Looking for a good Printer....

[Variable]

I'm looking for a good printer since I wrecked my old HP DeskJet 540!

Mostly I will be using the printer for printing Texts and small graphics but I will be using it for color-photoprints too (about 3:1). The Photos should be good quality.
My budget for the printer is something around 150$ (best would be something around 100$).
A big thing for me are CHEAP REFILLS!!
I don't want to buy every half year a cartridge (or two) for 25$!!!
The best would be one where you can either replace the cartridge OR REFILL it with CHEAP ink!!(I don't understand why not every printer has that?).

Since my last printer was a "§$"§$ HP and I heared some bad things about them I don't think I will ever buy another HP product.

Just today I saw a Lexmark Z42 Printer for 89$ is that a good deal? It has two cartridges (one for the colors and one for black-ink) and it prints up to 2400x1200 dpi!
Does anyone know if there are refillable cartridges for this printer?

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[Variable]

Sorry for the double post (slow internet).
This is the REAL thread.

[Fingers]

I bought my mother a Lexmark Z42 (http://www.lexmark.com/US/Products/printers/1,2792,OTJ8MQ==,00.html) for Christmas to replace an aging HP inkjet. Now, every time I see her, the first thing she tells me is how much she loves her new printer. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif She likes to make her own birthday and greeting cards, and they look absolutely AWSOME (although I think she's probably spending a small fortune on the special card paper she uses). I'm not sure if that particular model is still in production, but any of the Lexmarks in the $100-$150 range seem to print about the same quality. She seems to be getting very good life out of the ink cartridges also, but I don't really know how it rates as far as actual price per page against other printers.

I'm gonna <-(hope Roy doesn't see that) get a Lexmark for myself pretty soon because after watching hers "warm-up" in about 10 seconds, I hate my Canon which seems to take forever before it's ready to print.


Here's the Z52 (http://www.lexmark.com/US/Products/printers/1,2792,MTQ1fDE=,00.html) also.

I don't understand why not every printer has that I don't know either...but I'm sure it has nothing to do with profits. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

DOH!!! I already posted in the other one.



[This message has been edited by Fingers (edited 02-16-2001).]

[nunyadam]

spend a little extra and get a quality printer . look for multiple color cartridges.
sepereate cartridges for individual colors will cost less in the long run.(you will always run out of one color before the others) do some research on price per copy.
a lot of companys get you by selling you the printer cheap and then nail you for ink.

nunya

[Variable]

Are there any printers where you can refill the cartridges with simple, cheap ink??
(if not all colors at least the black cartridge?).
I looked around and I saw people saying the same thing you do: the difference between the Z42 and the Z52 is allmost nonexistent.

What I found out is that some printers need special paper for good quality prints (including the Z42 and Z52).
Now that is okay for photos I think but for graphics, texts and even small images I will want to use plain paper and still get a good quality.
When I looked around the Epson Stylus Color 880 catched my eye. Any experience with this printer?
I also saw that canon printers have individual color cartridges so you only need to replace one color at a time (are there any refillable canon cartridges out there?).

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[Variable]

Okay, forget about the canon printer's, they are litterally eaten alive on eopinions...

Is it true that the Lexmarks consume so much ink? (and if yes, is the supposed better quality worth it?)

Also has anyone experience with Epson printers and how fast the printheads clog?
Because when I compared the costs for replacing color and black cardridge on both Epson and Lexmark, the replacement would cost under 50$ for the Epson and over 70$ for the Lexmark. So if I replace both cartridges for the Epson 5 times I can buy a new printer.

Since it's main use will be privately at home, I will be using the printer not very regularily. Sometimes I print dozens of pages and images at a time and sometimes it might sit there unused for 2 months (okay not very often but it can happen).

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[Fingers]

She was ecstatic with the print quality and bright colors of the Lexmark even when we first hooked it up on Christmas Day and printed out a couple of calendar pages on plain paper.

Lexmark has 4 of the top 6 InkJet Printers in the Feb 2001 issue of PCWorld. (It seems the HPs and Epsons win the “cost per page” battle however)

Top 10 Printers (chart) (http://pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,36733,pg,2,00.asp)
Make sure you click thru and read the detailed reviews.

Oh...if it matters, the Z42 has connectors for both parallel and USB connections.


[This message has been edited by Fingers (edited 02-16-2001).]

[Sixpac]

We bought HP Color printers at work and were a little worried about them since we have about 12 Epsons 800's but I was ammazed....

Very quiet, high quality output and fast with high resolution and cheep and doesn't go through much ink....

Also the one I bought does duplexing out of the box.

This is the printer we bought... (about 6 of them)
http://www.hp.ca/products/static/c6427a/features-en.html

I highly recommend them.

Cannon Suck... Epson suck.... Lexmark not bad but why would you buy a Yuxmark. No thanks.

[NDC]

I would recommend a HP930c or 932c. It has the same quality prints as the 952c and the 970cxi. It's just slower than the other models, but the printouts are one of the best I've seen for that price! I'm not too fond of Epson beacuse the head is attached to the printer itself not to the ink cartridge like HP does. You get a new printer head eachtime you replace the ink cartridge on HP's!

