Need recommendations for an inkjet MFP.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I currently have a Canon MX310, and I can’t seem to print more than 20 pages before it tells me I need more ink. It’s ridiculous. At 50 bucks a crack to replace both ink cartridges, this thing has finally pissed me off enough thatI am looking into other options.

I want something that does pretty well on photos, and reasonably well on text. I don’t want ink costs to bankrupt me.

I need fax and scan capability, and I need an all in one due to limited office space (basically I have one of those armoire cabinets as my office, and that’s it.

I would love wifi print/scan functionality, but it’s not an absolute requirement if you’ve got a great printer you would like to recommend.

2

Look into laser printers. Larger upfront investment, and the toner cartridges ain’t cheap, but the typical cost per page is less than for stinkjets.

3

Except they do poorly with images and photos.

4

I remember reading somewhere that Epson is the best at not lying about how empty the cartridge is. I don’t have a specific model to recommend. Some models by other manufacturers would say it was empty at like 40 or 60 percent capacity.

5

When making your choice I will suggest that you look for a device with separately replaceable ink tanks per color (as in at least 4 tanks C,M,Y,K, rather than 2 tanks, one black plus one 3-color) so that you only have to replace the one that is really running out, especially if you are doing a lot of color photo printing, which sucks ink at a prodigious rate. I use a Canon (MX8** series, mine is discontinued) and find it satisfactory, but obviously my usage pattern is not yours (in my case for some reason magenta is always the first to go)

Also, yes, as mentioned it is very commonplace to have manufacturers set the “low” warning to go off while there is still a lot of ink left. Me, I just let it run after the warning in the knowledge that it’s programmed to just refuse to print when any of the tanks gets further down to “critical”.

6

I like Epson’s individual ink cartridges too. I never replace one until it is OUT, but I do tend to order a replacement when it tells me to. I’ve never been caught short yet.

I have to support the advice to buy a laser. I use one from all my correspondence, and have the ink jet for pictures and printing on CDs. But I could live without the ink jet by having my pictures printed at CostCo. Their cost per print is less than the cost of owning and maintaining a good quality ink jet printer. And you’ll have actual photographic prints that will last far longer than nearly any ink jet print.

7

Does anyone have any actual models to recommend?

8

Epson WorkForce 610. The earlier WorkForce 600 is great too if you find it on clearance somewhere.