›
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Best Home Printers for Cost per Page

NilliaNillia
edited September 2010 in Technology
I need a printer-scanner-copier combo ranging from $70-200. For that price range, which printer has the best price per page? I'll be printing 150-200 B&W pages a month, and 10-15 color pages a month. It would also be good if its at least fairly reliable. My amateur research turns up contradictory reports and I'm running out of time. I need it within a week because student teaching will involve a lot of printing.

Any brand or model suggestions are welcome. Please just say why you recommend it. Thanks!

Comments

  • Natakou2001Natakou2001
    In general laser printers have a much lower cost per page, anywhere from half to a third of the cost. But a MFC laser printer under 200 will be monochrome. If you want color its ~350 and up.
  • NilliaNillia
    I've gathered that. =/ I'm not sure if I can go without color because art lesson plans involve printing many pictures.
  • Natakou2001Natakou2001
    If your going to print many color copies you should just bite the bullet and get a color laser printer. In the long run you'll be saving a ton of money.

    You might even want to get a standalone color laser printer and a separate scanner. Get a slightly better business model that is very good at saving on toner.
  • NilliaNillia
    If I had money, that'd make sense, but my budget really is just 200 max. I reallyreallyreally can't afford that at the moment. As a student teacher I am *paying* money to work full-time. I absolutely cannot afford to bite any bullets. This isn't a 'long run' printer...it's just supposed to get me through the year without costing me too much. When I have a real job I'll get myself a nice $400 "long run" printer. Thanks for the advice, though. It just doesn't quite fit my budget.

    I estimate that I'll be printing about 10 color pages a month, and 150-200 B&W a month.

    I live in a small apartment so an all-in-one would really be best. A copier is handy too.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    My family has an HP K80 all in one that has been going strong since 2001 with absolutely no problems. It's regularly used for large runs of flyers and stickers, as well as other odds and ends. That's probably out of production, but HP has been turning out some nice flatbed combos, and I have no compunctions about recommending that brand, save that about 9 years ago, their TWAIN drivers were finicky. But y'know. Nine years.

    I have some friends who've had great success with this one. Inkjets are a crapshoot, but at that price, even if it craps out part way through the year, you still have the budget to afford another one. And remember: When you get "caution: Ink low" you usually have about 20% of a cartridge left; print in batches of twenty and replace the ink when your prints actually start to falter.
  • GreatTeacherMacRossGreatTeacherMacRoss
    You shouldn't try printing all copies of your stuff yourself unless you're willing to spend serious money that you'll never be reimbursed for. Even if you're student teaching, you should have access to your college's labs and/or the supplies at the school you are teaching at.
    That being said, I use an HP that I got for under a hundred bucks because the ink heads are actually on the cartridges, extending the life of the printer.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited September 2010
    I can't seem to get rid of printers, being a computer repair guy, people just give old printers to me. If you ask around enough, someone's likely to be getting rid of some inket sooner or later.

    As for printing bulk. I print colour leaflets, 60 sheets at a time and my Canon IP4500 hasn't failed me using unofficial cartridges. You just have to take into account that inkjet printing a lot of stuff takes a while.

    One problem using unofficial cartridges is that you don't know when they're going to run out so you could set a load to print and come back to find that half of them are missing a colour.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • AprecheApreche
    If you are printing a lot, get a black and white laser printer.
  • NilliaNillia
    @WindUpBird Thanks, I'll take a look at that.
    @GTM While I plan to take advantage of those resources when I'm able to, my deadlines, schedule, and distance from Hofstra make it impossible to print everything I need there. By the looks of it, I'll have a lot of things to turn in every Monday morning, so printing a lot at my assigned school won't look good.
    Thanks for the tips. HP seems like a possibility.
    @Apreche I need color for printing out demo pictures and artist work in my lesson plans. =/

    Thanks everybody. I'm kinda thinking of going with a kodak. Multiple studies put them at about 2-3 cents per page....waywayway better than all the other budget-friendly inkjets.
  • PeguPegu
    http://i.engadget.com/2010/09/03/engadgets-back-to-school-guide-printers/
  • AprecheApreche
    @Apreche I need color for printing out demo pictures and artist work in my lesson plans. =/
    How often? You may be able to get a black and white laser, and the rare time you actually need color, just go to a Kinko's equivalent.

    Another option is to get an inkjet AND a monochrome laser printer. The inkjet ink is so expensive, if you keep running out the black ink cartridges, it will suck majorly. For the price of three or four black injket cartridges you can get a monocrhome laser printer and a toner cartridge for it. Then just use the expensive inkjet ink for color prints only.

    Also, color laser printers are expensive, relatively speaking, but it may pay for itself over time. Gotta do some maths on that.
Sign In or Register to comment.