Which All-In-One Printer Should I Get?

Bassist4Life · #1 05-09-2008, 07:19 PM

I have a Mac iBook (OS X 10.4) and I'm looking for a new All-In-One printer. What should I get? What should I avoid?

I'm looking to spend around $150. I don't need the Fax feature that some all-in-one printers have.

My current printer (HP PSC 2110) crapped out on me.

It makes copies when it feels like it. I don't think it was very compatible with my Mac. My Mac was newer than my printer and the drivers never seemed to be just right. Web pages printed in a strange way. It spit out lots of blank pages. It wouldn't print images that were in pdf documents, but it printed other images just fine. After changing ink cartridges, it wouldn't complete the pen alignment.

Now, it's telling me to check the left ink cartridge. It cartridge seems fine, but considering how much new ink costs and all the problems I have, it's time to buy a new one. AND, I can't copy or print ANYTHING.

Please help me out.

Joe

IanStephenson · #2 05-10-2008, 09:09 AM

We had an HP inkjet that drove us nuts - paper jams, ink mess, new cartriges all the time...

We switched it for a Brother HL2030 Laser, and never looked back. We don't miss the colour (inkjet prints suck anyway, and it's so much cheaper to get "real" photo prints at the local walmart), and the print results are SO much better for text. Cost wise a new toner cartridge is about $60, but it lasts WAY longer than inkjet, so it's far far cheaper (and there's no mess). One time the printer spat out a diagnotics sheet (not entrirely sure why) that said it had printed 1500 sheets and paper jammed TWICE. You can just dump a ream of paper in the bottom and forget about it. It all plug/plays nice on the Mac, including network printing - just plugged it into the Airport router, and can print from any machine wirelessly.

If you need colour and/or photo printing then it's no so good (but then a walmart print costs less than a sheet of photo-paper before you even consider the ink), but if you're primarly looking at text then a cheap laser is just so much better.

I don't know if there are lasers that include scanners? Maybe keep the old inkjet/scanner combo around for that stuff, and add a laser for the heavy day to day printing.

Ian

**Freddels** · #3 05-10-2008, 10:01 AM

I've had some very expensive HP printers and they don't seem to last. I've been using Brother printers (and I have a Brother MFC) that have been great. Definitely check out the Brothers.

Bassist4Life · #4 05-10-2008, 10:02 AM

Thank you for your advice Ian. My biggest fear is that I'm going to run into compatibility issues with my Mac. The HP I have now never worked just right with my Mac.

Joe

Captain Chaos · #5 05-10-2008, 10:03 AM

I hate my HP printer. Paper jams, doesn't print when I want to print, won't scan anymore.

Bassist4Life · #6 05-10-2008, 10:05 AM

I was looking at the HP C5280. It has the ability to print directly to CD's. It only costs $130. I've read good things and bad things about (just like any other product). Its con is that it doesn't print great text. How bad could it be? I dunno...

Joe

**Eric Perry** · #7 05-10-2008, 10:05 AM

I've had nothing but trouble with every HP product I've ever owned! I will never purchase another HP product, ever.

A few years ago I switched to an all-in-one Brother MFC 640CW. I love it. One thing though, it gobbles ink far faster than it should.

Bassist4Life · #8 05-10-2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Chaos

I hate my HP printer. Paper jams, doesn't print when I want to print, won't scan anymore.

I've never had a problem with paper jams, but the scanner worked when it wanted to. My biggest issue was getting it to work well with my Mac. A lot of times the software that came with the printer wouldn't work. It would just quit. I would launch the program, and then it would close or stop responding.

santucci218 · #9 05-10-2008, 10:16 AM

www.woot.com

tplyons · #10 05-10-2008, 11:27 AM

I've never had any serious problems with an HP printer. Have been using them since the 90's, from a LaserJet 4P, LaserJet 6, few HPDJ 5550's, some other Deskjets, and now my all-in-one that I got free with my Mac is my printer of choice... very compact all-in-one where the only time it doesn't print is when I unplug it to charge my iPod and forget to plug it back in.

whoatherechunk · #11 05-10-2008, 11:54 AM

sorry i don't have the exact model number right now but i have the pixma mp ( don't know number at this time) and it works well. sometimes the occasional paper jam but it does the job well for being pretty cheap. i bought it with my macbook when they were offering $100 all-in-one printers with the purchase of a macbook.

