Wife wants an All-In-One printer...where do I start?

[Kabob]

My wife is bummed...she's wanted a nice color All-In-One printer for a while and we've yet to get one. So I decided it's about time...late for Christmas, I know, but she doesn't cares. Thing is, I know nothing at all about printers.

So, I've been trying to do a little research and there's just not a ton of info. It looks like the Canon makes a solid printer...but what then? They've got 5 models within $30 of each other?

My wife is a teacher, she sometimes prints materials for class out at home. We don't plan on doing alot of photo printing but I suppose that could happen in the future (I doubt it though). Our current black and white printer is messed up and literally takes 2-3 minutes to print one page, I'd like something that can crank out text pages at a decent pace (6-7 pages/min would be great).

The biggest things for me are reliability (my printers seem to die rapid deaths) and decent ink usage/cost.

Any ideas? I've looked a bit at the Canon Pixma MG5220 and MX870, but the MX870 is the same price as the MG6120 and then I'm back to square one...

Help!

 

[dac7nco]

I bought a friend the MX870 and he loves it - The buttons for dialing a number are important if your wife faxes. I don't know about ink use.

Daimon

 

[Lemon law]

To Kabob,

You are basically a victim of the inkjet printer industry who control the flow of information and employ ad writers who majored in confusing in college. The truth in lending act simplicity has never migrated to the printer industry. And consumer apathy and ignorance drives the industry.

I was in exactly your boat about six years ago, as I researched the same questions you ask now. Until I was lucky enough to stumble upon at random, the following link.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/

Or you could try another dedicated photo printing web site called Steves Digicams.

Even if you are like me and seldom photoprint, it makes sense, no one knows better than dedicated photoprinters, in terms of how to achieve economical printing economy by using inkjets. And I discovered it was a no brainer then, get a Canon that used the big BCI-3&6 cartridges. And then buy readily available third party cartridges instead of OEM canon cartridges. Or better yet refill your own cartridges for even bigger savings.

Sadly since then, the evil empire has struck back with chipped cartridges that make refilling artificially more difficult. But in terms of deciding between a Mx870 with its large cartridges v a MG5220, with its puny cartridges, its a no brainer, go with MX 870. Its no accident that dedicated photoprinters almost always choose Canon or Epson, and never buy HP's or Lexmarks ripoff inkjets that by design are incapable of being refilled with their printhead on the cartridge designs.

Now its time to cut to the chase Kabob, how hard are you willing to work to save a bundle on printing costs? And that always starts with an analysis of your printing habits and needs. As for me, I get my best printing economy off my wife's no longer available
Canon ip4000. Just a plain jane printer and that is it. Consumable costs at about a half cents a page B/w and less than a penny a page on color on plain paper. Inkjets all print at the speed of a snail, five pages a minute in anything but draft mode is more than an ink jet can deliver. As for me, as a seldom use person, I have a bought a used brother all in one, for fax and copy needs. But if my wife ever needs to print a bunch of tax forms fast, for her profession, a B/w laser will spit out 15 pages a minute no sweat. But the laser costs me about 1.5 cents a page or triple what my inkjet refilled can deliver. But still if I bought that mx870, and used only Canon Oem cartridges, that same B/w page would costs me at least 3 cents, and mixed color on plain paper would cost me at least eight cents a page on consumable costs. But the other consideration with inkjet printers, is that even those figures are only based on optimal conditions. The average idiot unwilling to learn pays at least twice that in practice. But because I network both the Laser and inkjet together, my wife and I can pick and choose the best technology for the given printjob.

As for me I still hoping to find a Canon MX780 used at some goodwill store, and then my wife will have a reliable all in one inkjet. You can still find some used on ebay, but they sell for a huge premium. No chips, no hassle, and the same printhead of my existing ip4000.

 

[tynopik]

convince her she doesn't want a color all-in-one

once you go laser, you never want to go back to crappy inkjets

get a real laser AIO like the Brother MFC-7840W and then if you REALLY need the occasional color print, get a separate color inkjet

$250 Brother MFC-7840W (wifi+ethernet)
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-7840W-Multifunction-Wireless-Interfaces/dp/B0016ZQ566/
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=2426393

$170 Canon imageCLASS MF4370DN (ethernet)
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-imageCLASS-MF4370DN-Laser-Printer/dp/B001EWDXMU/
has some scanning limitations (no more than 300dpi over the network, no WIA driver (only TWAIN)

 

[pcgeek11]

To Kabob,

never buy HP's or Lexmarks ripoff inkjets that by design are incapable of being refilled with their printhead on the cartridge designs.

HP no longer has the print heads as part of the cartridge. Just for info...

 

[corkyg]

". . . HP no longer has the print heads as part of the cartridge. Just for info... "

Actually that is not quite accurate. It all depends on the model. If you qualify the statement saying some of the newest HP pronters no longer have inegral heads, I would agree.

Anyone for Kodak?

 

[biostud]

color laser + separate flatbed scanner IMHO

http://www.trustedreviews.com/filte...ter=72&manufacturer=0&submit.x=19&submit.y=11

photo printing at home is very expensive, and there are lots of on-line possibilities

 

[rasczak]

you guys will go in debt with the amount of paper she will be producing from home for her classes. tell her to use the copier at work and save yourselves the money.

or have her school purchase one for her classroom so you guys are not stuck with buying ink every other week.

 

[Rottie]

I bought a friend the MX870 and he loves it - The buttons for dialing a number are important if your wife faxes. I don't know about ink use.

Daimon

this and he likes mx860 too