Time to replace the printer .......i960 or i9100?

[MrEWorm]

I have gotten by with a couple cheap Canon printers that are 5 years old. I usually take my photos to a shop to get them printed.
I will use my cheap Canon just to run B&W documents.
I am currently looking at the Canon i960 and the i9100. I know that there is a large price difference. As I will probably use whatever I get for several years, is the price difference worth it?

Thanks in advance

[MrEWorm]

As a follow up question. With a good photo printer, can I print directly from PS CS or will I need a software upgrade too?

[scottbergerphoto]

Have you considered the Epson 2200? I use it as my primary photo printer. My monitor is calibrated with the Spyder/Optical and I use the ICC profiles provided by Epson. I shoot Adobe RGB. I print borderless 8.5x11, 8x10, 5x7. The prints are virtually identical to my monitor. They are sharp with vibrant colors. I print directly from PSE2 and have my printer set to No Color Adjustment.
Scott

[CyberDyneSystems]

MrEWorm,
I hold both of the Canon printers you mention in very high regard. I have had the i950 (nearly the same unit as i960 which replaced the i950) for about 8 months and love every print it has put pout. To my eyes they are simply the best prints I have seen from an Ink jet.

I can not say enough for the advantages of individual ink tanks. I burned through "Photo Magenta" about 4 months into owning it,. and yet 4 of the remaining colors were all over 3/4 full.. Photo Cyan was about 1/4 full.

If I had had to throw out all of the ink to replace an entire cartridge,. I would have wasted nearly 3/4 of all the ink.

Recently I upgraded to the i9100 for large prints... (at first I though I might keep both operational,. but the idea of keeping 12 ink tanks going was a bad one.. in the end I took the six tanks out of the i950 and put them into the i9100 and am still going strong with some of the colrs from 8 months ago!)

So far from the prints I have made I can see no discernable difference in print quality,.

10D Images look FANTASTIC @ 13"X19"!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think it is very fair to refer to the i9100 as a larger i960. The specs claim that the i950-960 has a smaller droplet size,. but again I can not see a difference.

So the decision of one Vs. the other would be a matter of size of prints and little else (as well as size of desk space!)

Both can be used to print directly from Photoshop.. this is many peoples methid of choice.

[dn7elson]

I am currently looking at the Canon i960 and the i9100. I know that there is a large price difference. As I will probably use whatever I get for several years, is the price difference worth it?

If you will never print 11x17 or 13x19, you might as well get the smaller version (i960). Once you print the larger sizes, you may become spoiled. Since I use my s9000 to print 11x17 schedules and AutoCAD drawings, the larger size was a natural. I have also printed several 13x19 color prints that I have framed and hung in my home.

One of the things that impressed me about the Canon printers is the print speed. If this is a consideration for you also, look into the output speed at Best Resolution on any printer you consider.

Printing from PS CS will give you the most control over the image and output, but for "everyday" printing, I find that the bundled Canon Easy-PhotoPrint does an excellent job. It has several preset configurations, e.g., 4 images on a sheet (both bordered & borderless) and is quick and easy. I usually use this to print a bunch of 4x6 prints from an event or party where they are to be used informally. On my system, the color match is excellent as well.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Ahhh yes,. Canon print speeds are amazing,.. and another thing that may be of importance is noise (I mean acoustic noise,. sound,. not film grain :) )

The Canons are almost silent compared to those "other" printers, lol