cant choose what printer

[armandjones82]

hi. i know most of you have an experience in buying and owning printers. I really have different kinds of demands but I have not yet decided what kind of printer to buy. Please suggest one that fits $100-$200 budget.. i want to print pictures and ebooks.. i would not mind spending much for the printer if it wont require me to buy expensive printer ink for it..

[Malaki86]

I have a Lexmark all-in-one printer/scanner/fax that my wife picked up at a Big Lots for about $50. The ink costs me about $25 for the black (never print color) and that easily prints 2 months worth of logs. What I really like about that printer is that it has an auto-document feeder for copying/scanning. I send my paperwork in with TransflowNow direct from the truck. Plus, being able to make copies quickly (and without dealing with the truckstops) is a major plus.

Even at Best Buy, Wal Mart, etc, you won't pay much for a printer. The only one I'd suggest you stay away from are Epsons. They have a history of the printheads getting clogged, which pretty much ends the life of your printer. HP's are probably the best overall and Lexmarks are a great price. My Lexmark has been in the truck for a few years now with no issues.

Expect to pay under $100 for a decent printer/scanner. If you can, get one with the auto-feeder for scanning. It really helps out.

[Fredog]

walmart has an all in one Kodak that does a great job. the hp's are junk they have a defect, after a couple of months, they give a false paper jam error and then wont work anymore, I had 2 that did it and my friend had 3 that all did the same thing
I have a canon now that I'm real happy with, the ink is expensive, but it lasts a long time, it has been saying ink low for 2 weeks and is still printing fine

[Malaki86]

My last printer was an HP 895, I think. Had that thing for at least 10 years. The drive belt in it dry-rotted and broke, otherwise I would've still been using it. Having the scanner is a major plus.

[Malaki86]

walmart has an all in one Kodak that does a great job. the hp's are junk they have a defect, after a couple of months, they give a false paper jam error and then wont work anymore, I had 2 that did it and my friend had 3 that all did the same thing
I have a canon now that I'm real happy with, the ink is expensive, but it lasts a long time, it has been saying ink low for 2 weeks and is still printing fine

As a matter of fact, I had bought an el-cheapo HP printer-only. I think I had it 2 weeks before it started acting stupid. Thankfully, though, I only paid something like $30 for it. Thankfully because I put the printer between my drives and flattened it.

[MichiganDriver]

Since they basically give you the printer but nail you on replacement ink... I suggest something that doesn't have a computer chip embedded in the ink cartridges. That way you can buy replacement ink at a fraction of the price. I own 2 Brother printers for that reason and I don't love them but they're acceptable and the ink is cheap.

The best printer I ever had was a Canon. Duplex printing, fast. Loved it until replacement ink costs started getting on my nerves.

[Malaki86]

I hear ya on the ink costs. I have an Epson at home that takes 6 carts, @ $20 each. Even if you only print in black, they all run low. Great printer if you can afford to use it.

[Fredog]

My last printer was an HP 895, I think. Had that thing for at least 10 years. The drive belt in it dry-rotted and broke, otherwise I would've still been using it. Having the scanner is a major plus.

I have an older hp all in one that I have had for years with no problems. but the new ones are crap,, NEVER had any luck with Lexmark either

[GMAN]

I have 2 HP all in one printers. One has an automatic document feeder. For the most part, both have been problem free. I have own both for a number of years. I did have a problem with one that said something about a jam. I think that I disconnected the power and it reset itself. In any case, both have given me a lot of service. I belive one is a 2400 and the other a 5410. I paid about $150 for one and about $200 for the other. You can now find them for around $100 or less. They make most of their money on the ink. You can spend a little more and get a laser printer and it will cost less to print. Toner lasts much longer, but you will spend more to purchase. I have also owned IBM, Lexmark and other brands. Most will give you good service.

[Malaki86]

I'd like to find a decent laser printer/scanner just for that - the toner. I had an ancient HP Laserjet IIID, which was a duplex printer. When I bought it, it was probably 5-10 years old already and I used it for another 5 or so. It was a massive power-hog, though. When I turned it on, it would dim the lights in the entire house until it was completely warmed up.

[GMAN]

I bought a Lexmark printer many years ago. It was a real powerhouse. I paid $5,500 for it new. The drum got scratched and I could no longer use it so I stored it. I think that I still have it. It is probably 20 years old now.

[golfhobo]

armandjones82 said:

Hi. i know most of you have an experience in buying and owning printers.

Hi back. Finally, a thread that I know something about! [hold the comments, guys!] I started the first "toner cartridge recharging" company in my town (and a surrounding 5 county area) in NC in 1990. I quickly progressed to servicing all brands of LASER printers and copiers. I even bought up a small "old school" office machines & supplies company with a highly respected customer base (including the local gov't.) I know more than "a bit" about printers and copiers (including nearly every model/type commented on so far.) Please... don't buy until you've heard me out.

I really have different kinds of demands but I have not yet decided what kind of printer(s) to buy. .. i want to print pictures and ebooks..

Before the invasion of the "office clearing houses for cheap Chinese junk" took over, the office machines industry and market was driven my American made equipment that did one thing... and did it WELL! The "all-in-ones" have been a cheap compromise for the average individual, providing less than laser quality text/graphics... and less than Kodak quality photo prints. (are we talking photo quality prints... or color representations on paper with a color cartridge with little holes to create colored "dots" that, when seen from a distance on the refrigerator, TEND to look like a picture?)

