Canon i860 vs i960 Opinions, Please ?

R

Robert11

Hello:

Really new at this.

Looking for a houshold photo printer to use with a new digital camera.
Pretty light usage frankly. Some photos, some text, but not all that much
each day.
Output speed for text not important.

Would of course like really good 4x6 (mainly) prints.

Might someone offer their general opinions on the Canon i860 vs their i960,
please ?
i960 "worth" the additional $50 ?

Is it true the text output from the i960 isn't as good, as I heard they make
black for text by mixing colors, while the i860 has a dedicated black for
text. ?

Consumables cost for each approx. the same, even though the i960 has more
tanks ?

Much thanks,
Bob
 
J

J. Frank Freeman

I just recently posted the same query, I opted for the i-960 and am so glad
I made that choice. The machine is awesome.
Frank
 
M

Michael Grey

This is a dye based printer.The text looks excellemt but it will be slow at
it.
If there are some graphics with the text it will outdo the I860 in speed.
Only the 4 color inkjets mix colors to make a black in photos.Colors are dye
based.
The reason for this is the black is pigmented base like Epsons Durabrite
ink.
 
B

bmoag

In the long run you get what you pay for. The 960 is a far better quality
photoprinter, in part because of its use of multiple color inks. If your
interest in photography and print quality deepens you will not regret the
extra $50 for the 960 which is capable of very high end photoprinting.
 
B

B. Peg

I'd go with the i960 'cause it makes anything HP's got look sick. Cheaper
inks too. Doesn't bend the thicker papers up and get stuck like HP's do
either. The Canon i960 had a $30 rebate going on for a while that made
buying it a no-brainer over the i860.

From an owner who has more HP printers than brains...but uses his one i960
more often. Canon i960 is one excellent photo printer. Text don't look bad
either (looking at some now).

B~
 
R

Robert11

Hi Mike:

Thanks for reply.

Isn't the black text on the 960 made by mixing colors, while the 860 has a
dedicated text black ink cartridge ?

Thought this was the reason there were so many comments on some groups that
the text on the 960 is a "bit" inferior ?

How do you find the 960 text quality ?

Thanks,
Bob
-----------------
 
B

B. Peg

Remember, too, that the i960 has a finer dot-per-inch than most other
printers. I am sitting here comparing the text between a HP 960 and a Canon
i960 for tomorrow's job. The Canon is definitely sharper than the HP.
However, the paper the Canon is printed on is whiter than the HP printer so
this may have something to do with it.

Both documents from both printers have images in them (Word documents plus
included Jpegs). The Canon is far superior when the images are displayed
with enclosed images than the HP which look "blocky."

Overall, I doubt if you will see any difference in text quality. Images
definitely will be better with the i960, especially large areas like the
sky.

B~
 
R

Rob

The i860 uses two blacks (one for color and one for black text) which
may be why some feel the text is better on it than on the i960 which
only uses dye-based black.
However, the i860 prints black text at 600x600 and color at 4800x1200
whereas the i960 prints both black and colored at 4800x1200.

For what it's worth, I have a i9900 which uses the same black ink as
the i960 for text and it is superb.

Rob
 
D

Dick

I have a Canon i860 and am very pleased with it. However, having
always been an HP person, I am disappointed with the print quality for
black text. The i860 in standard mode is nowhere near as dark and
crisp as my HP P1100 in draft mode. The HP print is as black as my
laserjet. The Canon is dark gray at best. Because I have to run the
Canon in standard mode to get even close to the HP in draft mode, I
wonder how much of the touted saving there will really be in the black
cartridges.

Dick
 
B

Bill

Dick said:
I have a Canon i860 and am very pleased with it. However, having
always been an HP person, I am disappointed with the print quality for
black text. The i860 in standard mode is nowhere near as dark and
crisp as my HP P1100 in draft mode. The HP print is as black as my
laserjet. The Canon is dark gray at best. Because I have to run the
Canon in standard mode to get even close to the HP in draft mode, I
wonder how much of the touted saving there will really be in the black
cartridges.

I used to be an HP fan also, but have switched to Canon for the cost
savings.

I have an i850, and it sounds like you're printing black with mixed
colours instead of the pure black cartridge.

When you want to print text or black only, select "Grayscale printing"
in the settings. Then it will print using the black only cartridge and
it should be just as good as your HP.
 
D

Dick

I used to be an HP fan also, but have switched to Canon for the cost
savings.

I have an i850, and it sounds like you're printing black with mixed
colours instead of the pure black cartridge.

When you want to print text or black only, select "Grayscale printing"
in the settings. Then it will print using the black only cartridge and
it should be just as good as your HP.

Thanks. I will try that.
 

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