best printer for occasional use?

corman_2

hi
i've been given the task of buying a printer for my father-in-law........ the main problem i can forsee is that it will only be used now and again to do the odd photo and to print out web pages sooooooooooo.........
which printers the best taking into account:

seldom use, how quick do the print heads dry out therefore need deep cleaning = wasted ink :eek:

price of ink cartridges

purchase price

i just need one that can be unused for a week or two then can print straight away without any hassle if you see what i mean

monterey_2

A cheap Epson or Canon would be my choice.

If you buy from Ebuyer at the moment you'll get the Google discount.

This will cost £27.68 inc delivery and Google discount
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/117711

M-

moonrakerz

corman wrote: »

hi

i just need one that can be unused for a week or two then can print straight away without any hassle if you see what i mean

Whatever you buy, the printheads will dry out after a while, just print something every few days.
If he doesn't need colour, get a colour printer that will print using the black cartridge only.

corman_2

thanks, was just wondering if any make was better then others for the print heads drying out?

dc

Epson have a bad reputation for printing blank pages, due to the head cleaning pump getting blocked up with dry ink. Each time the printer is switched on these days the pump sucks ink from the cartridge into a pad underneath, which is wasted. You can actually empty a cartridge by just switching the printer on/off without printing a page. :rolleyes2
They are the victim of their own policy of altering cartridges continually to try to prevent compatibles being used, I would go for a Canon. Or if very cheap ( sub £20) Lexmark.

itm2

I had exactly the same dilemma - the printheads had always dried up when I wanted to use them. I now have an Epson colour laser and no more problems.

chrisw

If you're not bothered about colour, go for a laser. They never dry up. The Samsung one on this thread appears to be a great deal and easy to refill:-

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=427789&highlight=samsung