Computer Printer - recommendation required

[MrGongGong]

Like most of you I have found the Cartridges more expensive than the actual Copiers. My old HP died about two years ago and I avidly read Which magazines and other reviews at my library. I also asked around amongst friends and offices I use. In the end I settled for a Canon PIXMA 540 which I got as an offer, I think for about £45. Put in photographic paper and it turns up trumps. Otherwise I do a couple of handfuls of copies a week which prevents the cartridges drying up. It does need 5 ink cartridges...why two black ones? I use WHSmith's own version of the real thing which are almost half the price of Canon. Then using the buy two get one free offer I knock them down a bit more. Kodak use by far the cheapest cartridges on the market but there are sad stories about breakdowns and warranties.

The big black one is used when you are printing text
and the little one when you are printing images
seems a good system to me as it saves ink

[Chris Newman]

The big black one is used when you are printing text
and the little one when you are printing images
seems a good system to me as it saves ink

Hi MrGG,
Actually I was aware of that, but you can quarantee whether printing B&W or glorious technicolour the cartridges never run out simultaneously. Yet whichever cartridge runs out the machine does not want to work. I can have a full big black cartridge in and it will not print if the small black runs dry. Personally I wish it would print both colour and black and white if it has a large cartridge. The little black (for colour work) is almost the same price as the big one so they have you over a barrel.

[MrGongGong]

indeed you are probably right
but if you print things once you will save 50% of your ink

[Chris Newman]

indeed you are probably right
but if you print things once you will save 50% of your ink

Yes, I don't know what happened there I tried to delete the second one but failed. Does electronic ink count?

[french frank]

SL's already made his decision so further advice is unnecessary.

However...

I have an HP b&w laserjet and get my cartridges refilled at Cartridgeright, just down the road from me. You know it makes sense! For the occasional colour printing that I need I have an all-in-one, like Anna, but mine was an Epson (wireless, sometimes) on special offer at PC World.

[Dave2002]

VH

Don't you find it very expensive using a printer for photos? Some of the printing services where you send in a CD or memory stick or upload files can give very good results, and some are much cheaper than doing your own printing.

Depends what you want of course, and ypu may get more control by doing it all yourself.

Sites such as Snapfish can be really good if you want to make a printed booklet out of a colection of images, and some of the offers are excellent.

[Ventilhorn]

VH

Don't you find it very expensive using a printer for photos? Some of the printing services where you send in a CD or memory stick or upload files can give very good results, and some are much cheaper than doing your own printing.

Depends what you want of course, and ypu may get more control by doing it all yourself.

Sites such as Snapfish can be really good if you want to make a printed booklet out of a colection of images, and some of the offers are excellent.

Dave2002

I edit my digital photographs, cropping, colour correcting, sizing, removing trees growing out of people's heads, etcetera.
Then I use the images to print my own greetings cards, make montages, print CD labels and covers and email to my friends all over the world.

I also have copied and cleaned up all my old colour slides and photographs going back to family B and W pictures; taken in many cases with a Brownie Box camera. (Changing the image from BW to Sepia often enhances the "atmosphere" of the image).
My Avatar (above) was taken in 1946 and the original print was torn and stained.
I had an article published in the OlympusUser magazine detailing how to copy edit and clean up old colour slides in June/October 2006 and a 4 page spread in 2008 entitled "Around the World with Olympus" which showed a selection from over 1,000 photographs taken on that trip.**

Having done all my developing, printing and enlarging (both Black and White and colour print and transparencies) what need have I for outside printer services?

However, I thank you warmly for your kind advice, which I'm sure will be taken note of by many of our fellow message boarders.

Ventilhorn.

**BTW If any person is interested in seeing the articles which were published in OlympusUser magazine, I would be happy to email copies as attachments (the copyright remains mine, of course)

VH

[Don Petter]

VH

Don't you find it very expensive using a printer for photos? Some of the printing services where you send in a CD or memory stick or upload files can give very good results, and some are much cheaper than doing your own printing.

Depends what you want of course, and ypu may get more control by doing it all yourself.

Sites such as Snapfish can be really good if you want to make a printed booklet out of a colection of images, and some of the offers are excellent.

I can recommend MyBigPoster (Ugh! Yucky name, but no matter):

http://www.mybigposter.co.uk/

You can just upload your file (after doing any photographic manipulations and cropping you may want, of course) and specify exact required size, type of paper, etc. Service is terrific, usually next day in my experience, with the item very carefully packed in a tube. I have had several enlargements of about 18" x 12", though they will do bigger, up to 1067mm x 1067mm, if your resolution will stand it.

(Usual disclaimer.)

[Dave2002]

Besides doing prints, some of these services can also make books, booklets, calendars etc. We did a few earlier this year, to fend off people coming round who want to see our holiday snaps. Saves having to load up memory cards to a TV or computer, and then show a whole bunch of not quite ready images.

The layouts are quite neat from some of these firms, and the software is usually pretty easy to use, and the results can be excellent.