Epson R800 - it's the best they make for 8.5x11 and costs about $380-400

Just got one and it rocks.

http://www.dealtime.com/xFS?KW=epson+r800&FN=&FD=0

I would spend a little more and get the epson 2200, you can get them on ebay for fairly cheap and you can do up to 11 X 17's borderless, definatly worth it if you plan on doing anything bigger than 8.5 X 11's ever. I used it to print my portfolio in my school's photography lab and loved it so much i eventually bought one for myself.

The R800 is the same thing, just smaller. I thought about it, but for the price (almost twice as much) and the cost of printing 11x17 (about $3 per page), I realized it just wasn't worth it.

I had a Photo EX 11x17 and printed about 30 large prints, then no more, so I skipped it.

Just depends on what you need.

i love my epson photo 2200.

if you wanna to stand outside of my apartment window you may be able to catch my Epson RX 500 as i'm about to defenestrate it.

hmm seems everyone favors epson over other brands...i guess i should look into epson printers

thanks guys!!

quality=epson

speed and cheap (inks go on for a longer time) = hp

so has anyone ever tried to refill cartridges?

no, but I have used the cheap off brand ones from the ink store in town. I havent printed too many photos, but noticed an equal quality from the ones I have done. also havent noticed any in head damage, but as with all off brand cheap ink the fade life, or what ever you call it is less, so basically the prints wont last as long. what I really want to check out is those ink reservoirs with tubes that feed the print heads, those look nice. the photo dept here uses them on some printers.

I'll also add that my couple generation old canon s9000 is awesome. does 13x19 and is out of your price range, but it has a little brother that will work for you. also check overstock.com for reduced prices and free shipping... if online is the route you are going.

i've gotten so many compliments on the print quality produced by my epson r200 or r220. it's 100 bucks or less. in case you're really on a shoestring.

okay so i've done more research and found some old post about printer related posts. many people on this site recommends epson; but i also found many who complained about clogged print heads on epson printers. hmmm so maybe i should stay away from epson printers.

so i'm definitely narrowing down my choices to canons and hps. again i would love some suggestions. canon or hp? how come there aren't many who would vouch for canon or hp printers? are canons and hps quality uncomparable to epsons?

hmm canon s9000 looks great. but definitely out of my price range. joe, which alternative are you recommending?

i've used epsons for about 8 years. never had problems with print heads clogging.

hmm, the new generations have done away with the old model numbers, so I dont know the equivilent. it used to be something like s900, or i900 I think. just look around, and read reviews. check newegg.com for reviews on select printers.

also look here for ample reviews:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/printers.html

clogging will happen if the things sit for a long time - it's going to happen to any ink jet.


you'll find more complaints with Epsons, just like with Dells, simply because so many own them.

Go read the reviews. Epson is always on top or close to it, but HP has some great ones too. I stick with what I know until there's a reason to change, so I'll keep buying Epsons.

check out the hp deskjet 9800, in your range, and does 11x17 and 13x19. believe there is an option to purchase a higher end color cartridge but have not done yet. the black cartridge lasted me 5 months and was used religiously day in and day out.

i just bought the hp 9800. i was killing my epson 2200 printing drawings with it. seemed to have to clean the printheads daily. the 2200 is amazing, but from my experience not the best printer to buy if you are looking for a workhorse. the print quality for the 9800 seems pretty good, but doesn't compare to the espon for photo printing.

strange, i've never had to clean the print heads of my photo 2200. i do use mine daily, but it sounds like you do too based on your comments.