Buying a printer to print photos

Sorry if I annoy anyone, but I posted this on the Technology forum and haven’t had a reply as maybe it’s a too basic question!

I’m thinking of getting a new printer to print photo’s from my new digital camera so I can be independent and not rely on the photoshops.

1). Should I get one of the small ones designed exclusively for photo’s or buy one of the new printers that plug into a pc and make copies etc as well?

2). Do the more expensive models of printer produce better quality pictures?

3). How much should I spend on a good printer for photos?

I basically know nothing about all this - so any advice is welcome. Thanks!

Get the printer that prints on CDs. It can print photos and when you burn CDs or VCDs you can make them look quite official. It’s about $7K at the 3C in Yong He.

Get an Epson C65. They use Durabrite inks (pigment based not dye based) and images are rated as lasting 70+ years. Epsons tend to be pricy in Taiwan but that’s Taiwan. Don’t get the type that you just plug your card in and the photos pop out. Almost any image is going to need a certain amount of tweaking/cropping. Get some decent imaging software. The software that comes bundled with the C65 isn’t very useful so you should try and get Adobe Elements 3. It’s good for beginners. Most important, go to dpreview.com and start reading some of the forums. After a few days, start asking questions. The most important forums there for you would probably be the Printing, PC Tools and Epson forums.

w3.epson.com.tw/imaging/Product/A0/STYLUSC65.asp