Community Forums

FLYTYER · 04-04-2009, 01:03 PM

I need to replace an older HP inkjet printer in the RV. I really like HP printers, but the ink is super expensive unless you can find a Walgreen's that refills cartridges. The 8 year old HP inkjet I have is worn out...the plastic gears, etc. need a nudge now and then to keep them moving, so I took the back cover off to have access, and the paper pick up works only if I push on the trailing edge of the sheet of paper.

Anyway I want a reliable, trouble free printer with the lowest cost ink cartridges. I was thinking about a Kodak, but the user's reviews I have read do not give them high marks.

I am leaning towards a wireless printer, but cost starts getting in the way.

What would some of you recommend?

Bill Adams · 04-04-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYTYER

I need to replace an older HP inkjet printer in the RV. I really like HP printers, but the ink is super expensive unless you can find a Walgreen's that refills cartridges. The 8 year old HP inkjet I have is worn out...the plastic gears, etc. need a nudge now and then to keep them moving, so I took the back cover off to have access, and the paper pick up works only if I push on the trailing edge of the sheet of paper.

Anyway I want a reliable, trouble free printer with the lowest cost ink cartridges. I was thinking about a Kodak, but the user's reviews I have read do not give them high marks.

I am leaning towards a wireless printer, but cost starts getting in the way.

What would some of you recommend?

Not the answer you are looking for, but HP! The fact that you have an 8 year old HP should be testament enough.
We have had several over the last 10 years but our current HP is so far superior in quality and dependability that I can't imagine moving to something else. I just try not to print it if I don't absolutely need it so as to help save ink (and the environment by saving paper).

GaryKD · 04-04-2009, 01:36 PM

Hi FLYTYER,
We have both Epson and HP printers. If the printer is going in the coach and is used infrequently/lightly, I recommend HP. I keep an HP in the coach because the ink seems to weather the environment changes very well and there is no clogging of the ink spray head(s). The Epson stays at the stick house.

dkeefe · 04-04-2009, 01:49 PM

I agree with the last poster. I have hp deskjet 812c that is 10 years old and still works fine for my desktop. This has been for home use only. I found a place online a few years ago named "printpal" that sells refilled cartridges at a good price and have been pleased with the results.
Last winter on the road I had a need for a printer for my laptop. I bought a HP2210 at wal-mart for $24 not really expecting any thing more than a compact printer for limited use. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works. It is a lot faster than my old HP and it also scans and makes copys. The print quality is also much better than the old 812. I have not had to change ink yet so I don't know about price. The cartridges [21,22] look small so I don't think they would last long for constant use. However it is fine for my purposes 3 months out of the year that we are traveling.

John-D · 04-04-2009, 06:24 PM

Normally I'd support HP printers as well but I do have one thought to help confuse you

IF, and I stress IF you burn your own music CD's for playing in cars or Motor home, you may have found that if you use a peal and stick lable such as a NEATO label they get stuck in the slot feed (Front loading) CD players, work fine in top loaders and tray loaders but not in slot feed.

You can get "Ink-Jet Printable" CD's (And DVD's too) these will work fine in your slot feed but.. how do you print on 'em. It is for sure you can't run 'em through your HP.

Turns out selected Canon PIXIMA printers sold in other countries DO have the ability to print on CDs and DVDs And the printers are IDENTICAL to the ones sold here in the US. You need the Disc Tray (Which you can get at a E-bay store) and instructions (Same source) and.... That's how I print'em

JC2 · 04-04-2009, 08:31 PM

Have you looked at the LexMark printers?

Sixpack98 · 04-05-2009, 07:27 PM

Might take a look at some of the Brother printers. Very compact and the 665cw is wireless, very compact and has FAX and scanner. I've always owned HP printers but the Brother is every bit as good as an HP and is cheaper with many more features. That said, the HP's ink cartridges are much easier to find. Not cheaper, but easier to find. If you don't need color there are quite a few wireless laser printers that have a very small footprint and wont eat you alive from a cartridge perspective.

ruppr · 04-05-2009, 09:43 PM

Hey Ted,
Don't forget you can also set your HP for draft printing and double your ink coverage. (Just in case you haven't.)

Best,

UPS 34 · 04-06-2009, 06:45 AM

The new Kodak printers are excellent. Ink cost's less. Makes real nice pictures also.

Robert Rice · 04-06-2009, 07:27 AM

I recently bought a copier, scanner, printer (HP F2200) from WalMart on-line for $29. How can you beat that? It works perfectly, like all HP printers do. The ink cartridges are among the cheapest sold and, as others have mentioned you can get them refilled for less than the new cost. I have tried several other brands, and they simply don't measure up to the HP quality and dependability, in MHOP. By the way, it prints on both sides of the paper.

FLYTYER · 04-07-2009, 07:25 AM

I stayed with HP. I bought the C4580 which is wireless, prints, copies, and scans. Tiger Direct had the best price and 3 day shipping for $2.00.

I seriously looked at the Brother, Canon, and Kodak units. After reading all of the consumer reviews and studying Consumer Reports findings, HP just stood out.

Thanks to everyone who gave me some good ideas and what to consider.

two2go · 04-07-2009, 11:06 AM

I see that many of you are going with the all-in-one units. That may be fine for some, but I have space issues in carrying a printer in the coach. Also, I have a high quality scanner at home and don't care to replicate the function with a unit that may compromise quality to incorporate multi-functionality. There is less choice in dedicated printers. I guess the manufacturers are providing what most people what, or what they want to build. BTW, my printer choice is influenced by the ability to refill the cartridges easily myself as well as the print quality.

Bill Adams · 04-07-2009, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two2go

I see that many of you are going with the all-in-one units. That may be fine for some, but I have space issues in carrying a printer in the coach.

Boy, you make it sound like that's a bad thing!
We full-time so having a scanner and a printer and a fax machine is not really a practical option for me. The all-in-one machine is very functional and produces very good results including scans and printed photos.
We have had the HP 3200 All-in-one and it serves all of my business and personal needs quite well.

BigSkyBob · 04-07-2009, 01:00 PM

I had an HP printer, scanner, copier but I've forgotten the model number. I loved HP stuff until the printer stopped printing because the firmware determined the print head had to be replaced. It was the type where only the ink cartridges were replaced and not the print head. The printer was working perfectly but HP tech support informed me the print head had to be replaced before it could be reset to begin printing again. The cheapest parts and labor I could find at the time was $190, so I hauled the machine to the landfill and purchased a Lexmark printer, scanner, copier at Walmart for 29 bucks. It's 2 years old and works perfectly. I will never purchase another HP device again because of this.