One Kick-A** Little Printer!

Do you own, or know of, a decent color printer? I'm in desperate need of a good yet affordable inkjet, for freelancing and home use! Any suggestions? —D

Well, I'm glad you asked, because I happen to own the best printer in the world! It's a Canon i960 inkjet, and I've had it for 2-3 years. At the store, most inkjets try to sell you on their great photo quality. (After all, that's primarily what inkjets are known for.) And admittedly, I'd held off buying one for some time, because I knew that inkjets can print text with less than satisfactory results, due to their inherent non-Postscript-ness.

But when I brought the i960 home from the Apple Store, I was immediately impressed with how it produced not only photos but graphics and text, as well. (The best edge sharpness and gradation quality I'd seen at the time.) I use it to print most, if not all, of my self-promotional materials, as well as client comps, etc. It's even decent for invoices, letters and resumes.

(Here's a secret: To reproduce vector-based graphics at stunning quality—yes, even on an inkjet, at least the i960—it's best to rasterize those graphics at a high resolution (in Photoshop at 300dpi, for instance) and print those bitmapped images, instead of the original vector files. Trust me, it's worth going through the extra couple of steps!)

Although the printer is a few years old now, it still performs just as solidly as the day I bought it. Having said that, the i960 is not a workhorse, for churning out thousands of pages per month! (Use a decent laser printer for that; otherwise you're likely in for lower print quality, a few maintenance issues, and definitely a shorter lifespan!)

The most intense use I've put the printer through was back when I reproduced my entire portfolio with it. First of all, the print quality is that damn good—able to produce a professional presentation of logos, collateral, and magazine covers. But I could tell that having printed several versions of each piece, all in the space of an evening—on the highest quality setting, no less—definitely made my baby a bit tired!

(Also, I refrain from using the i960 for casual, everyday printing—web pages, notes, instructions, etc.—which keeps it fresh for the jobs that require high quality.)

At the time of purchase, the cost of the i960 was under $200—inexpensive for such a great little printer. And of course, there are other good options out there for around the same price, or even cheaper. (I also own an Epson R200, as well as an HP PhotoSmart all-in-one.) But for quality's sake, I'd avoid the REALLY cheap printers—typically under $100, or the kind that come bundled as 'freebies'—as you then start to 'get what you pay for'!

But where the real cost comes in is the consumables. A full set of ink costs me around $80 these days; and if you're doing heavy color printing—such as portfolio samples, color flyers, a batch of photos, etc.—then you'll really want to keep extra cartridges on hand. Plus, the kind of paper on which inkjet printers produce the best quality is not cheap! A 50-pack of photo paper may cost $20-$30, if not more...

Even so, it's been a great investment. Being able to print professional-looking stationery at home means I no longer have to mess around with commercial printers just to get a few new business cards. The quality is so high that it makes me look good at job interviews and in front of clients; and obviously, the machine's paid for itself times over with freelance business.

By this point, the i960 may no longer be in production—likely replaced by newer model. Even so, my recommendation would be to go for a Canon in the range of $150-$200. It'll be a great freelance sidekick, produce nice family photos, and do well for printing the occasional 'cease and desist' letter...

Hope this helps—Terry

(This was originally an email from April '07, advising a friend—a mom and fellow designer—on what printer would be best for her. Obviously, I have a bias toward my trusty Canon i960! And although I wouldn't mind making a bit of ad revenue these days, this was NOT a paid endorsement!)