I’ve pretty much had it with my Epson photo 870. It works well when it works. But every time I want to print something, I have to spend an hour dicking around with it.
Part of, perhaps all of the problem is that I only print a few pages a month. I guess that the ink cartridges are drying out. I replace them way, way to often for how much printing I do. I end up printing more test pages and nozzle checks than anything else.
I do want to be able to print photos once in a while. Any ideas on an ink jet that will be able to sit idle for a month or two and still be able to print?
I have have two Cannons and I love them to death. I can go a month + between print jobs and never a problem.
My photo printer is an iP6700D. It also does plain paper in a different feeder, so I don’t have to switch paper between print jobs.
Yeah, but even when I do all the print head cleaning and such, I still often have to replace a nearly full ink cartrige. I just replaced the color again. It printed perhaps 5 small photos. The black is ‘out’ now too. Maybe 20 pages. It’s getting rediculous. I’m not going to buy any more ink for this printer.
Do you live in a humid or dry area? I live in a very dry area. That may be some of it.
That sounds like what I’m looking for. Thanks, I’ll look into it.
I primarily print black & white with my HP OfficeJet G55, but also - infrequently, less than 1 / month - print photos.
Have you considered buying two printers instead of one? One for black and white and one for photos? Simply put the photo printer in a plastic bag when you’re not using it.
Epson doesn’t sell printers; they sell cartridges. Their printers are designed to waste an unbelievable amount of ink, and they clog terribly if you let them sit at all. I’ll never buy another Epson.
I have a Canon Pixma which isn’t half bad, and I’ve had to clean the heads only a handful of times after two plus years of use. I let it sit for weeks on end and it doesn’t clog.
I’m glad it isn’t just me. What is also weird is that the ink level utility does not work any more. It did work with XP it stopped working when I upgraded to XP Pro.
I also have a Canon Pixma “All-In-One” printer. I’ve had it for over a year and only print stuff about once every two weeks. I haven’t had any issues with the heads clogging or anything - haven’t had to clean them yet, either. The photo print quality is excellent, too.
I used to have an Epson and had similar issues if I’d go too long without using it. I ended up giving it to Goodwill.
I know this isn’t much help, but I’ve given up on inkjet printers partly for this reason. My last one was a Canon all-in-one which was better than the previous Epson, but even the Canon clogged up if I didn’t use it for a couple of months. I now use a monochrome laser printer to print documents, and stop by Kinko’s on the rare occasion when I need to print photos. (As an added bonus, the self-service printer thing at Kinko’s produces better quality prints than any inkjet I’ve seen.)
I’m sure this isn’t the answer you are looking for, but in my opinion, unless you are an artsy photo type who prints and tweaks things all day long, the best printer is … no printer.
A few years ago I decided to free myself from my Epson Photo 870, from the endless streams of profanity that it evoked. I smashed it to bits and tossed it out.
It’s cheaper than buying the supplies for the printer, looks just as good, is more permanent (the photos are on real photo paper), and doesn’t cause aggravation.