Nitrousbird Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 I have this old HP, and it had finally kicked the bucket. Yes, I could "probably" get it working again, but it was a cheapie back in its day, and that day most certainly was not this century. What I want: - Something common, meaning I won't have to go through hell getting ink cartridges. - Reasonably priced. Under $200 for sure, but cheaper is better - Built in scanner. I decided after looking at a few today, I might as well get one w/ that. - Network printing ability - Fairly reliable Things I DO NOT have to have: - Media reader. I already threw one into the PC - Color. Though it would be nice, I don't have some big use for it. If it does have it, must use seperate color cartridges - LCD screen. I'd pay a couple extra bucks for that feature, but only a couple. - Awesome print quality. Nothing I print is going into presentations. Usually just printing off stuff for bills, tax shizzle, driving directions, etc. I tend to knock down the print quality of stuff I print just to save ink/time. I took a glance at Microcenter today, and they had a bunch I liked, but wasn't really sure what to choose. It has been years since I've looked at printers. I'll probably buy online if I can save a few bucks; so links to good deals are a plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmrmnhrm Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Not going to get into the nitty-gritty here, but do you really want an all-in-one machine, or does it just seem like a nifty idea? Back when I did sales with Best Buy and CompUSA, folks were always looking over them, and while the margin on those beasts was better, not being on commission allowed us to honestly suggest they split the functionality into separate machines. Primary reason being that you'd get better quality for about the same price by separating the printer and scanner. Beyond that, you say you'd like the following: - Common: Just about everything being put out these days qualifies, and if my old HP 540 still worked (Purchased around 1992, died 1999), I could still get ink cartridges for it. - Price: Again, just about anything qualifies. Printers are loss leaders, the real money is in the ink. - Scanning: As I said, I (and my coworkers) wasn't (weren't) a fan of it then, and I'm still not today. Unless desk space is at a premium, you'll likely do better separating the two. - Network ready: Not worth the extra cost. Hook it up to a computer that's always on, enable printer sharing, and there you go. Instant network printer - Reliable: Well, I won't make any judgement calls here (every company will turn out a lemon sometimes), except to say that the service plans are usually pretty worthless when compared to the cost of just buying a new one. If a printer's going to fail quickly, it'll usually do it within the return window. Otherwise it'll go for years That said, since you say color isn't important, I'd suggest a cheap laser (Samsung, Oki, and Brother come to mind, $100 normally, sometimes see sales/rebates for $80). The print quality is higher than ink, the copy won't smear if it gets damp, and toner carts get you a long way further than an ink cart, making cost-per-page less painful. Toner carts are also usually easier to refill, should you choose to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morabu Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 ANYTHING but........LEXMARK!!! their driver support sucks the preinter works fine/good even, but when there are people that need updated drivers for things like xp64 or Vista and they outright refuse to make them they need to go bye-bye! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Laser Printers are nice. Especially since you can print like a billion pages before you have to replace the toner cartridge. You can get a Brother one from Staples for about $70. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRN96WS6 Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 After having owned many all in ones and inkjets I finally just bought an HP 1320 and hooked it up via USB and shared it on my network. It is a laserjet and it prints on both sides of the page which is nice if you are printing out something large. I love it and since I didn't need color or a scanner it worked for me. What do you need a scanner for Joe? Can't you take pics of what you would scan in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractor Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 Get an HP if you don't wanna replace it again for 10 years or just buy lexmark cheapies and replace them everytime the ink runs out. I did that through about 3 printers. PM me if you want a free lexmark. Works just needs ink. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthmonkey Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 canon and lexmarks are the best quality but both are top feeders which blowes. Bang for the buck HP good way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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