Looking for any cheap printer that uses generic ink

[naich]

Hello. I'm a newbie on here, but I know this is the place to ask. My canon i470d just stopped printing out blacks.... so I think it is time to get a new printer. The thing I loved most about the Canon over the last 2+ years was that it used really cheap generic ink, and worked great with it. I figure it saved me several hundred dollars.

So, I've done some research, and it looks like Canon started putting chips in their ink cartridges, which means you can't use generics anymore. That is very disapointing news.

I was hoping somebody here may have some knowlege about what are decent cheap printers that will accept generic ink. If you could make some reccomendations, I would be very gratefull. I don't want HP printers because the cartridges are so expensive, and I'm not familiar with Lexmark or Epson printers at all. I would definately get any brand, as long as they use cheap ink.

 

[Zepper]

The only inexpensive printer that I know of that still uses passive (unchipped) ink tanks and is in current production is the Brother line of AIOs. Their better unit is on sale this week at staples for under $100. (no rebate... sorry I misread, the price is A$30.R) http://www.swiftink.com has replacement tanks for it. 20% discount going on now thru April 10 - see the Hot Deals section here. Other than that you'll have to try eBay for i or iP series Canons prior to this year's line. Or you may be able to find a Canon AIO out there based on the iP4000 (760, 780).

.bh.

 

[Lemon law]

In terms of Zeppers recommendation---a MP760 or 780----it turns out that Fry's electronic has a Canon MP780 on sale for
this week for $150. after rebates. Since its based on the Canon ip4000 printer engine its unchipped---and has fax, scan, print, and copy. I have the one generation back MP730 and its a great machine. But non-chipped Canons are getting hard to find---the MP780 is the last in the retail chain and a steal at $150. My wife has a Canon ip4000, I refill both printers and I print dirt cheap. But I have used third party prefilled Cartridges also and that option also slashes printing costs without the hassle of refilling. But either way, the non chipped Canons are the way to go.

 

[Greenman]

Another vote for the MP780. Just picked one up today. Works like a charm and even prints pretty good pictures. Swiftink has refilled tanks for $4 each, and I found 4x6 photo paper for $11 for 120 sheets. I might just print the couple hundred pictures I have on my hard drive.

 

[Zepper]

FYI SwiftInk 24, 3 and 6 series tanks for Canon printers are 100% new manufacture - plastic and ink. The carts they refill are the ones with integrated print heads like HP, Lexmark, very early canons, laser carts etc.

.bh.

 

[naich]

Thanks for the recomendations guys.

None of the other brands have decent cheap printers that use generic ink? I love Canon, but $150 seems a bit steep for the use I will probably have for it. Plus, I don't have any Fry's around here, although I wish we did!

 

[Greenman]

Same price at Outpost. And a duplex printer, ADF scaner, copyer, and fax machine for $150 is so cheap you can't afford not to buy one.

 

[Zepper]

Epson ink tanks are cheap too but you have the clogging problem which pretty much can't be gotten around as it is related to the cold technology (piezo) they use in their print heads and their super-fast-drying inK (which, unfortunately, the cloners try to emulate. It's not a bad idea to use a tag-team when changing ink: one to pull the old and one to rip the tape and insert the new. Give that ink half a chance and it'll dry and clog your head.
All others use thermal nozzles that eject the ink droplets by heating the nozzles. The heat helps keep the ink from clogging.
. And sorry, there is a rebate on that Brother. I think the Brother AIO is based on a Samsung print engine, but they aren't sold in the States under the Samsung brand. I'd definitely recommend getting that 780 from outpost.com. It'll pay for itself in the first year on ink savings alone if you print a decent amount - but the darn tanks last me 4 months or more. Only three changes a year at most. So say you average $8.00 per tank savings times 5 tanks = $40. per complete change (5 tanks - two blacks). Three changes is $120. per year. So in the first year, you have a $30. printer. The first change in the second year and you're into the negative cost for your printer. Now you know why those models are so hard to find. I'd beg borrow or steal the money to buy one of those Canons.
. Without trying too hard I just found a New In Box Canon iP4000 on eBay at $126. (I was sandbagged, it is actually an iP4200 that you can get any day for under $100 at your neighborhood Staples) shipped so if you can't see your way to the 780 AIO as there is shipping on top of the $150 price. But don't dilly dally as it won't be there long. If you don't snap it up, someone else that's participating in this thread is likely to now that I've spilled the beans.

.bh.

