Basic inkjet recommendation needed

[Bill P.]

My trusty old Epson is finally dying and I need to replace it. I will use it for text docs only (no graphics/photos to speak of).

When I need to print a very long document or something where color is going to be important then I use my color laser jet that I have at work.

For home use I probably don't print more than 10-20 pages a month, if that. But, when I do want to print something, I want the convenience of having the (color) inkjet available. I'd appreciate recommendations for a fairly fast and reliable printer.

Thanks,

Bill

 

[gsahli]

Bill - you're going to get lots of conflicting suggestions...

I recommend you go with a cheap Epson or Canon. These two companies have the fewest driver problems.

 

[sickmacdoc]

You might well be served by considering making a jump to a monochrome laser for your type of usage if you can live with taking the color capability away alltogether. I added one to my fleet of 5 printers I use for specific purposes and love it for text documents. Quite fast (beats the pants off most inkjets) and the cost per page is noticeable lower. Something along the lines of this Brother at Staples (which is little later model than I bought) would work great. Not to mention not replacing little ink carts time and again!

The cost of the initial machine is a little higher than the ultra econo inkjets (though the $99 for the one I linked to is hard to to beat) and the cost of supplies per page (the toner cartridge) more than makes up for that. Plus I love not having to worry about inkjet carts getting plugged!

 

[Bill P.]

Thanks for the driver and laser info.

Gee, I had no idea that a new laser printer could be had for less that a hundred bucks. Gee, I'll have to keep that option open. Still, while I never need high quality color at home, I do like having it available for misc. docs I print out for reference, etc.

Bill

 

[Bill P.]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. FYI, I decided to go with this (recommended in another thread) which seemed a good value and received good reviews: Canon MP620 Wireless All-In-One Photo Printer. $119 at Amazon including cable and ink.

Bill

 

[MacBH928]

which brand would you say uses ink the most efficient, i had an epson i bought in 2002, i hated printing. You can for real get like 40-50 papers max out of 1 ink cartridge, and ink cartridge costs like $30 for the black one!

i hear canonn is effecient,
and btw, is there any money saving advantage buying laser printer, or its just as costly as ink

 

[MisterMe]

..., is there any money saving advantage buying laser printer, or its just as costly as ink

The number of pages that you get from an ink cartridge depends on the make and model of your printer and the pages that you print. That said, ink cartridges are to inkjet printers what razor blades are to razors.

HP, Epson, Canon and the others could give away their printers for the money they make on the ink cartridges. In terms of the cost of consumables--liquid ink, toner, wax ink, etc.--liquid ink is far and away more expensive that competing technologies. The only printing technology that is more expensive than liquid ink is dye sublimation.

Compared to most inkjet printers, laser printers have a higher entry cost. They are also much faster, more reliable, and produce more consistent output for the life of the toner cartridge.

 

[MacBH928]

so if i can afford the printer
i should go with the laser option?

 

[sickmacdoc]

so if i can afford the printer
i should go with the laser option?

I would think it would be an attractive option at very least, but that also depends on your particular usage and needs. I love my Okidata C5500 color laser and Brother 2070N B&W laser, but neither will print the 13x19 photo prints I do on my Canon i9900 inkjet or the printable CD/DVDs or scanning that I do with my Epson RX680 inkjet.

As far as overall speed, cost of supplies and quality of print on standard US letter/legal sized sheets, the Oki hard to beat and a side benefit is not having to worry about inkjet clogging, but there are good and bad sides to each type.