Are multi purpose printers good at printing photos?

[Brian]

Are multi purpose printers such as those that can (scan, copy, fax,
print) still good at printing a photo from a digital camera file or is
it better to buy a photo printer?

Regards Brian

 

[measekite]

Always better to buy separates and get the best of breed.

 

[Si]

Always better to buy separates and get the best of breed.

Not always so - the Epson RX500/RX600 use the same print engine as the
R200/R300 - you'll get the same quality from one of those.

Si.

 

[measekite]

Not always so - the Epson RX500/RX600 use the same print engine as the
R200/R300 - you'll get the same quality from one of those.

Si.

When the printer goes you have a very large scanner and a dead weight.

 

[Si]

When the printer goes you have a very large scanner and a dead weight.

Not disputing that, however the question is as per the subject. How good are
they at printing photo's.

The RX500 and RX600 will be as good as the R200 and R300.

Si.

 

[Ron Cohen]

The Canon MP750, MP760 and MP780 all have the same printing characteristics
as the iP4000. The model differences come from the other features such as
faxing.

Ron

 

[Hecate]

Are multi purpose printers such as those that can (scan, copy, fax,
print) still good at printing a photo from a digital camera file or is
it better to buy a photo printer?

Regards Brian

No. Yes.

--

Hecate - The Real One
(e-mail address removed)
Fashion: Buying things you don't need, with money
you don't have, to impress people you don't like...

 

[Michael Johnson, PE]

I have an MP780 and find it prints photos extremely well. It is every
bit as good at printing photos as our iP4000 and seems to be a tad
quicker too.

 

[David Chien]

Yes. My Epson RX500 does as good of a job as my prior 925, and the
prints are spectacular with prints coming out even faster!

As for the reliability of scanners and printers, keep in mind that both
PC Magazine and PC World online have their 2004 User Reliability surveys
which show that all-in-one printers do work quite well and have low
repair occurances.

As for the dead-weight when one part goes, doesn't matter if it is an
all-in-one or not. Either way, if the printing part goes, you still
wind up with dead-weight.

As for cost, it's marginally higher. eg. the RX500 blew out on
clearance everywhere for <$150 (www.fatwallet.com/c/18/ prior threads)
and was an excellent deal vs. a new photo printer at $50-100 if you
wanted a more compact unit.

For me, it was great! Cleared up a significant amount of desk space,
scans better and faster than my prior Epson 1200S, has more features,
and works better than the two standalone Epsons I had earlier.

Highly recommended - Epson all-in-one 6+ color printer/scanner/copier units.

---

Another guy here has been running a Canon all-in-one with
scanning/copying/fax, and it's been flawless for years as well.

I'd say that the makers (Canon/Epson/HP) have all reached the point
where they can make a solid all-in-one that does everything well w/o any
limitations of older models.

Besides, with most places offering full money-back return policies, why
don't you start off with one of the recommended units, and play for a
week or two? It's the best way to settle in and see if they're good enough.

 

[measekite]

Yes. My Epson RX500 does as good of a job as my prior 925, and the
prints are spectacular with prints coming out even faster!

As for the reliability of scanners and printers, keep in mind that
both PC Magazine and PC World online have their 2004 User Reliability
surveys which show that all-in-one printers do work quite well and
have low repair occurances.

As for the dead-weight when one part goes, doesn't matter if it is an
all-in-one or not. Either way, if the printing part goes, you still
wind up with dead-weight.

Last time I did the math if a device performs 3 functions and one
functions goes the unit no longer does what you bought if for. If you
have 3 different devices and one goes you just replace the bad device.

The only justification for having a multifunction device is a space
limitation. And for having that limitation you pay more for the device
unless you get a real piece of crap.

 

[Michael Johnson, PE]

Last time I did the math if a device performs 3 functions and one
functions goes the unit no longer does what you bought if for. If you
have 3 different devices and one goes you just replace the bad device.

The main reason I got the MP780 was for the document feeder and copier
functions. You don't get this with most scanners and having separate
devices and making multiple copies of a document without hassles might
be problematic. The MP780 collates multi-sheet (up to 35 sheets)
documents with ease. I can initiate the process, leave the room, and
when I return the job is finished. Also, having a fax, printer,
scanner, copier as separate units not only takes up space but makes for
a wiring mess. With one unit you have one plug and one USB connection
and not a plate of spaghetti hanging from the rear of your computer.
I'll gladly live with the extra risk of failure of one device taking out
the others just to have the convenience.

