Help me buy a printer/scanner/copier.?

Question

I'm looking to buy an inexpensive but reliable printer/scanner/copier. 90% of the work it will be doing will be b&w text (I'm a writer) but there also be the odd scan of artwork I will need to do, and copying of printed text. Where should I look, what should I look for, where can I get a good deal, and what experience have you all had?

Answer 1

Look at the HP models.

Answer 2

OK here is the real deal. How much money can you afford? Go to one of the big computer stores so you can at least touch and feel the copier. You can just tell the salesman you are looking. You can really buy about any low end copier that you want as they will fit any basic needs. MAKE SURE you look at them carefully. Some come with cartridges and some without. Assuming the models you want come with cartridges, you know you can buy ink cartridges refill kits really cheap, if you are a little tight for money. I have done it with no problem refilling my own cartridges.

If you go to pcworld.com, then there they will explain about any questions you have. Also they have a price locator called pricegrabber.com. I went there to buy my scanner and used price grabber. I got mine from page computer as it was cheaper than Ebay. I paid $323, compared to the $499 list price. Ebay was like $399 which was a decent price. But once you decide on the model then it is just a matter of searching for the cheapest price.

Answer 3

You will need to address a few issues and decide for yourself. Basically you need to decide on the specification of the printer side and the scanner side. What I can do for you is give you the tools you need to become a savvy consumer so you know what to look for or what questions to ask when you go to the store.

Printer: look for one that has bigger reservoirs for black and make sure cartridges are separate for black, cyan, magenta and yellow so you will only need to buy what you need as you run out of ink. 300 dpi print resolution should be possible. More if you plan to print photos. If not, 300 dpi is plenty, especially for B/W.

Scanner: 300 dpi color is the least you want to have. If you plan to scan high quality photo you may want to look for higher resolutions such as 600 dpi.

FYI: I work in R&D of a printer/copier manufactuer. My advice is to look at the model/brand that best fits your need and make sure you do your math on how much the ink will cost you over the use of the device (look for how many pages does a cartridge prints, etc.)

Answer 4

Keep in mind that your supply cost for toner and drums (aka consumables) needs to be considered. A cheap copier that costs you $.10/ page will cost you a small fortune over the life of the machine. Check out what a copier will cost you /page for purchase and supplies. Secondly, don't buy the extended warantee. Usually by the time the machine starts giving you trouble better technology can be bought for the same price as the original. Make sure that the machine has print drivers that will talk to any graphics programs you want to print. IE PCL vs Adobe Postscript drivers.

Answer 5

I have a printer/scanner/copier all in one the best brand is Lexmark. You can get the best deal at OfficeMax. Go to www.officemax.com

Answer 6

lexmarkx4270 has all that and a fax, about 90 bucks and the ink isn't bad on price if you go to www.123inkjets.com

Answer 7

You can get them cheap on ebay. Here's a direct link

Answer 8

"All-in-One" devices are notoriously poor performers.

You're better off not trying to get everything for nothing.

Buy the devices that you need carefully and you will have much better luck.