When it comes to holiday gift-giving, you have two choices. You either buy a gift certificate and let the recipient pick what he or she wants, or you do some research, buy the gift yourself, and hope the other person likes it enough not to secretly pass it on to someone else like a tooth-breaking fruitcake. Unfortunately, in the latter case, uncertainty leads to unnecessary stress. In this post and over the next couple, we’ll cover a select group of top printers that have won Editors’ Choice Awards of some sort from the critics this past year. While satisfaction isn’t necessarily guaranteed, a ringing endorsement from an industry expert should certainly alleviate some of your anxiety if you’re considering buying a printer for someone this holiday season.
As we discussed in our guide to photo printers back in September, today’s top models are fast, easy to use, feature big LCD screens for previewing and editing photos, print high quality output on photo paper of all sizes, and offer PC-free connectivity via memory card and/or PictBridge. A secondary dedicated photo tray is another feature built into more and more models, and consumers seem to like the convenience of not having to manually change plain paper for photo paper. Not all the award-winning printers we’ve covered this year offer all of these features and benefits, but they’ve obviously done something right. Here’s a look at who won and why:
The HP Photosmart A636 garnered an Editors’ Choice Award from PC Magazine for its easy to use 4.8” touchscreen, top-notch photo quality, and ability to print on photo paper in a number of sizes. Add that to the PictBridge and memory card connectivity, available battery for true mobility, and featherweight 3.4 lb. body, and you can see why the Photosmart A636 also got glowing reviews from PC World and CNET. MSRP is a reasonably affordable $149.99.
The Canon PIXMA iP2600 earned an Editors’ Choice Award from Computer Shopper Magazine for its quality text and photo printing. While other reviewers note the slower print speed and inability to print PC-free, they still agree that the PIXMA iP2600 is pretty adept when it comes to the basics. And at only $49.99, it’s the printing industry’s equivalent of a stocking stuffer, making it worth the purchase for a home office or dorm room.
The Canon PIXMA iP100 won Editors’ Choice distinctions from both Laptop Magazine and CNET for its excellent photo quality, speed, and true portability. It weighs only 4.4 lbs., and you can buy a battery and car adapter so you can use it pretty much anywhere. Not exactly a bargain basement deal at an MSRP of $249.99, but it should be well worth it for traveling businesspeople who absolutely have to print on the road.
Finally, the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 got an Eddy Award from Macworld for its superior photo quality. At $549.99, the Stylus Photo R1900 may not initially seem like a bargain, but the experts agree that it’s actually an excellent value for the more serious photographer or photo hobbyist.
Hopefully these quick recaps have given you some initial ideas on where to look for expert-approved printers. Next post will profile three award-winning laser printers from the past year, so stay tuned.