I have an older Epson - the R320 and it has never, ever had a problem. The photos are better than lab photos that I've gotten from Mpix and other pro and semi-pro labs. I don't think I'd ever go with anything other than an Epson. And, yes, you want an ink jet.
Mine is not a 12 x 12 printer - if I print my pages at home, I print them at 8.5 x 8.5 and put them in 9" albums. If I had the space, I would definitely get a 12 x 12, though.
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Steph
My blog -
steph's stuff
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gallery
Camera: Canon 40D, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 17-50mm f/2.8
Software: Photoshop Elements 5.0