<p>My D will be going off to college in the fall. She already has a laptop and now we’re looking for a durable all in one printer. I’m especially interested in one that doesn’t devour ink since I have a feeling that once her dormmates find out she has a scanner they’ll want to use it “for just this one copy”. I’m looking in the $100 - $125 price range. I saw a Dell 942 for $104. Anyone have any experience with Dell printers?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>dell printers are simply rebadged lexmark machines =). search for the corresponding lexmark model - dell may [pure speculation!] be charging an overhead.</p>
<p>also, look at how much ink costs. not only the cost for the cartridge, but also the cost per page [or just cost/capacity]. the way most printer companies make money on cheaper machines is by charging a bundle of money for the correct cartidge. on the other hand, higher end printer cartridges may cost a similar price - but also usually have a higher capcity (so wiht a large amount of printing and a year or so, the cost is recovered).</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Love my recently purchased Lexmark X5270, (95.99 on HSN of all places) but karthikkito has a point about the ink use. I have made some lovely copies of photos of graduation that folks have emailed me, which uses beaucoups of ink. But I am willing to pay for the ink. I have been happy with the functions of this machine!</p>
<p>I’m looking at either the Canon PIXMA 3000 or 4000 printer for my D because they use separate ink cartridges for each color, so you don’t replace them as often, plus they are very inexpensive to begin with. The Canons also have gotten great reviews everywhere I’ve looked. However these printers aren’t multifunction and don’t scan but they’re in your price range. </p>
<p>BUT, in the same family, is the PIXMA MP750 which IS a multifunction and does scanning, and right now Amazon is offering it at an amazing $120 considering everywhere else it’s over $200. It uses the same efficient cartridge system as the 3000/4000. I am seriously considering this one for me since my current 3 yr old multifunction (a Xerox) has turned out to be utter cr@p.</p>
<p>I have the Dell A960 all-in-one and love it. You are wise to worry about overuse in the “just this one” category, as I have seen posters talk about using their own “free” in-room printers. The cartridges aren’t cheap and I haven’t done a real analysis, but my gut feeling is that I’m getting more out of these than other printers I’ve had. It has separate black and color cartridges, but not a separate photo one, as some do.</p>
<p>I’ve noted that I can go WAAAY longer than what the on-screen “printer ink low” warning sign says. In fact, the indicator has gone from low to empty and I’m still printing with no noticeable decline in quality yet. So one can save by just waiting til you actually run out.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions.
jmmom - I agree with you about the printer ink low warning sign. I know I can print lots after it first comes on.- is this another clever marketing ploy?</p>
<p>i’m inclined to say that it isnt a ploy. after all, if you get the ink low warning…you’ll go out to the store and buy ink. however, most people won’t change the cartridge right off the bat - some are even see through, so you can visually see the amount of ink left. it’s more of an aid to let you know to stock up so you don’t run out at 2am printing a project.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>We have had canon, hp and lexmark printers. I thought the canon was the worst of the bunch, being slow and having a poorer ink quality. We are satsfied with the Lexmark all-in-one and the HP all-in-one machines. But TaraMom is correct in pointing out that canon has separate color ink cartridges, which might be good if you print alot of one color.</p>
<p>At this price it is going to be hard to get a quality MFP, but if you have to stay at this priceline I recommend Canon Pixma MP130. PC Magazine (for all you parents out there that need computing advice, this is a necessity… Also check out <a href=“http://www.cnet.com%5B/url%5D”>www.cnet.com</a>) says it gives out the best quality out of the budget printers. But if you are willing to spend just a little bit more I recommend that you go with the Brother MFC-3420c. Excellent printer.
And whatever you do, do not get Dell printers. The overhead cost is going to be tremendous and getting the ink is a hassle. Furthermore, there are much better manufacturers than Lexmark…
In terms of printing the two best companies are HP and Canon…</p>
<p>do not buy a lexmark printer. they make crap, seriously. we’ve had seven different ones in this house between this house and my apartment, and every single one has broken. plus, their ink is really expensive.</p>
<p>Our Lexmark printer was also cr*ap. The HP all-in-one we have currently used for about two years is good, no problems at all…might be a higher price point for you.</p>
<p>We just got the HP PSC 1610 (all in one) from Office Depot for $129.00 minus a $50 rebate. Seems to be good so far. I don’t know if the rebate is still going on, though. BTW, our Lexmark all-in-one (don’t know the model off-hand), works great and has been reliable for the past couple of years. It is especially good at copying light or pencil written pages.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the advice - now a few more questions.
Hopkinslax - first congratulations on the season - very exciting!
What would you say would be a realistic amount to spend on a printer/scanner that would be used in a dorm room? I don’t feel like having to replace it every year - so if you think I am being pennywise and pound foolish - please let me know.
Also - does it make sense to get one with the photo card attachment?
Thanks</p>
<p>I think your budget as stated is very appropriate for a dorm printer. It just depends on what extra features your D really needs to justify extra expense. For example, scanning/copying is nice to have, but is that something your D needs on a regular basis? I only ask because a multifunction is a bit larger machine. And can add to the cost. But I know it’s nice to be able to make one copy of something in a hurry. </p>
<p>I haven’t quite figured out the rationale for photo card slots on a printer. Personally, I would never print directly from a flash/memory card because I’m the type that always has to approve it/see it on a big screen first, and then edit it if needed. So unless I knew all my shots were great and was in a huge hurry I probably would never use the photo card slot feature. If it didn’t cost any extra, then okay.</p>
<p>The MP130 that hopkinslax recommended looks like a good one, with a slight difference in the ink from the other pixmas. But it is one of the smallest multifunctions and meets your price range even with the photo card slots. If you go look at the user reviews for the MP130 on Amazon, there is one excellent review that really compares the differences in canon models in some detail. I also suggest you check <a href=“http://www.pricegrabber.com%5B/url%5D”>www.pricegrabber.com</a> for lowest price search, once you’ve decided. They also show all the current rebates available.</p>
<p>my aunt just bought a nice HP all-in-one printer that prints beautiful photo’s for about $100. it’s really nice.</p>