looking for new all in one printer , recs please

dc

janiebaby29 wrote: »

Well its here and installed so we will see !!

Remember to use it regularly, I have had 3 Epsons that just turn out blank peices of paper if left unused for a month or so.

There is a well known design problem with a tube that takes excess ink from the cartridge to a piece of foam in the base of the printer, where it (the ink from head cleaning) is left to dry out. Head cleaning takes place every time you switch the printer on. If the printer is left unused, the ink in the tube dries up and stops the printer working.

Bother printers, some Canon and most Epson are the cheapest to run because the print heads are fixed and the replacement ink comes as just a tank of ink.
Most HP and all Lexmark are the most expensive for ink as the cartridges contain the print head, so you have to pay extra for the new head each time the ink runs out, that is if you feel unable to attempt refilling it. In the early days they reckonned the head was only good for one filling, just another polaroid marketing method.

Kodak used to get Lexmark (who were IBM originally) to make their printers, this has obviously changed, cos they are pushing the cheaper ink selling point.

HTHs dc

CrashUK

Spectralis wrote: »

I recommend Kodak printers. They are reliable and the ink costs are very inexpensive compared to some of the other brands. The quality of printed photos is very good. I have one of the first models they released but the latest models start retailing at £89 and I assume, as with most printers, this will be discounted in store. I'm debating whether or not to upgrade my Kodak printer for the newer version because it's more compact. The version I have still works flawlessly so I'm reluctant to upgrade because it's more of an aesthetical decision than anything. The latest Kodak printers have a single "intelligent" paper tray and wifi which mine doesn't. If I do upgrade I'll give the version I have now to a friend.

I used to use Lexmark and even the generic ink costs were greater than Kodak branded inks. I tried refills for Lexmark which were messy and invariably didn't work. There are now generic versions of Kodak printer inks available that are even cheaper. Unless the other printer companies produce a printer combining the quality and ink prices of Kodak I'll continue to stick with Kodak.

I also rate Kodak support who walked me through a few set up problems I had. They were patient and went through every conceivable problem until it was resolved. It does cost more than a local call to contact support but it's not too exorbitant. Kodak support even sent me some photo paper as compensation for any inconvenience I had experienced. The only Achilles heel with Kodak printers is that sometimes the printer head that houses the inks has a wobbly. It's happened twice to me in about four years and each time Kodak promptly sent me a new printer head. In contrast I regularly had problems with the Lexmark and got no customer support. I ended up dumping it (eco friendly I must add) because no one wanted it.

The software that comes with Kodak printers installs without any problems and automatically updates if necessary. It's a little bit clunky in use but not too difficult to use. I have never had any problems connecting the Kodak printer to the PC unlike with Lexmark. Firmware updates are often available and easy to install. All in all I have spent very little time trying to make my Kodak printer work with my PC. It just works unlike the Lexmark. Even if I don't use the printer for months it works flawlessly and the inks are still fresh. This is such a relief because I have had such a lot of problems with printers in the past. Kodak printers do what they say on the box.

Kodak are so poor.. Are not reliable

I had a kodak 5100 and the printer head burned out after one year after that it would not feed paper if it was smaller then a4. kodak toll me that the printer burn the printer head and that I would new a printer..

Kodak send me a new Kodak esp3 with ink but now the ink as run out it to no longer works I try install new ink but just comes up with errors..

I swaped my old canon printer for a kodak 5100 with my mum as it was to hard for her to use and to big for her house. I killed 2 kodak printer but my old canon is still going strong at my mums

DCFC79

Id recommend getting a printer that has say 4 cartridges eg yellow, blue, pink and black so if the blue ran out then you just replace the blue ink and so on

HughSpencer

I quite agree that not using the printer frequently can cause problems. What I do is find a small coloured picture from a magazine and scan/copy it every week.

PhotoGuy_2

I've bought two Kodak ESP All-in-One printers over the past year or so (one for me and one for my wife's mother) and both have worked just fine--both out of the box and after. Plus I've saved a lot of money on ink compared to the Epson and HP printers that the ESPs replaced. The photos have been of excellent quality, pretty much what I expected from a company that built its reputation on pictures, and according to lab tests, they have exceptional durability.

The issue of separate ink cartridges for each color vs. combination cartridges (the Kodak has two, one for color and a second for black and a protective overcoat) is as matter of preference. Both I and my mother-in-law really like not having to keep six spare cartridges on hand or going down to the office supply store only to find that the particular color catridge we need is out of stock (as happened with the Epson innumerable times). According to Kodak the color catridge is filled proportionally to how much of each ink is used on the average for photos (which they've had a bit of experience with). All I know is that I've saved about half my ink costs over my earlier printer which used multiple color catridges.

I heard there were some print head problems way back when the printers were first introduced, but according to the message boards I've read, they were replaced pronto. Anyhow, neither I nor my mother-in-law have had any problems.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Kodak ESP printer or recommend it to others.

elfen

I'd say to anyone after a new printer, be prepaered to pay a little more for it if the inks are cheaper, it'll work out a lot cheaper, especially when most printers only come with a part-filled ink cartridge. OH's parents have gone from a Lexmark and unbelievably expensive ink cartridges to an HP that isn't as bad, I guess. Oh, on this point, anyone know where I can get cheap HP 21/22 cartridges or pattern cartridges?

mrcol1000

elfen wrote: »

I'd say to anyone after a new printer, be prepaered to pay a little more for it if the inks are cheaper, it'll work out a lot cheaper, especially when most printers only come with a part-filled ink cartridge. OH's parents have gone from a Lexmark and unbelievably expensive ink cartridges to an HP that isn't as bad, I guess. Oh, on this point, anyone know where I can get cheap HP 21/22 cartridges or pattern cartridges?

Ebay. You can be filled ones or orginal ones a lot cheaper (but check to make sure they are not past their dates). Often people are selling orginals cheap as they brought spares and then brought a new printer.
I managed to get a filled cartidge for 99p! Someone had brought a refilled one then got a new printer so was selling it cheap.