Printer recommendations ??

[bhelms]

Hi all. On a relative whim I picked up a Sony Vaio "laptop" on Sunday. Got a fairly reasonable price. Anyway - I didn't break the bank so if it turns out to be a mistake, I don't have that much invested in it. Since I lost my job I no longer have access to the rather nice Lenovo Think Pad with dual screens I was using there, so getting something for home was essential. My 2000 vintage Dell is too obsolete to have any practical use (stores some old files I need to sift through) and my iPad has limitations for some of the work I want to be able to do. Anyway, I'm enjoying the Vaio's 15" touchscreen and full keyboard, and Win 8 is becoming comfortable. It's rather large so I put "laptop" in quotes, but portability is not a high priority.

So now I need a new printer with Wi-Fi and preferably "Airprint" to be directly compatible with my iPad as well. A 3- or 4-in-1 (print, copy, scan are a minimum) would be useful. I don't need photo quality printing, but color is essential. Reasonably priced cartridges would be a good feature. I'll likely print a dozen pages a week of mixed content and I don't need "professional grade" results. I've been out of the market for so long and there are so many choices now, I don't know where to begin! I lean toward HPs based on good past experience. Low price is also not a high priority but I would like to keep it under say $400.

What do you suggest ?? TIA...

 

[KE4EST]

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=225-4113

 

[bhelms]

Thanks for responding! Looks like a decent unit. I've never owned a laser printer. Do you own this one? What has your experience been? The reviews quote Dell as saying it doesn't support AirPrint. Several folks also complained about the toner prices. I wish I could see one first hand...

 

[KE4EST]

No I don't own that model. I thought I did read it did Airprint that is what I was searching for. I have owned a couple Dell printers and like them pretty good. Like I said of searching for Airprint.
Looked again and according to Dell you can print from any iOS device on that printer with an App that Dell provides. Lasers are nice, but if you are not going to be using it everyday, you may want to look for a INK JET.

 

[avg1joe]

I've had good luck finding incredibly cheap generic ink cartridges for my brother printer. Here's a newer version of mine with a link to one of the many deals on ink for it on amazon. Mine I can often find 4 black and 2 of each color for about $13.

http://www.staples.com/Brother-MFC-J470dw-Color-Inkjet-All-in-One-Printer/product_56064
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZW40KK/?tag=satell01-20

 

[jayn_j]

I used to be the biggest HP fanboy and am a past employee. However, I have been bit by poor design and bad quality control on my last 3 units, so I am staying away for now. As an example, I have a 2605 Color Laserjet that won't print red. If you search the web, you will see this is a common problem caused by the fact that the design allows toner to spill down and cover the light engine. The priner must be stripped down completely to gain access and the fix only lasts 6 moths or so.

I bought a Brother all in one that handles 11x17 paper for both printing and scanning for around $200. I've had it for 2 years now without any issues.

 

[Voyager6]

I picked this one up about two months ago. HP 6520 Photosmart It is pretty fast and has Wi-Fi.

 

[bhelms]

Tks all. I'll dig deeper on that Dell. Are Dells available from any of the usual retail outlets, or only online? I really would like to be able to kick the tires a bit before committing to one. I've been a Dell customer in the past, work and personal, and always had a favorable experience, notably with that Inspiron laptop I mentioned in my OP. (I had their 3-year service agreement - "free" with the deal - and used it multiple times. They came to my house or worksite within 24 hours, wherever I needed them, and they had great overall service. I wonder if they're still that good?)

I hadn't really considered Brother - I somehow associated them with cheaper quality, but perhaps that's wrong. I do believe they once advertised having the least expensive cartridges. I also wouldn't mind being able to print the larger sizes (the few times I've needed that I always did it at work, tsk, tsk!) as long as that doesn't make the printer too large. (I'm not sure how I define "too large" - after all I live alone and can fill my space with whatever suits me...like that pinball machine now sitting in my living room!) Again - I'll check them out first hand to determine.

I see both of the ones linked above are AirPrint compatible. (The more I read into this, apparently it's not really an issue with others - there are workarounds which I have not explored yet.) Time to make a trip to Staples! I like our local store. My GF just bought her HP Envi 4500 there for $80 on Sunday when BB wouldn't work with us. (She loves that one and it might work for me as well, however there are a couple of things I don't like about it. But set-up was ultra simple and her iPad connected immediately.)

Tks again...

 

[LER]

I bought the Brother MFC-9130CW and love it....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C6MNP52/?tag=satell01-20

 

[navychop]

Check to see if ONLY Dell cartridges can be used. Might be a $ignificant con$ideration.

 

[. Raine]

I have an old Brother laser network printer which has been great for years, only black and white, an MFC-8120, the replacement toner cartridge for it is only 28 dollars and after market is even cheaper. Brother has definitely been a good printer for me. Last Christmas I bought a Kodak Hero 5.1 All In One inkjet and the wireless works great but the print quality is atrocious and it chews through ink like crazy, I'd most definitely advise staying away from Kodak printers. before the Kodak we had a Lexmark X-75 All In One, which worked nice but finally broke beyond reasonable repair. Wish now that I'd fixed it instead of buying the darn Kodak!

 

[SatelliteGAL]

I have the HP Envy 110 and I love it. I can print from anything I have easily. Ive printed from Iphone, Ipad, HTC One, and my laptop wirelessly. My son prints to it over the wired network and so does my husband. The cartridges last me a long time and I do more printing than you said you do. I've had mine for at least a couple years... can't remember exactly... and have had zero problems. I think the newest version is HP Envy 120 but you can get the 114 on Amazon.

 

[dont24]

I use both an inkjet and laser at home. HP BW Laserjet and always a Canon for inkjet. The PIXMA series are all-in-one and have Airprint.
I'm in the market too for something w/ Airprint. Looking at the MG6420 & 7120. I've been using generic ink cartridges for fraction of the cost of OEM. Haven't had a single issue yet. May not last quite as long as OEM, but the cost savings is well worth it.

 

[bhelms]

Sorry I dropped the ball on this thread, new job has me jammed at the moment! I ended up with this HP Deskjet 8600 Pro Plus from staples, paid $229 plus tax. It was very easy to set up and so far works great! I love being able to send it print jobs from anywhere, including my and my GF's iPads. Draws only 5 watts on standby waiting for those jobs.

http://www.staples.com/HP-Officejet-Pro-8600-Plus-e-All-in-One-Printer/product_366001

I was seriously considering a color laser but the store manager quickly talked me out of it. Full set of replacement toner cartridges would cost more than the printer...!