printer help

I need an efficient yet relatively inexpensive printer (one where the ink cartridges won't price me off the planet )

I've currently got a HP Deskjet D1341.... picks up multiple sheets of paper most of the time, then won't print... when it does feed just one sheet (after the initial screw-up) it doesn't print, just adds another request to the queue, so that when it finally does print there a cazillion copies coming from it..doesn't seem to be any way to clear the buffer.. assuming that's what it's still called

all I want is one that will print when I want it to (no color would even be ok) is that to berkeley much to ask...

rant over but I would like some options/opinions

Avoid anything cheap from Lexmark. The software required to use them really screws up Windows!!!

(I use a Lanier LP231cn as my daily printer, a C821dn for cranking out small color stuff and an Epson 11880 for color proofs. But I'm weird. )

Black and white laser printer? I have no idea what new cartridges cost but the printers are now commonly available for around $100. My Brother all-in-one fax/scanner/color inkjet works very well but the ink prices are insane...

pinchvalve wrote: Avoid anything cheap from Lexmark. The software required to use them really screws up Windows!!! (I use a Lanier LP231cn as my daily printer, a C821dn for cranking out small color stuff and an Epson 11880 for color proofs. But I'm weird. )

Seriously? I bought an all-in-one, used, off Kijiji six months ago. Downloaded the software, and Bob's yer uncle, was in business ten minutes later. Course... I'm on a mac. Never had an issue with it, the ink cassettes (one b&w, one colour) are $35 from Wal-mart, it scans, has wi-fi, ports for several different camera cards and hardly takes up any room. And I paid $25 for it.

I know that when i'm in a pinch at school (its really late at night, printer is down, and the labs are all closed) I drive on down to the nearest extended stay. Almost all of them have free printing, and I've read it closely for the one near me. No where does it say that you have to be staying with the hotel to use the printer.

This is what I do for a living, here's the scoop:

You can get both laser & inkjet printers for pretty cheap now. Laser cartridges cost more to purchase than inkjet, but the cost per page on laser is far, far less.

Another consideration is that laser printers typically outlast inkjets, since you don't have liquid ink gumming up the works. The exception is that all Brother printers break at the 3-year mark. I've never seen such precisely engineered failure.

Ultimately, if you don't print much & cash is a concern, you're probably better off with an inkjet. Although a laser printer will cost less to operate.

I'm guessing, since you're on here, that you're probably pretty mechanically inclined. Your cheapest option may be to fix your existing printer yourself. Most of the problems you described are probably the result of poor paper-feed. It could be as simple as cleaning the rollers & rubber separation pad in the paper tray with some Windex, etc. Or if it needs parts you can check out www.precisionroller.com for rollers, maintenance kits, etc. There's also plenty of troubleshooting help via Google & sites like www.fixyourownprinter.com.

Good luck!

petegossett, you are probably correct about the roller...I used to repair printers 15 - 20 yrs ago

If I replace I'll probably get a laser, although I don't print much

thanks to all for the suggestions, and I hope you all have a very merry Christmas

I bought the little lady a cannon pixma mx860 as part of her xmas gifts. she uses the home printers allot, and the lexmarks (p6250) was driving her nuts with feed issues. the new one has a real paper tray, wifi, a duplexer for two side prints and allot of other bells and whistles. ive got it set up and printed some test pages, and the resolution is pretty impressive so far. The wifi part is really neat, we use desktops and laptops in the house, so now they can all share the same printer without having to plug in...

I refuse to buy anything that is hp or compaq ever since i saw one of their internal service tech manuals that went indepth on how to blame (and charge) the customer for known manufacturers defects...

I'll 2nd the laserjet option.

look on craigslist for an HP 4000 / 4050. You should be able to find one for about $75-150. Diehard little printer with great performance & replacement parts (rollers, fuser, toners) are very inexpensive

Datsun1500 wrote: If you don't need color look at a Brother HL-2140 for a good basic laser printer (about $70). If you want to spend a little more get a Brother HL-2170W ($150) which has wireless built in, it has 1 cord (power), so if you have a wireless network in the house you can put it anywhere and print to it.

Yep....disposable laser printer. change toner once, then replace printer

look at a fuser kit cost for that printer

Yep, as I mentioned before, we're a Brother warranty center. You'll get about 3-years of service before it breaks, and at that point it's cheaper to relpace it.

If you're OK with that, they aren't bad printers though.

I have a Brother HL-1440 laser printer that David gave to me about 4 years ago, broken. All it took was rebuilding the paper tray (didn't even need parts!) and it works great now. I use it almost every day.

thanks folks, those are all great suggestions.... if I can't fix the paper feed problem on this one I have lots to choose from..

Tommy Suddard wrote: I have a Brother HL-1440 laser printer that David gave to me about 4 years ago, broken. All it took was rebuilding the paper tray (didn't even need parts!) and it works great now. I use it almost every day.

if ya ever need a job kid, gimme a call.

No thanks, it's cold in IL this time of year.

Tommy Suddard wrote: No thanks, it's cold in IL this time of year.

Yeah, but the snow and cold builds character. Cold is a stimulant for sound thinking.

hey guys I was just hoping for a little advice from some people that probably know a lot more than me about this stuff. I've never bought a printer and I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for, but I know I want a good all-in-one printer and I don't want to spend a million bucks, just like anybody right? I found this site best printers and I'm leaning towards the Epson Expression Home XP-400 Inkjet Printer, I've read a lot of reviews but I was hoping to get some instant feedback from you guys about Epson or that exact printer and let me know what you guys think before I make the purchase? Thanks a lot!

If you go to a sporting goods store, you can probably get a nice Canoe.

I have an IBM Infoprint 1422 B&W Laser I got for free off Craigslist. Put a $25 Ebay toner cartridge in it (OEM, not a refill) and its rock solid. Does envelopes, duplexes to save on paper, and runs 100%. I just ran about 1000 pages through it for a binder I put together for a vendor and it performed flawlessly. Just add paper!

I really love a used business class laser printer. They can be had for damn near free and will last forever for personal use.