Hi all, I've been looking into some of the hp and canon printers and have decided to choose between the HP Photosmart 6520 or the Canon PIXMA MG5460. I was just looking for some opinions of whats better in means of features, ease of use and setup.
Help choosing printers, HP Photosmart 6520 or Canon PIXMA MG5460?
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Too many variables to properly advise you. What features are most important to you eg wireless, Duplex printing, sheet feed etc.
How much you may print? - cost per page, and printing use, colour Black and white.
HP has I believe advantage of using thermal inkjet so the printing doesnt smudge after print and is water fast.
Also are you looking at a CIS (continuous ink system) which can save money if you are printing a lot.
And then there's the price, sometimes with a sale and rebates you can get the next model up cheaper. What prices have you found already
The salesmen have offered $99 for the canon and i may be able to get the hp for $116. The printer will mainly be used for document printing with low use, also occasionally used for photo print. Networking is a must as there are multiple computers and other devices in our household. Also looking which printer has better ease of use.
It used to be every time you changed the ink cartridges on HP inkjets, you also got a new print head, because it was part of the cartridge. It also used to be the case that Canon printers were the opposite. i.e. The print head is in the printer, not on the ink cartridge.
So first check if that is still the case.
Then decide which you prefer… Paying more for every HP ink cartridge you buy, but getting virtually no clogged nozzles due to a new print head each ink cartridge change. Or, pay less for ink, but risk getting clogged jets with the Canon.
If you are going to print mostly text, perhaps buy a laser instead. Then print photos at Kmart/BigW/Harvey Norman/etc. when you're there. The reason is, inkjets should be used regularly - on all colours - or you risk clogging.
That said, my Epson runs on cheap non-genuine ink. It clogs often. But I just run one or two cleaning cycles to get the colours flowing again.
If ink cartridge cost is not an issue, and you are set on printing photos yourself (but only now and again), then the HP would be the one.
If ink cartridge cost is an issue, and you don't mind running cleaning cycles when the colour jets gunk up, then the Canon.
It used to be every time you changed the ink cartridges on HP inkjets, you also got a new print head, because it was part of the cartridge
Not the case anymore.
Likewise I steered away from HP because of this past requirement, but now its different. While I have no experience the models the OP is looking at, I have an HP 8600 and bought from China a CISS (search aliexpress or ebay) for $60 with ink, and the ink is thermal inkjet that dries fast and doesnt smudge with water.
A CISS or refillable cartridges saves so much money, over OEM cartridges, that the savings will pay for me, the cost of the printer in just 6 months. ( a side benefit, is that I print all colour in colour, rather than having to print some in B&W as the cost difference in Black vs colour ink is very negligable)
So look at the HP as an alternative, google the CISS capabilities you just get the cartridge details from the HP website, the better ink and the permanent aspect might be worth considering.
That said my previous printer was a Canon, and with a CISS it served well for 3 years and still runs. The only issue was the CISS was much harder to fit than the HP one. Now that may also reflect the changes in CISS "technology" in that time.
In essence the quality of all the top 3, Canon, HP and Epson is generally good, there is slight differences in colour output but mainly noticeable if you are a photo colour buff
if this is for printing photos, id suggest looking for reviews of the printer's ink as well as the price.