How to choose a new 'green' home printer

cashferret

My (very) old printer has developed a problem that would be very expensive to fix. It's an old Canon MP270 and uses ink cartridges, which I always send off to be reused. The cartridges come in hefty unrecyclable black plastic containers.

I'd like to do the right thing ecologically but am not sure what's best.

I'd consider getting it repaired despite the expense but wonder whether, in the long run, it's better to send the printer to get recycled and get one that doesn't need all these cartridges with their plastic packaging.

I see that there are some where you just fill up an ink-tank from a bottle and wonder if that's the way to go, ecologically speaking.

Can anyone advise? I need a printer/scanner that prints in b/w and colour. I don't need it to do anything else. It's for home use and will need to be fairly small to sit in my living room - I don't want some massive office-sized thing!

Reed_Richards

I have some friends who bought an Epson printer with ink tanks but they found filling the tanks such a messy operation that ended-up replacing it.

Modern inkjet printers are sold so cheaply that they are uneconomic to repair; all the profit comes from selling the cartridges. As a result the people who had printer repair skills have retired or moved-on to other work. So you would find it very difficult to get your Canon MP270 repaired, even if you were prepared to pay over the odds.

cashferret

Hi Reed - I've got someone who says they can do it but that it will cost about £90. I like the printer and would pay that (even though I bought it secondhand for £15!) but I'm concerned about the environmental issue of buying endless new cartridges in their plastic containers.