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are all cheap inkjet printer crap?

R

RobCur

Banned
such as lexmark z25 and HP deskjet 3520
the lexmark z25 clogged up after being left for a week, not good. now am using deskjet 3520, left a week untouched and its not clogged up. works great.
 
If you'd searched Anandtech you have seen that canon's will serve you best and the cheapest to run.

An i560 would serve you well and you can get generic carts for less that $2 each.
 
I use an Epson Stylus C20UX, couldn't be happier. 720dpi, $3 for black cartridge, $4 for color (and that's in Israel). Slow as hell, but this cheap, who cares?
 
Even the cheapest Canons are quite good, and like Canon printers not prone to clogging up often, and even then hardly ever permanently. They're just not as economic on ink cost as their bigger brothers are.
 
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
If it says L E X M A R K anywhere on the printer then yes. It is crap.
Click to expand...


actually, i have a lexmark z33 that came free with my dads mac. the deal was for a free z23, but that one didnt even work at all.

the z33 works great for me- prints quietly, and hasnt had any trouble with OS X or XP.
the print quality is crap for detailed photos, but then, i got it for free. its very decent for text and small graphics and photos.


im partial to epsons, though. id recommend one of those- ive got an epson stylus color 900G thats a few years old and runs perfectly- GREAT photo quality.
 
You'll like the Lexmark a lot less once you've seen what its ink carts cost. There's a reason these printers go for almost nothing - you pay it through the ink.
 
It is true that manufacturers practically give away the printer so that they can sell you the comsumables. That is where they make there money. In fact buying a cheaper printer doesn't mean you will save money. Look into price per page or pretty much how much the ink cost.

Lexmark and HP inkjet printers have the printhead located on the cartridges. They clog very easy, resulting having to install a new cartridge. Most canon and epson printers don't use cartridges, they use what they call tanks. These tanks do not have the printhead built into them. These tank fit into a cartridge located in the printer that has the printhead. Canon printers are nice, but I would stay away from epson, because sometimes of the time if you let them sit for a week without using it, the printer will be worthless. Yes lexmark is crap. I would suggest an HP.
 
Lexmark and HP inkjet printers have the printhead located on the cartridges
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Remember on most Canon printers the printhead is replaceable and detaches like on the Canon i860,865,960 etc...so in a worst case scenario you can get a new replacement .

I`ll say this, I`ve left my i865 off for weeks and it still prints fine, I`ve yet to run any print head cleaning process manually,on my old Epson I had to give it a head clean now and then.

For quality,price ,reliability(even when off for weeks) and cheapest inks,the only real choice is Canon IMHO.
 
Always get a canon if you are on a budget. I have a canon s600. Great printer, and at megatoners replacement cartridges cost me 1.19$ a peice compared to 15$ retail. My friend just bought a cheap lexmark, his cartiridges cost him 30$
 
I love my Canon BJC 6000 6 ink printhead and been using since 2000. But BJC 6000 is now discounted.
 
Another vote for Canon, cough up the money and get Canon. =)
Dont even get me started on the Lexmark. My X73 totally dead after bit less than 2 years of use.
 
Anything with the jets built into the ink cartridge will work much better if you only print occasionaly than the ones that are separate. And HP sells what they do for a reason. Their ink is expensive.
 
Originally posted by: Macro2
You'll be lucky to refill a HP cartridge 3 times before it goes kaput.
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😀
FastDraft: up to 8.0 ppm
FastNormal: up to 5.5 ppm
Normal: up to 3.0 ppm
Best: up to 0.8 ppm
Maximum dpi: up to 0.2 ppm
Color FastDraft: up to 8.0 ppm
FastNormal: up to 5.5 ppm
Normal: up to 3.0 ppm
Best: up to 0.8 ppm
Maximum dpi: up to 0.2 ppm
4" x 6" Photo Best: up to 0.3 ppm
Maximum dpi: up to 0.2 ppm
Resolution black: up to 1200 x 1200-rendered dpi black text
color: up to 2400 x 1200-optimized dpi color and 1200-input dpi
not too shabby for hp 3520 only 38 bucks at walmart!
was 28.80 6 months ago!
 
Originally posted by: Macro2
You'll be lucky to refill a HP cartridge 3 times before it goes kaput.
Click to expand...

To properly refill these cartridges yourself is to not let the ink run empty before you refill it again. This will keep the jets from drying out. Most of the ink in HP inkjets are pigmented ink which has a lot of solids in the formula. The purpose is so that the ink will dry faster once it is placed onto paper. With pigmented inks you have a high chance of it drying out. Just don't let it run out and you can refill many times. Just be carefull of the ink that you use. Different cartridges sometimes use different ink formulation. Many products say it is compatitble with all cartridges, and those are the products you need to stay away from.
 
I tried to refill HP cartridges for years...including before they went dry. Hit or miss to say the least. Maybe you get 3 times, if you are lucky 5.

Then I discovered Canon BCI-3 (and BCI-6) cartridges.
I've refilled the same cartridge over 100 times and it still works.

Needless to say, I run Canons now and the HPs went into the closet and probably the dumpster when I get to it.

Mac
 
I've got a lexmark z45 I love. It is very fast, never jams, not a single hiccup. I've been refilling the same black cartridge since I bought it a year ago, I'm on the sixth refill - very cheap for me.
 
Originally posted by: Macro2
I tried to refill HP cartridges for years...including before they went dry. Hit or miss to say the least. Maybe you get 3 times, if you are lucky 5.

Then I discovered Canon BCI-3 (and BCI-6) cartridges.
I've refilled the same cartridge over 100 times and it still works.

Needless to say, I run Canons now and the HPs went into the closet and probably the dumpster when I get to it.

Mac
Click to expand...
for years? ugh.. we shall see if you are right or wrong. only time will tell..
 
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