Colour Laser vs Inkjet: Colour Printing After disuse

[Niall Leonard]

I have an Epson stylus photo 895 which has in the past produced
excellent colour photographs. But I don't use it every day -
sometimes I don't use it for months at a time - and the cartridges
have the habit of drying up. The one I am using at the minute, for
example, I have cleaned ten times and it is still producing crap, with
severe banding, or in some case colours totally missing.

I could replace the colour cartridge, but then in a few months' time
I'll have the same problem again.

I was thinking of buying a HP Laserjet 2600n, a four-pass laser colour
printer with a anetwork interface. I know it won't produce
photo-standard glossy prints, but my question is, if I only use it for
colour every month or so, will it grumble and screw up the way the
Epson does? Or is colour laser technology more forgiving of long
periods of disuse than inkjet?

The best price I have found for the 2600n is about £255 including VAT,
or £258 at my local PC World (!) which since it eliminates delivery
works out about the same. Does anyone know of a better price, or have
a recommendation for a better printer in the same price range?

TIA

nl

[Jeremy Boden]

In message <ijq5i1hqrof1pp2he33rls8vco5orfl673@4ax.com>, Niall Leonard
<niall@codology.com> writesI have an Epson stylus photo 895 which has in the past producedexcellent colour photographs. But I don't use it every day -sometimes I don't use it for months at a time - and the cartridgeshave the habit of drying up. The one I am using at the minute, forexample, I have cleaned ten times and it is still producing crap, withsevere banding, or in some case colours totally missing.I could replace the colour cartridge, but then in a few months' timeI'll have the same problem again.I was thinking of buying a HP Laserjet 2600n, a four-pass laser colourprinter with a anetwork interface. I know it won't producephoto-standard glossy prints, but my question is, if I only use it forcolour every month or so, will it grumble and screw up the way theEpson does? Or is colour laser technology more forgiving of longperiods of disuse than inkjet?The best price I have found for the 2600n is about £255 including VAT,or £258 at my local PC World (!) which since it eliminates deliveryworks out about the same. Does anyone know of a better price, or havea recommendation for a better printer in the same price range?
I thought this looked interesting - but if you look at
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/18972-236251-236268-15077-f
51-446153-446154-446155.html

You will see "Print drivers, std. Host-based (Uses the processing
power and resources of your computer to process the print job. No PCL or
PostScript.)"

So it's a like a win modem - i.e. only works with Windows, despite being
networked.

--
Jeremy Boden

[Brook]

On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 14:14:48 GMT, Niall Leonard <niall@codology.com>
wrote:
I have an Epson stylus photo 895 which has in the past producedexcellent colour photographs. But I don't use it every day -sometimes I don't use it for months at a time - and the cartridgeshave the habit of drying up. The one I am using at the minute, forexample, I have cleaned ten times and it is still producing crap, withsevere banding, or in some case colours totally missing.I could replace the colour cartridge, but then in a few months' timeI'll have the same problem again.I was thinking of buying a HP Laserjet 2600n, a four-pass laser colourprinter with a anetwork interface. I know it won't producephoto-standard glossy prints, but my question is, if I only use it forcolour every month or so, will it grumble and screw up the way theEpson does? Or is colour laser technology more forgiving of longperiods of disuse than inkjet?The best price I have found for the 2600n is about £255 including VAT,or £258 at my local PC World (!) which since it eliminates deliveryworks out about the same. Does anyone know of a better price, or havea recommendation for a better printer in the same price range?TIAnl

Don't buy a laser printer for phographic work, they are not very good
at it. Get a thermal dye sublimation printer. That will solve your
issue with the ink drying up and give you good photo prints.

I will never buy an inkjet again due to the ink drying problem. I've
had two inkjet printers become useless because of dried ink clogging
the heads. Ordering new heads is not cost effective.