Printers

I'm sick to the teeth shelling out money for cartridges for my printer, first the colour one goes, then two weeks later the black conks out, it's a vicious circle, and I don't do too much printing just a few images I need for my work and the usual copy of papers. As you know I'm a bit of a dummy with technology so I asked my Son, and his opinion was that I invest in a laser printer. The cartridges are dearer, but in the long run they are better value. He e/mailed a photo of a laser printer on special offer (£149 reduced to £89) from a reputable company he deals with, I asked him to order it and it should be here in 5 Days, I might have the name wrong but I think it is a Samsung clp-32. Have you a laser printer, and how do you find it performing?.
I glanced through the archives and can't see anything referring to printers.

Re: Printers

A lot depends on a persons tastes as to which printer they get.

I have an all in one which I find cheap to run and it does Scanning, Copying, print direct from photo's, direct from Camera so it suits me but it would not be everyones cup of tea.

My son buys the cheapest printer and just replaces it when the ink runs out which costs less than replacement cartridges. Not very eco freindly but that is his choice.

When buying a printer it is best to see if there has been an update for that model.
A lot of firms like Curry's Comet' Staples tend to sell 'Last years model' so check before buying.
The Samsung that you mention has been upgraded with the Samsung CLP-325W.

That is not to say your choice is wrong, when choosing anything recommendations tend to be good buys.

Re: Printers

We too get fed up of the price of ink cartridges. It seems that the cheaper the printer the more the ink costs. The sale of the printer seems to be just a loss leader and the real profit is then made over the life of the machine in ink.
My brother in law worked for Rolls Royce, where aero engines are routinely sold at cost or below, with the profit being made over the 20 years or so life span of the engine with the cost of spares, which sometimes have a mark up of several hundred percent!
We now have a Kodak printer /scanner that have cartridges with long life and relatively low cost (£6.90 for black).

Re: Printers

Thank you AB and Barry, your advice is very helpful and I'll let you know how the new one performs when I get it and my Son sets it up.

Re: Printers

I use a printer for a small business and photos so use a lot of ink.
I use a Canon Pixma ip4700.
It uses separate carts for each colour plus a jumbo black for text, so it is the most economical. It is made for heavy use so is reliable.
I buy the `compatible` ink carts online. They are a third of the price of Canon ones.
I use this supplier http://www.stinkyinkshop.co.uk/
If you are buying a new printer, check first that you can get the compatible ink for them. Printers are cheap because they make the money on the ink. Some printers are made so you can only use the manufacturers ink - don`t buy these or you`re forced to pay whatever they want to charge.
Manufacturers will say the use of these inks invalidates the warranty. So keep the inks supplied with the machine in case you need to send it back.

Re: Printers

I have an Epson Stylus Photo Printer. There is no way I can afford Epson cartridges, so I get my equivalent ones from www.cartridgepeople.com, who are very good, cover all the brands, and have various offers on the go. I've been dealing with them for some time with no complaints. Plus the fact the goods are post free.