recommend me a decent printer :)

[Silvgearx]

so i don't quite know where to put this

anyways i currently using a Epson CX4800, I have to print reports quite a bit and only uses black and white.

Even with the options check, and it only uses black ink, but for some odd reason the 3 color inks are always used when printing black and white, and when the color inks are all used up i would not be able to print anything black and white till i get some color inks

someone recommend me a printer for under $100 that can print pages with out the color inks installed. And help me save the money for buying color inks

Thanks for reading.

[Perineum]

I was always against Epson printers but I quite like my R200.... NCIX sells the R280, but it's $109 so doesn't make the cut.

[jcmaz]

how bout the Brother DCP 7030. Its on sale right now.
Computers: Printers: Brother DCP-7030 All-In-One Monochrome Laser Printer | Best Buy Canada Web Store

I have the 7020. All is well. But the plastic is cheap feeling.

[Arinoth]

Originally Posted by jcmaz

how bout the Brother DCP 7030. Its on sale right now.
Computers: Printers: Brother DCP-7030 All-In-One Monochrome Laser Printer | Best Buy Canada Web Store

I have the 7020. All is well. But the plastic is cheap feeling.

If you can, stay away from Brother, Lexmark, uhh i know there is one more but it hasn't come to me, working at Best Buy we had a ton of these always come back, or the ink with the companies typically are for limited models (limited or few models means expensive ink since its not the "in" ink anymore).

If you are looking for just a black and white printer, i'd say go with an HP one, i've had a couple and they've lasted really long, don't use a lot of ink and are just great b/w printers.

Going for high end colour for images i would be recommending epson or cannon.

[sswilson]

If you never use colour, why don't you pick up one of the less expensive laser printers?

I picked up a Samsung at Staples for $100 (it was a really good sale) that does both network connection and duplex. The toners are supposedly good for around 5000 pages and cost under $100 to replace.

[kingnubian]

I've used owned few Epsons (3 or more), couple of HP's & 2 Canon's (one was the original BJ200 so doesn't really count).

One of Epson's greatest issues is that their printers will refuse to print if any one of the cartridges is out of ink even if you want to print a B/W document & a colour is out. Epson printers are also notorious for not managing ink that well in particular during cleaning cycles. The end game for Epson & myself came when it was learned that some models had a "Protection" counter in the firmware that when a certain number of cleaning cycles was reached the printer would refuse to print anymmore unless some very hard to get software was located to reset this counter. My Epson CX5800f had this issue & evan after locating the Epson reset software I was not impressed when that printer and a few others was not supported. Another Epson issue, don't know if this affects more recent models, is that the print head is a consumer non-replacable part of the printer itself. If it gets damaged of terribly clogged it can mean the end to the whole printer.

Very recently I looked for a great reliable printer that does all that I wanted. I looked at HP's offering and saw a few that I liked but pound for pound they couldn't match my final choice. I chose the Canon MX850 (was on sale at Best Buy for $129).

Lexmark printers are not even on my list in particular due to the crazy cost of their inks & the difficulty in finding 3rd party ink of good quality. Brother printers look nice & you get a lot for the money but I'll have to wait a while and see how reliable they are. Lots of review I have seen seem to indicate that in print quality Brother just isn't there yet.

Canon printers have a few advantages such as a user replacable print head/ink holder assembly, easy to find and cheaper (Than other manufacturers) original inks and even cheaper quality 3rd part ink and the ability to keep printing even if one or more ink tanks are empty. They also manage ink levels much better (At least the model I have) than Epson and HP.

The MX850 is also an Ethernet capable printer and this feature works great. In my setup it's just as fast as if it was connected via usb.

The MX850 is over your price range but the MP620 model, which includes WiFi & Ethernet, may be had for around the $100 limit on sale & the MX310 which is a great all in one with Fax & retails for under $100.

[Perineum]

Originally Posted by kingnubian

Another Epson issue, don't know if this affects more recent models, is that the print head is a consumer non-replacable part of the printer itself. If it gets damaged of terribly clogged it can mean the end to the whole printer.

This was the reason I hated Epson printers in the past. My R200 was a gift though, and I've grown to love it so I make sure to print something multicolored once a month

[misterlarry]

+1 for the cheap laser printer. I've got two HP1020's and they've worked great for around three years so far.

[niallm1dotcom]

I recommend Canon

Assuming your in Canada (the Epson link is to the Canadian site) check this out:

Newegg.ca - Computer Hardware,Canon USA, Inc.,Printer - Inkjet Printers,

Anyone should suffice really. My sister got one of these with her new Macbook, works really well. Only thing is the cartrdiges that come with the printer don't last long (as with most printers) but the original Canon replacement cartridges, in general, are really cheap. Epsons aren't bad for value, quality etc. but as far as I know the Canons are superior in this respect (as a result of their mainstream photography and video product lines).

Just my opinion!

[Prof. Dr. Silver]

I fully agree on the CX4800 being a sucky printer as I own it myself. The only thing I use it for now, is the card reader! LOL!

Go for laser, much longer life span than a lot of inktjet's.