Best value PRINTER to buy.

Castleribo

I would like to buy a basic printer but they're now much harder to find. I've only ever bought Epsons (and compatible inks) but the last printer just shut down completely when I installed so called compatible inks.

Will this be the case with all printers now? Is it no longer possible to use compatible inks?

The Epson C48 and C60 were basic models that worked reasonably well and they lasted about a year before packing it in.

I see Argos have the HP Deskjet F4280 printer on sale at a reasonable price...anyway, can anyone recommend a decent printer that won't burn up ink for fun? I tend to print a lot of quality photos on glossy paper. My budget is £40-80.

I'm interested to hear what people have to say about the current printers on the market...any help will be appreciated, thanks.

macman

I would go for Canon every time. I had about 3 Epsons in maybe 5 years, rarely it seems do they last beyond 2 years.
Now have Canon Pixma IP4300 which is mid range model (5 colour) and does a great job. Spend only £40 on an Epson/Lexmark cheapy and you will pay more in the long run in ink consumption and shorter life.
For £50-70 you can get a good mid-range Canon depending on your requirements.

chunter

macman wrote: »

Spend only £40 on an Epson/Lexmark cheapy and you will pay more in the long run in ink consumption and shorter life.
For £50-70 you can get a good mid-range Canon depending on your requirements.

I completely agree with this. I used to recommend Epsons all the time but now I would only recommend the very cheapest. If they break, bin them.

Not good for the environment, but if Epson would build printers that last past a year or sell cartridges significantly cheaper than the price of a new printer, there'd be an enthusiasm to keep them!

Denlaw

Castleribo wrote: »

I would like to buy a basic printer but they're now much harder to find. I've only ever bought Epsons (and compatible inks) but the last printer just shut down completely when I installed so called compatible inks.

Will this be the case with all printers now? Is it no longer possible to use compatible inks?

The Epson C48 and C60 were basic models that worked reasonably well and they lasted about a year before packing it in.

I see Argos have the HP Deskjet F4280 printer on sale at a reasonable price...anyway, can anyone recommend a decent printer that won't burn up ink for fun? I tend to print a lot of quality photos on glossy paper. My budget is £40-80.

I'm interested to hear what people have to say about the current printers on the market...any help will be appreciated, thanks.

This is the first time I have answered a thread but I had to as I have had a Epson cx3200 for over 5 years (which is an all-in-one) but it only cost £60. Had no problems whatso ever. I use compatible ink cartridges all the time and do some photos which give good quality. Hope this helps.:T

Castleribo

Thanks for the replies.

The last printer I had was the Epson D92 and I wouldn't recommend that to anyone.

Nosmo_King_2

Just bought a Brother DCP-145C all-in-one printer (£40 ish from Rymans) inks seem to be pretty cheap, okay, the photos aren't going to win any awards but seems to be a good "all-rounder" , good for homework projects etc. No complaints up to now.

hc25036

I've used Epson and Canon for photo printing in the past and now always use Canon. Any of the 5 (or more) cartridge ones give great results and cartridges can be bought at several places at good prices (and Rymans sell them if you need one in a hurry). Even better, buy at the Canon Outlet (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet_Canon-Printers_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ7QQftidZ2QQtZkm) and save money....

Banacek

I agree with the Canon fans I bought an iP4500 and have never looked back after having two disastrous Epsons one only lasted a few months.

DCFC79

Banacek wrote: »

I agree with the Canon fans I bought an iP4500 and have never looked back after having two disastrous Epsons one only lasted a few months.

do you buy cartridges or use refills

Banacek

DCFC79 wrote: »

do you buy cartridges or use refills

I refill the original cartridges bought a chip resetter works great!

esuhl

I also had major problems with an Epson (D90 or D92... or something similar). We got through half a dozen cartridges in as many weeks and it hardly ever printed anything readable, let alone of decent quality.

The Canon PIXMA iP4500, however, is fantastic: cheap to buy, excellent engineering/design, and I've had it for months and am only 50% of the way through the free cartridges you get with it! The print quality (for black text, anyway) is unbelievable - the best non-laser output I've seen. For casual home-use, I haven't seen better...