Hey, Loungotechnoholics. What inkjets are least bad for ink costs?

[jobycom]

I'm looking for a cheap all-in-one for casual printing, some pictures, and some scanning. Each site I find with any data suggests a brand or model every other site trashes and trashes the brands the other sites recommend. What are your experiences?

I'm looking for something with a scanner/copier. Fax isn't important since I don't have a landline, although if you know of one that would fax directly over the Internet, I'd listen. Also want networking.

Mostly I'm just trying to figure out what brands are best on ink consumption and prices. Anyone have any thoughts? I know it's not Olive Garden or cast iron cookery, but there are still probably some opinions.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

1. I've had one HP, two Epsons

The only reason I gave up the HP was that I bought it with a Windows 98 PC, and when I upgraded to an XP machine, it was no longer compatible.

Had two Epsons (very expensive ink) but beautiful printouts. However, the reason I would NOT recommend an Epson under ANY circumstances, based on my experience, is that both of them did the same thing...died in less than a year, beginning with "streaking / blotching" issues (usually black ink or splatters of magenta). You then run the "Clean Heads" function, which REALLY drinks ink, and eventually trying to do THAT makes the situation worse and the streaks bigger.

The last set of ink cartridges I put in ($45 for the set) displayed a "replace cartridges" message after I'd printed 10 pages.

I've read good reviews of HPs since then that all center around how ridiculously expensive the ink is.

So even though an inkjet is my preferred method of printing photos, I've used my Samsung laser printer exclusively since the second Epson died.

[jobycom]

2. Heh. You've been following me around.

I use my Samsung laser mostly, too, but I need a scanner and copier now, and some color printouts now and then.

My last Epson wound up with a large crack on the casing, either from when I punched it, threw it across the floor, or stomped on it--couldn't swear which. It was a rebate freebie, and my experiences were about like yours, which has made me afraid of Epsons, even though I seem drawn to their features right now. I also have an Epson at work that did the same thing you mention with declaring perfectly healthy cartridges empty. Epsons have a chip in the cartridges that prevent refilling, and when they think the cartridge is empty, they shut down the entire printer.

But darn, the Epsons have everything else I need... :(

[progressoid]

8. I hate my frickin Epson.

Drinks ink. Paper feed problems. Clogged nozzles. :grr:

I end up using my cheap Canon more often than the $300+ Epson. This is my second and LAST Epson.

[LeftyMom]

3. I have a Canon Pixma somethingerother photo printer

The ink cartridges are cheap, the colors are separated so if I'm out of one color I only have to pay to replace that color, the print quality is quite nice, and I've had the same printer with no trouble for oh, six or seven years? I've used it for work, for school, for various homeschooling things for my kid, for the family business and for printing a skillion pictures of my kid so his grandparents will stop bothering me. It gets a lot of use, so I find it's reliability and longevity pretty admirable.

I had an Epson before that and it printed very nice photos (maybe a little nicer than my Canon, tbh) but it died after maybe a year and a half of very light duty use. Before that I had a early 90's HP that was a total workhorse, and a late-90's HP that was created in the bowels of hell to torment me. I've also had a couple of Lexmark printers at various jobs and I would not wish either their products or their customer service on my worst enemy.

edit: I've never ordered the really bargain basement print cartridges online, but the aftermarket ones at the big office supply chains all work admirably and are a couple of bucks cheaper than the OEM ones.

[Kali]

5. somehow in some other life we were sisters or some fucking thing

I swear.:rofl:

[bif]

13. I'll second the Canon Pixma.

The nice thing is it takes 5 cartridges. So when one color runs out, you don't have to replace the entire 3 color cart. And they're only something like $12 apiece.

[Capn Sunshine]

15. Third

great printer. Does what I want it to, excellent quality.

[Maat]

17. Your fellow homeschooler here.

I LOVE my Canon, although the ink is NOT cheap. I have a Canon PIXMA MX-310, and I have one black cartridge, and one for the other colors. It can cost around $35 per cartridge. The thing's scans are incredibly good (it comes with the software for scanning). My cartridges last a fairly long time, but I'm going to check out the ink supply recommendations here.

[Kali]

4. I've got a cannon and I have been amazed at how long the ink has continued

to work even after it tells me it is empty I can hit print again and it still works for quite a while. Mine isn't a scanner too and my only other experience is Epson. You do NOT want and Epson. The ink is the best out there, but the printers SUCK and they use SO MUCH of that great ink on maintenance and still clog and they aren't reparable. They SUCK.

