[sonicxtc]

Hi,
Please offer some input. I'm seeking to purchase immediately a new all-in-one color printer. I will primarily utilize this for at home (light duty home office).
My priorities:

• ease of use
  reliability
  ink cost per page [current printer really eats ink cartridges]
  at least good quality color printing [it doesn't have to be exceptional].
  the option to scan a legal size document would be great, but not a deal breaker.
  Compatibility with Windows 7 through 10
  likely bubble jet since laser tends to be more expensive
  Cost--preferably $250 or less. Much less is fine

What I don't care about at all:

• PPM, printer speed
  Exceptional DPI--very good is likely good enough
  bells and whistles

Thank you for your feedback on BRANDS or specific models.

[Samac]

We went with the Brother MFC-J985DW about nine months ago and have been very pleased with its performance and reliability.

Cheers,

Scott

[avta]

Epson XP820.  Lots of features consistent with your requirements

[JLM]

I'm no printer expert.  My 5 year old HP has stopped printing in black.  Tried to replace cartridges twice but get a message that it's the wrong one even though it's the same number from HP.  Have been limping along with wife's wireless Epson upstairs (when everything is working).  Am looking for a simple/cheap printer, copier, scanner, and e-fax with cheap/available ink for iMac/MacBook Air.

So thanks for posting sonicxtc and thanks for the replies.

[Bizarroterl]

I've always recommended HP.  After the last few I've bought I wouldn't touch another with a ten foot pole.  The quality is not there, and worse yet drivers either don't work or are intermittent. HP =

[Tone Depth]

HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 since Jan. Third or fourth OJ Pro we've had, over 22 yr.

[Peter J]

Not wanting to go through the hassle of returning to Amazon it if sucked, I actually went into one of the local office supply places and was encouraged, by what seemed to be a very knowledgeable manager, to " buy the cheapest one that has the features you want", which were close to what you're describing. It seemed counterintuitive, but she made a convincing argument for an Epson WF-3640.

 It's done everything I needed and added some convenience over the Canon it replaced. Just recently it was kinda strobing the printing. Quick Google search pointed towards an updated driver and it's been good as ever since. I think I paid about $100. Document feeder, second drawer for envelopes, touchscreen, much smaller footprint than the Canon. I like it a lot and would buy it again FWIW.

[Doublej]

A thread from the wayback machine

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=137642.20

Still sticking with my recommendation for Brother MFC series with third party ink that costs under $2 per cartridge. The black is definitely not as black as the OEM ink but I don't care.

Expect to spend $70-$100 for a unit depending upon the feature set.

[sonicxtc]

Thanks for the replies. I'll keep reading them in the AM. I did some further research, too.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-all-in-one-printers,review-2026.html

Rated 8 of 10 http://www.tomsguide.com/us/brother-mfc-j985dw-printer,review-3927.html

You can print and scan from your smartphone via NFC, using Brother's iPrint & Scan app. There is no USB port on the MFC-J985DW for connecting directly to a PC; you must put the device on your wireless or Ethernet network.

The newer Brother printers seem to have a very low cost of ink per page printed.

[Samac]

The Brother MFC-J985DW does have a USB port; we use it on ours. It's located under the scan deck.

Cheers,

Scott

[sonicxtc]

Thank you, Samac. I like having the option to utilize a direct usb connection. I'm ordering the Brother printer. The reviews are good, the print costs are low and most Brother printers are receiving very good comments. And, I'm hesitant to research this for too long. Now, if it were a DAC, and interconnect or speakers, well...that might take a bit more time. But, I rarely listen to my printer for more than a few minutes.

Thank you, everyone.

[Samac]

Cool, sonicxtc, I hope it works as well for you as it has for us. I do find I can listen to the Brother for longer periods without fatigue.

Cheer,

Scott

[lokie]

They all suck.

Buy a 2 year warranty and take it back after the first year, when it starts acting up. And don't load up ink.

[twitch54]

HP Officejet Pro 8600, been flawless for going on four years.

[marksas]

Our HP Envy 4500 has been unreliable, especially using wireless, in fact it won't even find my network SSID anymore and the router is in the same room only 8 ft away...frustrating

[johzel]

They all suck.

LOL  I think you're right!! 

[jpm]

One of the most important factors to research is the capacity and cost of replacement toner.

Remember when inkjet printers were good? Before manufacturers started making them with tiny cartridges that stopped printing after a certain number of pages? That's before you even dealt with cartridges drying up from only being used occasionally. Sure, the printers became super cheap to buy but then you bent over for the supplies.

They've been doing the same dance with laser printers more recently, so check the page count and cost for a toner replacement cartridge. It's a model by model thing, and you may be best served by buying a discontinued or refurbished business model on sale even if it's larger, faster or higher specc'd than you absolutely need.

Another good thing to check is whether or not 3rd party toner cartridges are available, and what the going price is for replacements, OEM and 3rd party, regardless of MSRP.

By and large, I'd expect you to be better off with companies that sell more to business as their cartridges will be available cheaper and for longer. This includes Dell who don't make their own printers but get them from OEMs as they still sell in sufficient volume. I've had good luck with both Dell and Brother, but it is really model dependent.