Requiem.
Alas, the old photo printer I'd been using, an HP Photosmart 7550, gave up the ghost yesterday in the midst of printing out wallet sizes for the commission I mentioned below. Armed with a fairly broad working knowledge of who's producing the best consumer imaging products, I went out to Best Buy and CompUSA to pick up a new photo printer.
(The joy of having disposable income.)
I vacillated between two Epsons, the R220 and the R340 (PDF warning for both links), but finally decided on the R340. If I had the inclination and the income, I would have sprung for the R800 or one of the UltraChrome enabled printers, but I am satisfied with the purchase I made. It prints borderless up to 8x14, and even on the surface of inkjet-capable CD-Rs, which might come in handy for the mix CD album cover I need to design.
Though I have no illusions as to the nature of inanimate material, I always try to treat my property with respect--I've always anthropomorphized my belongings, ever since I was little. The HP served me well, for several years, and I'm sad that it's finally done. But hopefully the Epson will serve me just as well, for just as long, or longer.