Printer Reviews

I decided to take a look at two new AiO devices, the Canon PIXMA MP980 and the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One to see how they did with photo printing and scanning—two functions that any photographer needs.

The new sweet spot for printer sizes appears to be 13x19”, or A3+/Super B. Large enough to print 11x14” photos, while still fitting on the average desktop.

The Epson Stylus Photo R1800 has been a popular choice for digital photographers needing a 13x19 format but not willing or able to spend the additional money for the R2400. Add to that exceptional gloss printing thanks to a special Gloss Optimizer, and you have an excellent option for high-quality printing at an attractive price.

But, as usual, the market...

Small, 4x6 dye sub prints have their uses, for quick prints of snapshots, for making thumbnail contact sheets from a memory card or CD, or even printing out smaller images on sheet cards for passport, bus pass, or ID cards. They become personal photo kiosks, if you will, making trips down to the store unnecessary when you just want a quick print from your image files. They also...

Every year it seems that print quality gets better while prices come down. Oh, how I wish that applied to the high-end camera market! Pigment printers in the 13x19 desktop size have become the new standard for many photographers. Capable of 11x14 (and obviously larger) prints, they're a perfect match for the needs of most people, and the size and price is within range of...

The introduction about a year ago of 12-color pigment printers by Canon was a major addition to the fine art and photo printing area. No longer did only Epson own this category. For the first round, Canon brought out the 17" iPF5000, 44" iPF8000, and 60" iPF9000 wide format printers. Using a new LUCIA pigment inkset, these printers offered long archival life...

It has been well over a year since Canon announced the Canon PIXMA Pro9500. In fact, I was so impatient that I requested the opportunity to try out the professional Canon imagePROGRAF iPF5000 17" 12-color ink model (report published in the March 2007 issue of Shutterbug, and now online at www.shutterbug.com). So now the question is: does the consumer-oriented 13" Canon...