Need to get a good color printer...

[Epy]

Wanting to buy a decent color printer which I'm going to be using mainly to print photos on glossy paper. I know Canon and HP are like the best printer brands and I'm probably looking at either an HP PhotoSmart or a Canon PIXMA. DPI doesn't really matter to me as much as the printed colors do...just looking to see if anyone has any solid opinions on any color printers they've purchased recently. PC World ranked the HP PhotoSmart Plus as the best printer in like last month's issue, was thinking of getting that. Also trying to keep it under 200 bucks.

Any additional information, i.e. outrageous ink prices, wireless ability, card ports, good holiday deals, multi-function printer that prints really good photos too, would be greatly appreciated.

A printer that plays nice with Linux would be nice too

Thanks and happy early turkey day.

[whiteflags]

Well you basically have two places to go to get HP and Canon drivers for linux:

the Canon Japanese download site (PIXUS=PIXMA), or HP's dinky little tool if you don't already have the software

and all of this comes from Linux-drivers.org - Linux Hardware Compatibility Lists & Linux Drivers

Of course, you seem all but decided on what printer to buy, but I've been using an HP PSC1210 for years and never really had a huge problem with it. Right now I use Paint.NET to scan instead of HP's imaging software, if that matters to you at all, because their software is borked on my system. I hate paying for ink generally, but I end up replacing cartridges rarely anyway. It's also nice that HP has the recycling program. I don't know if Canon has something like that.

[zacs7]

Right now I use Paint.NET to scan instead of HP's imaging software, if that matters to you at all, because their software is borked on my system. I hate paying for ink generally, but I end up replacing cartridges rarely anyway. It's also nice that HP has the recycling program. I don't know if Canon has something like that.

When is the HP software not broken? . At my work all the HP cartridges just go straight into the bin, their "green recycling program" is more effort than it's worth. Plus it's major benefit to them. Who says they don't just refill and sell them as "new".

That being said, I have access to a HP Photosmart D6100 to print photos in very rare frequency . Seems to do it fine, but ink from HP can be very expensive.

[whiteflags]

Oh, I'm running an HP machine and it's pretty strange it's broken even on here.

Well all you really have to do is mail them in, and they give you the bag you're supposed to use, so I don't call that effort. I don't care if HP refills them and sells 'old' cartridges. I think that would be the point to begin with. I think ink is a ripoff everywhere too, so that's probably collusion. It's ridiculous, since ........ing pens are way cheaper.

[Epy]

Thanks guys. I checked out the print cartridge prices for the photosmart plus...10 bucks for each color, so like 30 bucks for all three color cartridges...wouldn't be using it all that much and that's cheaper than it used to be.

[brewbuck]

When is the HP software not broken? . At my work all the HP cartridges just go straight into the bin, their "green recycling program" is more effort than it's worth. Plus it's major benefit to them. Who says they don't just refill and sell them as "new".

If they did, why would that be bad? I think it's better not to put a bunch of crap in a landfill that still works perfectly fine. What exactly do you think "recycling" implies?

[Epy]

Got the HP Photosmart Premium All-in-one. HP.com is selling stuff at like half off tonight...was 99 bucks, 209 bucks on Amazon.