The only justification for having a multifunction device is a space
limitation. And for having that limitation you pay more for the device
unless you get a real piece of crap.

Actually, I doubt you could buy four separate devices to do what the
MP780 does with the same quality level for anything close to it's
$225-$250 price tag. The MP780 is one of, if not, the best
multifunction devices sold at the moment so you don't have to pay that
much more for the better units. I had an HP v40 (paid $149 for it)
before the Cannon and it WAS a piece of crap that died after about 6-8
months of moderate use.

 

[measekite]

The main reason I got the MP780 was for the document feeder and copier
functions. You don't get this with most scanners and having separate
devices and making multiple copies of a document without hassles might
be problematic.

It is not. But scanners with doc feeders are expensive.

The MP780 collates multi-sheet (up to 35 sheets) documents with ease.
I can initiate the process, leave the room, and when I return the job
is finished. Also, having a fax, printer, scanner, copier as separate
units not only takes up space but makes for a wiring mess.

No mess. You do not need a fax piece of hardware. All you need is the
software for faxing and a scanner and a printer.

With one unit you have one plug and one USB connection and not a plate
of spaghetti hanging from the rear of your computer. I'll gladly live
with the extra risk of failure of one device taking out the others
just to have the convenience.



Actually, I doubt you could buy four separate devices to do what the
MP780 does with the same quality level for anything close to it's
$225-$250 price tag.

I bought 2 separate devices and I can do all that you do.

 

[Michael Johnson, PE]

It is not. But scanners with doc feeders are expensive.

It's not nearly as easy as it is using the MP780. I don't even need a
computer for the task. I load the document in the feeder and hit one
button. This is the extent of my effort. I copy quite a bit so for me
it is a great convenience.

No mess. You do not need a fax piece of hardware. All you need is the
software for faxing and a scanner and a printer.

I agree. It's still a convenience thing for me. I can throw the
document in the feeder, punch in a telephone number, hit one button and
the job is done. Don't need to touch a mouse or keyboard for the
operation. Having independent fax machine capability is good because it
still lets you receive faxes even if your computer freezes up or the
power goes off momentarily while you are away.

I bought 2 separate devices and I can do all that you do.

The typical price for an iP4000, which is the nearest equivalent for the
MP780 printer function, is $120-$140 so say $130. I'm not familiar with
prices for scanners that can document feed 35+ sheets but my guess is
one with the same quality level of the MP780's would run $150-$200+.
This means you'll probably need to spend around $300 for the pair. I
just don't see the need to pay more money for less capability and
convenience. To each his own, I suppose.

 

[NoBS]

measekite wrote:

The typical price for an iP4000, which is the nearest equivalent for the
MP780 printer function, is $120-$140 so say $130. I'm not familiar with
prices for scanners that can document feed 35+ sheets but my guess is one
with the same quality level of the MP780's would run $150-$200+. This
means you'll probably need to spend around $300 for the pair. I just
don't see the need to pay more money for less capability and convenience.
To each his own, I suppose.

To some, time is the most compelling reason...
But in my case, the time involved in training the "Tech challenged family"
is the real wean-err :-D

 

[Colon Terminus]

Multi-purpose units excel at nothing. At best, they are adequate.
Photo printers are just marketing hype.
Get a good scanner ... Hewlett Packard.
Get a good priner ... HP, Epson, Canon (in that order).
Combined with Windows built-in fax capability that'll
cover all your needs superbly.

 

[measekite]

Multi-purpose units excel at nothing. At best, they are adequate.
Photo printers are just marketing hype.
Get a good scanner ... Hewlett Packard.
Get a good priner ... HP, Epson, Canon (in that order).
Combined with Windows built-in fax capability that'll
cover all your needs superbly.

I agree. I bought a Canon IP4000 and an Epson 4180 scanner. I like
them both.

 

[Michael Johnson, PE]

To some, time is the most compelling reason...
But in my case, the time involved in training the "Tech challenged family"
is the real wean-err :-D

Maintaining harmony with the homies is not to be underrated.