.

creampuff · 11-11-2009, 06:18 PM

I have an Epson Stylus 3850 printer that is used for pre-press proofs. Excellent printer but may be overkill for hobbyists. Epson printers produce very good output except that price for the inks are not cheap (hey, my customers pay for it

). It is a printer that needs to be used regularly as the heads can clog up if not used often enough and the printer uses up a heck of a lot of ink when cleaning the nozzles. Excellent otherwise.

timo · 11-11-2009, 09:38 PM

Originally posted by creampuff

I have an Epson Stylus 3850 printer that is used for pre-press proofs. Excellent printer but may be overkill for hobbyists. Epson printers produce very good output except that price for the inks are not cheap (hey, my customers pay for it

). It is a printer that needs to be used regularly as the heads can clog up if not used often enough and the printer uses up a heck of a lot of ink when cleaning the nozzles. Excellent otherwise.

I have an old Canon S9000 that produces good output. But the ink consumption is terrifying, and I this is because I use it very very occasionally and half a cartridge of ink goes to waste each time it starts up and spends a minute or so clearing its tubes! And the fading of prints kept unprotected from light and air is very rapid. But it's only got clogged once in all that time.

m8o · 11-12-2009, 10:33 AM

I'm leaning towards starting with Dye Sub / D2T2 or (one of its many other names it's known by) in the $500 range, and printing to it via Lightroom.

I have the problem the above two posts describe with my HP OfficeJet G85 (archaic now, but was expensive when new). I use it so infrequently, I have lots of problems with the ink cartridges. I don't remember the last time I had a good print let alone color print from it. So using a technology where the color medium is embedded in the paper is an attractive one to me.

Why I'm doing all this, I want to cover the walls like a wall paper (not using any frames) of a small bathroom of mine with the better photos I've taken. I know, if I add-up the square footage and calculate out the cost to print, I might re-think the whole thing.

So ignorance is bliss.

flyer · 11-12-2009, 05:22 PM

Originally posted by m8o

I have the problem the above two posts describe with my HP OfficeJet G85 (archaic now, but was expensive when new). I use it so infrequently, I have lots of problems with the ink cartridges.

With the newer HP printers, even the low price ones, this is not a problem anymore. And the HP printers using the HP 02 cartridges give very good results at an affordable price.

mysticcowboy · 11-13-2009, 09:29 AM

You pose a good question. Printer reviews from PC sites tend to not be photo oriented or test on a range of papers. My first stop for reviews is Reviews and tests from the best sources Testfreaks collects it all.

They don't test themselves but provide links to other test sites. Their review numbers are an average of third party reviews. Unfortunately, they don't cover that many printers.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

m8o · 11-13-2009, 12:41 PM

Thanx for that link. That reminds me of another review consolidator I came across, alatest.com; I just wish alatest had more filter criteria... annoying to have to step thru every printer when I only want photo printers. test freaks has the same limitation I see tho.

Weirder still, some dhtml thing isn't allowing me to page down in Firefox 3. [!?!] Gotta use the scroll bar; that's silly of them.

m8o · 11-15-2009, 06:31 PM

For the record, I've been liking the 'older' reviews on steves-digicams.com site. I say 'older' because it seems all the printers I seem to want are older and now discontinued, so reviews are from the 'older' sections of the site.

So why aren't there dye-sub / dye-diffusion printers like the Kodak 1400 / Olympus P-440 that do 8x12 or larger at an 'affordable (yes, it's relative) price' anymore? I wish I knew I'd want one of these one day, as I would have bought it in 2007 when they were available. (you can find one or two collecting dust at some retailers, but they're about twice the price now than in 2007)

DonDouglas · 11-15-2009, 10:12 PM

Regarding Web sites for printer reviews, I like Photo-I
Digital Photography at photo-i

WerTicus · 11-17-2009, 07:35 AM

Originally posted by creampuff

I have an Epson Stylus 3850 printer that is used for pre-press proofs. Excellent printer but may be overkill for hobbyists. Epson printers produce very good output except that price for the inks are not cheap

Hrmmmmmm an a2 epson printer is probably one of the cheapest to run printers around... cept if you use the larger tanks on the 4800.

Ink is half the cost of a3+ printers. In fact it makes the a2 printer free if you factor in the per ml cost of the a2 vs the a3+.

