Need a New Printer, and Need Help Deciding

I'm in the market for a new all-in-one printer.
My HP carriage is not working right, and nothing I've done will make it work.....and fixing it is out of the question, not worth it.

So, my criteria:
needs to be an all-in-on
less than $100.00 (although I could be tempted to go a bit higher for a great printer)
reliable
relatively inexpensive ink


So, anyone have any insight, experiences or geekiness to share
Thanks

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


It's very tricky finding a good printer, in my experience. The expert sources, such as ZDNet, are a little too general in their evaluations. Consumer Reports is a little better, but they also don't have a heavy use perspective in mind.

In 30 years of printer use, I noticed the following:

1. Look for a printer where the paper lays flat. Gravity is not your friend here, and over time the non-horizontal paper feeds will jam more. In addition, the paper grabber mechanism wears out quicker with a non-horizontal paper feed; believe me, you don't want to have to find the cans of spray-on gunk that will revitalize your paper grabber...that whole scene is really a drag so don't go there.

2. The last time I compared technical spec's a few years ago, I liked the Lexmark printers the best, because they have the most memory. The more memory the printer has, the faster and more high-quality the print results.

3. Price is a dangerous point of comparison. The high-memory printers are rarely cheapies, so be careful out there when considering a low-price printer.

4. Be very careful about evaluating the toner price per page. Over time you will spend far more on replacement toner cartridges than on the printer itself. On this topic, the ZDNet and Consumer Reports printer comparisons will help you out, because they do grind through those numbers related to the toner cartridge lifespan.

5. Maintenance contract? I usually don't bother with anything beyond the manufacturer's warranty unless I buy a multifunction machine. The dirty little secret in the computer realm is that single-purpose machines have the longest lifespan. If you have to buy a multifunction machine then yes, get the longest maintenance contract available because you will need it.

Your best bet for a decent printer under $100.00 would either be a closeout sale at a computer store like Fry's or at an online auction. Either way, get the ZDNet or Consumer Reports comparison on that model before you buy ... and remember that even if the model you're considering gets downgraded in someone'e evaluation, that doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad computer, just that it may not have every possible add-on feature, which may not even be necessary for your planned usage. Good luck out there.

[edit on 3/11/2010 by Uphill]

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe

First of all, do you want to print a lot or just a few pages once in a while (I haven't used a printer at home for more than 5 years )?

If you are going to print with some frequency a laser printer is the best, for the occasional print and colour prints inkjet printers are the best.

Canon printers have a good reputation for low ink usage, but the cartridges are not cheap, a replacement of all cartridges on a 4 cartridges printer may cost you more than the price of the printer.

Some printers have the possibility of printing directly from a memory card, but they cost more than normal printers, so if you are not going to use that feature, avoid it.

Just bought a canon a few months ago and its a great printer. Its about double what you want to pay, but its definitely the best printer I've ever owned (out of about 10 in the past).

Super fast, does everything, and it prints wirelessly. Really impressive machine.

Wow, lots of info to digest.

FTR, I don't print a whole lot, but do need the ability to copy material, not just print off the computer.
I am looking for an inkjet, versus the laser option.

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


I would offer advice, But printers were put on earth to haunt me, I could do a paranormal thread on the possession of my latest printer by the devil, 2 months old wireless blah blah, it is a x-file, and it wants to kill me.

Good luck in your search, you are going to need it :shk:




[edit on 11-3-2010 by zazzafrazz]

oooops

[edit on Thu Mar 11 2010 by DontTreadOnMe]

Well, the best thing to remember is not how much the printer costs,but how much replacement ink costs!

I would go back to and stay with HP.

I have two and have had no problems and the cartridges are refillable at the local drug store for 25 for both.

Here ya go DTOM.

$59.98 after $40 instant coupon.

individual inks so you only need replace the one that's out.

Epson Stylus NX415 All-in-One Printer


Personally, I steer clear of HP when it comes to printers. Their printers are rather good but their software sucks, imo. That and their inks are typically more expensive than other brands.

Actually, one of the biggest reasons is, it's been demonstrated that their ink cartridges contain code which is designed to inform you they're empty long before they actually are ... as well as having a cutoff date which renders the cartridge unusable no matter how much ink it may still contain.
www.engadget.com...

reply to post by 12m8keall2c

Thanks for that..much appreciated.

Yeah, the HP menu never worked for the ink levels anyhow. And it seemed to run out of ink VERY fast
It was a rather nice looking printer, but now :shk:

Interesting that you suggest this Epson.
The guy at Staples suggested the very same printer to me.
Nice that someone I know also thinks it a good deal