Buying a multifunction printer.....minefield!

Deluks · Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 12:21 pm

Any suggestions for an all-in-one? I've been reading reviews online but the models change every few months and the reviews are out of date before long. Ink costs are an issue, and easy to refill models are getting harder to come by due to the chipping of carts.

Not for me, for a dopey friend, so ease of use is a plus point!

foxhole · Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:07 pm

I would avoid Brother machines at all cost, print heads fail very quickly, expensive to repair, appalling customer service.
Canon and Epson cartridges are the cheaper to replace , many available for pennies rather than pounds, hp are medium priced for ink , have a printer and has been very reliable, Lexmark very cheap to buy but ink can be more expensive than the printer.

cantab · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 9:52 pm

HP offer XL ink cartridges, which are much better value. Even within them, the different cartridges are different.

Number 350 - BEST. The black XL cartridge is rated for 900 to 1000 pages.
Number 300 - GOOD, though not as good as the 350.
Number 21/22 - POOR. Gonna cost you twice as much as the 350.

There is a standard test for ink lifetime. Some manufacturers, HP included, put the info online. (Annoyingly though, they use different numbers in the US compared to Europe, leading to a bit of uncertainty.)

I recently bought a Photosmart C4480. £40 from WHSmiths (who are still selling them), should be similar elsewhere. It's decent, though draft mode suffers from poor alignment and isn't really good enough for everyday use (unlike on my old HP Deksjet 3820). Haven't really tested photo printing much, though I did scan, enhance, and reprint a photo - some improvement, but original too bad to make it look good.

Kodak are marketing their printers on low ink costs. They were no go for me because they don't support Linux, but if that's not a consideration for you then maybe consider them. (Though you'll kick yourself if you ever DO decide to switch OSes)

dave.m · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:29 am

I've got some Argos vouchers and was thinking of getting one of these

My last all-in-one was/is a HP1210 PSC that I have had for over 5 years and it has given good service.

I get all my remanufactured cartridges from Cartridge Monkey and have never had a problem on the printer.

dave

Deluks · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:26 pm

Switching os will never be an issue, but those XL carts are getting on for £40 on the Argos website Spending a bit more for a 4 colour cart printer would be wiser I suspect. The budget is about £100.

The kodaks get bad reviews on the web, because they hemorrhage ink when cleaning the heads (ie: everytime you turn the thing on)

I personally use a ten year old Agfa USB1 scanner and Canon i450 printer, which is over 5 years old and unchipped, I can get a set of 2 carts for just over £3! Or use the black refill kit from the poundshop.

They don't make 'em like they used to!

cantab · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 2:13 pm

Argos's prices for ink cartridges are rubbish. You can find much better prices for originals online, both black and tricolor 350/351XL can be had for £23 on Amazon.

Remanufactured carts are of course cheaper, but my previous printer broke shortly after installing such carts. Probably unrelated (the printer has a known weakness, in the USA HP were replacing them for free because of it), but for the moment I'm taking no chances.

It's a fair point that separate colours will probably be better than tricolor carts. And a £100 budget is higher than mine, I was looking for something below £50.

Also obviously think about your main use. For me it's text and maybe light graphics, I'm not doing much photo printing, so my main concern was the black.

Re "They don't make 'em like they used to!" - my previous all-in-one was a Lexmark X1180, bought probably about 5 years ago now. The HP is vastly superior in every way, and the price points were pretty similar (both bottom end of the market).

Expertboy · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:10 pm

EPSON

every single time. If you get one you can buy compatible cartridges from most pc fairs for peanuts.

Look at there range, excellent printers.

kjacko · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:54 pm

Whilst i loathe certain HP products i don't think you can go wrong with the HP AIO series. I have the PSC1510 and the C43xx (can'te remember model no.).
Their inks are more expensive due to the printheads attached, which is a bonus if you want constant quality.

I've also bought a few of the Epson DX.. range which are fine too and i get compatible inks for £2 per cartridge (so £8 in total for a full set).
However compatible inks are cheap for a reason......they don't look as good for photos (especially in a few months time when they fade) and the yeild is far less than genuine inks.

Ya pays your money ya takes your choice i guess.
But for me HP, seem the best.

kofi2003uk · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:11 pm

sorry much older post that i thought

Deluks · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:53 pm

Ok, just to put this one to rest.

Ended up getting the new HP Photosmart Premium from Costco for £115. Has all the bells and whistles including a touch screen. Ink about £7.99 a colour for the official stuff.

I've had no news on the performance, but assuming all is ok as the phone hasn't rung yet.