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Buying a printer

17:08 / 16.03.04

My lovely dad gave me a Gateway laptop and it just needs a (color) printer. I've never had a computer before so I don't know what to look for in terms of compatibility. Are there certain kinds to get for a laptop? Different plugs and things? I really have no idea. I want something as cheap as I can get away with while still printing professional invoices and such.

(I'd ask my dad but he'd just tell me to get the best one out there, hey it's only a couple hundred bucks right?)

20:39 / 16.03.04

First off, plugs. Any computer made in the past 5-6 years should have at least one USB port- so that's pretty much what every printer on the market supports. It's a thin rectangular hole, less than an inch wide, with a little plastic bar inside it (against one side or the other). Assuming you've got that...

Canon has a few nice little printers in the US$50 range. the i250 and i350 (350's a little faster, but for some reason they always seem to be the same price..) Both are bubble-jet printers, which are supposed to give a slightly higher-quality print. HP has an inkjet for the same price, the 3550, also a good little printer but the ink for it will run nearly $40 for the two cartridges, as opposed to $25-30 for the Canon. Epson has the C64 for around the same price, but their printers aren't worth the trouble they invariably cause.

Never buy anything with "Lexmark" printed on it, even it seems like a good deal.

Most of the printers will come with full ink carts in the box, but plan on spending another $20 or so for the USB cable ("A to B", the standard style) and maybe a few dollars for a ream of paper if you don't have any.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

10:21 / 17.03.04

Spend a little bit more on getting a laserjet, to be honest. My inkjet had the ink drying out when it wasn't being used, not lasting long anyway, and not that good for printing out colour pictures. You'd probably have to spend more money for a decent inkjet than you would for a half-decent laserjet.

10:32 / 17.03.04

go for a hp laserjet...inkjets are crappy,it might cost a bit more ,but its much higher quality.....cheap and professional are terms that are rarely used together in printing

12:33 / 17.03.04

Thanks a bunch! ...So this means I could find a laserjet for not much more than $50? The thing I hate about buying computers & electronics, it's like going to an automechanic, when you don't know what you're doing the salesmen will take you for all you're worth. It's helpful to at least have these approximate prices in mind (I was imagining something more like $300).

03:05 / 18.03.04

You can get a very basic laser printer from HP (LaserJet 1012) for $200. This will do very quick and very crisp black-and-white prints. Toner runs $70, and should get you 2000-3000 sheets. Problem comes with color... for a color laser printer, you're looking at spending at least $500 for a semi-decent unit, and color images still won't look as good as an inkjet photo printer half the price. Another hundred or two will bump up the quality a bit (best I've seen for under a grand is from OkiData). And then, keep in mind, you're spending another $60-$100 EACH for Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow toner carts.

You can save money in the long run with laser printers, considering you use it enough to justify it. It'll last longer, and you don't have to refill ink as often. Black-and-white documents will look more crisp and professional, but color costs a lot more. If it's color pictures you're after, a color inkjet photo printer in the $100-200 range would prolly suit you better- they're also more flexible as to what stocks of paper they can print on, and will look better than most any laser under $1k.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:53 / 19.03.04

I know absolutely bog all about buying printers, so unfortunately I can't help you. However, I thought you might be interested to know that this thread has reminded me that I actually have a printer which I got free with my pc a couple of years ago, then promptly forgot about. And now, after much downloading of drivers, I've got it running. Thank you.

12:38 / 19.03.04

For goodness's sake I thought you were going to give me your forgotten printer. Tease.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:52 / 19.03.04

You wouldn't want it- it's not very good. Epson C40plus. Put it this way. It's the kind of printer they were giving away free with PCs two years ago. Considering how the computer I actually BOUGHT two years ago aged... well...

15:08 / 19.03.04

Now my dad is sending me a brand new Epson photo printer too! What did I do to deserve such a dad?

tom-karika nukes it from orbit

20:36 / 19.03.04

You can get laserjets for much less these days. I have an HP that I picked up for £55 (I guess that's about $100, as that's what this threads working in it seems). They're far better than Inkjets in terms of quality for black and white, although a colour laserjet is not so great. Toner is alot cheaper than ink.
Ink is very expensive indeed - never buy a printer until you know how much the new cartridges cost, or even if it comes with cartridges in the first place.