[giggles]

Hi all,
I have a question, slightly similar to another thread, but not quite.
I'm looking to buy a printer, just for printing out Word documents, invoices, scripts and that sort of thing. I would be potentially running off about a hundred pages a week minimum. I am sick of paying extortionate fees in internet cafes, and tend not to do all the work I should be doing :o
SO...
Question is: what printer would you recommend as cheap, efficient, basic (it's just for documents really, not photos or anything) and user friendly?
Thanks!

[Fr_Chuck]

I personally have three printers, one in my office, one in my home, and one in my van ( yep, wireless net work, 110 power converter plugs in the van)

Do you need or want other optinos, scaning, copy ( flat copy)

For my basic needs I buy those litle what I call disposable Lexmark printers at Walmart, I print on it about 500 pages a week and they last about a year. At under 50 bucks you can't complain. They allow me to use the gerneric ink refill kits so the ink on the black is very cheap.

The medium price ones haven ot seemed to last much longer, aren't cheaper to operate, and unless you are doing photos the quality is about the same.

[StuMegu]

I would suggest a standard Black & White laser printer (if you don't need colour) as these are probably the cheapest to run overall. It really depends on what you need to print out. If you need colour, go for an inkjet or even a cheap colour laser printer - the main thing to consider with these options is how much the replacement inks are and how long they last. It's no good getting a cheap printer with extortionate cartridges.

[fredg]

Hi,
Since you mentioned "cheap", I would also go for a Lexmark, from a larger department store, such as Walmart.
Using the generic ink cartridges, is a faster way to go than re-filling. I buy from http://www.printpal.com.
Those cartridges work just fine in my Epson Photo Stylus, and at a cost of about $6 for black, $7 for color, is a great savings. I use to refill cartridges for my HP printer, which eventually turned "belly up". For around $300 at that time, I won't buy another one!
Also, you might consider a kit for "continous ink flow". You can do some research online for one. Best of luck.

[NeedKarma]

I'll agree with Stu about an inexpensive black&white laser printer based on your intended use.

A color inkjet would be a problem since you would be paying for the color ink that may dry up with little use. The inexpensive Lexmarks have a terrible reputation and should be avoided.

Here's a good place to start to look is Epinions
http://www.epinions.com/Printers--re...ce_range_0_270

[ScottGem]

A agree with NeedKarma about Lexmarks. While they are cheaper to buy, they generally have a high cost per page because they go through ink quickly. I also don't recommend refilling or third party ink cartridges. Some people have had a lot of success with them, others have ruined their printers.

Samsung has an inexpensive laser for about $100. But I would recommend going for an HP 1012. It's a little more expensive, but I think you will get a better return on your investment.

[giggles]

Thanks for all the feedback - so laser b&w is the way to go. I hadn't considered that colour ink would dry out due to lack of use. Are there any brands in particular that are more reliable?

[ScottGem]

HP sells more printers then all its competitors combined. They invented the laser printer.

I have a HP 6MP that I 've had for over 7 years and it still works great.

[Tommyp!972]

Try this link first
http://www.printerdb.com/HowToChoose.html

[giggles]

Thanks lads for all the advice! Great link by the way, it really helped make my mind up for me!