Thread: I Need a New Printer. Would Ya'll Please Help Me?

I have no real knowledge of these things. I would like to select a printer that is also a scanner and copier and all that stuff. I don't want the prints to run if they get wet. I would like potential for very high resolution in color yet I would like it so the resolution can be reduced and color turned off for day to day type tasks. I would like to make prints as large as 11"x17". I would like to keep it less than $600.00. I have an account with the fine honest folks at Dell. Can I please tap the brilliance of my SRP brethren and sistern? Here's the Dell lists: Printers | Dell

As far as I'm concerned, you can't really go wrong with Canon. I don't think you'll be disappointed in any of their products.

Hmm, I haven't looked into this in a long time. At work we normally get HP laserjets and they're pretty good, but those would be mid- to higher-end models.

At home I have an old Cannon but I've never printed a photo, I'm used to them sucking.

I look at the ink and buy the printer that uses the best buy on ink. I also have come to the conclusion that printers are disposible. I bought an expensive epson that used the 5 different cartridges. It would cost nearly 100.00 to reink the thing and it wouldn't work if one of the colors was empty. to replace it I bought the cheepest lexmark that wal-hell had that had a built in scanner the whole thing was around 50.00 and I am quite pleased. To reink costs less than 30.00. If I want really high resouloution prints I go somewhere that prints from a thumb drive and pay the .20 or so per sheet.

Don

Originally Posted by junkinduck

I look at the ink and buy the printer that uses the best buy on ink. I also have come to the conclusion that printers are disposible. I bought an expensive epson that used the 5 different cartridges. It would cost nearly 100.00 to reink the thing and it wouldn't work if one of the colors was empty. to replace it I bought the cheepest lexmark that wal-hell had that had a built in scanner the whole thing was around 50.00 and I am quite pleased. To reink costs less than 30.00. If I want really high resouloution prints I go somewhere that prints from a thumb drive and pay the .20 or so per sheet.

Don

I totally agree with this. My printer/scanner etc combo was €35 or so and it works just fine. New cartridges cost just under what the printer cost.

Get something that'll take cheap ink.

So I shouldn't concern myself with trying to get waterproof printed pages or are there cheap inks that are waterproof?

I have a Canon "all in 1" at work and a HP "all in 1" at home they both do a good job but the canon seems to be a bit tougher and easier to maintain. The ink is about the same cost for each you can find waterproof ink but if you google photo waterproofing there is a few ways to proof them. If I'm doing a high gloss photo I will use a high gloss clear acrylic spray and do 2 or 3 thin coats ( just make sure and keep very fine) It does work.

If your budget is less than $600 then I'd look at color laser printers in that price range. I've had good experiences with HP printers. Check Newegg.com for both good prices and, more importantly, informative reviews.

Ink jets printers use the same business model as cartridge razors. They sell the printers dirt cheap and make all their money off replacement ink cartridges. A laser + toner will save you money in the long run.

EDIT: Looks like there aren't many color laser multifunctions that do 11x17" in your price range, so inkjet might be the only option if you need 11x17".

Actually the HP color laser are also starting to use the "cartridge business model"... all the toner cartridges are chipped. Luckily there are tricks to get around it

3 in one printer that does not use ink will be more than 600 I believe.
I am not familiar with the current state of the inkjet printers but if they are able to produce images which do not get affected by moisture then Canon, HP, are your best bets. One thing you really need to be aware of is the price of consumables e.g. ink cartridges, pay attention to the pages per cartridge ratio.