Printer Recomendations

[turnkey4099]

I'm debating the Kodak that is being advertised. Price on printer looks good and the ink price can't be beat. Dunno about quality but about all I print are documents so black is what I need.

Harry K

 

[aczlan]

I'm debating the Kodak that is being advertised. Price on printer looks good and the ink price can't be beat. Dunno about quality but about all I print are documents so black is what I need.

If all that you print is black I would recommend that you go with a laser printer. They will give you a better quality print with documents than a inkjet, and will be cheaper than most inkjet printers. Look for one with a 1200x1200 dpi resolution, that will let you print images at a decent quality.


Aaron Z

 

[Paystar]

I want colour for sure. I print lots of pics and brochures. Just want something that won't break the bank.

 

[robb01]

wouldnt recomend laser for color printing, we had one for a while, wasn't that great

 

[aczlan]

I want colour for sure. I print lots of pics and brochures. Just want something that won't break the bank.

If you want color laser I would recommend a Xerox Phaser or an HP color laser, HP parts are obtainable and their printers last for a long time.
Color laser printers aren't cheap ($2-500 new for a decent one) but a good one will outlast you and toner is generally cheaper than ink. Just check on prices before buying one. If you want color inkjet I would go with a Canon PIXMA.

What I like about the Phaser at work is that the pages come out glossy, which may be good if you are printing out brochures for other people and want them to look professional, they will look much better on a Phaser than on a inkjet printer.

Aaron Z

 

[Wil]

I have a Cannon Pixma that I bought to replace the HP printer that came with my computer.

The Cannon is great and I would recommend it to any one. The HP was a piece of junk that I would not recommend to anyone.

 

[rox]

I used to only buy HP printers. not any more, they are jsut junk and the ink is expensive. I switched to Epson several years ago and am very happy.

 

[aczlan]

I used to only buy HP printers. not any more, they are jsut junk and the ink is expensive. I switched to Epson several years ago and am very happy.

HP laser printers (in my experience) hold up pretty well, but their inkjets are a joke.

Aaron Z

 

[California]

HP laser printers (in my experience) hold up pretty well...

HP's early ones, the ones that built their reputation 20 years ago, were bulletproof.

Over the years I accumulated a dozen or more Hewlett Packard Laserjet IIIp's after they started appearing in thrift stores under $5. The rollers (paper traction) and separators (to avoid feeding duplicate pages) are still available; budget maybe $30 max and five minutes work to go through the occasional printer that needs complete refurbishment. Refilled toner runs about a penny per page ($35/3500 pages).

These were often sold to sit on an executive's desk so its not unusual to find one that has printed under 5,000 pages (one case of paper; first replacement cartridge is still in the printer) as indicated by the self-test. In my experience about 40,000 pages is the borderline to where there might be wear.

This is the cheapest and most troublefree way to get into laser printing that I know of. I've given these as casual presents, a couple of them got my kids through high school and then college, and now my $25 stack of spare printers should last me for years so long as someone is still refilling the cartridges.

Not bad for a 1992 model printer. Thanks HP!

 

[2manyrocks]

We used to have an Epson that printed great photos. When it died, we bought a newer "improved" model and it ended up being replaced under warranty. The replacement unit didn't last very long before it had problems. Bought a HP out of frustration with the Epson and we don't like the color picture quality at all.

If you can find a color printer with good print quality and inexpensive ink, please let me know. Right now, we're using Brother laser printers which haven't caused any problems. The HL-2140 was something like only $60 or $70 shipped to our door, too.