Printer (all in one) recommendation please?

Faigy86

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 9:56 am

We are looking to replace our printer and I'm getting so confused by all the options out there.
We are looking for the most economical option (both for initial purchase as well as ink) for the following usage:

Regular black and white documents - probably 20-50 per week
Color printing - probably 2-3 per week with some color, and then another 30-50 of full page graphics per year
Picture printing - 2-3 each week (least important aspect - should have decent quality, but doesn't need to be top)
Scanning, copying, and faxing as well. We can make do without a document feeder, but would rather with.

I'm hoping all of you experts will have some good suggestions Smile

Thank you!

BabsB

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 12:58 pm

We have an HP Envy 7600 Series. I LOVE it. We also use the instant ink feature. I LOVE that too.

Despite the fact that the ink is a subscription service, I am spending way less on ink costs. Plus I don't have to shop for more, it comes right to my door.

This article may help you decide:
http://thewirecutter.com/revie.....nter/

Faigy86

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 2:04 pm

Thanks Babs

I see that the color ink is all one cartridge. Do you think you are losing a lot of ink because you can't change the individual cartridges?

BabsB

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 2:09 pm

Faigy86 wrote:

Thanks Babs

I see that the color ink is all one cartridge. Do you think you are losing a lot of ink because you can't change the individual cartridges?

No - I'm using less cartridges overall actually. It may be because they are fuller than what you can otherwise buy, but I replace them much less often.

Amarante

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 4:33 pm

I have the HP Envy as well and the subscription ink service.

The printer was inexpensive, works well and the subscription ink service is great. I don't print all that much but it's great to know I do not have to make a Staples emergency run.

It has a clean low profile which is nice for a home. My old printer was a bulky monster.

This model doesn't have a fax but I never fax. I scan and then email documents instead if I need to send a document and most places also will email now instead of fax.

I also like that it's wireless which cuts down on cables

baltomom

Tue, Feb 07 2017, 11:52 pm

I have a Canon MX922. I did a lot of research before buying it and ended up with this model because it has individual ink cartridges for each color AND can use generic ink. My usage is not the same as yours--mostly printing for kids' projects--but I bought a huge multipack of 20 ink cartridges for less than $20 and haven't even used half of them in a year. For my purposes the quality printing is fine, but I don't know if you need higher quality.

Good luck!

OOTBubby

Wed, Feb 08 2017, 9:12 am

If you want a laser all-in-one, I would strongly recommend looking at the ones by Brother. I've used many brands and the Brothers have been the best.

Faigy86

Wed, Feb 08 2017, 9:38 am

Thanks for the input.

We've never had a laser printer, but aren't they much poorer quality for picture printing, and much more expensive? I guess I'm trying to balance all these pieces without breaking the bank.

We currently have a brother (inkjet) and while I've been happy with the quality of the printing, we've had a lot of mechanical and software challenges, and it is dying a slow death as well.

OOTBubby

Wed, Feb 08 2017, 9:40 am

Faigy86 wrote:

Yes, if you are concerned with quality of photo printing, then a laser is not what you want. However, for general color printing, the quality is superior. And they are not much more expensive than a good ink jet; only nominally so, and the cost of the toner is much less (needs to be replaced much less often) than the cost of the ink supply for the ink jet.

doctorima

Wed, Feb 08 2017, 10:26 am

We've also had great experience with our Brother all-in-one, much better than the HP that preceded it, though ours is laser and only black-and-white, which is what we wanted for our needs.