Anyone recommend a printer?

I'm looking for a 3-IN-1 printer for Xmas, any suggestions. Something along the lines of the Canon 370 I saw at PC World, it looked OK and the digital photo thingy at the front looked useful.

Main considerations are cartridge cost, reliability and size. I had a HP printer - it was an unmitigated disaster, multiple reliability problems and Fawlty Towers customer service.

tia

M

all in one

Avoid Lexmark at all costs, their cartridges are very expensive. I've found Canon cartridges to be the best value myself. And I purchase compatibles at www.choicestationery.com (uk) which have never let me down.

As such I would opt for the Canon SmartBase MP360, a good quality multifunction. they take the BCI24 Black and Colour cartridges which are available for half nothing at the above site.

See the review of the printer here:

[broken link removed]

Re: all in one

Also consider how much you'll be using it. I have an inkjet but don't use it that much. Consequently the cartridge seems to dry up. Don't know if that's just Lexmark or inkjets in general but maybe somebody might be able to advise you in that regard.

I have a HP inkjet printer and I use HP cartridges. I have used it for only a small number of page print outs.

However, the last time I used it I was really surprised at how little ink was left in the cartridges. I came to the same conclusion as FDMaguire.

Marion :hat

I don't think there is any such thing as a good value desk/ink/bubblejet.

I bought a HP deskjet 970c a few years ago for about £300 and it has lasted well and is still in use. The main thing for me (even though I didn't have a huge throughput) was that it printed duplex (double sided) automatically and none of its competitors supported this.

I don't think either the technology or build quality was worth £300, but I am quite happy with the printer. HP refills cost something stupid like €40 or so (for 15c worth of ink), while reconditioned toners cost about €20 or so.

I had left the printer unused for about 6 months and the toner dried up but I resucitated it by soaking it in a container of water overnight. Same toner is still printing 20 months later.

I would recommend the 970 except it has now been replaced by some other model and because I have a printer I like I haven't kept track of which model has taken its place.

z

hp psc

How about the HP PSC 1317 for €149.99 at Curry's/PC World?

Also has a pictbridge slot on the front for digital cameras.

Re: hp psc

I would agree with Canon cartridges being more affordable than most others but also that if you are doing a lot of printing then a laser might be a better option in the long run than an inkjet.

Re: hp psc

hi there

having worked in tech support on soho products, ( small office home office ) we saw a lot of customers having the same problems described above

because ink is liquid based you have customers who leave the machine unplugged to save electricity and they dry out

if you are printing more than 10 sheets a day you really should look at laser ( powder based ) cost are usually a 5th of the inkjet costs

you can learn more at www.digidox.ie cheers

Re: hp psc

Gar123,
What would you recommend for someone like me who rarely uses the printer? Should I avoid buying one at all?

Re: hp psc

What would you recommend for someone like me who rarely uses the printer?

How rarely? If very then you might be better off just going to a print shop with a floppy/CD-R[W] when you do need to print.

Re: hp psc

If printing good quality photos is the main use for the printer, any suggestions? I'd still like to have scan/copy and decent B&W print capability.

Re: hp psc

Good quality colour printing will eat (well, drink) most inkjet cartridges dry very quickly. Many colour inkjets also use three-in-one cartridges which means that when one colour runs out the cartridge is useless even of the other colours have not been exhausted. Obviously DIY or commercial refilling of partially exhausted cartridges can help but the costs will probably still be quite high. For high quality colour printing I would be inclined to go to a print shop or, if I did a lot of it, to buy a colour laser.

Re: hp psc

For high quality colour printing I would be inclined to go to a print shop...

Click to expand...

Ditto. I've a reasonably good printer — HP Deskjet 5740 — but after printing out 100 approx. 'personalised' Chrimbo cards I've realised that I would have probably saved money (and definitely time!) uploading them to somewhere like www.bonusprint.ie. Their 5"x7" (13x18cm) @33c is exceptionally good value.

If you've a slow internet connection, you can always mail them a CD-R. Or check out your local Boots/Spectra branch, etc. They often offer very good value if — like I was, this time — you're looking for 50/100 copies of the same shot.

Dr. M.

Re: hp psc

Just bought the Canon MP370, not the fastest in the world (photocopying is slow) but the quality is excellent. It's a good looker too and you can get compatible ink cartridges for it cheap on places like 7dayshop.com. The compatible ink can be a pain though 'cos it dries up and you have to clean the heads of the printer a lot but worth it for black ink.