Please help me buy a printer and a scanner.
(James_NYC) Apr 18, 2008 8:57 AMHello:
I am in hope that I could please have some opinions regarding purchasing a new printer as well as a scanner. I have done research, however I have read these forums and marvel at the great deal of hardware expertise that emanates from so many posters. I have only owned one printer, an ancient Canon bubble jet that no longer works.
My system: Mac Pro 2 x 3.0 GHz Dual-Core with an Apple Cinema Display; software: Adobe CS3 Design Premium and MS Office 2004; OS: Tiger 10.4.11.
This purchase is not for use in some busy design studio. Everything would be for my sole use in my small Manhattan apartment.
I would like something that prints my Photoshop and Illustrator files very well along with good photo reproduction. I will be doing brochures in InDesign with insertion of Photoshop and Illustrator artwork as well as some PowerPoint slides. I need something that prints text well also. It would be great to have a printer with which I could print my business cards (as well as brochures) utilizing a somewhat heavy weight paper.
I was initially tempted to get one of those all-in-one machines, however, I rarely have to fax or copy anything. It seems to me that if I want to copy something, I could just scan it into my computer and then print it. Regarding faxing, I am assuming that I could also scan and then fax utilizing the fax software that comes with the Mac OS (hopefully the software worksnever tried it). I could get an HP all-in-one on sale for as little as $150.
Another printer that I was considering is the Epson Stylus Photo RX680 (again an all-in-one). Macworld gave it 4.5 mice. I find myself sort of dismayed with its having an LCD display and photo retouching software that I obviously dont need. The cheapest price I have seen for that is around $130 (maybe). I tend to be a little skeptical about these online prices until I actually make the purchase. The scanner has an optical resolution of 1200 with 9600 x 9600 interpolated (not sure as to what interpolated means in this case).
I find myself more drawn to the Epson Stylus 1400. This was recommended to me by Epson pre-sales support, however I dont feel cynical about the suggestion.
As far as Epson goes, what would be more of a fantasy printer for me is the Epson Stylus R1900 (cheapest price I found is around $500). What particularly strikes me about this one is that it can print on paper with a heavy weight. That would be great for my business cards and brochures. While for me it is a little high in price, I am still considering it.
Another possibility that I have looked at is the Canon Pixme Pro 9000. This was an Editors Choice with PC Magazine website. I found a decent price with a rebate. The review says that it would be a good choice for graphic artists.
I find it confusing as far as the difference between a so-called photo printer and an inkjet printer. According to the Epson guy, it does not seem to matter.
For a scanner, the Epson person recommended the Epson Perfection V500 ($169 w/customer loyalty). It has a 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution. While I dont know much, this seems to be good enough for me, both for capability and price. I have read some good reviews of it.
Thank you to all who would care to comment on any printer or scanner options. I find myself almost dizzy by all of the possibilities and I am open to any suggestions and any manufacturer. I am without a printer and I hope to make a purchase with the next few days.
Also, thank you to all who simply bothered to read this very long posting.
James
I am in hope that I could please have some opinions regarding purchasing a new printer as well as a scanner. I have done research, however I have read these forums and marvel at the great deal of hardware expertise that emanates from so many posters. I have only owned one printer, an ancient Canon bubble jet that no longer works.
My system: Mac Pro 2 x 3.0 GHz Dual-Core with an Apple Cinema Display; software: Adobe CS3 Design Premium and MS Office 2004; OS: Tiger 10.4.11.
This purchase is not for use in some busy design studio. Everything would be for my sole use in my small Manhattan apartment.
I would like something that prints my Photoshop and Illustrator files very well along with good photo reproduction. I will be doing brochures in InDesign with insertion of Photoshop and Illustrator artwork as well as some PowerPoint slides. I need something that prints text well also. It would be great to have a printer with which I could print my business cards (as well as brochures) utilizing a somewhat heavy weight paper.
I was initially tempted to get one of those all-in-one machines, however, I rarely have to fax or copy anything. It seems to me that if I want to copy something, I could just scan it into my computer and then print it. Regarding faxing, I am assuming that I could also scan and then fax utilizing the fax software that comes with the Mac OS (hopefully the software worksnever tried it). I could get an HP all-in-one on sale for as little as $150.
Another printer that I was considering is the Epson Stylus Photo RX680 (again an all-in-one). Macworld gave it 4.5 mice. I find myself sort of dismayed with its having an LCD display and photo retouching software that I obviously dont need. The cheapest price I have seen for that is around $130 (maybe). I tend to be a little skeptical about these online prices until I actually make the purchase. The scanner has an optical resolution of 1200 with 9600 x 9600 interpolated (not sure as to what interpolated means in this case).
I find myself more drawn to the Epson Stylus 1400. This was recommended to me by Epson pre-sales support, however I dont feel cynical about the suggestion.
As far as Epson goes, what would be more of a fantasy printer for me is the Epson Stylus R1900 (cheapest price I found is around $500). What particularly strikes me about this one is that it can print on paper with a heavy weight. That would be great for my business cards and brochures. While for me it is a little high in price, I am still considering it.
Another possibility that I have looked at is the Canon Pixme Pro 9000. This was an Editors Choice with PC Magazine website. I found a decent price with a rebate. The review says that it would be a good choice for graphic artists.
I find it confusing as far as the difference between a so-called photo printer and an inkjet printer. According to the Epson guy, it does not seem to matter.
For a scanner, the Epson person recommended the Epson Perfection V500 ($169 w/customer loyalty). It has a 6400 x 9600 dpi resolution. While I dont know much, this seems to be good enough for me, both for capability and price. I have read some good reviews of it.
Thank you to all who would care to comment on any printer or scanner options. I find myself almost dizzy by all of the possibilities and I am open to any suggestions and any manufacturer. I am without a printer and I hope to make a purchase with the next few days.
Also, thank you to all who simply bothered to read this very long posting.
James


