print quality samples?

mark641

Print Lurker
Joined
Dec 17, 2024
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Printer Model
magicolor 1690
I need to get a new printer/scan/copier: ~~200 pages/month, mostly B/W text,
a few colour photos. My main concerns are reliability & print quality. I have seen
several posts to the general effect that the actual resolution is far lower than what
the manufacturers claim. I would really like to see some print samples. Please has
anybody posted them? Thankyou
 

thebestcpu

Getting Fingers Dirty
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Dec 8, 2024
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Printer Model
Epson SC P900
Hi Mark
Quite a while ago, I was making a similar decision, so I can share my experience (though dated).
I need a home/office printer of about the same volume of paper as you, and I wanted to be able to print images as well.
I learned the hard way that focusing first on the printer's reliability should be made a top priority, as there is nothing worse than doing a big, relatively big print job (double-sided) and dealing with jams.
I got an HP Officejet 8620 at that time, which also took good pictures. It never jammed on me, and the dpi in the best picture mode was 4800x1200 (1200x1200 was the baseline print for the office).
For cost, I got a printer that had separate CMYK inks and it supported larger fill ink containers (now there are tank options).

Since I wanted good pictures, I went with inkjet instead of laserjet.

So for consideration, here are some thoughts
- Choose a brand and model with the highest ratings (I don't think that is HP, BTW, anymore, based on ratings I have seen.
- I would get a step up 1 level from your everyday needs (usually built better). For me, 250 paper trays was plenty, as double-sided printing, single-sided scanning with an auto feeder (along with the option for flatbed scanning)
- It's a bit better to buy the photo paper in the same brand as the printer and use the option to "let the printer manage colors" for the best photo results. Paper companies do not provide ICC profiles for their office printers of the same brand, let alone other brands.
- I have not seen resolution issues with the office ink-based printers
Below is a side-by-side comparison of a test print on my Epson P900 left and my old HP 8620 on the right. The test image was optimized for the Epson resolution. I did not customize a test image for the 8620 and left the test image at 720ppi. I just put in a sheet of Ultra Premium Epson Glossy photo paper, set it to its Best print quality print setting, and let it go.
From a magnifying glass inspection, I cannot see any resolution difference, which is at least down to the resolution of what you can see with your eye. I did have Photoshop manage the print and assumed the paper was SRGB profile, so the color was slightly more saturated on the HP print vs the Epson P900.
I did not make a copy stand image of the resolution chart to see the resolution beyond what I did with a magnifying glass, yet if you really want a higher resolution than what the eye can see, I don't think you want to print photos with an Office copier.

8620-test-print.jpg
 
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