Q: I would like to start printing photographs at home. Can I get the same quality at home as I get from the drugstore or an online service? What about the expense?

A: A professional-quality photo printer that uses eight ink colors can easily exceed the image quality you get from most stores and services. In fact, this has been the case for several years. I have a beautiful Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer from 2004 that still makes some of the best photographic prints I have ever seen.

The downside is that such professional-quality printers require a significant upfront investment, typically over $500, and you need a certain amount of skill to get the best results with them. But many consumer printers also can make great prints.

Last year my sister purchased an Epson Expression Premium XP-6000 upon my recommendation, and she was thrilled when I wirelessly connected it to her smartphone and printed beautiful photographs. The printer was a big hit at my niece's graduation party, where we printed pictures taken by the guests and posted them on a big display board for everyone to see. The XP-6000 is currently on sale for $79.99, and it's a great deal at that price.

Although that is an appealing proposition, I am convinced that Epson Ecotank printers are the way to go and the wave of the future. Before Ecotank, my inkjet printers collected dust from lack of use because I preferred to print my documents on a black-and-white laser printer and have my photographs printed by a lab. The cost and inconvenience of buying ink cartridges drove me away, and though my laser-printed pages were fine, I still missed documents with bright, beautiful color, as well as the convenience of being able to print out an occasional photograph at home.

Thanks to my Ecotank printer I am looking at lovely color documents again. Ecotank printers come with refillable ink tanks and a set of ink bottles that hold the equivalent of 80 ink cartridges, enough to last most users for years. When you do need to replace the ink bottles, it is 90% less expensive than buying cartridges. Although you spend more for the printer upfront, you will quickly recoup the cost in ink savings, and you will always have the security of knowing you are not likely to run out of ink when you need it most. The Epson Ecotank ET-2720 all-in-one printer is only $199 and is a good place to start. Now it is my laser printer that collects dust as I enjoy color printing at an even lower cost per print than my black-and-white laser. epson.com

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.