My mom is trying to reconfigure her home office and replace a bunch of stuff (also trying to help her with her first computer). She needs a printer which also handles faxes, and wireless capability would be a big plus. Canon and HP have some models out for c. $110-130 bucks (on Amazon), but their user reviews complain of various software bugs, tricky-to-hair-pulling setups, and hugely expensive ink cartridges to feed the voracious appetites of these beasts. So some recs would be appreciated.
I have a Canon Pixma 860 in my office. I am very happy with it. A seperate large black ink tank for letters, an auto doc feeder, prints great pictures. I am more than happy.
I am told wireless setup can be a bitch, I have mine connected with a USB cable so I can’t comment.
Most of those really cheap ones are based on inkjet printers. I recommend getting one that’s based on a laser printer, although if you want to keep the size and cost small, it will have to be a monochrome printer.
HP LaserJet M2727nf
works for me.
Do you need color?
I agree. After years of spending a fortune on ink cartridges, I recently got a monochrome multifunction printer that works like a charm. It is a Brother MFC-7220.
Toner cartridges don’t cost much more than an inkjet cartridge, and last for 2500 pages! And print really, really fast.
This one has a small footprint, has Print, Copy, Scan, Fax and PC-fax. The latter is very helpful…you can send a fax right from your computer without printing it out.
If you don’t need color, these are a good choice. Even if you do now and then (like me), I also have a cheap HP inkjet printer for color only.
Thanks guys-she also needs a good email program (want to avoid Windows Mail & Outlook Express like the plague) which is easy to use.
Since the OP is actually looking for informed, factual opinions, let’s move this from General Questions to IMHO.
samclem, Moderator, GQ
Mozilla Thunderbird.
Costco (and presumably, Sams) has some nice ones. And they also carry toner at a significant savings. I have the HP All-in-One 5770 and it works great. I used to have a Lexmark but will never buy another brand other than HP.
It’s great having a wireless printer.
HP 6500 is $170 at Costco.com.
Laser beats the crap out of inkjet. Faster, cheaper print cost (tho the printer is more expensive up front), sharper bleed-free printouts. Laser print is also smudge-proof; inkjet print seems to smudge with just the slightest touch.
Wife and I have a Brother MFC7840. Fax, copy, scan, print, includes automagic document feeder. Wireless network ready, so you can connect it to your wireless router so more than one computer can easily print to it. Can fax a doc directly from your PC.
By buying that, I was able to get rid of my hardwired printer and my flatbed scanner, AND put the printer across the room, freeing up a ton of space on my desk.
Laser beats inkjet, for sure. But the upfront cost is a lot more. So consider your personal printing needs before deciding. Me? I’ve had my printer over a year and have only gone through one (black) cartridge. I just don’t print that much and quality isn’t that important when you’re printing out emails and Google Maps.
Canon MF4350, $150 shipped from Costco.com
Love ours! (It’s laser, and off-brand replacement carts are $35-ish)