Hi guys, I am looking for a good quality printer, but the only problem i have is I have noticed the ink replacement 's are very expensive. can anybody guide me on this please
Get an HP printer. They are usually the best value for money and the ink cartridges are reasonably priced. Stay away from Lexmark like the plaque!
For text, yes. How much do you print? What do you print mostly? Generally, yes, HP is excellent. I picked up an HP F4140 printer/scanner/copier awhile back for under $80 at Wal-Mart. It's an inkjet printer, but as with their laser printers (which are used at my work---one thing they actually do right) the text is sharp. Pros/Cons: Inkjet: Pro -Inexpensive unit -Handles both graphics and text adequately Con: Cheaper units tend to eat ink like an Ethiopian at a smorgasbord. Prone to smudging if ink isn't totally dry. Lasers: Pro: Fast printing Sharp text Toner lasts a long time Toner can be cost effective Con: Equipment can be expensive (B&W not so much, but color's aren't cheap) Not as good for graphics More complex, and subject to paper jams I've thought about a laser, but I just don't do a whole lot of printing. My parents picked up a Brother black & white laser printer, which was likely due to my mom's teaching preparation. Now, they also have an HP Inkjet to do other printing here and there, so you might consider having a good inkjet alongside an entry-level black & white printer.
Just binned my old Lexmark x1180 all-in-one not 5 minutes ago I am on my 2nd Epson now. Both have been inkjet single function (no scanner or fax machine) anyway, first one wasnt so good, a C42UX, but this one, Stylus D92, excellent - Low cost printer, very low cost cartridges (Although you have to fill up each one, and theres 4, - Black Yellow Magenta and Cyan) Oh and may I add, Epson has EXCELLENT driver support, this one works perfectly in all windows as far back as 3.1 and I am currently sharing it over the LAN to an XP Home computer 32bit, from my 64 bit Vista ultimate one. And for those of you on Linux, I'm sure it has driver support all over for that. The only Con with this D92 is that it takes around 1 minute to 2 minutes to print one page and that a full page photo isn't brilliant quality. Apart from that I cant see anywhere where it owes me anything yet.
Laser printers are more cost effective. If you compare the cost and lifespan of a toner cartridge (for laser) vs. the cost and lifespan of an ink cartridge, the toner is way cheaper per print job. So a laser printer will be cheaper in the long run due to lower costs of replacing cartridges, unless of course you only print very rarely. Laser printers also print faster -- significantly. There are color laser printers (expensive, though) but they are not as good at printing graphics as inkjet. The only printers that can do photograph-quality prints, similar to what you would get at your local Kodak store or something, are inkjets.
