To asi123,
You ask which on the list of three should you buy. My personal answer would be none of the above but I presume you have a set of criteria that are YOUR reasons----which trump my reasons.
I have done some limited research on all three models. All are inkjet multifunctionals that print, flatbed scan, copy, and color fax. All, come at about the same purchase price. But you have decided what you want your printer to do, which is a very good step one.
If any are going to help you make a rational choice, you have to identify what YOUR needs and further wants are.
(1) DO you want economy in ink consumable costs?--in other words how much each page costs you to print.
(2) About what is your yearly printing volume going to be.
How will your printing be distruibuted---just b/w text and letters, color output on plain paper, photographic prints and special paper or what. And exactly how important is having the utmost quality in say something like photographs.
(3) How long do you expect the printer to last?
Once you start to answer those questions you are at step two
of being a smart consumer. And at least a few steps shy of making the best choice for you.
But if any can help you, it would help to know your needs past print, copy, scan, and fax.
You ask which on the list of three should you buy. My personal answer would be none of the above but I presume you have a set of criteria that are YOUR reasons----which trump my reasons.
I have done some limited research on all three models. All are inkjet multifunctionals that print, flatbed scan, copy, and color fax. All, come at about the same purchase price. But you have decided what you want your printer to do, which is a very good step one.
If any are going to help you make a rational choice, you have to identify what YOUR needs and further wants are.
(1) DO you want economy in ink consumable costs?--in other words how much each page costs you to print.
(2) About what is your yearly printing volume going to be.
How will your printing be distruibuted---just b/w text and letters, color output on plain paper, photographic prints and special paper or what. And exactly how important is having the utmost quality in say something like photographs.
(3) How long do you expect the printer to last?
Once you start to answer those questions you are at step two
of being a smart consumer. And at least a few steps shy of making the best choice for you.
But if any can help you, it would help to know your needs past print, copy, scan, and fax.
Well, first of all 10x for the answer.
Now, I would like to know what is your personal favorite multifunction printer that can print, copy, scan, and and send faxes?
I expect the printer to less as much as it can and it's going to be use mainly for text and not to much of photographs.
Now, I would like to know what is your personal favorite multifunction printer that can print, copy, scan, and and send faxes?
I expect the printer to less as much as it can and it's going to be use mainly for text and not to much of photographs.
To asi123,
Not sure I really understand your answer.
But if you want to know what I bought, that is a fair question. I bought a used Canon MP730( now discontinued by Canon) and use non-oem cartridges from bulkinkjetcarts.com.
I figure my b/w test costs me less than a cent in terms of ink consumable costs. And I love the printing quality.
A similar Canon printer, not yet discontinued is the MP 780,
which one can find on sale for as low as $200. Its a slightly more modern and slightly better than the MP730 for photographs but basically uses the same type of cartridges. ---and acording to Tom's hardware guide and the April/05 issue of consumer reports the MP 780 comes in at about three cents per page b/w text using OEM cartridges. ( and can acheive the same sub cent rate using non-oem cartridges )
In contrast, according to the same sources, both Hp printers you cite( they use the same cartridges) would probably come in at 6.5 cents per page for b/w text using OEM cartridges. My guess is the lexmark x6170 would come in at around eight or nine cents per page for b/w text.
In terms of color text on plain paper (not a photo ) figure your costs at almost three times that of black and white text.
If your printing volume is low---say less than a few hundred pages per year, printer choice is not that important. But as printing volume goes up, those higher ink consumable costs really mount up. And if you tried to go much lower in initial purchase price your choices would be printers that came in at a much higher per page cost.
But my bag is printing economy and it may not be your bag. To really make you sick, I bought my MP730 recently on ebay for $26. Of course it cost me an extra $40. shipping. An admitted gamble and I could have lost all on junk-instead I got a very good working unit.
If your tolerance for risk is not as great I would recommend
a new MP780 that uses the BCI-6 cartridges. If you look you should be able to find that multifunctional for only a $50. initial cost premium over your other choices.
Lets look at it this way----if I can print at a penny per page and it costs you seven cents, I save $60. every 100 b/w text pages. In 333 pages I make up the entire purchase price of a $200. printer. In terms of the $50. premium, I make that up in 84 pages.
Beware of the new canons that use the BCI-8 chipped cartridges. Until work arounds are found, they effectively remove the option to use Non-oem cartridges. Insists on a canon printer that uses the BCI-6 family of color cartridges----on in the case of the MP730, the BCI-3 family.
