New printer needed.

Thanks Dave. After looking at Manufacturer pages and reviews until my eyes ache, I agree with this: –

” HP and Lexmark have become more oriented towards document printing, leaving Canon and Epson to slog it out in the photo arena. ”

HP printers no longer have what I need. I have temporarily decided upon a Canon TS 8150:

http://tinyurl.com/yckhttez

I also looked at its big brother the TS 9150. Comparing both, I think the 9150 is no better for my purposes than the 8150. I wanted at least a 5-cart, photo – orientated machine and this seems to fit the bill. I just hope that Canon Support is as good as HP has been: I’ve had almost 10 years of continual upgrades from HP, until the last in March. The software is unrecognisable from the original, still have the original installation CD, unused since first install. I looked at the 6150, which uses the same cart’s as the 80150 and 9150, except for the 6th cart, Photo Blue. I like producing friends and family photos, I enjoy the process, also posters and flyers for my son’s Stationary Engine shows. Well, it keeps me off the streets!?

Thanks for the Canon recommendation: I looked at Epsons, could not find one to suit my needs.

It depends on whatever we need from our printers, Steve. As I said earlier in the thread, I print a lot of colour graphics and photos. I was a self employed designer/printer as my last work before retirement, thought that was the end of that. Now I am printing photos for family and friends, making posters, leaflets and flyers for my son’s Stationary Engine club and shows. I really enjoy the work and I get recompense for materials, plus a bit more for my time. The main point is that I enjoy it and it keeps my few remaining working brain cells occupied.

Last April, the village Community Centre wanted me to do some work for them. I asked them to list what they wanted, showed some examples and gave them prices. Requesting payment for the work, did not seem to please them. So I showed them some old invoices from my printing work, with material prices as they are now. “But it’s for the village!”

“I am a Senior citizen on a fixed income, ” I said “Find a Printer who will do it for nothing, because I cannot afford to do that. What exactly has the village done for me?”

I have not had a response to that. Some of the people who ‘serve’ on the Community Centre Committee, are self-important, toffee-nosed oldpharts who think they should decide who does what, how it should be done, and who* should do it, in the village. I like to attend the CCC meetings, which have to be open to all villagers, just to upset the very few Toffee Noses with objections to some of their daftest ideas. Fortunately I am not alone: most villagers support my opposition and join in. It’s bedlam sometimes, I love it!

One rule for our CC car boots: it will rain on at least 75% of those car boot days, held on a huge green space which is the sports pitches. When it has rained heavily, they have to cancel. There is one on BH Monday, tomorrow. I warned them!

*Not themselves, usually.