The cheap costs of powdered toner used in early laserprinters like the HP Series II, III, and related models... gave way to the HIGH cost of liquid ink cartridge(s) necessary for the "dual role" of color and B/W graphics printing ... MADE NECESSARY by the "digitization" of media input.

What I'm saying is... the VOLUME of B/W pages created by printing E-books (kinda goes against the idea of them, eh?) demands the low cost and "workhorse" nature of a pure laser printer (there ARE some very small ones)... but... do you want it in the truck? Or, at home?

On the other hand... if you want to reproduce (or print) quality "reprints" of a picture or negative (or digital inputed image) you need the "photo quality" of a picture type printer like the Kodak.

I suggest you seriously consider buying two separate machines, both probably low cost by now, and getting the best of both "needs."

Please suggest one that fits $100-$200 budget

IF you can only afford to spend less than 2 bills for something so important to your life, then... I would wait a bit till you're making more money as a trucker. But... if you only want to SPEND that much... then, I say buy a good (but cheap) Kodak photo printer, and spend the rest of the money on (maybe a USED) small H/P Laserjet 6L. [This is a GOOD printer with low toner costs that should handle your e-book requirement.]

I would not mind spending much for the printer if it wont require me to buy expensive printer ink for it..

There you have it. Spend the money on the photo printer, and then spend a decent amount on a laserprinter for the texting of the e-books. (Or take your negatives or flashcard to a local walmart or pharmacy.... and print the ones you want)... and spend about one bill on a used laserprinter and cartridge.

If you spend less than $200 on an "all in one" machine... you will double that cost in printer ink before the cheap POS breaks DOWN!

I got more if you wanna KNOW more.

[Mystikal]

Do the document feeders allow scanning of multiple pages without touching them? I've been curious as I rarely tend to scan only one page and completing the process to scan 10 pages with these programs is tedious and sometimes rediculous depending on the maker.

[Malaki86]

Do the document feeders allow scanning of multiple pages without touching them? I've been curious as I rarely tend to scan only one page and completing the process to scan 10 pages with these programs is tedious and sometimes rediculous depending on the maker.

The one on my Lexmark does. The epson I had in there prior had a scanner, but would only do 1 page at a time.

[raneysonline]

There are plenty of places you can get coupons for printers. I would check the sunday paper. As far as specific models go, we use a Lexmark at the office and it hasn't given us any problems.




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[hubbs]

hi. i know most of you have an experience in buying and owning printers. I really have different kinds of demands but I have not yet decided what kind of printer to buy. Please suggest one that fits $100-$200 budget.. i want to print pictures and ebooks.. i would not mind spending much for the printer if it wont require me to buy expensive printer ink for it..

Epson Stylus C90 is a very good printer.. the model itself is cheap plus you dont have to yield much for its printer ink..

[GMAN]

It is the ink cartridges that are the real cost of ink jet printers. I just bought a recharged set of cartridges for my HP2410 and spent over $50. I saved about $10 over buying the HP brand. These are expensive and don't last long if you are printing a lot of pages. I miss my old laser printer, but even if I could get parts for it, the printer would take up half of my bunk in the truck. Toner cost was minimal, especially for the number of pages that I could print. I have not looked at printers for some time, but if I needed another I would see if I could find an all in one laser printer. You pay more up front for the printer, but will save a lot on printer ink. If you only print a small amount of pages, then the ink jet would probably serve you well and the cost will be spread out over time. I usually keep a spare cartridge at home and in the truck. One nice thing about the ink jet printers is that you can find printer ink about anywhere.

[MichiganDriver]

Since they basically give you the printer but nail you on replacement ink... I suggest something that doesn't have a computer chip embedded in the ink cartridges. That way you can buy replacement ink at a fraction of the price. I own 2 Brother printers for that reason and I don't love them but they're acceptable and the ink is cheap.

The best printer I ever had was a Canon. Duplex printing, fast. Loved it until replacement ink costs started getting on my nerves.

I'm falling in almost love with my Brother printers.

First, preparing for stepping into business I ordering a mean mess of ink for both printers - here's an excerpt from the Amazon invoice:

Items Ordered Price
2 of: Brother Compatible LC51 Bulk Set of 10 Ink Cartridges: 4 Black & 2 each of Yellow / Cyan / Magenta
Condition: New
Sold by: Printronic Corporation (seller profile)
$7.00
2 of: 10 Pack (4 BLK, 2 of each color) Non-OEM Ink for LC61 Brother DCP 165C MFC 250C 255CW 290C 295CN 385CW 490CW 585CW 790CW 5490CW 5890CW 6490CW
Condition: New
Sold by: Printronic Corporation (seller profile)
$6.75

Shipping Speed:
Two-Day Shipping

Item(s) Subtotal: $27.50
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
-----
Total Before Tax: $27.50
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $27.50

That's 40 cartridges for $27.50. The reason is that there isn't a chip in the cartridge that allows the printer to recognize and reject 3rd party cartridges.

And then today I was playing around with the automatic sheet feeder. I'll be dipped in something, it really works.

I think I paid under $100 for each of these printers and I'm bumping my rating up to 'almost love'.

Edit: Force of habit - I keep referring to them as printers, actually they're multifunction office machines. A mfc-490cw and a mfc-665cw. Both most likely discontinued but I'd bet the replacements look, cost and function the same.