Which A3 [printer] for me?

[fried-gold]

I am in need of an A3 printer to print out my portfolio amongst other work, I'm getting a bit fed up of forking out for shop prints. Ideally this printer would cost under £250, overall print quality and colour are important although I know for this money its not easy. I've been looking at some new printers but really i don't know where to start. I would also consider buying second hand (although is this wise?). Another issue is mac compatibility. Need some advice please!

Cheers Andy

 

[LeviG]

canon pixma ix4000, you can get it for around £170 new. I've got one and when its used with the correct paper (ie canon own brand) it has a brilliant output in my opinion.

 

[fried-gold]

thanks for the advice. It looks good. How is the ink consumption though? Also does anyone know if there is a printer in the same price range that uses more than 4 cartridges. I've heard that only using 4 can limit the quality of the print, is this true?

 

[Macky-Mac]

you might also look at the epson stylus photo 1400. It has 6 inks. Looks like the list price in the USA is $299 so that would prob be within your budget

the next step up in epson's line is the R1900, 8 inks

 

[michelef1l]

I use an Epson R1800, and though this printer is a bit above your price range it is a great example to use. I have printed many portfolio pieces and large scale photos and no one can believe I printed them on a personal printer. I know a couple people who have different Epson models (one has an R2400 and the other has a cheaper Epson large format) and they both love their print quality is well. Epson can be a little picky, so I would definitely stick with Epson brand paper and ink. But honestly, using the same brand is going to get you the best print anyway so you have no reason to look at other brands. The R1800 is around $500 depending on where you can buy it, and it uses 8 cartridges and prints up to 13x44. It especially prints glossy photos AMAZING, as it has a separate cartridge with a gloss optimizer. Definitely something to look into!

 

[Macky-Mac]

the current version of the R1800 is the R1900 and I see that Epson has it for sale on their (USA) site for $400 after a $150 mail-in rebate....maybe Epsons' UK division has a similar deal?