All-in-One Printers

I have an HP LaserJet 4L that we bought eons ago. Damn thing won’t die. Anyway, I’ve been pondering whether to just go ahead and buy another printer even though the 4L still works perfectly fine.

I’m not one to throw away money on nothing. I still have the first c.d. player I ever bought, for instance. So the frugal part of me is saying just live with the slow, but reliable, b&w laser printer. The frivolous side of me thinks those all-in-one scanner/printer/fax/copiers look pretty sweet. I would love to print in color from time to time, and would also really enjoy having a copier at home. But I also realize how expensive those little color cartridges can be.

So, I’m soliciting opinions. Stick with what I’ve got, or throw caution to the wind and get a new one?

Nothing useful to add except that I have a 4L too, and it’s been plugging away like a champ for since, IIRC, 1993. Except for the occasional toner change, the darn thing keeps going like the damn Energizer bunny…

We just got a Lexmark scanner copier printer. It works pretty well but it slow at printing so we did not throw out the B&W laser printer and now we have two printers at home. Plus the laser printer is makes better B&W pages than the inkjet printer.

This really ought to go into Great Debates, but until then…

Q: Which one prints plain b/w pages for less money?

If the HP is cheaper or the same price, hook up BOTH machines to your PC. Then you can use the HP when you’re not in a rush, and use the new one when you are in a rush or need the color.

If the HP is more expensive, then replace it with the new one, and keep the HP as a backup for when the new one is out of ink or needs repairs.

All-in-one devices are never a good idea in home electronics. They cost you more money in the long run. Remember, if one part fails, the whole thing can fail. If one part of your scanner fails, you only need a new scanner. Just like with VCR-TV combos and such. They also tend to be made out of the cheapest parts available for each component. It wouldn’t have a 4L-class printer inside.

I would strongly advise against it.

We use a pretty nice Ricoh scanner/copier/printer/fax, but it is only black and white. It is great for everything you want it to do, though. We have been using it for over one year with no malfunctions, just lots of toner changes.
It is definitely more convenient than having four separate units.
But in the event of a failure, then yes, the whole heavy unit must be removed for repairs. I have been considering gettng one for some time now, but like you, did not want to end up with two printers. But at least you will have a good back-up in the event of a malfunction.

We just got an HP printer/copier/scanner/fax a few weeks ago. I can’t speak to the cost-per-page issue yet, but I’m pleased with it so far. One of our issues was a dearth of desk space, so an all-in-one unit was very much desirable for us. Also, my wife is a school teacher and needs to make lots of copies, so the copier function was a real plus.

I tend to agree that having both units attached to your computer could be a plus. I would use the all-in-one for most things and use the laser printer for documents where sharp text or water-resistant print is needed.
RR

I have an HP OfficeJet T45, all in one.

I think it’s better to have the single machine, because I hardly use the fax/copier/scanner functionality. It’s better than having those 3 machines separately when I wouldn’t use them much.

It’s an InkJet, so of course it doesn’t print the fastest. A laser printer is always a better idea if you’re concerned about print time. I’m not concerned with print time, so this is a non-issue for me. Plus I’d rather buy inkjet cartridges than toner cartridges. I suppose you could do a cost-per-page analysis to see which one is the better value.

The only downside is that I wish I got a flattop model. Mine has a single page feed for the scanner/copier, so I can’t scan or copy anything from a book (without ripping the page out). If you do go with the all in one, make sure to get the flattop version.

As far as mechanical failure, yes it would suck if something broke and you have to send the whole machine for repair. But I think the odds of breakage are pretty low, unless you do A LOT of scanning/copying. Printing problems are usually fixed by realigning or buying new cartridges.

Another thing I’d like to mention, is that my printer uses the color cartridge to print in grayscale (unless you put it in econofast (draft) mode. I didn’t know this until the color cartridge ran out of yellow, and all my printouts were purple. I don’t think all printers do this though. You’d probably want to make sure the one you buy doesn’t have that problem. (Yes, it’s a problem, because the colors run out faster, and the color cartridges are more expensive). I had to install separate printer drivers for printing in grayscale or color to fix it. Not a big deal, but annoying anyway.

So yeah, I’d say it’s worth it if you do a moderate amount of printing. If you constantly print, then you’re probably better off with a laser printer.

Hmmm… What should I do with this thread? :wink:

Off to IMHO.

I have a HP scanner/copier/printer/. Everyone said that “if one part fails, the whole thing goes”…but I have had it three years+ and nothing has failed on it. My only complaint is the scanner isn’t a flatbed and uses those annoying sleeves (put the photo or document in the sleeve to protect it) so I did end up buying a flatbed scanner. The printer/copier part is great.