One of my dearest friends, Junkyard Sam posted up a wonderful post that basically covers everything you need to know to fully set up your digital art studio. If you wanted to get a printer (he leans more towards HP) or would like to know more about the variety of inks out there, and the whole printmaking shebang, then his post is a godsend — especially if you’re into digital printing.
I am looking for a printer myself to finally be able to sell my own digital prints(!) and although I’m leaning towards getting a HP Photosmart because I love the fact that HP nozzles are directly on the cartridges, I’m frazzled by what certain sales people has told me. It’s a battle between the HP D5460 and the D7260 for me, mainly because the D9180 is out of my price range at the moment.
If you have any tips on printers, it would be great to hear it — even if it isn’t a HP!
hey, amy!!
i have the d7260..i use it with archival paper and vivera inks, and everything i print turns out BEAUTIFULLY. and a tad less costly than the d9180…
i have been an HP user for life, so i was excited to acquire the B9180. i have a degree in photography and thought i knew digital printing inside and out. despite some of its great reviews, it was a major pain in the ass! i had to go through two completely defective printers and at least a dozen customer service reps before finally getting one that worked. i am really pleased with the final results, but be prepared to invest a lot of time getting all your print profiles right and working the tweaks out if you get an armored tank of a printer like this…
I use the Canon Pro 9000. Its quality is superb with 8 inks (glicee) and archival which is a must for prints. Canon is the best but there are also also Epson printers that are just as good too.
i’m using the HP photosmart pro B9180 also [junkyard sam actually talked me into it ~a year ago], and i’ve been quite impressed with it. the only small problem i’ve had is the need to pull up the lid to manually push some of the thicker papers down through the internal rollers. i’d recommend it, if you have the money:)
… patenaude
This post had some good information. I asked if it was geared towards pc users only. And to point out that there a differences in printers that need to be taken into account when printing a vector (Illustrator) or raster (photoshop) format.
Oooh, thanks for the info guys!
I think I’d have to remove the 9180 from my list due to budget constraints, but all the info here was a great help — thanks so much! I’ll let you know which way I go!
Thanks Amy! =)
About printers – I love both my d7260 and b9180… Here are the core differences:
1) d7260 = 8.5×11 maximum size. Printer ink is not waterproof and is rated to last ~100 years. Can’t use thick paper, and the ink REALLY works best on inkjet photo paper. MATTE works best for ART imho.
2) b9180 = It costs more, and it was trickier to set up… and the ink cartridges cost more HOWEVER they hold more and in terms of milliliter cost — the ink is actually about 40 PERCENT CHEAPER ( ! ) and it’s ARCHIVAL, and is waterproof – and lasts ~200 years. And you can use up to 13×19 paper, THICK paper, almost any kind of paper —- art paper, bristol, watercolor paper, etc…
In the printing & color itself – there’s very little difference though! In fact, the d7260 DYE based ink is probably just a little MORE saturated than the PIGMENT ink that the b9180 uses… but the prints are REAL close in quality.
Bottom line —- the d7260 is a great printer to start with. Mine is still going strong after literally HUNDREDS of prints… And the ink nozzles on the cartridges themselves for the d7260 IS a nice bonus.
What I like about the b9180 at the higher end is – the printheads are replaceable, and Epson’s most-similar-printer are not.
One more important thing — if you are happy with 8.5×11 prints then just start with the d7260. It’s a great way to get started…
However, if you want to get into doing gallery shows and stuff – you will inevitably be asked by gallery owners about your printmaking, and they will respect your prints much more if they are archival. (That’s what prompted me to get the b9180.)
So if you have the money, the b9180 is better in the long run probably… since the ink is technically cheaper…
I like your artwork.
I myself am looking at both the d7260 and the d5460. I can’t decide and can’t find any side by side comparisons on the net. What are your opinions on both?