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Printer buying time; recommendations?

A

AshleyG

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
272
My old Epson Artisan 720 has decided to kick the can after years of service. Printer reviews are an absolute crapshoot online - what one site loves, another site hates. Going by Amazon and NewEgg reviews, every printer available is potentially a pile of trash.

Where else is there to come but here?

We do a lot of printing B&W documents, a significant amount of archival scanning, and print photos and collages of the kids for family members as gifts. We're comfortable with both Epson and Canon, but don't mind looking elsewhere if there are great recommendations.

Our budget is $250 and under, so no color laser jets please. ;)

Thanks for the help.
 
You should consider Brother printers. They are quite good.

If you do a lot of archival scanning then I would take a look at this printer with duplex single pass scanner.

This printer's can also print quite a few pages before replacing.
 
I second Brother printers. After watching several expensive Canon printers fail within a year or two of service, I gave Brother a shot. $75 for an MFC-470DW has been money very well spent. Fast B&W and color printing, cheap ink tanks, wireless printing from desktop/laptop/iPhone = very satisfied customer.
 
Honestly, I have no use whatsoever for inkjets anymore. And, you can get color lasers under $250 now.

My recommendation is that you get a regular laser. If you want it to do scanning, Costco sells models under $200 that are B&W laser and have sheet-feed scanners attached. A friend of mine just bought one.

Inkjets have been made so painful I have no willingness to put up with their crap. I've been on B&W lasers at home for a few years now, and am totally happy. If I want a photo printed, it's easier to just take it to Costco or a local store and have them print what they want. In several years, I've never had a requirement for a color print for anything I've done. For rare occasions, Kinko's is right down the street.

Inkjet cartridges are stupid expensive. If you don't use them enough they dry out, or the latest trick--the printer expires them regardless of the ink content. They have their place. We have an enormous inkjet plotter at work and an oversize photo printer. They are great, and do a nice job. However, the photo printer has to be kept under a sheet of plastic with a humidifier running all the time or the ink fails very quickly--and it's a very expensive ink.

If you buy a couple picture frames from Costco, they'll throw in coupons for free photo prints. We have coupons for like 600 photos for free from them. We won't have to worry for a while!

That's my $.02.
 
Get a B&W Brother MFC unit.

If you need to print quality color take it to a shop. The consumer printers that do color decently either tend to drink ink, or don't do color that well (lasers)....and unless color is a regular normal thing for you, just not worth buying one IMHO.
 
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