Which all in one printer to buy?

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Joe. I used to own a Samsung mono laser printer and paid £80 for it; the OEM replacement toner cartridge at the time was £79,95. I bought three plastic bottles of black toner powder and used to refill the cartridge but as you say mine also became stripey in use so eventually I binned the printer.

Very good point Gary regarding only two cartridges. Also you've got me thinking because really I don't require an all in one because I never print in colour so perhaps a separate scanner/copier would suit my needs better? It pays to ask questions on the forum because once one of these items is bought it has to be lived with.

You are so right Steve about printers being the bane of very PC user; I couldn't agree with you more. I've listened to you Steve so now both Kodak and Epson are off the list; I'd have thought Kodak would have been OK especially as Argos has sold out of the two models I've viewed but then of course many would have bought the Epson model I bought only to be bitterly disappointed.

Thanks Al; it sounds like you love Epson as much as I do and you also echo Gary in that separate printers/scanners are best?

OK; a change of plan; what's the best scanner/copier please excluding Epson and Kodak. I've owned an Epson and regretted it but I can only take your advice regarding Kodak; better warned up front than to make a mistake.

I've just removed the snow tyres and wheels from the car so I hope it doesn't snow for my Rufforth trip this Saturday?

Kind regards, Col.

[pwdrive]

It depends how deep your pocket is Col. coupled with what you want it to do.
Unless you need the printer, scanner etc to be all singing all dancing for a particular commercial application then stick the names in the hat and pull one out. Everyone has different ideas as to which is best with most consumer products, If it costs a lot and goes pig shortly after the warranty runs out then you will be very annoyed, however if it is a 50 quid model then who cares...!

Lawrence.

[camallison]

Col,

I have a separate Epson flatbed scanner that you can have foc if you want. It is USB and the model is V350 Photo. It also has a 35mm film loader in the top of the lid. If you can arrange transport or are willing to pay shipping, it is yours.

Colin

PS - it all depends on what flavour of Windows you are running as to whether it will interface though (drivers are available for WIN7 32 or 64 bit online).

[Mark Hennessy]

Like you Col, I have had very bad experiences with Epson. Never again...

When it comes to inkjet printers, I've also had bad experiences with HP. Great laser printers though.

I bought a Canon MP800 about 7 years ago. It's been used heavily - mostly by the wife to print out pictures of the growing kids - and has never missed a beat. The scanner is also excellent, and will do film and slides as well. I never thought I'd buy a combined device, but I was so impressed with the MP500 - the cheaper version that the in-laws bought themselves - that I decided to give it a go. Not a single problem in all that time; superb results, ink isn't too expensive and lasts well - and is separate ink tanks, so you save a bit there. Paper is cheap too, but it gives perfectly acceptable results on cheap recycled plain paper (unlike any other inkjet I'd tried/owned before). And the print speed is excellent as well (though it slows down if you ask for double-sided mode, because it pauses to allow the ink to dry). All in all, I don't recall the last time I was so impressed with something...

At the time, it was somewhere between £150 and £200 - I don't recall exactly - but I decided not to buy the cheapest offering out there. Seven years later, I'm happy I made the right decision.

I haven't looked at the current offerings, but Canon always do very well in the PC-Pro assessments. I also like their cameras

Cheers,

Mark

[Radio Fixer]

Nothing wrong with Epson scanners and at the price Colin above is offering well!

My Epson Perfection 2400 Photo works as good as the day I bought it about 9 years ago so what's wrong with an Epson scanner.

OK you don't like their printers 'cos you say they are heavy on ink, but for my top end model, at the time I bought it, its seems OK. And for the amount I print even if its twice somebody else's, per copy, that needs sorting every time I want to use it that's fine by me. It isn't "the bane of my life" as it always works, again in its 9th year.

Got drivers for both when I upgraded to W7.

So speak as you find.