**Freddels** · #12 05-10-2008, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassist4Life

Thank you for your advice Ian. My biggest fear is that I'm going to run into compatibility issues with my Mac. The HP I have now never worked just right with my Mac.

Joe

I use Macs and have had no problems with the Brother products. I did have to get Working Papers to use the multi-feed scan option for the MFC though (that was a few years ago). I have a Scansnap and have no problems scanning with that either.

I tend to avoid ink-jet b/c of the cost of ink. Laser printers are cheaper in the long run.

Bassist4Life · #13 05-10-2008, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddels

I use Macs and have had no problems with the Brother products. I did have to get Working Papers to use the multi-feed scan option for the MFC though (that was a few years ago). I have a Scansnap and have no problems scanning with that either.

I tend to avoid ink-jet b/c of the cost of ink. Laser printers are cheaper in the long run.

Your suggestion really appeals to me. I think I'll miss color printing a little bit, but I'll save money. I'm not sure what I'm gonna' do...

Joe

**Freddels** · #14 05-10-2008, 03:00 PM

If you want color, Brother has color laser printers (but they cost a little more). Also check out Okidata (they use a color stick). I haven't tried Okidata with Macs so you may want to check into that.

Peaved · #15 05-10-2008, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric618

I've had nothing but trouble with every HP product I've ever owned! I will never purchase another HP product, ever.

Yeppers, same here. I now have Epson & Canon printers, and love 'em.

Quote:

Originally Posted by whoatherechunk

sorry i don't have the exact model number right now but i have the pixma mp.

I've had the Canon Pixma MP780 since it was released. Awesome all-in-one product, and I'm sure the newest models are swell, too.

Bassist4Life · #16 05-10-2008, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddels

If you want color, Brother has color laser printers (but they cost a little more). Also check out Okidata (they use a color stick). I haven't tried Okidata with Macs so you may want to check into that.

Oh man! I forgot... I forgot about the scanning option. Crap.

bassist 4 life · #17 05-10-2008, 03:50 PM

Do not get one of the HP PSC series... oh wait, yours crapped out on you.
mine has always been acting weird, blah

mothmonsterman · #18 05-10-2008, 03:59 PM

DO NOT GET EPSON!!!

now that i have that put aside.
I work for a school district where everyone and their mother thinks they need an all in one printer and only their 3rd cousin's bastard child bad scan a document. So i've had teh "pleasure" of using many iof them.

As for brands
definitely go with Ricoh or Brother they have very few moving parts and are built like brick houses.
I think many people are ditching color and going straight for black and white laser printers, which are more reliable than color ink jets mainly because the ink doesn't dry out, the heads don;t get all screwed up every two seconds and one cartridge will last a person at home an insane amount of time.

Highly highly highly suggest ricohs, i changed all my network printers over with them and they have never let me down even with 2000 kids beating on them everyday.

some dick bought us epson styluses about a year ago 50 of them, two are working now.

TrooperFarva · #19 05-10-2008, 04:03 PM

It's a little more than you wanted to spend, but this is the printer I have

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16828104748

It's a great printer, it has a built in LAN port, so it's connected to my wireless router. I can print to it from any of 7 computers in the house, 1 of which is an iMac. Copying and scanning are a breeze, and the memory card slot is very handy. I've had the printer for about a year and a half now, I haven't had 1 problem with it.

Bassist4Life · #20 05-10-2008, 07:01 PM

Man... I need to make a decision. I need to print out charts and spreadsheets, song lists and CD covers. If I go laser, I'll kinda miss the color for the cover art. I guess I could live with that...

Do any of the laser printers have the scan option? I haven't seen any so far; but then again, I haven't really looked for that combination yet.

Joe