But if you are uncomfortable using non-oem cartridges, you are dealing with 6.5-3= a 3.5 cent per page savings on b/w text. Which means it takes 143 pages to make that $50. up. And 571 pages to make up the entire $200. purchase price over the HP competitors.
But thats my take on the matter, its your money and your choice. If you want to get into refilling which tosses all these numbers into a cocked hat, the refilling ability of the Canon's is much superior to HP and Hp is a better refill canididate than a lexmark from what I read.
The downside risk of the Canon printers with printhead off the cartridge is printhead clogging. Which can become a danger if the printer is left idle for six months or more. As for me, I often leave my printer idle for weeks and experience no problems. Since a new printhead can cost about $70., it about the cost equivalent of 2/3 to one set of replacement HP or Lexmark cartridges that would also die if left idle for six months. But even if the Canon printhead clogs, its user removable and cleanable--costing mere effort and pennies most of the time.
And you may now understand why I have two working multifuctional printers----one a HP and one a Lexmark that I keep as spare outgoing fax machines for emergency use. I finially got tired of buying replacement cartridges for these printers that were eating me out of house and home.
Not sure I really understand your answer.
But if you want to know what I bought, that is a fair question. I bought a used Canon MP730( now discontinued by Canon) and use non-oem cartridges from bulkinkjetcarts.com.
I figure my b/w test costs me less than a cent in terms of ink consumable costs. And I love the printing quality.
A similar Canon printer, not yet discontinued is the MP 780,
which one can find on sale for as low as $200. Its a slightly more modern and slightly better than the MP730 for photographs but basically uses the same type of cartridges. ---and acording to Tom's hardware guide and the April/05 issue of consumer reports the MP 780 comes in at about three cents per page b/w text using OEM cartridges. ( and can acheive the same sub cent rate using non-oem cartridges )
In contrast, according to the same sources, both Hp printers you cite( they use the same cartridges) would probably come in at 6.5 cents per page for b/w text using OEM cartridges. My guess is the lexmark x6170 would come in at around eight or nine cents per page for b/w text.
In terms of color text on plain paper (not a photo ) figure your costs at almost three times that of black and white text.
If your printing volume is low---say less than a few hundred pages per year, printer choice is not that important. But as printing volume goes up, those higher ink consumable costs really mount up. And if you tried to go much lower in initial purchase price your choices would be printers that came in at a much higher per page cost.
But my bag is printing economy and it may not be your bag. To really make you sick, I bought my MP730 recently on ebay for $26. Of course it cost me an extra $40. shipping. An admitted gamble and I could have lost all on junk-instead I got a very good working unit.
If your tolerance for risk is not as great I would recommend
a new MP780 that uses the BCI-6 cartridges. If you look you should be able to find that multifunctional for only a $50. initial cost premium over your other choices.
Lets look at it this way----if I can print at a penny per page and it costs you seven cents, I save $60. every 100 b/w text pages. In 333 pages I make up the entire purchase price of a $200. printer. In terms of the $50. premium, I make that up in 84 pages.
Beware of the new canons that use the BCI-8 chipped cartridges. Until work arounds are found, they effectively remove the option to use Non-oem cartridges. Insists on a canon printer that uses the BCI-6 family of color cartridges----on in the case of the MP730, the BCI-3 family.
But if you are uncomfortable using non-oem cartridges, you are dealing with 6.5-3= a 3.5 cent per page savings on b/w text. Which means it takes 143 pages to make that $50. up. And 571 pages to make up the entire $200. purchase price over the HP competitors.
But thats my take on the matter, its your money and your choice. If you want to get into refilling which tosses all these numbers into a cocked hat, the refilling ability of the Canon's is much superior to HP and Hp is a better refill canididate than a lexmark from what I read.
The downside risk of the Canon printers with printhead off the cartridge is printhead clogging. Which can become a danger if the printer is left idle for six months or more. As for me, I often leave my printer idle for weeks and experience no problems. Since a new printhead can cost about $70., it about the cost equivalent of 2/3 to one set of replacement HP or Lexmark cartridges that would also die if left idle for six months. But even if the Canon printhead clogs, its user removable and cleanable--costing mere effort and pennies most of the time.
And you may now understand why I have two working multifuctional printers----one a HP and one a Lexmark that I keep as spare outgoing fax machines for emergency use. I finially got tired of buying replacement cartridges for these printers that were eating me out of house and home.
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