[mansell]

I use an epson 640,had it for 2 years with no problem at all and i use it regular,
they don't make it any more ,but any of the new epsons should do the business

As for ink cartridges i use compatibles which are a third of the price of originals with no drop in quality.

later mansell

[cheapster]

I am picking up a Lexmark Z42 tomorrow at Costco for $89.99. I have been using a Lexmark Z11 (bought at Walmart for $59.95) for over a year and have been very happy with it for the price. I have heard that the Lexmarks are ink hogs but we didn't feel that the Z11 used much if any more ink than our Canon BJC-4400. And it provided much better print quality, although slower. I am hoping that the Z42 will at least match the Z11 print quality (it is supposed to be signifcantly better) and be quite a bit faster. It is rated at 10 pages per minute in black. I don't think it can be beat for $89.95. Heck, it seemed like a pretty good deal to me at $139.95 retail. If you have time to wait, I will get mine and let you know how it works, but they may go quickly if other peoples experience mirrors mine.
Chuck
PS Canons are garbage. We are slow learners and went through 3 of them in 4 years because we didn't know that there are better printers. You can't get a Canon cheap enough to make it worth it.

[Fingers]

I actually like my Canons (600e & 4550) other than the fact that they take so long to warm up (and shut down).

cheapster, don't count on 10 PPM out of the Z42 though... more like 2 PPM black and .5 PPM color. I don't know who times these things when they publish their results, but they either can't count, or can't tell time (or both). Think about it, 10ppm is a complete page every 6 seconds... I DON'T THINK SO, not from a $100 inkjet printer.

Market Pro is having a computer show about 20 minutes from my house tommorrow. I'm either going to pick up a Z42 or Z52 to replace the 600e as my primary printer. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[RCN_Moose]

I've got a Lexmark 5700 (OLD) but works really well.
As to the costs for the cartridges, yes they are a bit high, BUT, you can get a universal refill kit for them for the same price as a new cartridge. I don't recommend it for the color cartridge (its a pain in the a@# to do) but it works great for the black ones.

[RCN_Moose]

I've got a Lexmark 5700 (OLD) but works really well.
As to the costs for the cartridges, yes they are a bit high, BUT, you can get a universal refill kit for them for the same price as a new cartridge. I don't recommend it for the color cartridge (its a pain in the a@# to do) but it works great for the black ones.

[Underclocked]

Here is a thread you might want to read http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=355226

Pretty nice deal (Don't know about the ink supplier mentioned in the thread, could be fine).

[Fingers]

Well, I guess I'll have to wait another 3 weeks for a new printer. Only about 1/2 of the usual venders showed up at the computer show, I guess it was because of the holiday. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/frown.gif The good news... I found a 12/10/32 PlexWriter for $205. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[BIGO]

I had an HP 540 once---slowest print spooler in the world! I have an Epson now, and love it. I fill my own cartridges. I use a waterproof (pigment) ink which I buy "bulk" from Specialty Inks (specialtyinks.com, I think). They also sell empty cartridges to fill yourself. Also, generic cheaper replacement cartridges are available all over the place that work fine--look on ebay. hso

[Variable]

Does anyone else have good experience with those refills? Sure sounds good to me!
If this is true that you can refill the cartridge for the Lexmark Z42 for ~15$ I buy it!!

[Fingers]

NO, you can't refill them for $15... you can refill them 4 times for $15. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

I bought this (http://atlascopy.com/refills/atlasbrand/lex2.htm) refill kit for the Lexmark Z-series at the computer show on Monday. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I did see the salesman do a demonstration. The top cap on the color cartridge is glued on and has to be cut off (with the included knife) to access the fill holes. The fill hole in the black cartridge has to be enlarged (with the included drill bit) to allow the syringe to fit in.

There are two concerns to be aware of with refills;
1) An inkjet printer works by sending an electrical charge through the inkjet nozzle. This superheats the ink and causes the small bubble to explode, spraying the ink onto the paper, this happens hundreds of times per second. Nozzles that are part of the ink cartridge may not be designed to withstand the extended use that will occur by refilling the cartridge many times. (the instructions on my kit say the Lexmark cartridges should last for 4 min and 8 max refills)

2) The print heads on these "disposable" cartridges may burn up and be ruined if the cartridge is allowed to run empty. This could be a problem because the tanks on the Lexmarks are black instead of clear. The Lexmarks do have ink level monitoring built into the printer driver, but I'm not sure if it's an actual gauge, or if it's just an estimation based on usage.

Even if I'm only able to refill the cartridges once before the heads "give up", that will still be a $3-$4 refill instead of $40+ every time the tank is empty.

[This message has been edited by Fingers (edited 02-23-2001).]

[RayH]

It does seem that the printer manufacturers relatively give away the printers in order to sell ink. With some of the less expensive Lexmarks you may have to purchase a black tank, as one may not come with the printer.

To make ink last longer, use lower quality printing. It's usually called high speed, plain paper. For text, this is usually unnoticeable. But it will signifcantly make your ink last longer.

If you go the refill route, you may want to consider using OEM tanks.

[Richard_Cranium72]

http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/Forum10/HTML/001199.html