Canon i560 or i860??

[Nate C.]

Hello,

My HP 3820 just died so I'm on a search for a new printer. The HP was fine
but I considered the pix to be somewhat grainy, the whites of eyes always
came out with a blue tint, and pix take FOREVER to print out. All these
factors, plus the fact that the printer broke in less than a year, as well
as expensive ink, has turned me off to HP.

I've been comparing the Canon i560 and i860 printers and don't see a whole
lot of difference. My printing needs break down to approximately 75% photos
and 25% text/other. Photo printing usually consists of uploading, doing any
Photoshop editing necessary, then printing out. We're no professional
photographers, but all of our photo processing is done exclusively at home
on our computer. I have a Canon G3 camera so I may use the direct printing
from camera if I find any benefit to doing that. Both printers have
received very favorable reviews, yet some people claim that the i560 can
leave roller marks.

So, my questions... Based on my needs outlined above, am I in the right
ballpark in looking at these printers? Considering the price difference
between these printers, is the i860 worth ~$60 more?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Nate

 

[Dick]

I looked at the same thing when I replaced an HP with a Canon i860.
The main difference, and it may be important to you with all the photo
printing, is that the i560 is a 4-ink printer like your HP, while the
i860 is a 5-ink printer. It has a separate black cartridge for color
printing, and one for black text only. I haven't compared the two,
but the i860 is excellent on photo's.

Dick

 

[Q.E.D.]

Considering the price difference
between these printers, is the i860 worth ~$60 more?

I myself went for the I560 (Got it around Christmas for $90 at Sams
Club with the USB cable included...Sams now has it at $80).

The I560 prints great photos. I read a review of the 560 and 860 in
PC magazine and they liked both. I think the liked the 560 better on
photos (believe it or not) but the 860 was pretty close and faster so
they gave it a slight edge. Compared to my old HP 880c the 560 is
like lightning. The output is fast and great. I chose the 560 to
have one less tank to refill. I think either would be a great choice.