Gary

[Retired]

Hi,

You are of course correct Lawrence in that everyone has heir own preferences but I thought I'd ask on the forum in the hope of avoiding a mistake buying an item with a poor track record. I can see the sense of paying something like £50 that lasts until the warranty expires before it dies then throw it away. It's a sad society we live in these days when items like printers get binned because it is so expensive to buy correct ink.

You really are so generous Colin and I truly appreciate your kind offer of the scanner; had it been any make other than Epson I would have happily accepted but after the Epson all in one I regrettably owned I don't want anything Epson again. I sincerely hope I don't sound ungrateful for your offer Colin but I am still smarting from owning the Epson all in one.

What's going on with printer manufacturers? Why don't they charge a fair price for their printers and bring down the cost of inks after all these manufacturers do themselves absolutely no good when people like me are so dissatisfied that they bin working printers refusing to pay the high ink costs? I thought the government was clamping down on the amount of rubbish being disposed of?

Kind regards, Col.

[Radio Fixer]

You repeatedly keep bring this one up Colin and like a mug I respond, I gotta stop. The manufactures have to compete and what one does then the others have to follow else they sell no product. Joe Public likes the idea of a £50 'do everything' and that's what it comes down to.

When I was working we always bought Pro or top of the range kit and you can still do that today. Generally you get what you pay for. When I left work I bought the Epson kit above, not the cheapest, near the top end and how can I complain at the service its given me?

The scans can be made at high res and are perfect as far as I can see. From the printer I have yet to see better quality and colour rendition not that I get much chance to compare to other makes. But believe me its very good and it's OLD kit.

Gary

[Joe]

When I first re-filled my laser it was fine; better than it had ever been since I've had it. I noticed the stripyness last week and am wonder if it's something to do with the cold.

Refilling probably isn't the problem per se but the cartridge being at least seven years old and stand idle for long periods isn't going to help. It's the latter that puts me off ink-jets as, like with fountain pens, I'd expect the ink to dry up while standing; the ribbons in my old dot-matrix were sods at doing that.

I'd snap Colin's hand off if I were you as a film-loader would be damned handy for when you come across negatives with no idea of what they are.

- Joe

[Radio Fixer]

It doesn't seem that way Joe with genuine ink jet cartridges, maybe with cheapo refills. My printer doesn't print for quite long periods, certainly in colour, and always works fine first go. I don't even know how to a nozzle clean although I know the facility is there.

Hope its not listening after singing its praises!!

Gary

[Retired]

Hi,

Firstly Gary; I know you like Epson products so I'm sorry if you feel like I'm baiting you because honestly I've no intention of doing so. I also agree with you regarding these printer manufacturers all competing for business but it's strange isn't it when most of them can offer a printer complete with ink for around £50 then charge a lot of money for ink alone; it still doesn't make sense to me and where really is the competition as they all charge around the same for an all in one? Most of us buy cars ranging from cheap to expensive but pay similar prices for petrol or diesel to power them?

I further agree with you Gary in that Epson most likely supply decent kit and possibly have lots of satisfied and loyal customers but I'm not one of them. I didn't start this thread with the intention of knocking Epson but I wanted to make it clear why I would not consider buying another Epson product and I hope I haven't caused offence to anyone because of my poor opinion of Epson. I do speak as I find Gary?

Thanks Mark for your information; I had a quick look at the Canon MP800 but I think perhaps it is now replaced by another model as all I seem to get is cartridge prices? Amazon site states the MP500 is out of stock and they don't know if or when it will come into stock again?

It wouldn't bother me to spend £150/£200 for a decent machine that would serve me well for a number of years but I confess I'm very wary regarding printers in general because reading reviews on the web even more expensive printers can cause problems.

I know this printer/scanner selection is a difficult subject and I don't wish to tread on anyone's toes but neither do I want to waste money on something that will eventually give me problems?

I do very little printing because I've always been put off by the dreaded "Change cartridge" message; I would do more printing if I was settled and happy with a printer but which one?

Kind regards, Col.