All-in-one printer/scanner/copiers from £19.99

Former_MSE_Lawrence

What's the deal?

There's a raft of good All-in-one printer deals around. All-in-one means they print, scan and can photocopy. All the models below plug into your pc/laptop via USB, and come with the software and drivers you should need to get up and running. I've noted the cost of replacement ink cartridges after each.

Where can I get it?

• THE CHEAPEST: Olivetti Simple Way All In One Inkjet £19.99 in-store. This box from Argos prints up to 4800 dpi (dots per inch), which is enough to print good-quality photos, and packs in a scanner with a 600 dpi resolution, enough for basic scanning/copying. It comes with full ink cartridges, and can be reserved online for in-store collection, so check local availability before you go shopping.
  Replacement ink cost: £20/cart.

• HIGHER RESOLUTION SCANNER. HP Deskjet F2180 All In One Inkjet £29.99 in-store. Whilst not half-price, for £5 more than the printer above this packs in a scanner with twice the resolution (1200 dpi, 48 bit) and matching print quality. However, the real bonus with this model is that replacement cartridges come a bit cheaper. Again it's from Argos, and stock looks to be quite limited, so check online first.
  Replacement ink cost: £8 (3rd party) to £15 (official).

• FASTER. Olivetti Any Way All In One 'Photo Plus' Inkjet £29.99 in-store. This Olivetti, also at Argos, is reduced from £69.99, and offers faster print times (up to 24 pages per minute black/white) and high-resolution scanning capability. The feather in it's cap however is a mini 2.4" LCD screen, which combined with the unit's multiple memory card reading slots means you can edit and print photos without having to put them onto your computer first. On the downside though, it takes the same ink as the olivetti above, so you'll have to shell out a whopping £40 to replace both cartridges.
  Replacement ink cost:£20/cart.

• STRONG FEEDBACK. Canon Pixma MP210 £31 after refund (£51 outlay) inc. delivery. Whilst a bit more fiddly to get the cheap price, this Canon deal's also worth looking at. As pointed out below, it's cheapest at web electronics retailer ebuyer. This easy-to-use printer, which matches the printing quality of the one directly above, but only has a 600 dpi scanning resolution, clocks in at £45.29 before delivery. Super saver delivery's free on orders over £50 on ebuyer, so you may want to add something small (this big box of batteries is a good bet) to your cart to get it. Otherwise, this works out at £51 delivered.
  
  The thing that makes this a top deal is that buy one and you're entitled to £20 cashback from Canon until 24th Dec (purchase date). To get it, you need to fill in a claim form and send it back with a photocopy of your invoice before the end of January. Then you'll get a cheque for £20 within 28 days.
  Replacement ink cost: £11 (3rd party) to £15 (official).

Spotted any of these cheaper, or a better deal? Post below and I'll add 'em in.

Anything else?

The biggest MoneySaving concern when it comes to printers is the cost of replacement ink cartridges, as some manufacturers will sell you their hardware dirt-cheap then sting you with high ink prices, resulting in a bizarre scenario where it's cheaper to buy a whole new printer just for the ink than to buy the cartridges alone.

Where third-party cartridges are available, buy them; at this level you're unlikely to notice the difference. If you're in doubt, check for feedback about your specific printer online.

If you regularly print photos at home, check out one of the many online services that'll save you the trouble. The turnaround'll be slightly longer, but the photos'll be top quality, and once you've factored in the price of ink and special photo printing paper, it works out a whole lot cheaper.

In fact, numerous introductory print offers mean you needn't even pay a penny for a while. For example, Photobox offers 60 free prints to new customers that go there via Amazon.

If you regularly print lots of pages of text it may be more economical to invest in a black and white laser printer. You should be able to pick up a fairly decent one on eBay for around the same price as those above, and while toner cartridges can be expensive (up to £40), they last much, much longer than inkjet ones.

mobilez

MSE_Lawrence wrote: »

What's the deal?

• STRONG FEEDBACK. Canon Pixma MP210 £32 after refund (£52 outlay) inc. delivery. Whilst a bit more fiddly to get the cheap price, this Canon deal's also worth looking at. Web electronics retailer Misco is offering this easy-to-use printer, which matches the printing quality of the one directly above, but only has a 600 dpi scanning resolution, for £52 delivered.
  
  Spotted any of these cheaper, or a better deal? Post below and I'll add 'em in.

This printer is available for £44.89 on eBuyer with free supersaver delivery(http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132443).

