# Christmas shopping, printers



## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

I am looking for a good, all in one printer; print,copy and scan. I don't need a fax feature and I don't really care if it will pring photos, although, school quality color would be nice if I need actual photos, I'll go to Ritz

Originally I was considering the HP PSC 1610 but I have read of software problems associated with XP servicepack 2. I don't want software issues. 

Any other first hand expereince with the $100-$150 price range of all in one printers? I am not brand specific, I jsut want good quality for my money. I will be starting college in the spring and I need something that will last.

Any recommendations would be great!


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

Cannon printers are better for your money in the long run, then have the cheapest ink, nice printers too.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I've had an HP PSC 1210 for going on 2 years now. IS the 1610 just a newer model of the 1210. I haven't had any software problems that I know of. It has worked pretty much flawlessly since day one. One or two paper jams, more than likely caused by me improperly loading the paper, but I don't use it every day either. 

I don't remember the price but I think it was around $100 or so. I bought it along with a 3 pack of ink refills at BJ's I believe. I am almost out of black ink on my second ink refill. I like the way it tells me I need to order ink


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## skinns (Apr 8, 2004)

I bought a canon photo printer on a friday night about 2 years ago. It was nothing but problems for me for the whole weekend. I ended up taking it back and getting an HP. Got it home took it out of the box, plugged it up and haven't had a problem since.

HP's in my opinion are better printers from Printer quality to User Interace. The bottom line is. Whatever printer you go with, make sure you use that printers Brand paper. It make all the difference in the world.


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

I used to work for HP - selling printers.

The comment about Cannons being the best is a bit off. They do produce very good photo prints quickly and I think they are currently the cheapest to use, but for some reason they don't last very long.

I would recommend anything (except the cheap entry level hardware) made by Epson or HP. They'll both be more reliable than anything else out there.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

You are on your second printer cartridge change in TWO YEARS! OMG! I go thru a new cartridge about every two months on two printers! I have always stuck with HP.



> Whatever printer you go with, make sure you use that printers Brand paper. It make all the difference in the world.


I couldn't disagree more... I think using their paper is a myth. I have used many types of paper, and usually settle on the cheapest copy paper from Office Depot. Never had a problem with how anything looks.


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

There are some exceptions regarding paper, but the best bet (for photos) is to use the manufacturers paper. Consider it to be part of a system - the ink, the hardware, and the paper are designed to work together. The technology that goes in to some of them is astounding. Here's a bit of interesting (if you're into this sort of stuff) reading: http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/sop/pdfs/Lightfastness_white_paper_update_final.pdf

Now, with that all said, there are some good generic papers out there too. For everyday printing use whatever you like.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I've had an hp 2175 psc for about a year. No problems at all. Only downside is that cartriges cost a ton. Get your photos printed somewhere else. Its actually a lot cheaper when you figure in photo paper, photo cartriges, etc. I'll stick with HP for my next one too.


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## kimbm04r (Apr 22, 2005)

I have an HP PSC 2175 as well. A couple months after I bought it (Staples) it started making a strange noise. I called HP and after doing some trouble shooting over the phone they decided that I would need a replacement. They sent it out right away. They even sent me a label to return the bad one at no charge.

I am very satisfied with the printer. It does a great job of scanning photos and it is great a printing them as well. When I replace the cartridges I buy a dual pack with black and color cartridges in the package for about $54 at Wal-Mart.

I used it to make the wedding invitations for my Step-Son and graduation invitations for all 4 of the boys.

I would not hesitate to purchase any HP product.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Nice link, cwlodarczyk. I have saved it to my bookmarks.


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## Simpte 27 (Jul 16, 2004)

From my experience (which is about 15 years of using many many types of printers I would say

Cannon produce better photos (but photo ink is not very cost effective)
Hp printers are faster
Cannon printers have better dpi
Hp ink heads are changes with every cartridge, not so with cannon
Hp are easier to load and hold more paper
Cannon are usually cheaper
Hp can be hard to install if done incorrectly the first time
Easier to replace a HP printer if under waranty
Depending on model Hp color cartridge are all in one vs seperate for the cannon which is a very nice feature.


In short, for text go Hp, for more pics go cannon.

Just my 2 cents


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