Recommend a printer?

[ewx]

I'm after a new printer. It'll be used both for documents (e.g. Naath's OU homework) and for photographs; though if I want particularly high-quality photos I'm happy to go get them done specially rather than buy/feed an unusually expensive printer.

It'd be attached to a Linux server and driven from Mac/Linux/Windows clients (presumably via CUPS) so it'd better be something that can be driven that way (ideally without endless pain but this is printers we're talking about...)

My old printer is an Epson Stylus Color 660 and appears to have unfixably clogged some of the black jets. So I'd prefer something that either inherently doesn't clog up or has the printhead built into the ink cartridge.

Recommendations for/against?

If anyone wants my spare ink cartridges (4 black and 4 color, non-branded), let me know.

Comments

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Don't use Lexmark? Dodgy and poor quality, nasssty. I suspect that wouldn't like Linux much anyway, since I bet they won't have invented a Linux way to flash up a little dialogue box and say, "Printing Started" in an exaggerated American accent when you click print...

I like my little HP Deskjet 5940 but I can't speak for its Linux-happiness or its clogging-resistant-ness, and although the photo print quality is good enough for me, I'm not a photo-geek so am not a very good judge.

[toothycat]

We have a Canon Pixma ip4500 now which gives very pleasing results for photos. We are using it with Windows, but it is apparently supported perfectly in Linux now (support was "partial" when we first bought it). We bought it when our old Epson Stylus Photo clogged irreparably.

Word is though that it's only Epsons that have the clogging problem, so pick a brand :)

(We also have a 600dpi HP Laserjet attached to a networked Linux box for B+W documents. I heartily recommend this approach - you can pick a refurbished one up for around £50 from the shop in Mill Road - though if they tell you they're out just then and will phone when they get some more, don't believe them, fresh stock will go to people who come pester in person. The toner works out at about 0.5p per page, CUPS/Samba support is rock solid and well understood and documented, print quality is great and the things are built like tanks.)

[reddragdiva]

We have an Epson Stylus RX620, which is the scanner version of the RX600. The scanner isn't reliably detected by Ubuntu, so we have it hooked to the Mac and the Ubuntu boxes happily print to it.

[dave holland (from livejournal.com)]

I recently bought a HP LJ2600N (colour laser) and I'm very pleased with it. Unfortunately I think it was discontinued the day after I bought it...

[hilarityallen.livejournal.com]

My old Canon printer developed a problem with its page feed. This may be less of a problem given you don't have to transport it across the country 6 times a year...

[antinomy.livejournal.com]

I love my Canon PIXMA which is now about 4 years old, works perfectly for large volume black and white but also produces very nice edge-to-edge photo results. Also does duplex and prints onto printable CDs/DVDs (though I don't think all the pixmas have both of these features). I gather the newer ones play fine with linux and some of the more expensive ones have RJ45 connectors these days. No issues with clogging print heads, individual colour cartridges so no ink wastage and they behave really well if not used for months at a time, too.

CD/DVD printing

[(Anonymous)]

Some inkjets can print on CDs/DVDs - nice for giving people disks containing photos rather than written in OHP pen in my scruffy handwriting. I never got round to using it much though - and left the printer when I moved back from abroad.