I currently own an HP 970, and I'm thinking about purchasing
an Epson 2200 because of the Epson's reputation for outstanding
photo print quality.
The thing is, reading the 970 reviews at epinions.com implies that the
970 may be good enough.
You would be the best judge of whether the DeskJet 970 meets your needs. When
printing on HP Premium Plus Photo paper in Best mode the 970 can make pretty
respectable prints. Be sure to select the proper paper type in the driver, and
start with a good quality input file.
If you need a better photo capability you might take a look at the DeskJet
5650, which can print borderless 6 ink prints. It is $149, replacing the DJ
5550 which has now been discounted to $99. Either of these will give
comparable results when printing with the standard cartridges, but can
accommodate an optional photo cartridge which gives somewhat better photo
capability, particularly in light areas such as sky or faces.
If you want to get a bit more fancy the Photosmart 7960 holds three cartridges
and provides 8 ink printing. It is $299, and prints directly from various
photo cards as well as from a PC.
See the following for details of HP's lineup:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/ho/WF02a/18972-236251-64340.html for the
Photosmart printers and
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/ho/WF02a/18972-236251-236261.html for the
DeskJet models.
I would suggest you look at samples for any models you are considering and
comparing them to the results you can get out of your DeskJet 970. Send me an
email if you want to get a sample from the HP printers.
Regards,
Bob Headrick, not speaking for my employer HP