 

[Lemon law]

A few things I wish to point out. (1) Outpost.com is a Fry electronic website. But if you do have a local
fry store you are trading losing the shipping costs vs. the cost of driving to a local store. (2) I do agree that brother printers may be worth looking at. They certainly have attractively priced printers and are non chipped. But the reviews I have read question how good the output is and how long they hold up. I frequent various photoprinting websites and I see no one using brother printers. (3) I have nothing against swift ink----but do comment its a very high priced compared to other competitors in the crowded third party prefilled cartridge market. While swift ink offers savings by a factor of about 3x over Canon OEM, other third party vendors are priced at a third of swift ink. And again note I frequent photoprinting websites------and the fact that so few use swift ink does say something.----as these folks are heavily into quality and savings. (4) The huge advantage to Canon printers lies in the fact that they are so easy to refill and that is where the huge saving are.-----and some high volume users are saving by a factor of 45x over Canon OEM cartridges when they buy quality inks in bulk--I am more in the low volume class and I save only about 15x over Canon OEM costs. So all I can say is that if you want to get to Zepper's point where the initial purchase price gets you into way more than pays for itself faster territory, consider other vendors. Two highly recommended printer websites are steves digicams and the nifty stuff forums. But in terms of the latter website----three highly respected inks exist-----formulalabs, MIS, and hobbicolors.-----and nearly all users use one of the three.--for either the raw ink, or in refill kit form, or in prefilled cartridge form. I use one of those three, but would prefer not to tout any of those choices----but rather let the informed reader decide who you prefer to deal with----only after surveying all the choices on the market and then narrowing your choice down to one vendor------rather than implie go straight to one vendor and lose the opportunity to understand the whole market. -----because you never know who is going to come out of left field with a better ink.

 

[naich]

Once again, thank you all for your excellent input.

Just my luck, I went to order the MP780 from outpost today, and it is no longer listed. I'm guessing they sold out.

Looking around, I found they have an ip6000D for $99.99. It appears to be an unchipped printer, because most generic ink stores have ink for it. Is this a good printer?

 

[Lemon law]

Yes the ip6000d is both unchipped and is an excellent photoprinter----but please understand its intended to be a photoprinter and is not intended to be a general purpose printer. It does not have the large text black cartridge----it can still do text printing but not as cheaply or as well. But in losing the large text black you gain a photo cyan and a photo magenta cartridge and those subtle shades allow better photo output.

I also note I had been to the outpost website about 10 days ago and the MP780 was not listed. When I saw a post that it was listed I somewhat questioned the accuracy----but you may want to get in touch with a real live human being and see if you can get a MP780 though their website.----rather than assume anything.

But either the ip6000d at $100. or a MP780 at $150. is a steal.---get em before they are no longer available---which I am guessing will be very soon.

But the MP780 is better at text and not as good at photoprinting as a ip6000--its more general purpose an adds fax, scan, and copy.

The ip6000 is not as good at text but is a real excellent photoprinter. Some real high end model eight color printers may be better at photoprinting but then you are talking $500. or more printers. But the ip600D was intended to replace the i960, which some regard as the best a-4 printer bar none.

 

[Zepper]

I was at my Staples today and they are running the Canon MP780 at $150. after Easy rebate. It was haaaaard to keep my mitts off of the one NIB unit they had left... It's a where-is type of deal. So check the stores in your area.
. And they have TWO brother AIOs at $100. AR. The one I mentioned up the thread is compact. The other is larger The color samples from the small one looked pretty good. I didn't see any color samples from the large one.

.bh.

 

[naich]

I'll take a trip to Staples tomorrow. I might just get the Brother AIO... I would get more use out of the AIO functions and I don't really need the good photo printing. Zepper, is the Brother MFC-420CN the one you are reccomending? I'll see if they have an MP780 in stock locally, and if not, I'll get the Brother.

 

[Zepper]

My store had two models at $100. after rebate - one was something like the model 5440. It's always good to try to find some reviews before buying even if it's just the user comments from the Newegg web site.

I printed a sample using the 420 that was in the store using the demo print function. This showed that the printer was out of cyan and had a clogged nozzle or three in the black - not representative I'm thinking. But it was reasonably quiet while it was printing. It also seemed to take forever. Having never owned or used a Brother inkjet, I can really offer no advice other than what I've said so far. The Brothers are the only inkjets currently being produced that use passive ink tanks. So at least your printing won't be expensive. Both of the models I saw on sale use the same ink tanks so I'd assume their output would be similar.
And at newegg both are five-stars after a small number of comments. I'd probably go with the 5440 if I need something like that right now and couldn't be out of pocket the extra for the MP780 right now. Reasons: 1- compacter often = slower, compacter often means more fragile parts.

.bh.

 

[Greenman]

The Fry's in Concord CA had at least a dozen MP7800's yesterday.

 

[Lemon law]

Just a few quick comments.

In terms of now discontinued non chipped Canons, you never know what is under the shelves at local stores--Staples, Office Depot, etc.. But they are often eagar to get rid of remaining stock cheap---so let your fingers do the walking. And since you are calling local, it costs nothing to try---and saves you a bunch on shipping.

As I said before, I have nothing against brother printers--but don't know much about them. But I do know alot about Canon printers-------AND THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE FAR MORE THIRD PARTY SUPPORT.---on forums and in third party vendors known to be very good. So if you can get a non-chipped Canon it may be a better deal long term than a cheaper brother you don't know much about and the fact that known to be good third party vendors will be harder to find.

But one last question directed to Zepper------is there any reason you never tried refilling your own cartridges?

 

[Zepper]

I have refilled, but most refill inks are generic and not matched to the manufacturers'. If I did HUGE volume, I'd definitely consider refilling. As it is, I'm paying maybe $40. a year on new tanks filled with well-matched ink and that suits me fine.
. I do recommend refilling and even constant-flow setups to those that print massive volumes. You'll just need to do some experimenting with different brands or use the advice of those that have "been there, done that" such as linked above.