11-11-2009, 11:04 AM	#1
m8o Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 40°-55'-44" N / 73°-24'-07" W [on LI] Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,092	What have you found is the best site for Photo Printer tests and reviews? Hope there isn't a thread on this specifically already.... Thinking about getting a 'real' printer to print my photos. Not looking to be told which one to buy, but feel free if you want. But as said in the title, what site have you found offers the most accurate and comprehensive tests & reviews? Thanx, -steve

11-13-2009, 09:29 AM	#7
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	Test Freaks You pose a good question. Printer reviews from PC sites tend to not be photo oriented or test on a range of papers. My first stop for reviews is Reviews and tests from the best sources Testfreaks collects it all. They don't test themselves but provide links to other test sites. Their review numbers are an average of third party reviews. Unfortunately, they don't cover that many printers. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

11-13-2009, 12:41 PM	#8
m8o Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 40°-55'-44" N / 73°-24'-07" W [on LI] Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,092 Original Poster	Thanx for that link. That reminds me of another review consolidator I came across, alatest.com; I just wish alatest had more filter criteria... annoying to have to step thru every printer when I only want photo printers. test freaks has the same limitation I see tho. Weirder still, some dhtml thing isn't allowing me to page down in Firefox 3. [!?!] Gotta use the scroll bar; that's silly of them. Last edited by m8o; 11-13-2009 at 12:46 PM.

11-15-2009, 06:31 PM	#9
m8o Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 40°-55'-44" N / 73°-24'-07" W [on LI] Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,092 Original Poster	For the record, I've been liking the 'older' reviews on steves-digicams.com site. I say 'older' because it seems all the printers I seem to want are older and now discontinued, so reviews are from the 'older' sections of the site. So why aren't there dye-sub / dye-diffusion printers like the Kodak 1400 / Olympus P-440 that do 8x12 or larger at an 'affordable (yes, it's relative) price' anymore? I wish I knew I'd want one of these one day, as I would have bought it in 2007 when they were available. (you can find one or two collecting dust at some retailers, but they're about twice the price now than in 2007) Last edited by m8o; 11-15-2009 at 07:12 PM. Reason: typo, say not saw

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11-11-2009, 06:02 PM	#2
timo Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: former Arsenal football stadium Photos: Gallery Posts: 431	Very good question, and it would be useful if such a site devoted enough attention to performance with various paper options. Just saying that such-and-such a printer works well with the most expensive paper produced by the manufacturer is not quite enough.

11-11-2009, 06:18 PM	#3
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	I have an Epson Stylus 3850 printer that is used for pre-press proofs. Excellent printer but may be overkill for hobbyists. Epson printers produce very good output except that price for the inks are not cheap (hey, my customers pay for it ). It is a printer that needs to be used regularly as the heads can clog up if not used often enough and the printer uses up a heck of a lot of ink when cleaning the nozzles. Excellent otherwise.

11-11-2009, 09:38 PM	#4
timo Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: former Arsenal football stadium Photos: Gallery Posts: 431	Originally posted by creampuff I have an Epson Stylus 3850 printer that is used for pre-press proofs. Excellent printer but may be overkill for hobbyists. Epson printers produce very good output except that price for the inks are not cheap (hey, my customers pay for it ). It is a printer that needs to be used regularly as the heads can clog up if not used often enough and the printer uses up a heck of a lot of ink when cleaning the nozzles. Excellent otherwise. I have an old Canon S9000 that produces good output. But the ink consumption is terrifying, and I this is because I use it very very occasionally and half a cartridge of ink goes to waste each time it starts up and spends a minute or so clearing its tubes! And the fading of prints kept unprotected from light and air is very rapid. But it's only got clogged once in all that time.

11-12-2009, 10:33 AM	#5
m8o Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 40°-55'-44" N / 73°-24'-07" W [on LI] Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,092 Original Poster	I'm leaning towards starting with Dye Sub / D2T2 or (one of its many other names it's known by) in the $500 range, and printing to it via Lightroom. I have the problem the above two posts describe with my HP OfficeJet G85 (archaic now, but was expensive when new). I use it so infrequently, I have lots of problems with the ink cartridges. I don't remember the last time I had a good print let alone color print from it. So using a technology where the color medium is embedded in the paper is an attractive one to me. Why I'm doing all this, I want to cover the walls like a wall paper (not using any frames) of a small bathroom of mine with the better photos I've taken. I know, if I add-up the square footage and calculate out the cost to print, I might re-think the whole thing. So ignorance is bliss.

11-12-2009, 05:22 PM	#6
flyer Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ste-Anne des Plaines, Qc., Canada Posts: 2,013	Originally posted by m8o I have the problem the above two posts describe with my HP OfficeJet G85 (archaic now, but was expensive when new). I use it so infrequently, I have lots of problems with the ink cartridges. With the newer HP printers, even the low price ones, this is not a problem anymore. And the HP printers using the HP 02 cartridges give very good results at an affordable price.

11-15-2009, 10:12 PM	#10
DonDouglas Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 61	Regarding Web sites for printer reviews, I like Photo-I Digital Photography at photo-i

11-17-2009, 07:35 AM	#11
WerTicus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Perth Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,514	Originally posted by creampuff I have an Epson Stylus 3850 printer that is used for pre-press proofs. Excellent printer but may be overkill for hobbyists. Epson printers produce very good output except that price for the inks are not cheap Hrmmmmmm an a2 epson printer is probably one of the cheapest to run printers around... cept if you use the larger tanks on the 4800. Ink is half the cost of a3+ printers. In fact it makes the a2 printer free if you factor in the per ml cost of the a2 vs the a3+.