Advice on a printer

[beast/del]

I need advice on a new printer. The printer i have is only a year old but i go thru the ink cartridges once a month. I dont really print a whole lot either. I want an affordable printer that does not use the ink to fast. Please supply me with your advice?
Thanks
Your help is appreciated

 

[LaDonna]

I had a brother fax/copier/scanner for years and always bought the ink at 123inkjets.com at around $4 a cartridge, and when it finally needed to be replaced we used one that had come with our computer, needless to say once I went shopping for ink I realized that 123injets doesn't sell the generic brand for just any printer, so I went and bought another brother(wireless one and love it)onsale for $50 and have been very happy with it and can use 123injets now

 

[MM27]

I just bought a wireless printer from Dell. I will tell you that I had the hardest time researching which one to get because every time I read reviews there would be so many negative ones. I looked at all different brands and I found the same thing for all of them. I had to finally tell myself that people are more likely to review something that they have problems with. I ended up just finding one that fit my needs and so far, it's doing its job.

 

[pnutmnm]

I went with Kodak ESP-7 a few years back. It is an all-in-one printer and is good with the ink usage. The replacement cartridges are also pretty cheap: Black $17 and color $19.

 

[thebeesknees]

Also, if you print non-vital stuff on "draft", it will help conserve ink. We have an Epson, but are switching to an HP that I got really cheap after the ink on the Epson runs out. I replace the ink about every 4 or 5 months, but the Epson runs me $60 every time I do that. It was cheaper just to buy another printer, sadly.

 

[3boymthr]

Here's a suggestion for saving some money and it's free and good for the environment.

Say I pay my insurance bill online. I print a copy of that to a pdf file. If it posts to my account, I delete the pdf with no ink, no paper wasted. Or if I buy some items from Kohl's. Once I have the items in hand and I know I'm not going to return them I delete the pdf. I do this with all my receipts, etc.

I use PrimoPDF http://www.primopdf.com/index.aspx to print to a pdf. I only use the free version, not the Nitro version. Totally unnecessary to pay money for the program as it's perfectly adequate with all the extras they try to charge you for. It installs like a printer so when you go in and select print instead of choosing your printer, choose primopdf. It's also a great way to send documents to other people.

ETA - I did just buy a Canon PIXMA wireless printer from Walmart. Anyway it was $50 and will accomodate more than one computer wirelessly. I've printed a bunch of papers plus 50 "licenses" for cubscouts on super high quality photo print and have only use 1/4 of the sample cartridges that came with it. It also has the option to add extra large cartridges which print more pages for only slightly more money.

 

[vicki_c]

I just say don't buy an Epson. We had an Epson Artisan (a $300 printer!) that only lasted one year before the ink pads needed to be replaced - which basically costs more than the printer (can only be done by Epson authorized service place). AND it drank cartridges like crazy and they were very expensive. In one year, I replaced the cartridges 4 times and it was around $80 each time - purchased at a discount too. Worst printer we ever had in terms of reliability. We don't actually print that much either.

Now I'm for getting whatever printer has the cheapest ink cartridges.

We have a Canon PIXMA all-in-one that we have had for at least 4 years and it's still going strong.

 

[scard192]

Here's a suggestion for saving some money and it's free and good for the environment.

Say I pay my insurance bill online. I print a copy of that to a pdf file. If it posts to my account, I delete the pdf with no ink, no paper wasted. Or if I buy some items from Kohl's. Once I have the items in hand and I know I'm not going to return them I delete the pdf. I do this with all my receipts, etc.

I use PrimoPDF http://www.primopdf.com/index.aspx to print to a pdf. I only use the free version, not the Nitro version. Totally unnecessary to pay money for the program as it's perfectly adequate with all the extras they try to charge you for. It installs like a printer so when you go in and select print instead of choosing your printer, choose primopdf. It's also a great way to send documents to other people.

ETA - I did just buy a Canon PIXMA wireless printer from Walmart. Anyway it was $50 and will accomodate more than one computer wirelessly. I've printed a bunch of papers plus 50 "licenses" for cubscouts on super high quality photo print and have only use 1/4 of the sample cartridges that came with it. It also has the option to add extra large cartridges which print more pages for only slightly more money.

I use PrimoPDF as well and don't print much of anything anymore; sure helps on the cost of ink!

 

[Gillennj]

Printer ink is a racket that just drives me crazy. We NEVER get nearly the pages advertised on any brand of ink/printer. We just bought a Canon AIO at WM for $2 less than just the ink for our old Dell printer. Yes, I know it only comes with "starter" cartridges which are only half full (or is it half empty?) but I am soooo tired of buying ink.

I am going with a laser. You can get a simple Brother B&W for ~$80 at Office Max. Lasers use toner (powder) which will not dry out, which is a common issue with ink, and it lasts much longer. I plan on keeping my color AIO for copies and the occasional color print.

I hardly ever print, which is one of the many reasons I despise my inkjet when I am out.