[kentauros]

6. First, look at the comprehensive reviews on this site:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRINT.HTM

Their reviews are phenomenal! Helped me figure out which Canon cameras and printer to buy :)

Also, I've been using Cartidge World as my source of printer cartridges for years, and they all advised me to get a Canon printer when my Epson died. As already stated, all the colors are separate cartridges. My printer uses 8 cartridges, at about $8 each.

[Paper Roses]

10. I just searched for Cartridge World and there is one not far away.

Are they any less expensive than picking up the new carts at Staples or wherever else?

[jmowreader]

11. Quite a bit, yeah

All they do is replace the ink; you get your old cartridge back.

[Paper Roses]

12. Thanks for the tip, I'm due for the little message that says I need ink.

Of course, that means I'll need ink in 2 months. I have 2 empties now and will go and have them filled to have on hand.

Appreciate these money saving suggestions.

[hobbit709]

7. For inkjet printing I have an Epson RX580

It's lasted me 5 years now without any problems.
for regular(non-photo) color printing, I use my Samsung Color Laser.
I use a Samsung mono laser and a HP laser for basic printing.
I also use a thermal photo printer for photos(4x6 size)

[Paper Roses]

9. I have an HP P/S/C that costs little money to buy and does a great

job BUT the ink carts (HP) #56 & #57 cost over $50.00. I have never used generic carts, everyone tells me they are awful. Since I bought this unit on sale st Staples, I figure it all evens out. I paid $37.00 for the machine and have a back-up stored in case this one decides die. Amazing the the whole machine costs less than the refills. This one has been going strong for about 4 years. The one saved may never get opened at this rate.


There are newer models of this same printer, my model is HP psc 1210 all-in-one. I have seen the newer version on sale at Staples for about $38 dollars. Check their weekly flier. (or Ebay) I bought this one because of a review I read about it being a great value. For me it has been. It is definitely a home printer and you would not use it for huge jobs in one sitting.

[applegrove]

14. Go to Island Ink Jet or your local ink replacement business. Find out which

cartridges they are currently replacing the ink in. Buy that ink jet printer and about 4 cartridges. Whenever you have emptied 3 cartridges take to the ink replacement business and get them refilled. It is important that the next time your ink is empty that you only take out the empty one when you have a full replacement cartridge ready to put in (the computer chips in them don't work if you leave your printer empty of a cartridge for any time so anytime you are changing to a refilled cartridge you need to do it right after you have just taken them empty one away). It should cost you about $15.00 to refill each one. I didn't this for years and it worked well for years. Certainly the people who make ink jet printers sell them at a discount because they make all their money on their cartriges at $50.00 a pop.

Perhaps they have changed the computer chip to make refilling ink cartridges impossible these days. I have a lazer printer right now (after I'd had it for a few months it notified me that my lazer printer cartridge needed to be replaced...two years later I'm still using the old one).

[Urban Prairie]

16. I use Canons for Windows

And an Epson for Linux, since Canon had no linux drivers available when I bought them.

[quakerboy]

18. Canon

As some above, I am rolling a Canon Pixma at home, and will replace it with another one of these days. I do not have the seperate ink cartridges, just one for color and one for black. But even when red dies, yellow keeps going and I'm not printing for framing, so who cares. I can replace when I feel like it.

At work we have Several Brother's, HP, Samsung.
The brothers are crap, nothing but problems, ink and otherwise. They seemingly bleed ink into the air. And they error out when the tanks are still half full, insisting on refills. I have found that a nice addition of whiteout over the right sensor spots allows me to use until the tanks are actually empty, but even that is a far shorter interval than it should be given that we hardly ever print color.

The Samsung was the "nice" one, and is a PITA, requiring service seemingly every hundred sheets or so. Several services in the warranty period, probably going to be an expensive brick next time.

The HP is an older upright fax/multifunction. Its been a workhorse. The only trouble we've had with it was when someone tried to copy something before the whiteout was dry. Ive heard unfortunate things about the newer ones though.

The sensors to shut the printer down after a certain number of copies seems to be a growing trend. And it doesn't matter if you are actually only printed the letter A in red on 1000 sheets, its going to declare the tank done. And then even if you only want to print some black text, its gonna brick the whole thing till you replace that magenta cartridge.

But yeah.. Canon pixma series all the way for a home printer.

[liberaltrucker]

19. Kodak ESP 3250

Sips ink and prints GREAT photos.

Ink price is about $17 for color and $10 for
black at, excuse me :puke:, Wally World.