Need advice on good, inexpensive printer for DVD work.

[Xirix]

As the title suggests, I'm willing to pay around 70.. 100 max, all I'll be using this printer for is printing out onto DVD Paper Inserts, and printing on Inkjet Printable DVD's themselves.

Any help will be much apprechiated.

Thanks ^^

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

Seeing as you are not in the US, you are probably better off looking for a Canon printer to do this. Canons seem to use less ink than the equivalent Epson models, plus I have not heard as many problems with the CD tray misfeeding or breaking (I have an Epson R340, the first one broke in three months, the second one hasn't seen much use yet).

Canon does seem to have problems printing on some silver surface discs (I've had several people tell me that they don't work on Verbatim Silver Printable CD-Rs).

 

[Xirix]

Well that's okay because they're White Inkjet Printables, not the silvers. But does anyone have any recommended models, Canon has a lot of printers.

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

If you are not going to be doing any photo printing, and want to do a lot of document printing as well, I suggest the IP4200 as a standalone printer, or the MP500 if you want an all-in-one. They have five inks - two blacks, dye for photo and graphic printing, the other one pigmented for text, as well as the regular CMY inks. If you want to do a lot of photographic work with it, I think it's the IP6600 for a standalone, and the MP750 as an all-in-one, but I could be wrong on those model numbers. They have 6-color inksets (no pigment black).

I would avoid any of the models that take the ink cartridges with the printheads on the cart (such as the MP450). I don't believe any of these models will even do CD printing, only the ones with the separate color inks.

If you are planning on refilling, you may want to find an IP3000/4000, which do not have chipped ink tanks. Since you are outside the US, your printer will have the CD printing feature built in, and come with the print tray.

 

[websnail]

The MP500 and iP4200 are great printers but when you come to replace the cartridges you'll die of shock at the cost of consumables. So I would only consider these printers if you are serious about learning to refill. However if you go that route there's various potential warranty issues (search the forum and google for more info).

I'd personally avoid Epsons because almost everyone who has an R3x0 or R2x0 model has complained that regular use ends with a service required message a heck of a lot faster than most people expected (due to the waste ink pads filling up at a VERY fast rate!). That is relatively easy to get past (search for "external AND waste AND tank AND epson") but there's still reports of problems with the CD trays..

On reflection I'd search around on other forums as well and stevesforums in particular for more discussion on CD/DVD printing as there's plenty of opinions about...