Going to college...need a printer.

[PrinceXizor]

Because you don't use all of the same color for everything....and can thus replace one cartridge when it is actually empty vs. replacing the color when the red is empty but theres still 25% in the cyan and 40% in the yellow. Plus I believe the actual reservoirs are smaller in the combined ink cartridge then in the separate ones...but I'll have to investigate that.

Thanks for the info peter. Now I have to decide if I want to splurge and get the i560, get the i550 if its clearanced at the local staples, or pick up the i450....decisions, decisions....

P-X

 

[Macro2]

ZIp, Speed means a lot on an inkjet, trust me. One reason I recommend the i850 is speed. I have 10 inkjets, BTW.

Get a canon that uses BCI-3 cartridges, they are easy to fill or you can get cartridges in the 2-5 dollar range. If you buy generics look for ISO certified cartridges.

I dunno if they are ISO but megatoners.com has about the cheapest.

 

[zippy]

Hrm, good deals.

Looking at techbargains.com's coupon section there are other stores that sell ink carts for cheap too.

Well, I might as well get the i850 refurb. It's $97 shipped - hard to complain about that.

 

[Peter]

You got the point. From i550 upward, you get all separate inks, which also contain a lot more ink than the 3-in-1 for the i250..i450. That's where the cost saving is.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Update - Just picked up an i550 (thanks Peter) at the local Staples for $79.90 on clearance. Applied a little $15 off of $75 coupon and voila...after tax total costs of $69.90.

If you are looking for th i450, right now Staples is selling them for $79.99 with a $20 Gift card that comes in the mail later. Not a bad deal there either.

One final question, how much faster would this printer be with a USB cable? I don't currently have one (will get one soon) and have run a few print jobs using a standard parallel print cable. My computer supports USB 2.0.

P-X

 

[zippy]

Should I go for the Canon i560 (appears to be about $130 - I could always add $20 and then use a $30 off $150 coupon ($120+tax=$129.90) though at staples ) or do I go for the Canon i850 refurb for ~$107 shipped (outpost upped the price by $10)?

 

[Peter]

The USB cable doesn't make printing any quicker. It'll make your system more responsive while you're printing, since it brings the printer connection onto a faster bus (PCI instead of the remains of what used to be ISA).

 

[Peter]

zippy, you should go for the i560 if you ask me. New is better than refurb no doubt, and the newer model also has more advanced and refined features.

 

[Macro2]

They had a stack of i560's at Best Buy today. Noe on display though. They still have the i550 on display and are waiting...