All-in-one inkjet with cheap ink?

[JEDI]

my decades old scanner that i rarely used finally broke.
i also have a decades old duplex printer thats almost out of ink.
(i print about a ream, 500pages, a year. i rarely print color and didnt print in color in all of 2012.)

so i figure its a sign to by a modern all-in-one (with duplex printing).

here's the cheapest duplex all-in-ones at Walmart:
Canon PIXMA MG3122 ($49)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-PIXM...anner/20592880

HP Deskjet 3526 (refurb version= $55)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Deskjet...tlyViewedItems

HP Photosmart D110a ($63 refurb)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-CN731AR...undle/20998785


Whats your opinion on any of these?

[vailr]

HP ink jet printers go through cartridges too quickly, compared to Canon's.
Generic Canon black ink cartridges (for the linked item) don't seem to be available yet, although the refill kits are available.
However, my recommendation would be: buy separate devices, instead of an all-in-one scanner/printer device. That way, you could get an Epson flatbed scanner to go with a Canon inkjet printer, for example.
Or: since you don't need color, consider an inexpensive laser printer.

[DaveSimmons]

> (i print about a ream, 500pages, a year. i rarely print color and didnt print in color in all of 2012.)

Sounds like long-lasting / non-drying ink and a separate blank ink tank is as important than cheap ink.

I have a Canon Pixma printer (not all-in-one) and the genuine Canon ink tanks were still working (not dry) after a year of very light use. So at least for my model they don't dry up.

[CA19100]

I rarely printed color with my inkjet either. Problem was, it wouldn't print black unless there was color ink -- the whole printer would stop. And it burned through color ink every time I powered it on, doing a cleaning cycle. If I never shut it off, the heads would stay exposed, dry, and clog. The lesson I learned was that I'll never, ever again buy an Epson.

My recommendation would be to abandon the idea of color printing at home entirely, and enjoy the incredible cost savings of using a laser printer. You only print 500 pages a year, so what's the savings? Toner never dries out. It's already dry. It'll keep until you use it. It's great! So if you still print just a few pages a day, you'll save by not burning through ink cartridges for nothing. If you do a job that requires a bunch of printing, a laser is dirt cheap to feed. You win either way.

My recommendation would be something like one of these, since you want duplexing:

http://www.staples.com/Brother-HL-22...product_923337

(There may be better prices elsewhere; this just was an easy link.) I still have my old Canon scanner that hasn't died, so don't yet use an all-in-one. Currently I use a Brother HL-2170W B&W laser. Been going strong for years now; I'd buy another one in a heartbeat if I had to do it all over again.


For the one job a year you need color, just go print it at Kinko's.

[JEDI]

so it'll be more cost efficient to just buy a cheap scanner and a new ink cartidge for my decades old printer?

[VirtualLarry]

You could go for a Brother MFC inkjet. The ink is peanuts (and basically free with a Staples rewards card and ink recycling). I get generic G&G ink from meritline.com.

The J430/435 is cheap, the J825W does duplexing for a bit more.

[mfenn]

Laser, just do it. Here's a Brother laser all-in-one with networking and duplex printing for $170. It costs a bit more than what you are looking at, but Brother lasers are tanks. You'll make up the difference pretty quickly when you factor in a $40 set of in cartridges every 3 months.

[ketchup79]

If you want to go with an inkjet, get one of the HPs you mentioned. The ink lasts the longest, and all inkjet printers will stop if one of the inkjet cartridges are empty. HP is also one of the only manufacturers that gives you a full cartridge when you buy the printer. The HP printers you linked also use cartridges that include the print head with each new cartridge. When the print head goes bad on the Cannon you mentioned, you are screwed, as it is built into the printer and cannot be replaced on its own (some Cannons do have replaceable print heads though).