fix canon s820 printer, or upgrade to epson?

[bigkidjr]

hello all. Anyone know anything about the canon s820? i've had this printer for about 1.5 years and it's been really great for printing my photoart. i use it alot, since i create and print a lot of digital art that I sell at crafts fairs, etc. The problem is that the print quality has really deterioriated in recent weeks. streaks that just won't go away. i've cleaned the crap out of the print heads, still no luck. run an alignment test print, but for at least 2 of the columns, none of the test squares have a streak free choice.

I'm thinking this probably means I need a new print head altogether, in which case it's probably time for an entirely new printer.

anyone have any experience iwth this problem with the canon s820? are my print heads shot (already)?

Alternately, I'm thinking about making the switch to epson. I'd like to be able to print my work on oversized paper (not be limited to 8x10), use archival inks, and be able to print on a wide variety of paper types, including photo, watercolor, canvas, greeting card stock, etc., as i'm working toward getting a digital art business going. I'm also hoping to do a lot of photo restoration as part of this business, and so I need something that can print both digital art and retouched photographs well.

My father has graciously offered to help me purchase a printer that will enable me to do all this, so now's my chance to get something really good.

any advice on the right printer would be really really appreciated!!

thank you so much for your help!!

bk

[Noelf]

Originally Posted by bigkidjr

hello all. Anyone know anything about the canon s820? i've had this printer for about 1.5 years and it's been really great for printing my photoart. i use it alot, since i create and print a lot of digital art that I sell at crafts fairs, etc. The problem is that the print quality has really deterioriated in recent weeks. streaks that just won't go away. i've cleaned the crap out of the print heads, still no luck. run an alignment test print, but for at least 2 of the columns, none of the test squares have a streak free choice.

I'm thinking this probably means I need a new print head altogether, in which case it's probably time for an entirely new printer.

anyone have any experience iwth this problem with the canon s820? are my print heads shot (already)?

Alternately, I'm thinking about making the switch to epson. I'd like to be able to print my work on oversized paper (not be limited to 8x10), use archival inks, and be able to print on a wide variety of paper types, including photo, watercolor, canvas, greeting card stock, etc., as i'm working toward getting a digital art business going. I'm also hoping to do a lot of photo restoration as part of this business, and so I need something that can print both digital art and retouched photographs well.

My father has graciously offered to help me purchase a printer that will enable me to do all this, so now's my chance to get something really good.

any advice on the right printer would be really really appreciated!!

thank you so much for your help!!

bk

My personal opinion is that rarely is it worth fixing an inkjet printer that isn't under warranty. The speed of changes are going so fast, that you will spend the same amount of money buying a new printer that can do more normally.

As for Epson, I have two 1280's and have always really loved their printing. The 13x19 print size is a nice ability to print oversized, and with the proper paper they really do a nice job.

There are some newer Epsons out there now that do even a better job from what I've read. But my experience with Epson has been always positive so far

- Noel

[bigkidjr]

hey noel. thanks for your response. i went onto both the epson and canon websites to read about their latests and greatests. seems to me i'm probably going to have to go for either the canon i9100 (is the 9900 coming out soon?) or else either the epson 1280 or the epson 2200. it's so hard to decide, seeing as they all get really stellar reviews. i'm needing something that's goign to give me really sharp colors, and can print well on a variety different types of papers. i do mainly digital fine art and am getting into greeting cards (good prints on inkjet card stock is really hard to achieve, i find, at least for my canon s820, except if i'm using Staples white notecard size, believe it or not).

anyway, if anyone knows any specifics about the pros/cons of these printers, i'd appreciate the help. i'm having a hardtime getting a definitive picture just from reading the online reviews. in the meantime, i've got a dead printer...

[Doug Nelson]

If you can cost-justify the 2200, go for it. Lovely results, and it solves some of the archival problems that nag the 1280, and the metamerism problems of the 2000.