Best Low End Printer?

[Mel]

I am asking all the tech heads on this forum for advice for a printer. No HP! They don't seem to last past their first ink cartridge change. Around $100 to $150 is all I can justify.

[kevinpate]

I know you asked no HP but I have a wireless HP Deskjet 3510 printer/copier/scanner that's been a little workhorse since we nabbed it up about 18 months ago. I do not use my Deskjet f4400, also a printer/copier/scanner, much at all these days, primarily because it is not wireless. However, it also was a true little workhorse for two years before I bought the 3510.

[Mel]

I wonder if it's me. I try not to be rough putting in those cartridges. I had always bought HP printers but nowadays they just don' seem to last as long. I have/had a HP 7525.

[tfvc.org]

I bought a Canon PIXMA MG2520 to print out labels. It is a pretty nice low end and wireless printer. I paid $30 when it was on sale. Wally World has it for $35 now. Color is all in one, so one color goes out you have to replace all. I have it set just to print black, it is my cheap replacement for my HP 5L that finally bit the dust. I will probably replace the canon with a laser printer once I get the funding.

For my photo printer I have an Epson Artisian 837. It was a bit expensive, but has 6 separate ink cartridges, meaning if one ink goes out your are only paying $12 to replace, vs $40 for one of those that hold multiple colors. The Epson Artisian is probably more than you are willing to spend, however when you do your research try to find one that has separate ink cartridges so your not wasting your money on ink.

[Mel]

I don't really print pictures. I want scan because I am STILL trying to get my family's photo's scanned before they fade away. I mostly print up ,in b&w, payment confirmations and medical stuff.

[tfvc.org]

I suggest putting your money in a good scanner. I have the Epson V600 myself. It is the breaking point between a $200 scanner and a $700 scanner. The hardware is fast, and the software does a pretty good job in color correction ect if you don't have photoshop to really finely detail the fixes.
Scanners - Epson America, Inc.

[ctchandler]

I don't really print pictures. I want scan because I am STILL trying to get my family's photo's scanned before they fade away. I mostly print up ,in b&w, payment confirmations and medical stuff.

Mel,
I have to agree with Eatokc, get a good scanner. I have had HP printers and currently have an Epson wireless multi function. It's too bad that I threw away a good HP flat bed scanner with slide and negative capabilities.
C. T.

[Mel]

The scanner sounds like a good idea. If I ever want to have them printed I will go somewhere that does that kind of thing. I think I will stop buying my printers at Sam's. I think I am jinxed when buying printers there.

[tfvc.org]

More than likely Sams is throwing around their product. The nice thing about my scanner is it comes with a 35mm negative holder and slide holder. I think the V500 has one as well. If you have the original negatives it might be faster and better to scan them instead of the pictures.

[Martin]

if you only want to print black & white, then I'd recommend an entry level laser printer. your per page print costs will be way lower than an inkjet.

i'm happy with my hp laser printer. (here's the newer model of what i have: http://www.amazon.com/HP-LaserJet-Mo...sin=B00847UWUE)

for scanners, i'd also recommend going with epson. -M

[bluedogok]

I no longer buy or recommend HP printers or scanners and I used to buy or recommend them often. I they don't die they seem to always obsolete the lower end devices with the next Windows upgrade. I have had more than a few obsoleted that way. The only HP product that I will consider anymore is a wide format plotter mainly because there are very few manufacturers of them and most tend to be over $10,000. Since they start around $3,000 they don't seem to obsolete them as quickly but that is really a specialty item.

For desktop inkjets I get an Epson or Canon, my most recent printer/scanner purchase was a Samsung color laser all-in-one at Sam's for $180 this past October.

[ljbab728]

I have an Epson in my office and an HP at home. They both are fine for the purposes that I need.

[Jeepnokc]

Couple of years ago I bought some little b/w laser printers for each of the staff members to keep on desk and also for home. Mainly used for letters and small stuff as all the big jobs get sent to the big printer. They are Samsungs and haven't had a lick of trouble

[RadicalModerate]

The best "Low-End Printer" that I've encountered, at least to this point in time, is somewhere between the Guttenberg 2015 and the Ben Franklin '76. I simply don't understand your objection to HP (except for mail-order laptops that require the complete remanufacturing of the entire thing to replace a friggin' fan). Fer cryin' out loud. It's sort of like the AMC Gremlin of the present, for the future. NOT. =)

Sorry, The Cigar Catalog got to me there for less than a minute.

Memorandumb To LJBab726: "Epson?" I scoff at Epson. It uses paper. The exact opposite of and/or in the direction of "The Paperless World." =)

[RadicalModerate]

Couple of years ago I bought some little b/w laser printers for each of the staff members to keep on desk and also for home. Mainly used for letters and small stuff as all the big jobs get sent to the big printer. They are Samsungs and haven't had a lick of trouble

Not only do you care about maintaining quality in terms of . . . is it Film Row? You apparently care, also, about your people. Remember that old saying: "When you do right, nobody remembers . . . When you do wrong, nobody forgets?" =)

I think I have a Samsung Flip-Fone-Fer-Dummies right here, right now.
Yup.

Please be advised that the above verbiage was intended as a compliment.
Thank you, in advance.

[Jim Kyle]

if you only want to print black & white, then I'd recommend an entry level laser printer. your per page print costs will be way lower than an inkjet.

i'm happy with my hp laser printer. (here's the newer model of what i have: http://www.amazon.com/HP-LaserJet-Mo...sin=B00847UWUE)

for scanners, i'd also recommend going with epson. -M

+1000 on all these recommendations. For printing, inkjets are to be avoided at all times. Even the best (if such exist) are prone to clogs and drying out. An inexpensive B&W laser is best for run-of-mill printing. My current one is an HP 1320, bought from CompUSA before they went out of business and now on just its second toner cartridge. For color I have a Samsung CLP-310, which was $123 from Sam's several years ago. Cartridges come in sets of four, approximately $200/set.

For scanning, I have an Epson Stylus NX-305 from Office Depoot that cost me $60 on sale. It's an all-in-one but was bought just for scanning. I later picked up an Epson Perfection V500, scanner only, because it could scan my color slides. Both have served me well over the years. All work equally well under Windows and Linux (Xubuntu to be specific) if that's a consideration.

[shawnw]

I received this for my last BD: Amazon.com: Canon PIXMA Color Photo Printer MG5520, Black: Electronics

Had never had a wireless printer or scanner. I'm loving the experience. Coolest thing is when my kids are at home and I'm at work and they say "we need a copy of such and such" and I can just bring it up on my phone (from gdrive) and remotely print it to that printer thanks to it being Google CloudPrint integrated.

[Mel]

Thank you all very much for the info.