The same Canon £20 cashback deal applies - making this a complete bargain at £24.89 including delivery!

As with most of eBuyer's free delivery offers, you must select supersaver 5-day delivery. The cut off date for free delivery (to receive by Christmas) is 8pm Monday 17th December (http://www.ebuyer.com/special/1293)

Mobilez

mobilez

The form for cashback via eBuyer is here:
http://image.ebuyer.com/customer/promos/UK/MP210%20Cash%20Back%20Redemption%20Claim%20Form.pdf

The claim form is worded slightly differently from the Misco-hosted one so I have included the link.

als1805

I wouldn't advise buying really cheap print cartridges, I did this and ended up wrecking my lovely Epson printer. Apparently it's all about the size of the particles, good cartridges have particles so small the toner looks like liquid, but in the cheaper cartridges they are bigger and so can wreck your print heads, which is what happened to me. Although i suppose if you're paying 20 quid for a printer, if it lasts 6 months that's good value.

Tinkywinks108

Can anyone please give some idea of how long ink cartridges last for as this would be a major decision factor in wether to get a printer or not. I know it's difficult to say...but maybe you could tell me how often you use your printer and what for and how often you need to replace your ink cartridge?

sandra_uk

als1805 wrote: »

I wouldn't advise buying really cheap print cartridges, I did this and ended up wrecking my lovely Epson printer. Apparently it's all about the size of the particles, good cartridges have particles so small the toner looks like liquid, but in the cheaper cartridges they are bigger and so can wreck your print heads, which is what happened to me. Although i suppose if you're paying 20 quid for a printer, if it lasts 6 months that's good value.

I did the same my epson 6000 did not like the cheaper ink got the compatable from tescos ruined my printer
Got a lexmark now a load of rubish I am lookig for a printer now
Sandi

helen_caslass

i work for a company selling printers and cartridges based in yorkshire. Olivetti ink is not easy to come buy if that is a factor in buying a printer HP and canon are easier to come by.
The canon printer has pic bridge (for plugging your digital camera/mobile phone in)
The HP doesnt.
If this helps anyone i'm glad to have been of service

theonlyrick

MSE Lawrence has hit the nail on the head with everything he said!

B&W laser is a very cost-effective way to get a reliable printer - the toner cartridge will last and last (and last). Also, unlike inkjets, lasers can sit unused for ages, and then fire up and start working again. Many inkjets will suffer (the ink dries up and clogs in the nozzles).

All Epson printers, AFAIK, have non-replaceable printer heads. This means that after wasting gallons of ink through the cleaning process, you'll probably then have to chuck the printer out 'cos the nozzles are blocked.


Remember: Although it's hard to believe - Online photo shops are much cheaper than doing it yourself.


Which? magazine did a report on printers comparing a Lexmark printer - £30 to buy. Ink for three years reasonable use was £580.

HP printer - £149 to buy. Ink for the same use was £100.

So, after 3 years the HP would have cost £249, which is £361 less than the Lexmark's £610! (Of course, if you're a very light user, then go for the cheap one. A normal user would very quickly get their money back with the HP, though.)


Use Google to find independent reports on printing costs - check out the pence per sheet (pps).

Don't buy a cheap printer as present for someone else unless you know what they are looking for. Although it might look like a great present, the Lexmark in the example above would be a chain around their neck! It would be like paying for a contract phone, and then giving it to someone with their reponsibility to pay for it for 12 months.


Final, final point: To reduce printing costs, buy a print with separate ink tanks. The ones with non-seperate means that when one runs out, you have to chuck all the other ink colours out a the same time.

Apologies for rambling nature of post.

therivierakid

I bought the HP Deskjet D1400 in store at Staples last week for £19.99.

No USB cable and only starter cartridges. print quality seems OK though.

lalibums

I have lexmark X1190 all in one, what a load of rubbish, not even had it a year and the scanner does not work, keep well away.

kalibanana

There is some great advice above and I thought I would add my experience to this. I did some research when I bought my last printer, a reconditioned Canon MP130 (a scanner printer copier with memory card slots) - Canon's are generally recommended by Which?, and non-Canon replacement printer cartridges can be had on ebay for about a pound each. I have used it for about 18 months now and replaced the cartridges with generics numerous times without a problem. Unfortunately these are not now being made, but can be bought reconditioned with guarantee (and occasionally someone sells a new one) on ebay for about £35. Also the Canon MP110 is the same but without the memory card slots. I have installed similar now for my sister and my mother-in-law and they are both happy with them. I hope this is useful!