.bh.

 

[Lemon law]

Fair amswer Zepper and thanks for the prompt reply.

Also good advice on not getting a generic refill kit---get something with ink specifically blended for your brand of printer
if you do refill.

 

[naich]

Well, I did call up my local stores trying to find a MP780, and I came up empty. I decided I wanted to get an AIO machine, because I live in a small apartment, and the smaller my appliances, the better. I went to my local Staples and got the brother 420. I applied a 12% customer appreciation coupon to the purchase, so it came out to $115 after tax before $30 Easy Rebate.
I'm a little worried about the lack of support for brother, simply because they sell in much smaller volume than Canon... and I loved my canon i470.... but I figure that by the time I need support, I'll probably be ready to get a better printer anyway. If I get two years out of it working well, then I'll be happy. It has a nice small footprint, and a cool design. I would have preferred the MP780, but oh well.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Zepper]

Let us know how it works for you. Be sure not to cut out and mail in the UPC with the rebate before you check it out thoroughly. They won't accept returns that lack the UPC. And make copies of everything you send in for the rebate including the filled-out form, UPC and receipt. You'll likely never need the copies but...

.bh.

 

[naich]

Thanks man.

I usually snap a digital pic of all the rebate forms and upc codes before I mail in MIR's.... it is never a bad idea to be careful with these things.

My initial impression of the MFC-420CN... setup software takes a while, and the instructions make it a lot more difficult than it really is. Also, it doesn't include a USB cable, and you have to route the USB cable all the way inside the printer, near where the ink tanks are. I've never seen a device that didn't just have USB plugs on the back. Not a problem, as I have about 10 extra USB cables sitting around... but if you have a cable with a big plastic thing near the end of the cable (like a resistor or whatever those things are), it might get in the way. Also, it can be a network printer, so you can hook it up with an ethernet cable instead.

It actually is a really nice looking unit, very professional-looking. It prints very well so far, and it is amazingly quiet. My first photos came out looking better than on my i470, but not as good as the ones I get from CVS. It is good if I need to print them out in a pinch. Regular text printing is a little faster than my i470... slower than some other modern printers, but respectable. Also, the ink tanks are pretty big, in comparison to the ones from Canon.

So far, I'm definately going to keep it. It seems to fit all my needs very well.

 

[Lemon law]

I did do some checking on the 420cn-------seems to be a four color printer with a 20 ml text black and
three seperate 12 ml cartridges in cyan, magenta, and yellow. In terms of third party prefilled cartridges,
$4.00 a pop seems to be the going rate with swift ink being solidly in the pack rather than being higher priced. And its a full blown multifintional because it includes a fax and ADF.--and the whole package is more than competitively priced.---and free from the curse of a chip.

So I too would like to see what you think of the unit over time.------please keep us posted.

 

[Zepper]

Heck, after browsing more at the Brother site, I'm serously thinking about buying one of these and dumping my iP3000 and Epson scanner on eBay. I might even come out ahead. This is because Brother supports Linux directly for both the print and scan functions while Canon doesn't. And both my printer and scanner would be in one handy location while taking up about the same space as the iP3000 alone and only one USB cable. The duplex printing and dual paper paths of the Canon are really cool - but I'm wondering if they are THAT cool..

.bh.

 

[Lemon law]

To Zepper,

You might wish to dump your scanner on ebay--by in large scanner specs are over rated--unless you are scanning real small things like 35 mm film---any scanner will do.

But your ip3000 might be another matter---soon non-chipped canosn will be very hard to find---and may well start to command premium prices---with you dumping yours on a down market. Make sure the brother line pans out is my advice. They may be almost competitive on ink consumable costs when one is looking at one vendor---swift ink----but refilling with other quality vendors blows that almost competitive away in favor of Canon.

But in my mind, the issue of brother printer output quality and printer reliability is still a pig in the poke. I for one will wait
and watch. But one thing is missing in action-----those posters who have bought and used brother printers for some time. I hope some will weigh in.

 

[Thump553]

Do you need color or is black and white sufficient? If so, then why not buy a cheapo laser printer (watch the Hot Deals forum). I must confess that I haven't tried to figure out the cost per page, but it seems to me that a $50 laser printer would be the most cost efficient method. Throw it away when the toner is used up and buy another one.

One very big advantage of lasers to me is the absence of clogged print heads. If you don't use the printer much, and/or keep it in a non-airconditioned room, I have had horrible experiences with clogged print heads for inkjets. To counter this you have to run the cleaning cycles frequently, which really burns up the ink.

As far as Brother printer reliability, I'm using a Brother MFC-8840D (combo laser printer/fax/copier) in my small office. It hasn't gotten a whole lot of use so far, but it hasn't been very reliable for copying. I've already replaced one under warranty (no cost either way, and Brother's service was great) and it's looking like the replacement unit has the same problem. Frequently when I have a substantial run of copies (say 20 or more) it errors out, requiring unplugging and starting over. Printing, even large runs, seems OK.